NEWS AND OPINION:
So how are we doing as a nation? One Republican observer has summarized the state of things now that President Biden has completed his first year in office.
The United States has become “a country in constant crisis,” House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a statement that included a summary of the past 12 months with Mr. Biden in the White House.
Mr. McCarthy cited “soaring costs, empty shelves, punishing mandates and a weakened America,” and that was just the beginning of his analysis.
“Violent crime also has soared and we have an uncontrolled border crisis that has led to nearly 2 million illegal immigrants pouring into our communities. His inept policies have led to Americans facing the highest inflation in 40 years. And his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of 13 of our service members and hundreds of Americans abandoned in a country controlled by the Taliban,” Mr. McCarthy said.
“Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress have stood by and done nothing for the American people. Americans aren’t just frustrated, they are fed up and looking for change and an optimistic vision. We must end one-party rule in D.C. and get back to policies that get us off this destructive path and back to American prosperity,” Mr. McCarthy concluded.
The White House, of course, does not see it that way.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris took office amid several crises — and they promised to move quickly to deliver results for working families. That’s what they’ve done,” noted an extensive overview of those activities published online.
They can be scrutinized at Whitehouse.gov/oneyear.
SIMPLE ADVICE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Assorted news reports, academic studies and polls from the likes of the Pew Research Center, Georgetown University and Gallup have long suggested that much of the U.S. population still hankers for some commonsense and civility among those who run the nation.
And here’s another thought:
“Americans want leaders who take responsibility for the crises they are facing. A long list of grievances and blame-shifting to others who may have played some role in each subsequent disaster begins to ring hollow quickly,” advises the Association of Mature American Citizens, a nonprofit.
RATINGS: FOX NEWS STILL TRIUMPHS
Fox News wins? Yes, the cable news network does that, and kicks butt as well, to make use of a somewhat coarse but popular description. It’s all in the numbers.
During the week of Jan. 10-16, Fox News Channel marked one year since revamping its daytime programming lineup, airing 73 of the top 100 programs across the entire cable realm, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox News also aired 13 of the top-rated 15 cable news programs during the week.
In the prime-time hours, Fox News drew 2.3 million primetime viewers, compared to 1.2 million who went with MSNBC and 507,000 who chose CNN.
This also marks the 22nd straight week that the network enjoyed a larger audience than MSNBC and CNN combined.
“The Five” was the most-watched cable news program of the week with an average of 3.5 million viewers, with “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in second place with 3.4 million viewers.
PROGRESSIVE AND PRO-LIFE
The annual March for Life in the nation’s capital includes a determined but lesser known population of supporters.
They are “the large contingent of progressives and liberals who are turning up in greater numbers each year,” wrote Terrisa Bukovinac, founder and president of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, and Xavier Bisits, secretary of the group and former vice president of Democrats for Life of America.
They expressed their views in an essay for Newsweek published Thursday, and cited signs that now appear at the annual event representing such groups as Secular Pro-Life, Feminists for Life and Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians.”
“This change at the March reflects the growing number of non-religious and progressive Americans who oppose abortion. In 2012, the Pew Research Center found that 24% of non-religious Americans believe abortion should be mostly or always illegal. In 2018, Gallup found that figure was up to 30 percent,” the authors noted.
They also cited a 2018 University of Chicago survey of over 5,000 biologists — 95% confirmed the biological view that “a human’s life begins at fertilization.” The survey was conducted by the University of Chicago.
“Fundamentally, we believe there will never be equity in our nation as long as we try to achieve it by ending the lives of the tiniest human beings among us,” the authors said.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: “Dreamgirls” producer Jonathan King’s “private resort-style estate” in Venice, California; built in 2015. Five bedrooms, six baths, guest suite; 3,944 square feet. State of the art gourmet kitchen, butler’s pantry, floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows, media room, private balcony, office. “Stunning” exterior pool and spa with 30-foot mosaic mural of an incoming ocean wave; pool house, herb garden, two-car garage, gated property.
Priced at $10 million through 805Marco.com.
POLL DU JOUR
29% of U.S. adults say the coronavirus pandemic is “going to get worse”; 24% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 35% of Democrats agree.
31% of women and 26% of men also agree.
26% overall say the worst part of the pandemic is “behind us”; 38% of Republicans, 31% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree.
22% of women and 30% of men also agree.
24% say we are currently “in the worst part of the pandemic”; 22% of Republicans, 19% of independents and 31% of Democrats agree.
22% of women and 26% of men also agree.
21% are not sure about the issue; 16% of Republicans, 23% of independents and 22% of Democrats agree.
25% of women and 18% of men also agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 15-18.
Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
