Paul Kengor Columns category, Page 2
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...
Paul Kengor: The debate over a Trump-Biden debate
The judge at the Trump trial in Manhattan might like to muzzle the Donald, but that isn’t easy. In fact, Donald Trump one day last week emerged from his trial as feisty as ever. A reporter asked if he would like to debate President Joe Biden. Trump didn’t hesitate. He...
Paul Kengor: Things that aren’t there anymore
Remember as a kid listening to old people reminisce about this or that thing that isn’t there anymore? You figured you’d probably be doing the same someday. Increasingly nowadays, I’m surprised at how often I’m doing that, and just how many places are disappearing. I do wonder if that’s unique...
Paul Kengor: The obscene cost of higher ed
The “higher” in “higher ed” ought to stand for higher tuition. Sure, everyone knows that tuition prices at colleges have risen to obscene levels in recent decades, but the obscenity just hit new highs (or lows). Four colleges — namely, Boston University, Tufts, Wellesley and Yale — will be charging...
Paul Kengor: On virtue, the Steelers and Kenny Pickett
Cicero insisted that what a citizenry needs above all is virtue, which he defined as prudence, practical wisdom, one that eschews vice. In his excellent 2009 book, “Politics for the Greatest Good: The Case for Prudence in the Public Square,” Clarke Forsythe notes that prudence is concerned with right action,...
Paul Kengor: Remembering true civic leaders — Jim Roddey and Andy Russell
In early 1995, my wife and I, recently married, were looking to come back to Pittsburgh. We were working and living in the Washington, D.C., area. There were appealing things about the area, but it undeniably felt like the proverbial “rat race” to us. It got worse when our house...
Letter to the editor: Ward doing disservice to abuse victims
SB 1, the statute of limitations constitutional amendment that would allow a two-year window for victims of childhood sexual abuse to seek justice in court, is just two votes away from being placed before the voters. Alternatively, HB 2, languishing in Sen. Lisa Baker’s Judiciary Committee since March 2023 (this...
Paul Kengor: Of course, Nikki Haley should stay in the race
When Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley in New Hampshire about a month ago, I wrote a piece titled, “We’ve Got a Ballgame.” Though Trump won New Hampshire, Haley did much better than projected. The numbers told the story: The morning of the vote, the final composite polling projection by RealClearPolitics...
Paul Kengor: Putin’s twisted history
Vladimir Putin’s two-hour-plus conversation with Tucker Carlson was fascinating and terribly troubling. It was quite a lesson in history, or at least Putin’s twisted, dangerous history. Putin began with an eye-opening historical discourse. He politely replied to Carlson’s opening question on Ukraine by asking, “If you don’t mind, I will...
Paul Kengor: Growing bipartisan opposition to U.S. Steel deal
What do Republican senators J.D. Vance, Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio and Democratic senators John Fetterman, Sherrod Brown and Joe Manchin have in common? They’re part of the strong bipartisan opposition to Japan’s Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel. Expect that opposition to grow larger and louder. In my previous...
Paul Kengor: Japan’s Nippon Steel acquires US Steel: Who cares?
It has been about a month since United States Steel (USS) announced it’s being acquired by Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. I’ve watched curiously for reactions. I find it interesting that local reaction has seemed somewhat subdued, even underwhelming. To the contrary, I’ve heard from older, relocated Pittsburghers who greeted the...
Paul Kengor: Putin’s ominous message for 2024
Vladimir Putin this week gave his customary year-end speech. What he said should give us pause. Interestingly, the speech was considerably shorter than usual; in fact, it was quite brief, running just under four minutes. Also quite curious, some media sources noted that Putin “made little mention” of Ukraine, at...
Paul Kengor: A wonderful Jimmy Stewart story
In 1946, legendary director Frank Capra teamed up with legendary actor Jimmy Stewart to make a legendary Christmas movie, the iconic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Indiana, Pa. native Stewart was Capra’s favorite actor and the favorite of many. The film, of course, is filled with scenes leaving you laughing and...
Paul Kengor: Wake up to women’s volleyball
Any discussion of sports in Western Pennsylvania leads to the Steelers, the Penguins, the Pirates — our reigning triumvirate of football, hockey, baseball. Also high on the list is Pitt football, or any local football, high school included. There’s also Pitt basketball. What am I missing? The vast majority wouldn’t...
Paul Kengor: The turkey — Ben Franklin’s bird, my bird
Last week, I admiringly but grimly eyed up the seven turkeys I’ve raised over the past six months. I literally hatched them. Well, maybe not literally I. That credit goes to their mother. The hen conceived them — with help from the male — and laid them. After she did...
Paul Kengor: Western Pa.’s other football teams
Football is in the bloodstream of Western Pennsylvania. We bleed black and gold for our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. Steelers mania starts early summer with training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe and typically runs into January with a team that makes the playoffs more than just about any other....
Paul Kengor: What Gaza could be
Be prepared for bloody scenes to come in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces ready for a land invasion and as Hamas readies to mercilessly exploit hostages. It will be ugly. A tragedy of Hamas’ rule of the Gaza Strip isn’t merely what you’ve seen on TV this October. Since...
Paul Kengor: The Middle East’s element of surprise
On June 5, 1967, at 7:45 a.m. Jerusalem time, the young nation of Israel sent nearly its entire Air Force on a top-secret bombing run. In total, that was almost 200 fighter aircraft. Only about a dozen planes were left behind. In mere hours (if that), the Israelis wiped out...
