Second that Emotion! Medal of Freedom for Dennis Prager!

By Roger L Simon

Larry Elder—that evil “black face of white supremacy,” according to the late Los Angeles Times, and a man who himself owes his own brilliant radio career to Dennis Prager—has proposed a Presidential Medal of Freedom for Dennis Prager.

In the words of that songwriting genius Smokey Robinson, “I Second that Emotion.”

And emotion it is because the extraordinary ongoing recovery of Mr. Prager from a near-fatal fall last November that left him on a respirator with a spinal cord injury at the C3 and C4 level has been nothing short of inspirational.

A fair portion of conservative America and many overseas were praying for him and he, with their prayers accompanied by his own considerable will and amazing good humor in the face of adversity—he is, after all, the originator of the “Happiness Hour”—will be back on the air shortly.

What a relief! He is our “wise man”—maybe even what is called a tzaddik in the most pious Jewish traditions, although I imagine Dennis would reject that— and has been sorely missed,

Many people have their Dennis Prager stories, I among them. He doesn’t know it—I never told him, but I guess I am now— but his influence on me was as strong as anybody’s. Back in the 1990s, when I was still a Jewish liberal but, shall we say, questioning, I would listen to Dennis on the car radio on my way back from tennis, then and now my primary way of getting exercise.

At first I thought he was a bit too right-wing, too rigid, but he was clearly quite intelligent. Gradually, however, he won me over. Maybe it was that “Happiness Hour,” because in those days, like so many liberals, I had bouts with depression. His highly moral, Torah-based, way of thinking also had an impact. He was a man of principle and I admired that, even envied it.

Many years later, after having made my journey from left to right, I wound up on his radio show to discuss my 2016 book “I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism Is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasn’t Already.” I was thrilled when he said he loved the term moral narcissism, said that I had invented (maybe I had, but maybe I hadn’t) a phrase that would become a common description of our era. Unfortunately, that was not to be. Only weeks later “virtue signaling,” that was not quite moral narcissism but close enough, came on the scene.

I have appeared other times on Dennis’ shows, most recently to promote my book
”American Refugees” by which time it was radio plus a televised podcast. Also by then Prager U had become the national flagship that it is. It’s hard to overestimate its importance to America’s youth. Prager U is arguably the greatest force against indoctrination of our young people, actually anybody’s indoctrination, in the country.

On top of this, for a while Dennis was more or less my actual rabbi. Like many Jews, Sheryl and I were at sixes and sevens for a synagogue with which to affiliate. It happens. But Dennis, himself a non-ordained rabbi, would give High Holy Days services that we attended. He was unfailingly more interesting, and more knowledgable, than most who were ordained.

Most recently, Sheryl and I had dinner with Dennis and his fabulous wife Susan ((as Dennis puts it, “They come for Dennis and stay for Susan”) here in Nashville. I hope to see him again soon.

It should be obvious that I more than second Larry Elder’s suggestion that Dennis
Prager be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

First published in American Refugees