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Michael Medved
Michael Medved is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host and bestselling author. His daily three hour show reaches 200 stations across the country and an audience of 4.7 million placing him, for ten years in a row, on the Talkers Magazine list of the top ten political talks shows in the United States. Michael’s columns on politics and media appear regularly in the Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast and USA Today, where he is a member of the Board of Contributors.
Writer's WebsiteIs the Pope Hispanic?
Since the new pope was born in Argentina, should he count as Hispanic, and does that make him a member of a different race from the former pope, who was German? In America, Pope Francis would indeed count as racially distinct from Pope Benedict, since the government—ridiculously—counts people of Hispanic heritage as “non white.”
This mislabeling occurs...
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Saying Goodbye to Cars?
I recently said goodbye to car I had enjoyed and cherished for several years, repeating an experience familiar to most of my fellow baby-boomers. Bringing our twenty-year-old son into the garage the night before taking the vehicle back to the dealer at the expiration of the lease, I unsuccessfully invoked the bittersweet nature of the moment. “Take a good...
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Blurring Distinctions in “Crimes Against Humanity”
Secretary of State John Kerry appropriately criticized Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan for characterizing Zionism as “a crime against humanity.”
The original comments listed Zionism as one such crime along with fascism, anti-Semitism and… “Islamophobia.” Fear of Muslim fanaticism may be appropriate or inappropriate, but grouping such concern with...
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Too Many Shades of Breached Privacy
The Style Section of the New York Times recently celebrated a new sexual minority emerging from the shadows and clamoring for public recognition and respect: the so-called “BDSM Community.” Those less trendy than typical Times readers, might be surprised to learn that BDSM stands for “Bondage, Domination, and Sado-Masochism.”
Inspired by the...
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Argo and the Big Lie about the Latino “Race”
Imagine a movie using a white actor to play an African-American hero in a stirring true story about a hostage rescue. Would that film ever win the Best Picture Oscar? The answer is an obvious “No!” but this year’s Best Picture, Argo, cast Ben Affleck, a white Anglo with no hint of Hispanic heritage, to play the Mexican-American CIA agent Tony...
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Let Obama Discover the Unexpected Israel
As Barack Obama prepares for his trip to Israel on March 20th—his first as President—he might consider taking the opportunity to correct common distortions about the Jewish state that his administration has, on occasion, helped to promote. Clearing away some of these persistent misunderstandings on the part of both policy makers and the public could...
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Leftist Values Below the Oscar Surface
The 2013 Academy Award broadcast generally steered clear of overt political statements, but two aspects of the occasion demonstrated the movie industry’s strong liberal values.
Most obviously, the selection of First Lady Michelle Obama to announce the Best Picture winner in a live satellite connection from the White House seemed odd and out of place. For one...
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Odd Couplings at the Oscars
The 2013 Academy Awards featured Michelle Obama announcing the Best Picture winner in a live satellite connection from the White House. As a symbol of female empowerment and a formidable Harvard-educated lawyer, the First Lady looked out of place concluding a broadcast dominated by one of the raunchiest, most misogynistic hosts in Oscar history.
The evening...
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Outlines of a Compromise?
Even with the current hysteria over the looming sequestration, outlines of a sensible, bi-partisan compromise are painfully obvious. The Republicans want to trim deficits by cutting spending, while Democrats seek the same result through more sacrifices from the rich.
Why not give both sides what they demand—with government spending less and the rich...
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Spreading the Wealth to Argo
The Best Picture Oscar awarded to Argo over its chief competitor Lincoln represents another triumph for Hollywood’s liberal values. This is not a question of political favoritism: the directors, writers and producers of both films are all enthusiastic Democrats.
But Lincoln celebrated a uniquely heroic moment in American history—the final abolition of...
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Obama’s Trip Should Correct Anti-Israel Lies
As Barack Obama prepares for his March trip to Israel—his first as president—he should help correct distortions about the Jewish state his own administration helped promote. For instance, many Americans view Israel as a dangerous nation, perpetually menaced by terrorism, and see concessions to Palestinian militants as the only path to security.
Actually,...
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Distorting Numbers on Gay Identity
A misleading new state-by-state study claims that nearly 4 percent of American adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender with Washington, DC boasting the top LGBT population of nearly 10 percent.
These figures seem to contradict a 2011 study from the same experts at UCLA’s Williams Institute that showed only 1.7% saying they were gay or...
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Grand Gestures Instead of a Grand Bargain
In his State of the Union address, Barack Obama offered some unexpectedly reasonable and bi-partisan language on deficits, spending, economic growth, tax reform, education, and immigration. The question for Republicans will be whether or not the president will truly offer meaningful chances for cooperation, or revert to his old strategy of dismissing and...
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“Groundhog Day” at the State of the Union
The State of the Union speech concluded with a rousing call for change. “America needs a new direction,” the president declaimed. “A change of course which will put the unemployed back to work; increase real income and production; restrain the growth of Federal Government spending; achieve energy independence; and advance the cause of world...
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Who Makes the Cut for the Worst Presidents Ever?
As President Obama prepares his State of the Union Address and the nation looks forward to a Presidents Day holiday, Americans should consider the warning examples of our worst chief executives.
While few of Washington and Lincoln’s successors could hope to replicate their epic achievements, every president can — and must — focus on avoiding the...
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“If Not Now, When?”
All factions agree that the mandated defense cuts of the scheduled “sequester” would dangerously damage our security, but the president’s plan to avert disaster offers precisely the wrong approach. He wants more tax hikes to finance new spending—and wants to postpone scheduled budget trims until he gets his “grand bargain.” But Congress only needs...
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