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Paul Kengor Columns category

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Paul Kengor: Ruining America’s national pastime
While watching the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates recently, I was struck by something very confusing. It was extra innings, and each team somehow started the inning with a runner on second base. The runner magically materialized on my TV after the commercial break. I tried to figure out when that player...
Paul Kengor: The pope of surprises
A popular expression of Pope Francis was his phrase “the God of surprises.” That phrase was often turned against Francis by critics. He was notorious for grabbing a microphone on an airplane and sloppily saying something off the cuff to reporters that seemed to instantly threaten two millennia of church...
Paul Kengor: Trump’s trade policies creating chaos and political realignment
President Trump’s trade policies are creating quite the uproar. They’re also creating a political realignment. The history of America’s dominant political parties on trade is complex. Republicans have largely favored free trade, whereas Democrats have been more committed to protecting their union base. As for tariffs, look at the last...
Paul Kengor: The ACLU’s religious ignorance
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) gets defensive when accused of being hostile to the concerns and freedoms of Christians, but there’s no denying the troubling track record. Everyone knows it. A conservative Jewish friend of mine calls the ACLU the “Anti-Christian Liberties Union.” I’ve written about its history in...
Paul Kengor: Slow down and move over for tow-truck drivers
“How many tows have you done today?” I asked the guy rigging up my vehicle. “Three so far,” he said. “More to come.” “How late is your shift?” I followed. “Midnight,” he replied. “I like the shift, but my wife hates it. She really worries about my safety. It’s a...
Paul Kengor: Hey, Travis and Taylor — get married
The sports world is abuzz over Travis Kelce’s next career move in light of his not-so-super performance during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl defeat. Well, I, your humble columnist, offer a not-so-subtle suggestion to Kelce: get married. He and Taylor Swift need to get hitched. When asked about that...
Paul Kengor: A new Donald Trump?
Last week I received a fascinating email from a longtime reader. Her assessment at first might sound like a salvo at Donald Trump and his family, but it was meant as a compliment to egg them on. She has been a strong Trump supporter since 2016. Her assessment related to...
Paul Kengor: A big inauguration with a big deadline
We’re mere days from Jan. 20, 2025, the second inauguration of Donald Trump — this time as America’s 47th president. It is much anticipated by all, with some jubilant and others dreading the moment. But it ought to be much anticipated for a remarkable deadline Trump has given for that...
Paul Kengor: My Top 5 Most Astonishing Political Moments of 2024
When it comes to politics, 2024 was an insane year. So much so that your faithful columnist has conjured up a list of the Top 5 Most Astonishing Political Moments of 2024. Here we go: Number 5 is President Joe Biden’s shocking appearance at the presidential debate. Pretty much any...
Paul Kengor: The NFL disses Christmas
Count Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and a devout Christian, among the NFL players not happy about the league scheduling games this year on Christmas Day — a Wednesday no less. The Chiefs will play in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. For the Chiefs, there’s an added affront. Because the...
Paul Kengor: Revenge of the covid rogues
Of all the cast of rebels and rogues selected by President-elect Donald Trump for his incoming administration, few are igniting a meltdown quite like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jay Bhattacharya. RFK Jr. has been nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Bhattacharya has been selected to...
Paul Kengor: A tragic 9/11 love story
Early in the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Barbara Olson, a Washington-based author and pundit, sweetly gave her husband, Ted, a kiss goodbye. She was 45 years old, a well-known media personality and critic of the Clintons. She was a happy person who knew how to laugh with folks on...
Paul Kengor: Nominating likable presidential candidates
On the eve of Tuesday’s election, RealClearPolitics posted a striking number. Its composite average of presidential polls showed a literal tie between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Each candidate was at 48.5%. You couldn’t get more even. Still, as my editors here will attest, I predicted that Trump would thus...
Paul Kengor: Trump’s tax cuts for fat-cat billionaires?
Among the annoying ads running in the 2024 presidential campaign, I’m particularly bothered by the Harris-Walz commercials blasting Donald Trump’s alleged tax cuts for “millionaires and billionaires” enacted during his presidential administration. The Harris-Walz campaign promises to “roll back Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.” I detest these ads...
Paul Kengor: Where’s the decency in Harris’ claims about Trump?
In my previous column, I wrote about claims from liberals that a reelected Donald Trump will “destroy democracy.” I paused to condemn Donald Trump’s crude rhetoric over the years, but I also challenged those making such claims to 1) define “democracy” and 2) explain precisely how Trump would destroy it....
Paul Kengor: Our nonsensical voices of ‘democracy’
One of the most annoying things in our impoverished public discourse — which has been degraded by all sides — are the howls from liberals about “democracy,” and especially that Donald Trump will “destroy democracy.” This battle cry has become a literal yard sign in 2024, with Harris/Walz supporters planting...
Paul Kengor: Yes, Ronald and Nancy Reagan adored one another
As many readers know, the new Reagan movie starring Dennis Quaid is based on one of my books on Ronald Reagan, “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.” The response has been extraordinary, with very high ratings by audience members. Predictably, not all reviews have been positive, especially...
Paul Kengor: Kennedy family values
The Kennedys have dominated American politics unlike any other family. And that’s no small statement. First, there was the Adams family — that is, John and John Quincy, and the brilliant Abigail. Then there were the Roosevelts. More recently, the Bushes. But it’s hard to surpass the Kennedy longevity, given...
Paul Kengor: Picking Shapiro could have been key for Harris
Kamala Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was a shock. The wide consensus was that she would pick Shapiro, especially with her announcement coming in Philadelphia. Everyone was stunned by the unknown Walz, including Donald Trump, who said he was “thrilled,” and rightly so....
Paul Kengor: Remembering when we were family
Are you sick of politics? Tired of the bickering and division, including from politicians preaching “unity?” If so, then join me as I harken back to a better time, at least for those of us alive in the summer of 1979 who lived in this region. It was a time...
Paul Kengor: Protecting presidential candidates, protecting the public
The day after the Trump shooting Saturday in Butler — which happens to be my hometown — I got a message from a friend who loathes Donald Trump (he doesn’t like Joe Biden either). As we struggled to assess the security failure that nearly led to Trump’s assassination, my friend...
Paul Kengor: The Founders, Trump-Biden, and our coarsening culture
Last week’s Trump-Biden debate was historic, unforgettable, immensely entertaining, at times even hilarious and yet sadly pathetic. It showed just how far our nation has fallen since July 4, 1776. If I had to pick one exchange from the evening that captured all of those adjectives in one outlandish fell...
Paul Kengor: GPS is making us geographically stupid
The GPS in Global Positioning System ought to stand for Geographically Pretty Stupid. Relying on GPS, even with its indisputable benefits, is making us a nation of geographic illiterates. Not that geography was a strong point for Americans. We’ve all heard horror stories of the dismally low percentage of Americans...
Paul Kengor: Our cursing culture
This week, I came across a profanity-laced tirade from the singer Adele aimed at an audience member she sharply disagreed with. I’ll try to sanitize her statement for this community-friendly publication, which isn’t easy and which, well, underscores the point of this column: “Are you (expletive) stupid?” shouted Adele. “Don’t...
Paul Kengor: Pearl Harbor and the vanishing WWII vet
I think often of my late friend Charles Wiley. My colleague David Ayers and I plotted to bring Charlie to Grove City College every spring semester for years. Students were enthralled by this extraordinarily colorful old guy holding forth with stories from his incredible life, beginning as a childhood actor...


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