Free Republic

Coronavirus politics is a rare case of populist interests conflicting with Trump’s interests. Normally when that happens, righties side with Trump. When he clashes with Iran, for instance, principled nationalists like Tucker Carlson might scold him for succumbing to the interventionists in his orbit but most Republicans think it’s fine because it shows strength. In the present case, though, populists’ suspicion of experts is leading some to grasp for arguments that the pandemic isn’t as bad as scientists say even though implicitly that’s a knock on Trump for going along with those same experts (for now). Here we have Bennett...

It’s been two years since the end of the Obama presidency and in that span, the mainstream Democratic Party has made an extreme shift to the far left. In 2019 the Democrats have put their weight behind increased taxes, universal health care, open borders, and third-trimester abortions. How do we account for this radical trend? A journalist friend of mine reports that his generally liberal college son was somewhat somnolent and indifferent during the Obama years, lulled into quiescence by liberal policies and moderate talk. Then came Trump. A huge splash of cold water hit his face and he and...

Bill Bennett appeared on "Fox & Friends" Friday to weigh in on President Trump's war of words with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, saying this is a fight Roberts should not have picked.

Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett appeared on Fox News Thursday night to praise Donald Trump’s speech in North Carolina which included an expression of regret for saying hurtful things during the past campaign year. When asked what groups Trump needs to reach to win the election in November, Bennett singled out one particular group he thinks Trump should not waste his time on: “He does not need to speak to the “Never Trumpers,” some of my friends – or maybe former friends – who suffer from a terrible case of moral superiority and put their own vanity and taste above...

Bill Bennett's lapel looks upside down.

Former Education Secretary under Ronald Reagan, Bill Bennett, says that it is time for the #NeverTrump crowd to give the Republican frontrunner another look. "We may have a roundtable of [white] knights," swooping in to stop Trump at the RNC convention, Bennett told Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly on Wednesday. "And I'll be Secretary Arthur." "Let's look a little bit macro at this," he explained. "There is momentum. Trump really finished big in New York. And Cruz finished third. Very bad for Cruz. Remember Cruz told Kasich, when it became mathematically impossible for Kasich to win, you should drop out...

He was meant to retire some time in March and is doing interviews with movers and shakers instead.

In a compelling column, George Will – who knows a thing or two about conservatism – makes the conservative case against Donald Trump. Mr. Will refers to Trump as an “unprecedentedly and incorrigibly vulgar presidential candidate” who is coarsening our civic life. He labels Trump “a counterfeit Republican and no conservative.” And he argues that Trump is an affront to anyone devoted to the legacy of William F. Buckley, Jr., the founder of National Review and a giant in American conservatism. Just as Buckley excommunicated the John Birch Society from the conservative movement in the 1960s, so should conservatives today...

“With marijuana,” declare William J. Bennett and Robert A. White in Going to Pot, their new prohibitionist screed, “we have inexplicably suspended all the normal rules of reasoning and knowledge.” You can’t say they didn’t warn us. The challenge for Bennett, a former drug czar and secretary of education who makes his living nowadays as a conservative pundit and talk radio host, and White, a New Jersey lawyer, is that most Americans support marijuana legalization, having discovered through direct and indirect experience that cannabis is not the menace portrayed in decades of anti-pot propaganda. To make the familiar seem threatening...

No amount of false bravado, professorial sounding outrage or political denials can erase the truth about Common Core Dr. William J. (Bill) Bennett, former Secretary of Education under President Ronald Reagan from 1986 to 1988, advocates for Common Core in a CNN op-ed published on Dec. 2, 2014, and as recently as Feb. 1, 2015, in a televised debate with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. In his CNN op-ed, Dr. Bennett concludes that because America “offers no better alternative”, we should accept Common Core. His argument dovetails closely with establishment Republican and Democrat ideology; one imbedded with flawed logic, compounded falsehoods...

With the cost of higher education skyrocketing, student loan debt growing, and youth unemployment persistently high, a former United States Secretary of Education asks "Is College Worth It?" In Is College Worth It?: A Former United States Secretary of Education and a Liberal Arts Graduate Expose the Broken Promise of Higher Education, William J. Bennett and David Wilezol examine the costs and benefits of American higher education. The book explains the tough jobs market, a potentially repressive academic culture, and the benefits of alternative options. Wilezol, an associate producer of the Bill Bennett's Morning in America show, discussed the economic...

At first glance, the death of Trayvon Martin seemed to be a straightforward example of ugly, racial conflict resulting in the killing of an innocent black teenager by a white man, George Zimmerman. But now, as evidence continues to come forward, the facts seem much more complicated and the "obvious truth" premature. ... To make matters more complex, we found out that in the past several months, Martin was suspended from school three times, once for the possession of drug paraphernalia. The Miami Herald reported that in the gated community in which Zimmerman patrolled, there were eight burglaries, nine thefts...

Cain Must Confront Sex Harassment Issue By William J. Bennett, CNN Contributor November 7, 2011 William Bennett: Herman Cain should confront allegations of sexual harassmentHe says four women making such claims cannot be dismissed as insignificant If Cain is to be taken seriously, he needs to respond directly. Bennett says those who criticized Bill Clinton's behavior can't ignore issue (CNN) -- When I became one of Bill Clinton's earliest and chief accusers for the sexual harassment charges against him, two things were eminently true about my motives: (a) I did not become an accuser because Bill Clinton was a Democrat...

Hearing Mitt Romney’s surrogate Bill Bennett refer to me as a bigot and Jon Huntsman call me a “moron” last week after my controversial comments on Mormonism, amid calls for civility and tolerance in public discourse, reminds me of the exclamation: “We will not tolerate intolerance!” But beyond the personal insults, I am concerned that these men are attempting to prematurely marginalize religion as a relevant topic in elections. Utilizing such incendiary rhetoric against those of us who dare bring up a candidate’s spiritual beliefs cuts off discussion about religion before it begins.

I would contend Newt Gingrich’s interview with Bill Bennett this morning did not go well for the candidate. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Bennett, one of the most patient and courteous hosts in talk radio, so exasperated with a guest: Bill Bennett: We had some tough comments about you, want to give you a chance to respond. Let me put it this way: Is there anything about this Meet the Press interview that you would like to either take back or clarify today?Newt Gingrich: Yeah, there’s a lot that I would like to clarify, but let me start by...

For the past three months, Donald Trump has been making a lot of news about his possible run for the presidency. It started in February when he spoke at the annual gathering of CPAC. Proving he is willing to call 'em as he sees 'em, and not following the traditional advice for prospective candidates that it's not a good idea to anger your audience, he jumped right in to challenge the Ron Paul supporters in the crowd, saying of Paul, "He has zero chance of getting elected." Trump was booed and jeered, but he did not care. He did not...

Bill talks with Michael Rubin about his recent trip to Iraq, the prospects of victory in Afghanistan and how we deal with Pakistan. Listen to 19min. interview at link above.

Abraham Lincoln said that among free men, there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet. I have that in mind this morning as I think of its corollary: When our elected leaders so flout the will of the people and play games in order to do so, nothing can prove as powerful as the use of the ballot — and in eight months we will show our elected leaders just that. The election of 1994 was an elephant stampede in the wake of ethics scandals, higher taxes, more spending, and a failed health-care bill. This year,...

Glenn Beck delivered the keynote address at CPAC Saturday, receiving roughly a dozen standing ovations as he utilized his trademark chalkboard to present what he called the progressive “cancer… eating our Constitution.” Beck did not constrain his criticism to the Obama administration or the Democratic party. He called out Republicans as well: I’m so sick of hearing people say, oh, well the Republicans are going to solve it all. Really? [They are] just progressive-lite. That’s like somebody sticking a screwdriver in your eye and [you] saying, “Stop! Stop!” And somebody else pulls it out and then puts a pin in...

February 21 Saturday Night Beck There’s a lot to say about CPAC. This morning the major papers are highlighting Glenn Beck’s speech. I like Glenn a lot and I think he has something to teach us. But not what he offered last night. Analogizing his own struggles with alcohol to the problems of our polity and in our politics, he said, “Hello, my name is the Republican party, and I have a problem!” “I’m addicted to spending and big government.” ”It is still morning in America.” ”It just happens to be kind of a head-pounding, hung-over, vomiting-for-four-hours kind of morning...