Michael McKenna
Columns by Michael McKenna
Joe Biden, the 33% man
The reporting on President Biden's approval rating is a steady-state feature of our national discourse. Right now, Mr. Biden is, depending on who you believe, anywhere from 8 to 17 points underwater. Published January 8, 2022
COVID-19 shots are not vaccines
What is a vaccine, anyhow, and at what point is the public health community gaslighting us? Published January 5, 2022
Projections for 2022
With Yogi Berra's cautionary note in mind, let's think about the coming year. Published January 2, 2022
Year in review: 2021 has been a dumpster fire
A female friend of mine said recently: "Every woman knows there's one eye where your makeup looks great and another where it looks like a mess. The front end of 2021 was the good eye; the back end was the other eye." Published December 29, 2021
The melancholy of Christmas
Christmastime is characterized by parties and celebrations, and dinners with friends and family. Why, then, is part of it characterized by melancholy? Published December 25, 2021
What is Christmas really about?
God's message of hope and optimism delivered and remembered most pointedly each Christmas endures precisely because it is the antidote to the pathologies and problems we see around us and in us. Published December 22, 2021
Rep. Gary Palmer interview transcript
This is the transcript of an interview between Michael McKenna, columnist for The Washington Times, and Rep. Gary Palmer, an Alabama Republican who is chair of the House Republican Policy Committee. Published December 20, 2021
Republicans need solid policies and thoughtful leaders in Congress
It is likely that we are going to suffer through a year of triumphalism among some Republicans in anticipation of the party winning control of the House and probably the Senate next November. Published December 18, 2021
Tea parties, Trump’s victory and Jan. 6 truth
On Dec. 16, 1773, the Boston chapter of the Sons of Liberty painted themselves as American Indians, marched to Griffin's Wharf, boarded three ships and took hatchets to 342 chests of tea, eventually tossing the contents into the harbor. Published December 15, 2021
Who will insist on fairness and equity for female swimmers?
As a member of the women's swim team at the University of Pennsylvania, Lia Thomas has been racking up an impressive number of wins and records this season. Published December 11, 2021
Biden makes China first, America last
Biden likes to say that climate change poses an "existential" threat. I imagine the slaves in China and the children working in open-pit mines in the Congo have a slightly different sense of what might constitute an "existential" threat. Published December 8, 2021
The business of college football and academic moral rot
The last few days have been busy ones for a handful of college football coaches. Published December 4, 2021
Will Trump run?
Last week, a team of opinion researchers presented results from surveys in five swing States that indicated that President Donald J. Trump would do well in a race against President Joe Biden. Published December 1, 2021
House Democrats’ retributions and acting like an adult in Congress
The recent censure of Rep. Paul Gosar brought to mind a related moment from November 2016, although the thread that links the two is not immediately apparent. Published November 26, 2021
The importance of elections and eating
As you pray over the food this Thanksgiving, the connection between prosperity, especially the bounty of the harvest, and society are worth noting. Published November 24, 2021
Give thanks to God for everything in your life
In 1621, Richard Warren, almost certainly a refugee from debtors' prison, scuffled for his survival on the eastern edge of the North Atlantic with the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Published November 21, 2021
Don’t assume Republican control of Congress will solve anything
The recent election results and a slew of survey data suggest that the Republicans will take control over the House in 2022. Published November 17, 2021
What did we commemorate on Veterans Day?
Last week, on November 11th, we celebrated Veterans Day here in the United States, mostly by posting happy pictures of fathers, brothers, uncles, sons, daughters, etc., on Facebook. Published November 14, 2021
Republicans got nothing for their infrastructure bill votes
In the wake of the disastrous vote by the 13 House Republicans for President Biden's "infrastructure" legislation, a lot of people are understandably angry. Published November 10, 2021
Lessons from the 2021 elections
How you assess the results of last Tuesday's elections depends in some measure on your personal biases. Published November 6, 2021
