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Dennis Prager (born August 2, 1948) is a syndicated radio talk show host, columnist and public speaker in the United States. Though he sometimes describes himself as "passionate centrist," or a "JFK liberal," Prager consistently speaks in favor of conservative causes, and is a partisan advocate for the Republican party; he routinely attacks the Democratic party leadership. Prager is active in Jewish life, and he argues that monotheistic religious traditions in general, and Judeo-Christian beliefs in particular, are essential to decent civilization.
Prager often presents his political positions in moral terms. In the bulk of his articles, broadcasts, and speeches, Prager accuses liberals of promoting a culture of "moral idiocy". He believes that leftist or liberal policies in Europe and Canada have led to a breakdown in those societies—they have "a broken moral compass"—and a lamentable post-1960s status quo which he dubs "the Age of Stupidity". Prager promotes the idea that the US is engaged in a "culture war," which he describes as "our second civil war." He characterizes this as a battle between the values of "American" culture--which he portrays as traditional religious observance and conformity to rules of propriety (as widely understood in the 1950s)-- versus the "European" cultural values of secularism and liberalism (as epitomized by the youth counterculture of the 1960s).
His flagship online article "Are You a Liberal?" (http://www.dennisprager.com/areyouliberal.html) has drawn criticism on the grounds that Prager attempts to marginalize liberalism by means of unfair generalizations and straw man fallacies. Prager is often also criticized as being pompous or arrogant; critics assert that he claims to be able to pass definitive judgement on virtually any subject or situation, including topics about which he is manifestly ignorant.
Prager has written several books, including:
- Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism
- Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
- Think A Second Time (a collection of short essays on various topics)
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