Keep your comments and questions coming. I’ll just respond to one today. Send yours to ccooper@timesfreepress.com.
When I moved into this area 20 years ago I enjoyed the liberal left side and conservative right side of the opinion pages. However, I sincerely doubt if the TFP will be around for another 20 years with the abundance of anti-Republican, anti-conservative and anti-Trump articles, almost all of which are Democrat/liberal propaganda from the New York Times, Washington Post and LA Times. … Do the TFP editors realize that Tennessee and Georgia vote predominately conservative? … I didn’t like Trump in 2016, I thought he was a real jerk (well, he still is) who suffers from “I’m a rich man and the boss” syndrome … . However, he’s not afraid to tear down and rebuild (at least in his second term). He was hamstrung by establishment Republicans in his first term (McConnell, Ryan, etc.), but he’s learned his lesson and realizes he needs to bully his way through to get things done. So I support his actions in cutting down government wholeheartedly. … You print some well-known Never-Trumpers: Jonah Goldberg, Bret Stephens, Erick Erickson, and George Will (a great baseball writer) — who I guess consider themselves pure conservatives, but really don’t take a stand on conservative causes. Yeah, they consider themselves “Reagan conservatives,” but they are establishment-first Republicans. … Did you agree with building the border wall and shutting down immigration? With the deportation of immigrants here illegally? And that it has to be done quickly? The elimination of fraud and waste in the government — with a chainsaw? Wouldn’t work to use a scalpel — would take too long and wouldn’t get done. … I believe that a lot of government functions should be sent back to the states to handle. Regarding tariffs — it’s a risky idea, but blue-collar workers support it. We’ll see how it works. Trump’s tariffs had no adverse impact back in 2016. So as we get ready for 2026 mid-term election, you need to decide if you’re going become a stronger … supporter of Trump’s policies (in spite of him being a jerk).
› I share your concern about anti-Republican, anti-Trump articles, but on the Free Press editorial page, we want to offer a wide range of conservative opinion. That includes commentary as well as editorials from newspapers that have a conservative bent, such as the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Boston Herald and Detroit Free Press.
› Indeed, Tennessee voters, and Georgia voters in 2024, were strong Trump supporters, and we unquestionably keep that in mind when we select commentary to appear on the Free Press editorial page each day. I can say definitively that we always choose a more conservative commentary when we have a choice.
› The hallmarks of the Chattanooga Free Press editorial page going back to its start nearly 90 years ago have been small government, fewer business-choking regulations, free enterprise, and faith and family values. President Trump, until DOGE, has not been a small-government chief executive (though better than any Democrat) and has not demonstrated family and faith values. If I were to support him as if he did, I would be lying to myself and rejecting the values of this page.