New Website Launch

NEW WEBSITE: www.RedSECupp.com

Welcome to the official launch of www.RedSECupp.com, the new online home of S.E. Cupp.

Visit now and visit often. Some highlights:

Read SE's "Fanmail": SE posts the worst of the worst -- so if you've ever written her a nasty email, chances are it's up there....along with your name and email address. Aunt Ida, that means you.

Column Archive: Everything SE's ever written is logged here, so if you've been trying to find that hard-hitting piece she wrote months ago on Plaxico Burress and the folly of elastic-waist sweat pants as a gun holster, search no further.

Video Archive: What was that thing SE said that time on that show that made me want to throw my loafer at the TV? Can't remember? Pour yourself a glass of Scotch, light up that Montecristo and re-watch the segment from the comfy confines of SE's video library. Mmm...mahogany.

General Hilarity: Thanks to Tucker Carlson, Congressman Thad McCotter, Nick Hornby and SE's Dad for providing hilarious quotes for the new homepage. They are easily the best part of the site.

And much much more. On www.RedSECupp.com at this very moment: SE breaks a story in Townhall Magazine about the most serious terrorist threat you've never heard of. What's happening in Western Sahara?

Gay America, Get Your Priorities Straight

I have a new column in the New York Daily News:

"Gay America, Get Your Priorities Straight"

"The Advocate gives Obama an 'F' for his work on repealing DOMA, and a 'C-' for what it calls slow action on repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' It also questions whether or not Obama's been lobbying hard enough for Employment Non-Discrimination legislation. The indictments against the President are well-founded - he has done little to expand gay rights. But that doesn't make this a smart strategy for gay activists. In fact, it's pretty dumb."

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/08/07/2009-08-07_gay_america_get_your_priorities_straight.html

Oddest Insult Yet

Today Politico's Arena contributors weighed in on the health care town halls that are greeting many lawmakers back home:

www.politico.com/arena

What's the lesson learned from these town halls?

S.E. Cupp, Author and Columnist: Do even the elite liberal media believe their own spin? It's hard to imagine. Any opposition to President Obama's bizarro-world policies (truly, some of this is right out of a creepy sideshow fun house) is dismissed as either crazy or stupid. Andrea Mitchell says we don't know what's good for us. Bill Maher calls us a dumb country. Huffington Post says we're all "Anne-Coulter-Ugly lookalikes." Real original -- and classy! But the newest attack isn't to call us crazy or stupid. It's to call us -- get this -- organized. That's right, we conservatives can throw away our dunce hats and psychiatric bracelets, because now we're actually a little TOO cunning.

Maybe the liberal press finally realized what Madison Avenue's known for decades -- you don't win new consumers by insulting them. But this newest approach -- to say we're "manufactured," as Robert Gibbs suggested -- is the most perplexing yet. You remember, the tea parties that brought hundreds of thousands of regular ol' Americans out on tax day were Astro turf -- fake grass roots, and according to Paul Krugman, proof that Middle America is embarrassing. And now all these concerned citizens popping up to plead with their local representatives in opposition to a scary Mary health care proposal are planted, props of some highly-organized kabal of conservative puppet masters.

It's so impossible for the Obama administration and his surrogates in the media to believe that average Americans care about anything as much as they care about American Idol, that the whole thing must be rigged. Liberals used to just be out of touch. I don't know what you call this.

www.politico.com/arena

Organic Emperor Has No Clothes

I have a new column up in Newsmax:

"The Organic Emperor Has No Eco-Friendly Clothes"

"I have to believe that Kate Gosselin and mothers like her genuinely believe they're raising healthier and happier kids by shoving organic lollipops in their mouths, shelling out twice as much of the hard-earned family income at Whole Foods for organic peas, and sending their husbands out to build picnic tables from reclaimed wood. Why else would they do such ludicrous things in the middle of a recession?"

http://www.newsmax.com/s.e._cupp/se_cupp_organic_jon_kate/2009/08/02/243000.html

Perez Hilton Jumps the Shark

I have a piece in Townhall's August magazine. Pick up a copy!

Full text:

Perez Hilton Jumps the Shark

By S.E. Cupp

When a popular television series runs out of compelling story lines, and resorts to the kinds of exhausted and utterly preposterous narrative tactics that suddenly find “The Brady Bunch” with a new cousin, or “Roseanne” with a new “Becky,” we say it “jumped the shark.

Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr., better known as Perez Hilton, has done just this. Thanks to a slew of miscalculations and some public betrayals, he may soon become another victim of his own success and subsequent unraveling. And if he never recovers, he can blame the cult of liberalism and its ironic perfidies on which he so heavily relied.

Lavandeira used to merely post gossip, the kind that was often unsubstantiated. But blogging about Britney Spears or Whitney Houston didn’t require veracity to get page hits. Readers just wanted content, and quick. He would post throughout the day on celebrity sightings, Hollywood rumors, industry news and hot hookups. Eventually PerezHilton.com became a receptacle of trashy innuendo, breathless speculation, and overtly dirty denigration, which was often accompanied by crude digital drawings of body parts and bodily functions.

This was all fine and good for the celeb-obsessed tabloid readers who constituted his audience. And even those celebrities who were the subject of his ridicule secretly seemed to love the attention he brought them.

But as he started to turn the site into a platform for his liberal pet causes – gay rights (he is openly gay), gun control, the environment – he began to collect enemies, and not just on the Right. By slamming celebrities that he perceived as affronts to his causes, he became an uneasy arbiter of the worst kind of liberalism: the empty and morally relative kind. It wasn’t just about who’s lunching at The Ivy anymore – now he was political.

The hypocrisies abounded. One day he was criticizing an actor for driving an environmentally-unfriendly car, and the next he was calling a 9-year-old child actress “ugly.” He applauded celebrities who don’t wear fur but unabashedly glorified their lavish spending sprees and irresponsible (and even criminal) behavior.

And of course, he protested intolerance, championed equality and spoke out against homophobia. But it wasn’t that simple. He earned criticism from GLAAD and other gay groups for trying to “out” various celebrities, which most gay rights factions deem to be inappropriate, mean-spirited and a total abuse of power. When he wasn’t attacking Mormons for voting Yes on Proposition 8, or Christians for rigging “American Idol,” he was calling Sarah Palin a pig, Carrie Prejean a “c-word” and the Black Eyed Peas front man a faggot.

The latter indiscretion may mark the exact moment at which Perez Hilton lost his credibility (if he truly had any), and his support.

In a rare display of introspection, Lavandeira posted not one but two public apologies for calling the entertainer a gay slur during an altercation they had outside a Toronto nightclub in June. After previously slamming actor Isaiah Washington for using the very same word – and sanctimoniously calling for a ban of the N-word – Lavandeira solemnly wrote, “Apologizing for me is not easy.” And he insisted, “I am not nor have I ever claimed to be a spokesperson for the gay community.” Well, not any more he wasn’t.

And he issued an uncomfortable mea culpa for appearing unsympathetic to celebrities, referencing another fight between two entertainers. “I did not condone the violence, but I did make light of that situation. I regret that.” But he doesn’t regret what he said about Prejean, Palin, Rumer Willis (whom he has constantly berated for her looks), or 15-year-old Miley Cyrus (whom he routinely calls a slut.)
His sudden contrition is telling. His persona was always the petulant enfant terrible whose conscience only applied to anonymous liberal pieties and not to people It seems he may be aware that his star is falling, because in a final gasp at the kind of shock value that used to win him readers, he called the death of Michael Jackson a publicity stunt.

Very few of successes go out on top. They desperately cling to the kinds of reassuring adages that make gamblers believe one more roll of the dice could turn their luck around. Mario Lavandeira assumed he could bring America to the far-left with him as he shifted interests from gossip to politics. Thanks to a few fatal missteps, he might not have a forum for either.

Iraq War Reckless? Not Next to Obamacare

I have a new piece up on Newsmax today:

"Obama's Rush of Healthcare Plan Reckless"

"Unlike our men and women in uniform, who are volunteers, we have all been effectively drafted in the war that is universal healthcare. And make no mistake — this will cost lives. With all that’s at stake, it would seem reasonable to approach such a major overhaul of what many consider the best healthcare system in the world, with a modicum of patience, with responsibility, and with the kind of equanimity that can reassure an anxious public in times of upheaval. Strange though it may seem, a careful look back at the Iraq war might prove beneficial to Obama as he eyes an arbitrary finish line in his reckless race toward universal healthcare."

http://www.newsmax.com/s.e._cupp/healthcare_se_cupp_obama/2009/07/26/240237.html

On the Couch with Governor Sanford

I have a new piece in Politico this morning:

"An Apology and a Pledge? No thanks."

"Instead of retreating from public life to work on his marriage privately, Gov. Sanford writes of the personal victories he’s had through the process. 'I’ve been humbled and broken as never before in my life, and as a consequence, have given up areas of control in a way that I never have before. And it is my belief that this will make me a better father, husband, friend and advocate.' Well, that’s super, Gov. Sanford. But shouldn’t that sentence start, 'Dear Diary'?"

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25278.html

Obama's Sketchy Health Care Numbers

I have a new piece up in the Fox Forum:

"Don't Be Fooled By Obama's Health Care Numbers"

"When the numbers are crunched, it turns out that only 11 million legal American citizens who would like health insurance don't have it, not the 45 million often quoted. That's less than 4% of the country. Now, it's important that we get health care to those 4%, of course. But is it really necessary to rip apart the health care system we currently have to do it?"

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/07/21/se-cupp-obama-healthcare/

Biden as Kramer in a Show About Nothing

I have a new piece up today in Newsmax:

"The Obama Administration is a 'Seinfeld' Episode"

"Kramer, like Biden, says the things you're just not supposed to say. When Biden told a wheelchair-bound Missouri state senator to 'stand up,' it was no different than Kramer telling George's girlfriend she needs a nose job. When Biden said that FDR went on television in 1929 to talk about the stock market crash, it was the same as Kramer telling some tourists that Central Park was designed in 1850 by Joe Pepitone. When Biden said 'J-O-B-S' is a three-letter word, it was like Kramer saying, 'It's like a sauna in here.' As he's entering a sauna."

http://www.newsmax.com/s.e._cupp/biden_kramer_seinfeld/2009/07/12/234649.html

The Real Problem With Palin's Press Conference

I have a new piece up on Fox Forum:

"The Real Problem With Palin's Press Conference"

"On HuffPo, that Foucaultian vessel of scholarly badinage, Francesca Biller-Safran has decided Palin is resigning to marry a moose. (Yes, really. 'You’re invited to the wedding.') On CNN, Jack Cafferty found a pointed way to combat the so-called 'lame duck' excuse. 'She was already lame,' he cackled, like an ornery old man who suspects his nurses are secretly trying to poison him."

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/07/07/real-problem-palins-press-conference/

Blaming the Burqa, And...

I have a new piece up in Townhall today:

"Blaming the Burqa"

"Sarkozy’s maudlin plea for 'women’s dignity' is transparent, and obscures the real agenda: promoting a Western, secular, (and, in particular, French) sensibility. It has little to do with women’s rights, and even less to do with religious freedom. And in case there was any doubt, it has absolutely nothing to do with national security."

http://townhall.com/columnists/SECupp/2009/07/02/blaming_the_burqa?page=full&comments=true

And, in honor of the 4th of July, I'd like to direct your attention to a truly blood-curdling NYTimes op-ed, which declares that American flags are, like, totally "in" again...now that Obama's in office. Patriotism, for the left, is apparently partisan:

http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/capture-the-flag/

Happy 4th of July, everyone...let's think about our troops this weekend.

Reader Help

What is it About Palin?




I'm writing a new column, and want your help. I want to know what it is about Sarah Palin that you think her supporters find appealing. (Feel free to weigh in if you are not a supporter yourself, but if your response is nasty it will be totally disregarded.) Here are your choices:


1. She's authentic, believable, and sincere. She is who she purports to be.


2. She's a woman, and we need more of those in politics.


3. She's a pro-life, pro-marriage Christian.


4. She's a good conservative -- she cuts taxes, favors limited government and advocates fiscal responsibility.


5. She's new, young, and a breath of fresh air. Out with the old guard, in with the new.


6. Other: __________________________________________





I won't be using any of your names, but I do want to know how old you are. So please respond with your choice and your age in the comment section. Thank you!



SE

It's Way Too Early to Pick 2012 Contenders

I have a new piece up in Newsmax today:

"It's Way Too Early To Pick 2012 Contenders"

"But the alacrity of the GOP to pinpoint and announce its leaders is making the job of actually coming up with credible ones that much more difficult. Whether it’s real weaknesses in Mark Sanford or John Ensign, or imagined ones in Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin, every time the right decrees someone 'the future of the party' it slaps a bull’s-eye on their back for the left."

http://www.newsmax.com/s.e._cupp/sanford_2012_gop/2009/06/28/229495.html

What is Obama Thinking?

I have a new post up on the Fox Forum:

"What Is Obama Thinking?"

"While it's true the president's job is not to mediate childish playground disputes, he is supposed to show some calculated leadership on all kinds of issues, small and large, especially when they become so publicly divisive. Americans are desperate to know what he thinks, and his lack of leadership on these issues has been conspicuous and chilling."

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/06/23/obamas-silence-speaks-volumes/

Feminism Is Dead (Good Riddance)

I have a new piece up in Newsmax today:

"Feminism is Dead (Good Riddance)"

"When Barbara Boxer had the audacity – and some would argue, questionable mental clarity – to publicly scold a US Army general for calling her 'ma’am' instead of 'senator,' it telegraphed to the rest of the world the sheer inanity of today’s modern feminism, a rusting relic of the 60’s that’s been pushed so far to the extreme borders of relevance that it actually has Boxer hearing things. Yes, in today’s feminism, calling a woman 'ma’am' is a mark of disrespect."

http://www.newsmax.com/s.e._cupp/se_cupp_feminism_dead/2009/06/21/227583.html

Holding Detainees Accountable Isn't Enough

I have a new piece up in Newsmax today:

"Holding Detainees Accountable Isn't Enough"

"Putting someone like Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, or any other al-Qaida loyalist for that matter, in a United States prison is like handing them a cell phone with Osama bin Laden’s telephone number pre-programmed in it."

http://www.newsmax.com/s.e._cupp/terrorists_trials_se_cupp/2009/06/14/225059.html

"I Blame Barack Obama"

In case you missed it, we discussed Letterman's non-apology for calling Sarah Palin a "slutty flight attendant" and suggesting Alex Rodriguez rape her daughter on "Hannity" last night. I put the blame squarely on the president, for allowing that kind of rhetoric to happen around him during the campaign.

By allowing his surrogates in the media and Hollywood to use vile and indefensible language about Sarah Palin (and Cindy McCain, and Hillary Clinton...) he told the country, "Go right ahead." He should have said, "Stop, enough is enough. I have two daughters and and I don't want them to look back on this election and have to hear this kind of rhetoric about a capable, accomplished, smart mother of five." He didn't do it then, but he could do it now. He should issue a statement, condemning this kind of language about an American governor and public servant. His approval ratings would go through the roof, instead of the floor.

Addendum: A number of people have rightly pointed out that Barack Obama said during the campaign that kids should be off limits:

"Let me be as clear as possible, I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president."

Defending Sarah Palin's kids, while admirable, is not defending Sarah Palin. When she was called a woman-hater, a slut, mentally disabled, a devil-worshipper, Caribou Barbie, and "the worst thing to happen to America since 9/11," Barack Obama said nothing. When Sandra Bernhard said Palin would be "gang raped" if she came to New York City, Obama said nothing. Barack Obama, if he truly cares about the world in which his daughters are growing up, should take two minutes out of his day to issue a public statement condemning this kind of language...about a US governor or any woman.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGFGrzWedyA

White Men Can't Jump...Or Judge

I have a new piece in Newsmax today:

"White Men Can't Jump or Judge Well"

"The white male experience is a rich and storied one. Begun anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 years ago, thanks largely to a skin-lightening gene mutation, white men have a fascinating and unique history, an inviting and warm culture, and the kinds of quirky customs that make anthropologists giddy."

http://www.newsmax.com/s.e._cupp/white_men_sonia_sotomayor/2009/05/31/219930.html

Can Morocco Save the Middle East?

I have a new piece up on Townhall, fresh on the heels of my trip to Morocco:

"Can Morocco Save the Middle East?"

"When Barack Obama took office, King Mohammed VI wrote him a letter. As of yet, there's been no response. After chiding the US on its poor listening skills, to the dismay of many thoughtful leaders before him, it seems the perfect opportunity to seek the advice of someone better qualified than he is to navigate through the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

http://townhall.com/columnists/SECupp/2009/06/10/can_morocco_save_the_middle_east?page=full&comments=true

Racism + Sexism = Empathy?

I have a new piece up on the Fox Forum on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court:

"Sotomayor -- Obama's Nominee Spouts Biased Views on Race and Gender"

"Sorry, white guys. Ms. Sotomayor is, quite simply, not your gal. But to all the forgotten, pasty, sun-deprived, uterus-less men of America, there’s good news yet. It’s not white guys that a worldview such as hers hurts most –- it’s women and minorities."

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/05/26/cupp_sotomayor_obama/

RNC is Living in the Past

I have a piece up in Newsmax today, about the RNC, including my own version of a "extraordinary special session resolution" the RNC might want to consider.

"Self-important 'extraordinary special sessions' are why Republicans are spoofed as out-of-touch geriatrics from the Cretaceous period. Official-sounding resolutions that begin 'Whereas' are why many people think of Republicans as the monocled mascot from Monopoly. And cheap gimmicks like renaming the Democratic Party are why liberals think we’ve run out of good ideas."

http://www.newsmax.com/s.e._cupp/gop_resolution_fever/2009/05/24/217769.html

Liberals Blame Christians for Adam Lambert Loss

I have a new piece up in Townhall:

"Really Talented Performer Wins American Idol; Liberals Blame Christians"

"Liberals are once again falling back on the only explanation they can ever muster when an anointed protégé or pet cause du jour loses: blame the backwards, hickish, intolerant Christian masses. Yes, the same folks who – inexplicably – put George W. Bush in the White House (twice), fell for Sarah Palin, and voted for Proposition 8 all to the shock and awe of the apoplectic left."

http://townhall.com/columnists/SECupp/2009/05/22/really_talented_performer_wins_american_idol;_liberals_blame_christians?page=full&comments=true

Liberals Are VERY Confused About Gun Provision

I have a new piece up in the Fox Forum, about the gun provision President Obama is expected to sign into law:





"The suggestions that legalizing concealed weapons in national parks will mean increased park violence, death to Smokey the Bear or a rush on machine guns is just sloppy research and a lazy interpretation of what, exactly, this bill will mean for gun owners. Of course it’s also an attempt to caricature gun owners as crazy-eyed nutjobs who’d take aim at a box of puppies if it crossed their field of vision, but that’s become standard operating procedure."

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/05/20/cupp_national_parks_guns/

We Already Know Who's Coming to Dinner

I have a new piece on Townhall today:

"We Already Know Who's Coming To Dinner"

"In fact, Obama talked less – far less – about lifting up black America than Hillary Clinton or John McCain. Or Bill Cosby, for that matter. Indeed Bill Clinton was both a candidate and president who actively tried to tackle race politics in America . Barack Obama is not."

http://townhall.com/columnists/SECupp/2009/05/15/we_already_know_whos_coming_to_dinner?page=full&comments=true

Courage or Subterfuge?

I have a new piece up in the Fox Forum:

"Obama Blinks on Prison Photos: Courage or Subterfuge?"

"The way I see it, there are three likely circumstances that could explain this 147th flip-flop on the interrogation issue and whether or not prosecuting the Bush administration is something Obama wants to do. (It would seem an easy enough question – either he’s for it or he’s against it. But then again, as has become typical, no one seems to know what Barack Obama’s for and against.)"

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/05/13/cupp_obama_photos/

Catholics Are Tongue-Tied About Obama at Notre Dame

I have a new piece up today in Newsmax, about Obama's invitation to Notre Dame.

"Catholics Tongue-Tied Over Obama at Notre Dame."

"I toured the campuses of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s during my visit last week. I attended a Friday evening mass; I lit a candle at the famous grotto; and I checked out Notre Dame’s “touchdown Jesus.” And then I spoke with a group of students from both schools as well as some of the local GOP leadership. Needless to say, they are not looking forward to President Obama’s arrival. But they are in the minority."

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/obama_notre_dame_cupp/2009/05/10/212855.html

Supreme Court as Montessori School?

Check out my latest post in the Fox Forum:

"Obama's Wacky Supreme Court Vision"

"How do we administer an empathy test? Will the Judiciary Committee present potential appointees with a hypothetical empathy stress test? 'Box of Puppies: Good or Bad?'"

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/05/05/cupp_supreme_court/

SE in South Bend

If you're in the South Bend, IN area this weekend, visit with me! Schedule as follows:

Friday, May 1st:

3:30pm South Bend Chocolate Cafe
4pm St Mary's College
5:30pm University of Notre Dame
6:30pm Private reception with College Republicans
8pm LaSalle Grill

Saturday, May 2nd:

1pm Booksigning at Borders Mishawaka

Gays Should Play it Straight When Seeking Support for Marriage Rights

I have a new piece in the New York Daily News today:

"Gays Should Play it Straight When Seeking Support for Marriage Rights"

"If gays want equal treatment, they need to avoid the trap of demanding preferential treatment, which is what the Chicago bars are doing. Any bar owner who banned homosexuals would be rightly accused of discrimination. Banning straight-women-who-may-be-getting-married-soon is just as insipid. And stupid."

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/04/29/2009-04-29_gays_should_play_it_straight_when_it_comes_.html

Gay Republican for City Council? Get on Board, GOP

I have a piece up on Newsmax today about a 22-year-old gay Republican City Council candidate in Palm Springs named Drew Sweatte:

"Gay Republican for City Council? Get on Board, GOP"

"Drew's platform should give Palm Springs a real reason to unseat former N.O.W. president Ginny Foat. And not because he is running as a 'gay candidate.' He's running as a pro-business candidate in a town (and state) that is feeling the economic crisis harder than others."

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/se_cupp_gay_republicans/2009/04/26/207564.html

Obama's First 100 Days

Here we go...along with everyone else, I weigh in on Obama's first 100 days here, on the Fox Forum. And by all accounts, it's been a (forgiveably?) lackluster start.

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/04/27/cupp_obama_100/

The Revolution That Wasn't?

I have a piece in Newsmax online this morning about the liberal media's reaction to the tea parties:

"The Revolution That Wasn't?"

"Buried under stories about the President's new dog and his many fans overseas is the rumbling of a new and decidedly un-silent minority who will slowly become an un-silent majority while MSNBC is busy laughing and calling them crazy. If there's any doubt that the media is awash in bright blue Obamamania, and that it's thrown objectivity out the window along with reason and dignity, the tea party coverage is undeniable proof."

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/se_cupp_protests/2009/04/19/204741.html

Village Voice Scoffs at NYC Tea Party -- And Admits it Left Early

The Village Voice showed up at the New York City Tea Party just long enough to poke a little fun, it seems. Claiming only 2,000 people showed up when the NYPD reported 12,500 is just one of the transparent digs at everyday Americans who want smaller government and more fiscal responsibility. Job well done, Village Voice...you're a bastion of journalistic integrity.

Full story here:

http://tinyurl.com/dbbmyr

Obama's Judicial Pick and Allah

New piece up on Newsmax:

"Why Republicans Shunned Obama's Judicial Pick"

"Praying in the name of Allah doesn’t advance a particular religion? I’m totally unfamiliar with Allah’s secular identity. Is 'Allah' also a pagan deity? Is 'Allah' also god of NASCAR or the iPod? Why would someone want to silence a majority in favor of the few? Luckily, the ruling was overturned by the very court to which Judge Hamilton stands to be appointed."

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/se_cupp_hamiliton_pick/2009/04/12/202255.html

The Catholic Identity Crisis

Up today on the New York Daily News site: "The Catholic Identity Crisis"

"If it looks like there's an identity crisis within the Catholic contingent, there is - but the divisive episode at Notre Dame was hardly the catalyst. This is a continuation of problems Catholics faced during this presidential campaign and campaigns past, and it's hurting their message and their influence."

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/04/08/2009-04-08_the_catholic_identity_crisis.html

Gen. Paul Vallely Profile

Profile of Gen. Paul Vallely in Parcbench:

"Paul`s commitment comes with a sense of urgency that is obscured by his welcoming, musical drawl, a made-for-radio voice reminiscent of John Wayne and the spaghetti westerns on which boys in Dubois, Pennsylvania, where he was born, were raised. He tells me that two years ago he was "98% dead" after suffering an aortic ambulism. "I had half an hour to live. That changed me..."

http://parcbench.com/article_details.php?RId=100&topic=front

Recession as the New 9/11?

I have a new piece on Newsmax: "Recession as the New 9/11?"

"As a justification for the continued theft of taxpayer money to help fund various non-emergency pork projects, President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, prone to crude linguistic spasms and metaphorical mustache-twirling, devilishly admitted way back in November, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." (And an evil cackle was heard all the way to Smurf Village.)"

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/se_cupp_new_9_11/2009/04/05/199948.html

How An American Banker Becomes a Fulham Fan

New piece up on Sports Illustrated online:

"How an American banker becomes a Fulham fan is anyone's guess -- in Lyle's case it was somewhat capricious, if a little embarrassing. "I wanted to follow a team in London so I could travel somewhere good to see them. My idiot friend had a crush on Carlos Bocanegra, so at her urging I went with Fulham." In the interest of full disclosure, I am said "idiot friend."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/se_cupp/04/02/soccer.fulham/index.html

Brits are Unimpressed?

Hardly a rave review from Michael White, Guardian UK political blogger...where's that Obamian charm we've heard so much about? Some excerpts:

"After all the adulation and the hatred, you have to reassure yourself the new president of the United States is just a man struggling to do his best."

"What that means is that he thinks before he feels, unlike George Bush, unlike Bill Clinton, too, I suspect. "

"Obama did not light up the gilded pomp of the Locarno Room at the Foreign Office where the hacks had been waiting two hours, a security-driven feature of dealing with a US president for many years now. He looked tired – not much evidence of his famous cool on this occasion – and did not smile much, though he does do humour and made a couple of decent jokes."

"Whatever family hostility we suspect the half-Kenyan president harbours towards the British Empire – his autobiography contains several sharp passages – he buried it. War and peace, thick and thin, a kinship of ideals as well as interests ... he laid it on with a trowel, though not with discernible warmth."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2009/apr/01/barack-obama-gordon-brown-pre-g20-press-conference

Teymants Walk, and Justice Fails in New Jersey.

How does this happen? We're criminalizing responsible hunting and fishing, on which all Americans rely for conservation, population control and resource management, but we let pet killers walk free?

"The remains of 68 animals, including dogs, cats and turtles, were found in the home in southern New Jersey where Matthew and Amanda Teymant once lived. On Monday, Teymant and his wife avoided jail on a plea bargain that will have both of them performing community service after pleading guilty to animal cruelty in the April 2008 case."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511600,00.html

There's No Crying In Capitalism...

New post on Newsmax this morning on the imminent death of newspapers:

"Death of Newspapers Isn't Death of Journalism."

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/se_cupp_journalism/2009/03/29/197293.html

"Nostalgia and sentiment have no place in free market capitalism, as the death of one industry always inherently means the imminent rise of a better one. Since the advent of the Model T, is anyone still mourning the death of the buggy? Would we want to bring back wood-burning stoves? Should we all return to the abacus? I can’t even figure out a restaurant tip without the aid of a calculator. And thankfully, I don’t have to."

And, be sure to check out Politico's "Arena," for thoughts on the firing of Rick Wagoner.

www.politico.com/arena

"Hardball" Doesn't Think You're "Normal"

I've got a new piece up on the FOX Forum on Chris Matthews' jab at religious America last night during a discussion about Sarah Palin and Michael Steele on "Hardball":

"Matthews doesn't think Palin is 'normal,' which is exactly the kind of rigorous analysis we have come to expect of the veteran newsman who has hinted at running for office himself. Is it any wonder his ratings lag significantly behind his slot-mates on Fox and CNN?"

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/27/cupp_hardball_religion/

The Wright Stache

As a huge Mets fan, I direct your attention to this hilarious site, set up by some friends to implore David Wright to grow a mustache. That's right....and I'm completely behind this effort.

Be sure to watch the "inspirational video."

http://www.thewrightstache.com/

Hail to the Campaigner-In-Chief

I have a new piece in Newsmax, "Hail to the Campaigner-In Chief":

"Promising to do a good job is easier than doing the job itself. And so in the grand tradition of professional trail-stomping, President Obama is thus far the consummate campaigner-in-chief: Have teleprompter, will travel."

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/s_e_cupp_obama/2009/03/22/194773.html

White House Multitasking -- Round 2!

I have a new piece up on the Fox Forum:

"The president will make an appearance on Jay Leno Thursday night! That’s right, TV-land, our head of state becomes the first sitting president in history to make a late-night appearance, according to NBC. Now that’s the kind of history I like to see. Anticipate vigorous grilling from Leno on Obama’s favorite D.C. restaurants, his growing tie collection and who he likes on American Idol."

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/18/cupp_obama_multitasking/

New National Park Service Bans on Hunting and Fishing

My good friend Doug Giles alerted me to this disturbing news, from the National Park Service:

http://accurateshooter.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/national-park-service-bans-lead-ammo-and-fishing-tackle/

Take Me To Your Leader?

I have a new piece in the NY Daily News online on the lack of leadership in the Republican Party:

"Rush Limbaugh? Michael Steele? Bobby Jindal? Who cares?"

"Republicans are perfectly positioned to make the most of their perceived chaos - if they can resist the temptation to join the take-me-to-your-leader frenzy. The truth is, lack of clear leadership is exactly what the GOP needs right now."

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/03/12/2009-03-12_rush_limbaugh_michael_steele_bobby_jinda.html

Top 10 Ways Obama Can Multi-task!

I have a new post up in the Fox Forum:

"In honor of President Obama’s penchant for multi-tasking at the worst possible time, the following is a list of the top 10 things he could also work on, on the side, while fixing the economy..."

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/11/cupp_obama-2/

A Fish Out of Water

I have a new column up on Sports Illustrated online:

"First, there was the poisonous Portuguese Man-O'-War I managed to run my finger through. Then, while I awaiting a slow death, Captain Gavet cheerfully told me the story of dead bodies he'd come upon during his years as one of Southern Florida 's only fulltime guides."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/se_cupp/03/10/fishing/index.html