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[] | 2021-01-06T13:19:36 | null | 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
Cuomo and de Blasio's Deadly Vaccine Failure | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F06%2Fcuomo_and_de_blasios_deadly_vaccine_failure_532777.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Cuomo and de Blasio's Deadly Vaccine Failure
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
In the beginning, the fall-back position for New York politicians was as predictable as it was successful. As the coronavirus ripped through the city and state and fear spread like wildfire, all th…
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/06/cuomo_and_de_blasios_deadly_vaccine_failure_532777.html
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/65b083a47a32f698a231b44007d70d80d1a88b8a5074ed9eceb22872119b600e.json
|
[
"In the beginning, the fall-back position for New York politicians was as predictable as it was successful. As the coronavirus ripped through the city and state and fear spread like wildfire, all th…",
"Cuomo and de Blasio's Deadly Vaccine Failure",
"Cuomo and de Blasio's Deadly Vaccine Failure | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-12T07:51:48 | null | 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
Trump Twitter Ban Is a Dangerous Distraction | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Ftrump_twitter_ban_is_a_dangerous_distraction_533224.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Trump Twitter Ban Is a Dangerous Distraction
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Facebook, Google and Twitter must be broken up and and local information providers revived. If not, worse is coming
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/11/trump_twitter_ban_is_a_dangerous_distraction_533224.html
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/c130ac3201e87e75d76b9fe72514394ecebad342a37d8273f44b14405412b14c.json
|
[
"Facebook, Google and Twitter must be broken up and and local information providers revived. If not, worse is coming",
"Trump Twitter Ban Is a Dangerous Distraction",
"Trump Twitter Ban Is a Dangerous Distraction | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-21T23:49:43 | null | 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
Trump Destroyed the Most Important Virtue in America | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F21%2Ftrump_destroyed_the_most_important_virtue_in_america_534006.html.json
|
en
| null |
Trump Destroyed the Most Important Virtue in America
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
What should have been a week-long celebration of the resilience of American democracy has turned into a dark circus. Instead of citizens lining Pennsylvania Avenue to cheer and greet a new president, all of downtown Washington, D.C., is an armed camp. Soldiers patrol the streets while workers clean excrement off the walls of the Capitol, a perfect tableau for the end of the short and ghastly age of Trump.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/21/trump_destroyed_the_most_important_virtue_in_america_534006.html
|
en
| 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/e534dfb7998076ed576c4c3a86109e86e7ed173fb28d21595623f7a7cb2022fc.json
|
[
"What should have been a week-long celebration of the resilience of American democracy has turned into a dark circus. Instead of citizens lining Pennsylvania Avenue to cheer and greet a new president, all of downtown Washington, D.C., is an armed camp. Soldiers patrol the streets while workers clean excrement off the walls of the Capitol, a perfect tableau for the end of the short and ghastly age of Trump.",
"Trump Destroyed the Most Important Virtue in America",
"Trump Destroyed the Most Important Virtue in America | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-12T07:51:27 | null | 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
Big Tech Bans Are a Serious Threat to America | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Fbig_tech_bans_are_a_serious_threat_to_america_533231.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Big Tech Bans Are a Serious Threat to America
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Long time readers of OutKick know that above everything else, I am a First Amendment absolutist. I believe the First Amendment is our most sacred right,
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/11/big_tech_bans_are_a_serious_threat_to_america_533231.html
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/0d9f3cb39e5068aa5e9041c6ed6af23b79143fdb31a2d42b0d098ed6cda247a3.json
|
[
"Long time readers of OutKick know that above everything else, I am a First Amendment absolutist. I believe the First Amendment is our most sacred right,",
"Big Tech Bans Are a Serious Threat to America",
"Big Tech Bans Are a Serious Threat to America | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-05T20:29:18 | null | 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
A Lesson on How Teachers Unions Lie About School Closures | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F05%2Fa_lesson_on_how_teachers_unions_lie_about_school_closures_532683.html.json
|
en
| null |
A Lesson on How Teachers Unions Lie About School Closures
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
A Lesson on How Teachers Unions Lie About School Closures
Chicago Teachers Union boss using coronavirus crisis to push state senate approval of stalled bill to boost bargaining power.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/05/a_lesson_on_how_teachers_unions_lie_about_school_closures_532683.html
|
en
| 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/276c037ad6375b942b876883ace0246ac15f13581e3ff40c28c54b8329c2b529.json
|
[
"A Lesson on How Teachers Unions Lie About School Closures\nChicago Teachers Union boss using coronavirus crisis to push state senate approval of stalled bill to boost bargaining power.",
"A Lesson on How Teachers Unions Lie About School Closures",
"A Lesson on How Teachers Unions Lie About School Closures | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-20T02:53:46 | null | 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
Good morning, its Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, that last full day of the chaotic, problematic presidency of Donald John Trump. The man may yet manage to get...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Fcapitol_elegy_big_tech_wokeforce_lees_legacy_145068.html.json
|
en
| null |
Capitol Elegy; Big Tech 'Wokeforce'; Lee's Legacy
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Good morning, it’s Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, that last full day of the chaotic, problematic presidency of Donald John Trump. The man may yet manage to get himself convicted in a Senate impeachment trial -- after the fact, as it were – but either way his presidency ends tomorrow.
Today is the birthday of several American politicians, past and present, including Jose Aponte Hernandez of Puerto Rico, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, and incoming Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
But the birthday I want to linger on is that of Robert E. Lee, born at Stratford Hall, Va., on this date in 1807. As you can probably see, I’m backsliding into the occasional history lesson. So be it. I’ll return to Gen. Lee in a moment. First, I’d point you to RCP’s front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. We also offer original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors, including the following:
* * *
Requiem for the Capitol. Howard Fineman laments the demise of a less contentious Washington, and the marring of our symbol of open government and frank exchange.
Send a Strong Message to Rioters: Remove Capitol’s Confederate Statues. At RealClearPolicy, Eli Lehrer and Daniel Schuman cite eight statues that depict men who, like the Jan. 6 mob, wanted to overthrow our constitutional order.
Economic Recovery Hinges on Republicans Building Vaccine Confidence. Frank Luntz and Brian C. Castrucci report that roughly a third of young Republicans and those living in rural areas say they are unlikely to get a coronavirus vaccine.
Where Do Conservatives Go From Here? Alyssa Farah urges the GOP to reclaim its Party of Lincoln roots while not abandoning the principles that led to pre-pandemic economic gains.
College Alums Must Speak Up for Campus Free Speech. Edward Yingling and Stuart Taylor Jr. spotlight a Princeton alumni group that’s shining a light on dangers to free speech and academic freedom.
Will the Tech “Wokeforce” Be With Us in War? At RealClearInvestigations, Eric Felten asks: If tech titans can pull the plug on Americans’ public communications -- from the president on down -- might they do the same to the Pentagon?
Whining About Big Tech, Republicans Sound Like Democrats. RealClearMarkets editor John Tamny contends Republicans are ignoring property rights and economic history.
Time to Withdraw From Afghanistan. At RealClearWorld, Charles Pena argues that a continued U.S. military presence -- however well intended -- is not the solution and instead is part of the problem.
DeVos’ Legacy: Expanded Opportunities for Students. At RealClearEducation, Ben DeGrow lauds the former Cabinet secretary for her advocacy of greater school choice.
How Hindsight Can Change the View of a Presidency. At RealClearHistory, John Rossi considers the shifted reputations of past commanders-in-chief.
* * *
Once upon a time, Robert E. Lee’s birthday was celebrated as an official holiday in the states of the old Confederacy. Mississippi and Alabama still do, although they merge it with Martin Luther King’s birthday. Think about that for a moment.
Lee died in 1870 at the age of 63. Jubal Early, one of Lee’s generals in the Confederate army, later spoke for his fellow Southerners: “Our beloved Chief stands, like some lofty column which rears its head among the highest, in grandeur, simple, pure and sublime.”
Such reverence was not confined to the South. On the centennial of Lee’s birth, President Theodore Roosevelt lauded his “extraordinary skill as a general, his dauntless courage and high leadership.” Roosevelt added: “He stood that hardest of all strains, the strain of bearing himself well through the gray evening of failure; and therefore out of what seemed failure he helped to build the wonderful and mighty triumph of our national life, in which all his countrymen, north and south, share.”
In truth, many of the men who marched in Mr. Lincoln’s Army -- and their widows -- harbored no such warmth toward Lee. Certainly, freed slaves and their descendants did not. “We can scarcely take up a newspaper … that is not filled with nauseating flatteries,” Frederick Douglass wrote on the occasion of Lee’s death. “[I]t would seem,” he added, “that the soldier who kills the most men in battle, even in a bad cause, is the greatest Christian, and entitled to the highest place in heaven.”
Lee himself wondered about this, as Southern writer Roy Blount Jr. explored in his excellent 2003 Lee biography, which is the source of these quotes I’m passing along today. Blount makes the point that when 21st century Americans contemplate Lee, the predominant mental image is one of grayness: “Not only the uniform, the mythic horse, the hair and beard, but the resignation with which he accepted dreary burdens” of command in a Confederate cause he didn’t fully support even as he went to war in its name.
Blount notes, however, that Lee never saw right and wrong in tones of gray -- even though “his moralizing could generate a fog.” One example he cites is a Lee letter from the front to his wife: “You must endeavour to enjoy the pleasure of doing good. That is all that makes life valuable.” But Lee quickly added, “When I measure my own by that standard I am filled with confusion and despair.”
Today, most Americans judge Lee’s willingness to shed blood to preserve slavery with plenty of despair, but little confusion. This is not really a long overdue “reckoning” on race, as social justice warriors would have you believe, as much as a steady evolution in this nation’s thinking about human rights.
Roy Blount Jr., who was born in Indianapolis but raised in the Decatur, the Georgia town where William Tecumseh Sherman launched his famed March to the Sea, put it this way: “If we take as a given Lee’s granitic conviction that everything is God’s will, however, he was born to lose.”
Carl M. Cannon
Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics
@CarlCannon (Twitter)
[email protected]
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/19/capitol_elegy_big_tech_wokeforce_lees_legacy_145068.html
|
en
| 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/63bc476e95535ce635ef807bf3396541abd5c30ec17c6e6f4cd038cd6363e3da.json
|
[
"Good morning, it’s Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, that last full day of the chaotic, problematic presidency of Donald John Trump. The man may yet manage to get himself convicted in a Senate impeachment trial -- after the fact, as it were – but either way his presidency ends tomorrow.\nToday is the birthday of several American politicians, past and present, including Jose Aponte Hernandez of Puerto Rico, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, and incoming Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.\nBut the birthday I want to linger on is that of Robert E. Lee, born at Stratford Hall, Va., on this date in 1807. As you can probably see, I’m backsliding into the occasional history lesson. So be it. I’ll return to Gen. Lee in a moment. First, I’d point you to RCP’s front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. We also offer original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors, including the following:\n* * *\nRequiem for the Capitol. Howard Fineman laments the demise of a less contentious Washington, and the marring of our symbol of open government and frank exchange.\nSend a Strong Message to Rioters: Remove Capitol’s Confederate Statues. At RealClearPolicy, Eli Lehrer and Daniel Schuman cite eight statues that depict men who, like the Jan. 6 mob, wanted to overthrow our constitutional order.\nEconomic Recovery Hinges on Republicans Building Vaccine Confidence. Frank Luntz and Brian C. Castrucci report that roughly a third of young Republicans and those living in rural areas say they are unlikely to get a coronavirus vaccine.\nWhere Do Conservatives Go From Here? Alyssa Farah urges the GOP to reclaim its Party of Lincoln roots while not abandoning the principles that led to pre-pandemic economic gains.\nCollege Alums Must Speak Up for Campus Free Speech. Edward Yingling and Stuart Taylor Jr. spotlight a Princeton alumni group that’s shining a light on dangers to free speech and academic freedom.\nWill the Tech “Wokeforce” Be With Us in War? At RealClearInvestigations, Eric Felten asks: If tech titans can pull the plug on Americans’ public communications -- from the president on down -- might they do the same to the Pentagon?\nWhining About Big Tech, Republicans Sound Like Democrats. RealClearMarkets editor John Tamny contends Republicans are ignoring property rights and economic history.\nTime to Withdraw From Afghanistan. At RealClearWorld, Charles Pena argues that a continued U.S. military presence -- however well intended -- is not the solution and instead is part of the problem.\nDeVos’ Legacy: Expanded Opportunities for Students. At RealClearEducation, Ben DeGrow lauds the former Cabinet secretary for her advocacy of greater school choice.\nHow Hindsight Can Change the View of a Presidency. At RealClearHistory, John Rossi considers the shifted reputations of past commanders-in-chief.\n* * *\nOnce upon a time, Robert E. Lee’s birthday was celebrated as an official holiday in the states of the old Confederacy. Mississippi and Alabama still do, although they merge it with Martin Luther King’s birthday. Think about that for a moment.\nLee died in 1870 at the age of 63. Jubal Early, one of Lee’s generals in the Confederate army, later spoke for his fellow Southerners: “Our beloved Chief stands, like some lofty column which rears its head among the highest, in grandeur, simple, pure and sublime.”\nSuch reverence was not confined to the South. On the centennial of Lee’s birth, President Theodore Roosevelt lauded his “extraordinary skill as a general, his dauntless courage and high leadership.” Roosevelt added: “He stood that hardest of all strains, the strain of bearing himself well through the gray evening of failure; and therefore out of what seemed failure he helped to build the wonderful and mighty triumph of our national life, in which all his countrymen, north and south, share.”\nIn truth, many of the men who marched in Mr. Lincoln’s Army -- and their widows -- harbored no such warmth toward Lee. Certainly, freed slaves and their descendants did not. “We can scarcely take up a newspaper … that is not filled with nauseating flatteries,” Frederick Douglass wrote on the occasion of Lee’s death. “[I]t would seem,” he added, “that the soldier who kills the most men in battle, even in a bad cause, is the greatest Christian, and entitled to the highest place in heaven.”\nLee himself wondered about this, as Southern writer Roy Blount Jr. explored in his excellent 2003 Lee biography, which is the source of these quotes I’m passing along today. Blount makes the point that when 21st century Americans contemplate Lee, the predominant mental image is one of grayness: “Not only the uniform, the mythic horse, the hair and beard, but the resignation with which he accepted dreary burdens” of command in a Confederate cause he didn’t fully support even as he went to war in its name.\nBlount notes, however, that Lee never saw right and wrong in tones of gray -- even though “his moralizing could generate a fog.” One example he cites is a Lee letter from the front to his wife: “You must endeavour to enjoy the pleasure of doing good. That is all that makes life valuable.” But Lee quickly added, “When I measure my own by that standard I am filled with confusion and despair.”\nToday, most Americans judge Lee’s willingness to shed blood to preserve slavery with plenty of despair, but little confusion. This is not really a long overdue “reckoning” on race, as social justice warriors would have you believe, as much as a steady evolution in this nation’s thinking about human rights.\nRoy Blount Jr., who was born in Indianapolis but raised in the Decatur, the Georgia town where William Tecumseh Sherman launched his famed March to the Sea, put it this way: “If we take as a given Lee’s granitic conviction that everything is God’s will, however, he was born to lose.”\nCarl M. Cannon\nWashington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics\n@CarlCannon (Twitter)\[email protected]",
"Capitol Elegy; Big Tech 'Wokeforce'; Lee's Legacy",
"Good morning, its Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, that last full day of the chaotic, problematic presidency of Donald John Trump. The man may yet manage to get..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-06T16:57:06 | null | 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
The Wall Street Journal editorial page is probably the most influential elite conservative outlet in the country. Fox News, talk radio and the rest may hold...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F06%2Fthe_wall_street_journal_epitomizes_the_failure_of_elite_conservatism_144973.html.json
|
en
| null |
The Wall Street Journal Epitomizes the Failure of Elite Conservatism
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
The Wall Street Journal editorial page is probably the most influential elite conservative outlet in the country. Fox News, talk radio and the rest may hold more sway with the grassroots, but the Journal has always been the gold standard for educated opinion shapers. Millions of busy people who may not follow politics closely rely on the Journal to provide a sober voice of informed conservatism to balance or rebut the editorial page of The New York Times.
In the Trump era, the Journal's editorial board has betrayed its readers. It has trimmed and hemmed and to-be-sured its way through the most sustained assault on truth and the American political order of our lifetime. Every now and then -- usually on textbook economic matters like tariffs -- the board has issued stern rebukes of the president's policies. But rarely. For the most part, it has retreated into anti-anti-Trumpism, averting its gaze from the president and focusing disproportionately on his opponents. Some columnists have become outright cheerleaders for the Russia hoax narrative.
Their Jan. 3 editorial is a classic of the genre. They began with both sidesism:
"As Americans like to tell the world, a hallmark of democracy is the willingness to accept defeat and the peaceful transfer of power. The tragedy of the last two presidential elections has been the refusal of partisans to accept defeat, and public trust in American self-government is eroding as a result."
No. The Democrats did not decline to accept defeat in 2016. Hillary Clinton conceded, albeit with insinuations that the Russians had helped Trump. But grumbling about your loss is a far cry from contesting it. A few Democrats lodged complaints about the vote in January 2017 when the Electoral College results were read out. See this video for the way the then-president of the Senate and sitting vice president handled those matters.
Today, the Journal concedes, "Too many Republicans refuse to accept Mr. Trump's defeat." They note that the Senators who have agreed to contest the Electoral College count this week cite no evidence of fraud, "Instead they cite 'allegations of fraud and irregularities' that feed 'deep distrust' of the results -- distrust they and the President are feeding." So far, so good. But then, in a typical misfire, the editors caution that "this is a ... lousy political strategy for returning to power." Ah. So that's the main issue then? It gets worse:
"The GOP electoral focus now should be on minimizing the damage of the Biden-Nancy Pelosi agenda, and that includes making the case for reforms to restore trust in elections. This is mainly a state duty, but the national party can do better at exploiting the rules as they exist. That includes more consistent rules for securing the integrity of mail-in ballots, and a better litigation strategy before elections to block Democratic attempts to change rules at the last minute."
Thus, the WSJ editorial page gives its imprimatur to the lies that are the basis for the current crisis -- a crisis they do not recognize.
Those Republicans -- the ones whose electoral fate the Journal is so tender about -- are joining a putsch attempt. They are helping an unhinged president to spread dangerous lies about the election and lending their weight to an effort to overcome the will of the voters. And the Wall Street Journal thinks this is the time to talk about the danger of the Democrats "changing rules at the last minute?" They cannot see -- or refuse to see -- what is in front of their faces. The president of the United States is attempting to subvert the democratic process. He is calling on his followers to swarm Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. For what conceivable purpose?
Last week, dismissing concerns about this scenario, the Journal noted equably that "Mr. Pence is too much of a patriot to go along." That held up well. The editorial concluded this way:
"But the scramble to overturn the will of the voters tarnishes Mr. Trump's legacy and undermines any designs he has on running in 2024. Republicans who humor him will be giving Democrats license to do the same in the future, and then it might matter."
No, it matters now. Never more than now. It isn't about the precedent that this might set for some imagined Democratic abuse of the future. The abuse is here. The abuse of power is now. This is a constitutional crisis because one party has decided that it cares more for power than for the American system. Giving one iota of support for Trump's unconstitutional coup attempt is discrediting for every politician and commentator who fails to call it out loudly and unequivocally. A decent few, like Sens. Ben Sasse and Mitt Romney have done so. Find your voice, or don't insult us by calling yourself a patriot.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/06/the_wall_street_journal_epitomizes_the_failure_of_elite_conservatism_144973.html
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/200dd876b7049a634453415dfeb417ff97dad2cdf7674662a005d1dd41f17ab7.json
|
[
"The Wall Street Journal editorial page is probably the most influential elite conservative outlet in the country. Fox News, talk radio and the rest may hold more sway with the grassroots, but the Journal has always been the gold standard for educated opinion shapers. Millions of busy people who may not follow politics closely rely on the Journal to provide a sober voice of informed conservatism to balance or rebut the editorial page of The New York Times.\nIn the Trump era, the Journal's editorial board has betrayed its readers. It has trimmed and hemmed and to-be-sured its way through the most sustained assault on truth and the American political order of our lifetime. Every now and then -- usually on textbook economic matters like tariffs -- the board has issued stern rebukes of the president's policies. But rarely. For the most part, it has retreated into anti-anti-Trumpism, averting its gaze from the president and focusing disproportionately on his opponents. Some columnists have become outright cheerleaders for the Russia hoax narrative.\nTheir Jan. 3 editorial is a classic of the genre. They began with both sidesism:\n\"As Americans like to tell the world, a hallmark of democracy is the willingness to accept defeat and the peaceful transfer of power. The tragedy of the last two presidential elections has been the refusal of partisans to accept defeat, and public trust in American self-government is eroding as a result.\"\nNo. The Democrats did not decline to accept defeat in 2016. Hillary Clinton conceded, albeit with insinuations that the Russians had helped Trump. But grumbling about your loss is a far cry from contesting it. A few Democrats lodged complaints about the vote in January 2017 when the Electoral College results were read out. See this video for the way the then-president of the Senate and sitting vice president handled those matters.\nToday, the Journal concedes, \"Too many Republicans refuse to accept Mr. Trump's defeat.\" They note that the Senators who have agreed to contest the Electoral College count this week cite no evidence of fraud, \"Instead they cite 'allegations of fraud and irregularities' that feed 'deep distrust' of the results -- distrust they and the President are feeding.\" So far, so good. But then, in a typical misfire, the editors caution that \"this is a ... lousy political strategy for returning to power.\" Ah. So that's the main issue then? It gets worse:\n\"The GOP electoral focus now should be on minimizing the damage of the Biden-Nancy Pelosi agenda, and that includes making the case for reforms to restore trust in elections. This is mainly a state duty, but the national party can do better at exploiting the rules as they exist. That includes more consistent rules for securing the integrity of mail-in ballots, and a better litigation strategy before elections to block Democratic attempts to change rules at the last minute.\"\nThus, the WSJ editorial page gives its imprimatur to the lies that are the basis for the current crisis -- a crisis they do not recognize.\nThose Republicans -- the ones whose electoral fate the Journal is so tender about -- are joining a putsch attempt. They are helping an unhinged president to spread dangerous lies about the election and lending their weight to an effort to overcome the will of the voters. And the Wall Street Journal thinks this is the time to talk about the danger of the Democrats \"changing rules at the last minute?\" They cannot see -- or refuse to see -- what is in front of their faces. The president of the United States is attempting to subvert the democratic process. He is calling on his followers to swarm Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. For what conceivable purpose?\nLast week, dismissing concerns about this scenario, the Journal noted equably that \"Mr. Pence is too much of a patriot to go along.\" That held up well. The editorial concluded this way:\n\"But the scramble to overturn the will of the voters tarnishes Mr. Trump's legacy and undermines any designs he has on running in 2024. Republicans who humor him will be giving Democrats license to do the same in the future, and then it might matter.\"\nNo, it matters now. Never more than now. It isn't about the precedent that this might set for some imagined Democratic abuse of the future. The abuse is here. The abuse of power is now. This is a constitutional crisis because one party has decided that it cares more for power than for the American system. Giving one iota of support for Trump's unconstitutional coup attempt is discrediting for every politician and commentator who fails to call it out loudly and unequivocally. A decent few, like Sens. Ben Sasse and Mitt Romney have done so. Find your voice, or don't insult us by calling yourself a patriot.\nCOPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM",
"The Wall Street Journal Epitomizes the Failure of Elite Conservatism",
"The Wall Street Journal editorial page is probably the most influential elite conservative outlet in the country. Fox News, talk radio and the rest may hold..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-12T07:51:29 | null | 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
The Massive Crackdown on Trump Supporters Begins | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Fthe_massive_crackdown_on_trump_supporters_begins_533216.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
The Massive Crackdown on Trump Supporters Begins
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
It appears that global oligarchs have decided to not only collude with China's totalitarianism, but to export it to the United States.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/11/the_massive_crackdown_on_trump_supporters_begins_533216.html
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/b1bfeb492b30adfabcd44cb8de63f82906fc842959b473c03ee9f3c4f5519b1b.json
|
[
"It appears that global oligarchs have decided to not only collude with China's totalitarianism, but to export it to the United States.",
"The Massive Crackdown on Trump Supporters Begins",
"The Massive Crackdown on Trump Supporters Begins | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-07T13:23:29 | null | 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
Trump Is to Blame for Capitol Attack | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Ftrump_is_to_blame_for_capitol_attack_532872.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Trump Is to Blame for Capitol Attack
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Trump Is to Blame for Capitol Attack
The president incited his followers to violence. There must be consequences.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/07/trump_is_to_blame_for_capitol_attack_532872.html
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/3b03386fd44e1b934dc0bee2af95038f1454dd148daceb3620575ad0bc2612c7.json
|
[
"Trump Is to Blame for Capitol Attack\nThe president incited his followers to violence. There must be consequences.",
"Trump Is to Blame for Capitol Attack",
"Trump Is to Blame for Capitol Attack | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-12T18:44:28 | null | 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
Almost two years ago, Rush Limbaugh call screener James Golden (also known as Bo Snerdley) and I met with a major Republican donor who claimed to be...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F12%2Fa_black_republicans_georgia_autopsy_145006.html.json
|
en
| null |
A Black Republican's Georgia Autopsy
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Almost two years ago, Rush Limbaugh call screener James Golden (also known as “Bo Snerdley”) and I met with a major Republican donor who claimed to be interested in supporting our organization, New Journey PAC. He expressed interest in one of our warnings — that Georgia would turn blue in 2020. More importantly, the donor wanted to know how to prevent this catastrophe.
James and I made the case that keeping Georgia red came down to courting Black voters well ahead of the election, with a significant concentration in the DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. We also had an ambitious five-year plan, which he did not disagree with. But, unexpectedly, he couldn’t have cared less about pitching in. In his words: “Gentlemen, your cause is great, but you need to find someone who cares about this Black s**t.”
Well, do we care about “this Black s**t” now?
Fast-forward to 2021, and that sort of attitude — all too prevalent among establishment types — has cost the Republican Party its beloved Senate majority. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock edged out Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, granting Democrats full control of Washington, D.C.
The Democratic Party’s success came down to one block of voters: African Americans. The Georgia election was not about President Trump. Nor was it about unprecedented campaign fundraising. The election was a referendum on the Republican Party as it now exists in a post-Trump era. This was a disaster of epic proportions.
The prevailing notion among Black Americans (and most minority groups) is that Republicans don’t care about them. Think about it: No majority of any minority population votes Republican. Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Native Americans, and Indians all support Democrats by large margins.
While conservative pundits mocked Stacey Abrams, she developed a master plan and raised the money to execute it. Long before Republicans cared about the January runoffs, Abrams realized that Democrats could flip Georgia by maximizing Black turnout. Her quest was 10 years in the making. She figured out that Democrats could win the demographic battle. Republican leadership did not, until it was too late. Truthfully, I am still not sure that Republicans get it.
Nearly one-third of all Georgia residents are Black, and they turned out in droves for Ossoff and Warnock. Faced with Republican apathy toward them, why wouldn’t they turn out for an African American pastor like Warnock? In the Black community, you don’t become a respected reverend overnight. It requires years of training and proper vetting, not unlike a political candidate. In a “woke” America, Republicans underestimated the power of the Black church. By resorting to personal attacks on the shepherd of the flock, instead of criticizing Warnock’s core values, Republicans only reinforced the African American community’s support for him.
Many Black voters in cities like Atlanta have never knowingly interacted with a Republican, so it wasn’t difficult to vote against one. That’s what Republicans cannot fully grasp. Black voters don’t trust them because they don’t know them personally, and that’s precisely the problem. Yes, conservative organizers mobilized on the ground, but it was not enough and way too late. Conservatives did not make inroads in Black communities because they didn’t even go to those communities.
Early in the Trump administration, I had multiple meetings with Republican leaders. I urged them to go into Black communities two years early. All I received was a courtesy nod at these perfunctory meetings, presumably so Republican leadership could claim to have engaged with “Black voices.”
Looking ahead, we better pray that the Abrams playbook isn’t replicated elsewhere. In Mississippi, 37.8% of residents are Black — a higher percentage than in Georgia. What’s to stop Abrams from making her way over there and flipping that state blue?
That also opens up Louisiana, with a Democratic governor and a 33% Black population, along with Alabama and the Carolinas. The current Republican strategy is simply not sustainable. The sooner we realize it, the sooner we can start winning again.
So what can be done? Republicans need to empower the minorities in their ranks, including Black voices. Future candidates must be representative of today’s America.
But, even beyond future candidates, the conservative movement needs to realize that there are plenty of minority voices out there, and they must be featured at all levels. They need to be mainstreamed so people realize that Republicans don’t have to be white. Do the faces across conservative media look like us? Did they grow up where we did? Do they attend our churches? Do they go to our schools?
Stop playing the victim card. Stop bringing up a “rigged election.” We lost in Georgia, and that will remain a trend unless we face the facts.
Let’s start by caring about “this Black s**t” — before it’s too late.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/12/a_black_republicans_georgia_autopsy_145006.html
|
en
| 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/f83b9d6c04719010689d769144a5de195b15817ff7d3b480e70c6120c4458b3f.json
|
[
"Almost two years ago, Rush Limbaugh call screener James Golden (also known as “Bo Snerdley”) and I met with a major Republican donor who claimed to be interested in supporting our organization, New Journey PAC. He expressed interest in one of our warnings — that Georgia would turn blue in 2020. More importantly, the donor wanted to know how to prevent this catastrophe.\nJames and I made the case that keeping Georgia red came down to courting Black voters well ahead of the election, with a significant concentration in the DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. We also had an ambitious five-year plan, which he did not disagree with. But, unexpectedly, he couldn’t have cared less about pitching in. In his words: “Gentlemen, your cause is great, but you need to find someone who cares about this Black s**t.”\nWell, do we care about “this Black s**t” now?\nFast-forward to 2021, and that sort of attitude — all too prevalent among establishment types — has cost the Republican Party its beloved Senate majority. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock edged out Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, granting Democrats full control of Washington, D.C.\nThe Democratic Party’s success came down to one block of voters: African Americans. The Georgia election was not about President Trump. Nor was it about unprecedented campaign fundraising. The election was a referendum on the Republican Party as it now exists in a post-Trump era. This was a disaster of epic proportions.\nThe prevailing notion among Black Americans (and most minority groups) is that Republicans don’t care about them. Think about it: No majority of any minority population votes Republican. Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Native Americans, and Indians all support Democrats by large margins.\nWhile conservative pundits mocked Stacey Abrams, she developed a master plan and raised the money to execute it. Long before Republicans cared about the January runoffs, Abrams realized that Democrats could flip Georgia by maximizing Black turnout. Her quest was 10 years in the making. She figured out that Democrats could win the demographic battle. Republican leadership did not, until it was too late. Truthfully, I am still not sure that Republicans get it.\nNearly one-third of all Georgia residents are Black, and they turned out in droves for Ossoff and Warnock. Faced with Republican apathy toward them, why wouldn’t they turn out for an African American pastor like Warnock? In the Black community, you don’t become a respected reverend overnight. It requires years of training and proper vetting, not unlike a political candidate. In a “woke” America, Republicans underestimated the power of the Black church. By resorting to personal attacks on the shepherd of the flock, instead of criticizing Warnock’s core values, Republicans only reinforced the African American community’s support for him.\nMany Black voters in cities like Atlanta have never knowingly interacted with a Republican, so it wasn’t difficult to vote against one. That’s what Republicans cannot fully grasp. Black voters don’t trust them because they don’t know them personally, and that’s precisely the problem. Yes, conservative organizers mobilized on the ground, but it was not enough and way too late. Conservatives did not make inroads in Black communities because they didn’t even go to those communities.\nEarly in the Trump administration, I had multiple meetings with Republican leaders. I urged them to go into Black communities two years early. All I received was a courtesy nod at these perfunctory meetings, presumably so Republican leadership could claim to have engaged with “Black voices.”\nLooking ahead, we better pray that the Abrams playbook isn’t replicated elsewhere. In Mississippi, 37.8% of residents are Black — a higher percentage than in Georgia. What’s to stop Abrams from making her way over there and flipping that state blue?\nThat also opens up Louisiana, with a Democratic governor and a 33% Black population, along with Alabama and the Carolinas. The current Republican strategy is simply not sustainable. The sooner we realize it, the sooner we can start winning again.\nSo what can be done? Republicans need to empower the minorities in their ranks, including Black voices. Future candidates must be representative of today’s America.\nBut, even beyond future candidates, the conservative movement needs to realize that there are plenty of minority voices out there, and they must be featured at all levels. They need to be mainstreamed so people realize that Republicans don’t have to be white. Do the faces across conservative media look like us? Did they grow up where we did? Do they attend our churches? Do they go to our schools?\nStop playing the victim card. Stop bringing up a “rigged election.” We lost in Georgia, and that will remain a trend unless we face the facts.\nLet’s start by caring about “this Black s**t” — before it’s too late.",
"A Black Republican's Georgia Autopsy",
"Almost two years ago, Rush Limbaugh call screener James Golden (also known as Bo Snerdley) and I met with a major Republican donor who claimed to be..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-09T16:43:58 | null | 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
We're living in a time of egregious double standards where Democrats and complicit media hold Republicans to a different code of conduct than themselves. An...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F09%2Fcapitol_chaos_illustrates_stark_hypocrisy_145001.html.json
|
en
| null |
Capitol Chaos Illustrates Stark Hypocrisy
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
We're living in a time of egregious double standards where Democrats and complicit media hold Republicans to a different code of conduct than themselves. An asymmetrical playing field that continues to divide the nation and perpetuate ever-growing anger and resentment amongst President Donald Trump's 74 million supporters.
Take election integrity. Democrats get a free pass to sow distrust in our elections to serve their political ambitions no matter how divisive and destabilizing to our country. If you recall, over the past four years Hillary Clinton claimed the election was stolen from her while fellow Democrats refused to accept the results of the 2016 election. In September 2019, The Washington Post reported, "Hillary Clinton dismissed Trump as an 'illegitimate president' and suggested that 'he knows' that he stole the 2016 presidential election."
But Trump's not allowed to question the results of the 2020 election even if he believes voter fraud took place.
Who made those rules?
It's well-known that Clinton and her comrades peddled the sinister "Russia collusion" myth --a manufactured conspiracy theory -- against Donald Trump, which the media gleefully trumpeted. A bogus dossier paid for by the 2016 Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee was used by the FBI as a pretext to open criminal investigations against Trump and his associates, who were targeted, spied on and harassed. Lives were ruined. Yet, despite a 22-month Special Counsel Probe that found insufficient evidence of conspiracy, the Russia collusion lie persisted to delegitimize the result of the 2016 election and sabotage the Trump administration.
This is a far cry from respecting our nation's most sacred institution -- free elections -- and respecting the will of the people.
The left waged an all-out #Resist movement against Trump that lasted for the duration of his presidency. His supporters -- ironically, many who are Black, Latino, Asian and Muslim -- were called "racist" and every other despicable name in the book. And, for an encore, Democrats impeached Trump over a phone call.
Hardly the peaceful transfer of power the left and media are now demanding from their GOP counterparts. Yet, conservatives have not forgotten Rep. Maxine Waters calling for Trump's Impeachment -- before he was even inaugurated -- nor the nearly 70 Democratic lawmakers that boycotted his inauguration, a boycott that swelled after late civil rights icon John Lewis, D-Ga., also said he didn't consider Trump a legitimate president.
Nonsense. But in the wake of the riots that took place at the Capitol Building on Wednesday, the left and its media sycophants are haughtily lecturing conservatives about the importance of respecting the peaceful transition of power.
Naturally, they wipe from memory all the violence and destruction that antifa and left-wing protestors waged for months burning cities across America following the George Floyd tragedy.
Consider Trump's inauguration in January 2017.
"Six police officers were injured and 217 protesters arrested Friday after a morning of peaceful protests and coordinated disruptions of Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony gave way to ugly street clashes in downtown Washington," CNN reported at the time. "At least two DC police officers and one other person were taken to the hospital after run-ins with protesters. ... Bursts of chaos erupted on 12th and K streets as black-clad 'antifascist' protesters smashed storefronts and bus stops, hammered out the windows of a limousine and eventually launched rocks at a phalanx of police lined up in an eastbound crosswalk."
CNN added, "Anti-Trump protests also broke out Friday in US cities, including New York, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago and Portland, Oregon. Authorities in Seattle say one person was in critical condition at a hospital with a gunshot wound."
None of that excuses the riots at the Capitol building this week by Trump supporters, some who engaged in unruly protest, violence and destruction. These reprehensible acts deserve condemnation and accountability. But make no mistake. Those that broke the law do not represent the 74 million hardworking, law-abiding, patriotic Americans who stayed home that day. Nor do they represent many who honorably serve in the U.S. military.
Democrats and the malicious media must stop trying to paint all conservatives negatively for the actions of a few. After all, how would they like it they were also smeared for far-left extremist groups' criminal acts?
Bottom line: If our country is to truly heal and unify, then Democrats should practice what they preach and reacquaint themselves with the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/09/capitol_chaos_illustrates_stark_hypocrisy_145001.html
|
en
| 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/c82ca491368d74d0a908f22262e8c6920eb89453b2766c1aa6327a40604907e8.json
|
[
"We're living in a time of egregious double standards where Democrats and complicit media hold Republicans to a different code of conduct than themselves. An asymmetrical playing field that continues to divide the nation and perpetuate ever-growing anger and resentment amongst President Donald Trump's 74 million supporters.\nTake election integrity. Democrats get a free pass to sow distrust in our elections to serve their political ambitions no matter how divisive and destabilizing to our country. If you recall, over the past four years Hillary Clinton claimed the election was stolen from her while fellow Democrats refused to accept the results of the 2016 election. In September 2019, The Washington Post reported, \"Hillary Clinton dismissed Trump as an 'illegitimate president' and suggested that 'he knows' that he stole the 2016 presidential election.\"\nBut Trump's not allowed to question the results of the 2020 election even if he believes voter fraud took place.\nWho made those rules?\nIt's well-known that Clinton and her comrades peddled the sinister \"Russia collusion\" myth --a manufactured conspiracy theory -- against Donald Trump, which the media gleefully trumpeted. A bogus dossier paid for by the 2016 Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee was used by the FBI as a pretext to open criminal investigations against Trump and his associates, who were targeted, spied on and harassed. Lives were ruined. Yet, despite a 22-month Special Counsel Probe that found insufficient evidence of conspiracy, the Russia collusion lie persisted to delegitimize the result of the 2016 election and sabotage the Trump administration.\nThis is a far cry from respecting our nation's most sacred institution -- free elections -- and respecting the will of the people.\nThe left waged an all-out #Resist movement against Trump that lasted for the duration of his presidency. His supporters -- ironically, many who are Black, Latino, Asian and Muslim -- were called \"racist\" and every other despicable name in the book. And, for an encore, Democrats impeached Trump over a phone call.\nHardly the peaceful transfer of power the left and media are now demanding from their GOP counterparts. Yet, conservatives have not forgotten Rep. Maxine Waters calling for Trump's Impeachment -- before he was even inaugurated -- nor the nearly 70 Democratic lawmakers that boycotted his inauguration, a boycott that swelled after late civil rights icon John Lewis, D-Ga., also said he didn't consider Trump a legitimate president.\nNonsense. But in the wake of the riots that took place at the Capitol Building on Wednesday, the left and its media sycophants are haughtily lecturing conservatives about the importance of respecting the peaceful transition of power.\nNaturally, they wipe from memory all the violence and destruction that antifa and left-wing protestors waged for months burning cities across America following the George Floyd tragedy.\nConsider Trump's inauguration in January 2017.\n\"Six police officers were injured and 217 protesters arrested Friday after a morning of peaceful protests and coordinated disruptions of Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony gave way to ugly street clashes in downtown Washington,\" CNN reported at the time. \"At least two DC police officers and one other person were taken to the hospital after run-ins with protesters. ... Bursts of chaos erupted on 12th and K streets as black-clad 'antifascist' protesters smashed storefronts and bus stops, hammered out the windows of a limousine and eventually launched rocks at a phalanx of police lined up in an eastbound crosswalk.\"\nCNN added, \"Anti-Trump protests also broke out Friday in US cities, including New York, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago and Portland, Oregon. Authorities in Seattle say one person was in critical condition at a hospital with a gunshot wound.\"\nNone of that excuses the riots at the Capitol building this week by Trump supporters, some who engaged in unruly protest, violence and destruction. These reprehensible acts deserve condemnation and accountability. But make no mistake. Those that broke the law do not represent the 74 million hardworking, law-abiding, patriotic Americans who stayed home that day. Nor do they represent many who honorably serve in the U.S. military.\nDemocrats and the malicious media must stop trying to paint all conservatives negatively for the actions of a few. After all, how would they like it they were also smeared for far-left extremist groups' criminal acts?\nBottom line: If our country is to truly heal and unify, then Democrats should practice what they preach and reacquaint themselves with the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated.\nCOPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM",
"Capitol Chaos Illustrates Stark Hypocrisy",
"We're living in a time of egregious double standards where Democrats and complicit media hold Republicans to a different code of conduct than themselves. An..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-12T20:14:53 | null | 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
It is amazing how many people seem to have discovered last Wednesday that riots are wrong -- when many of those same people apparently had not noticed that...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F12%2Fis_truth_irrelevant_145010.html.json
|
en
| null |
Is Truth Irrelevant?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
It is amazing how many people seem to have discovered last Wednesday that riots are wrong -- when many of those same people apparently had not noticed that when riots went on, for weeks or even months, in various cities across the country last year.
For too many people, especially in the media, what is right and wrong, true or false, depends on who it helps or hurts politically. Too many media people who are supposed to be reporters act as if they are combatants in political wars.
Someone once said that, in a war, truth is the first casualty. That has certainly been so in the media -- and in much of academia as well.
One of the most grotesque distortions growing out of this carelessness with the facts has been a removal of Abraham Lincoln's name and statues from various places, on grounds that he saw black people only as property.
Such criticisms betray an incredible ignorance of history -- or else a complete disregard of truth.
As a lawyer, Abraham Lincoln knew that there was nothing in the Constitution which authorized him or any other President to free slaves. But he also knew that a military commander in wartime can legally seize the property of an enemy nation. Defining slaves as property gave President Lincoln the only legal authority he had to seize them during the Civil War. And once they were seized as property, he could then free them as human beings.
But, if the Emancipation Proclamation had based its action on defining the slaves as human beings, with a right to be free, the Supreme Court of that era would undoubtedly have declared it unconstitutional.
Millions of human beings would have remained slaves. Would ringing rhetoric be worth that price?
As for the claim that Lincoln did not regard black people as human, he invited Frederick Douglass to the White House!
Gross distortions of history, in order to get Abraham Lincoln's name removed from schools tells us a lot about what is wrong with American education today.
Many schools are closed because of the corona virus and the teachers unions. And many schools in minority neighborhoods failed to teach children enough math and English, back when they were still open. So it is incredible that school authorities have time to spend on ideological crusades like removing names and statues from schools.
Unfortunately, too many American educational institutions -- from elementary schools to universities -- have become indoctrination centers. The riots that swept across the country last year are fruits of that indoctrination and the utter disregard for other people's rights that accompanied those riots.
At the heart of that indoctrination is a sense of grievance and victimhood when others have better outcomes -- which are automatically called "privileges" and never called "achievements," regardless of what the actual facts are.
Facts don't matter in such issues, any more than facts mattered when smearing Lincoln.
Any "under-representation" of any group in any endeavor can be taken as evidence or proof of discriminatory bias. But those who argue this way cannot show us any society -- anywhere in the world, or at any time during thousands of years of recorded history -- that had all groups represented proportionally in all endeavors.
In America's National Hockey League, for example, there are more players from Canada than there are players from the United States. There are also more players from Sweden than from California, even though California's population is nearly four times the population of Sweden.
Californians are more "under-represented" in the NHL than women are in Silicon Valley. But no one can claim that this is due to discriminatory bias by the NHL. It is far more obviously due to people growing up in cold climates being more likely to have ice-skating experience.
This is one of many factors that produce skewed statistics in many endeavors. Discriminatory bias is among those factors. But it has no monopoly.
Yet who cares about facts any more, in this age of indoctrination?
COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/12/is_truth_irrelevant_145010.html
|
en
| 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/a61b1aeeda8ca34bbc4c67e337adafaaaa9b9a27aedd3d12eac26ca5d7ad9a60.json
|
[
"It is amazing how many people seem to have discovered last Wednesday that riots are wrong -- when many of those same people apparently had not noticed that when riots went on, for weeks or even months, in various cities across the country last year.\nFor too many people, especially in the media, what is right and wrong, true or false, depends on who it helps or hurts politically. Too many media people who are supposed to be reporters act as if they are combatants in political wars.\nSomeone once said that, in a war, truth is the first casualty. That has certainly been so in the media -- and in much of academia as well.\nOne of the most grotesque distortions growing out of this carelessness with the facts has been a removal of Abraham Lincoln's name and statues from various places, on grounds that he saw black people only as property.\nSuch criticisms betray an incredible ignorance of history -- or else a complete disregard of truth.\nAs a lawyer, Abraham Lincoln knew that there was nothing in the Constitution which authorized him or any other President to free slaves. But he also knew that a military commander in wartime can legally seize the property of an enemy nation. Defining slaves as property gave President Lincoln the only legal authority he had to seize them during the Civil War. And once they were seized as property, he could then free them as human beings.\nBut, if the Emancipation Proclamation had based its action on defining the slaves as human beings, with a right to be free, the Supreme Court of that era would undoubtedly have declared it unconstitutional.\nMillions of human beings would have remained slaves. Would ringing rhetoric be worth that price?\nAs for the claim that Lincoln did not regard black people as human, he invited Frederick Douglass to the White House!\nGross distortions of history, in order to get Abraham Lincoln's name removed from schools tells us a lot about what is wrong with American education today.\nMany schools are closed because of the corona virus and the teachers unions. And many schools in minority neighborhoods failed to teach children enough math and English, back when they were still open. So it is incredible that school authorities have time to spend on ideological crusades like removing names and statues from schools.\nUnfortunately, too many American educational institutions -- from elementary schools to universities -- have become indoctrination centers. The riots that swept across the country last year are fruits of that indoctrination and the utter disregard for other people's rights that accompanied those riots.\nAt the heart of that indoctrination is a sense of grievance and victimhood when others have better outcomes -- which are automatically called \"privileges\" and never called \"achievements,\" regardless of what the actual facts are.\nFacts don't matter in such issues, any more than facts mattered when smearing Lincoln.\nAny \"under-representation\" of any group in any endeavor can be taken as evidence or proof of discriminatory bias. But those who argue this way cannot show us any society -- anywhere in the world, or at any time during thousands of years of recorded history -- that had all groups represented proportionally in all endeavors.\nIn America's National Hockey League, for example, there are more players from Canada than there are players from the United States. There are also more players from Sweden than from California, even though California's population is nearly four times the population of Sweden.\nCalifornians are more \"under-represented\" in the NHL than women are in Silicon Valley. But no one can claim that this is due to discriminatory bias by the NHL. It is far more obviously due to people growing up in cold climates being more likely to have ice-skating experience.\nThis is one of many factors that produce skewed statistics in many endeavors. Discriminatory bias is among those factors. But it has no monopoly.\nYet who cares about facts any more, in this age of indoctrination?\nCOPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM",
"Is Truth Irrelevant?",
"It is amazing how many people seem to have discovered last Wednesday that riots are wrong -- when many of those same people apparently had not noticed that..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-04T03:25:08 | null | 2021-01-03T00:00:00 |
Ossoff Senate Campaign Seeks a Final Rebuke of Trump | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F03%2Fossoff_senate_campaign_seeks_a_final_rebuke_of_trump_532585.html.json
|
en
| null |
Ossoff Senate Campaign Seeks a Final Rebuke of Trump
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Jon Ossoff's near-miss 2017 House run became a national cause. Now, his Senate campaign is using new themes to seek a final rebuke of Trump.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/03/ossoff_senate_campaign_seeks_a_final_rebuke_of_trump_532585.html
|
en
| 2021-01-03T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/f04c45064e65139d1a1e792c52d1887427e10c102f41533b5635d6684468f45b.json
|
[
"Jon Ossoff's near-miss 2017 House run became a national cause. Now, his Senate campaign is using new themes to seek a final rebuke of Trump.",
"Ossoff Senate Campaign Seeks a Final Rebuke of Trump",
"Ossoff Senate Campaign Seeks a Final Rebuke of Trump | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-29T22:58:02 | null | 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
The coming years will decide the survival of our Second Amendment, President Trump warned before the election.
Trump was right.
During the 2020...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2Fthe_flawed_thinking_behind_bidens_gun_control_bill_145144.html.json
|
en
| null |
The Flawed Thinking Behind Biden's Gun Control Bill
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
“The coming years will decide the survival of our Second Amendment,” President Trump warned before the election.
Trump was right.
During the 2020 campaign, Joe Biden promised a long list of gun control regulations. There is a reason that Michael Bloomberg spent $125 million helping Biden in Florida and something over $600 million nationally in the general election.
The agenda includes: classifying many semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than 10 bullets as Class 3 weapons (which can require nine months or more for approval and a $200 fee), national gun licensing, “red flag” laws that let judges take away people’s guns without a hearing, background checks on the private transfer of guns, and bans on some semi-automatic firearms that happen to look like military weapons.
The first gun control bill that Biden will push in his first 100 days would make gun makers and sellers civilly liable for misuse of guns they sell. That means people could sue manufacturers whenever a crime, accident, or suicide occurs with a gun. We aren’t talking about cases where there was a product liability issue or where laws are violated, such as selling a gun without a valid background check. While it isn’t stated, the goal is to put the gun makers out of business.
Can you imagine what would happen to the car or other products if similar rules were to apply? Some 4.5 million Americans are injured each year in car accidents, and 40,000 die. When accidents occurred because a driver wasn’t paying attention or was driving recklessly, it makes no sense to sue Ford for lost wages, medical costs, and pain and suffering. Criminals also frequently use cars when they commit crimes. Why should car companies be liable for that?
Computers are used to plan crimes, hack into private servers, and steal intellectual property. If Apple were held liable, it would very quickly be drowning in lawsuits. If the company even survived, its products would become much more expensive in order to cover the new legal fees.
Guns aren’t any different. Far less than 1% of guns are ever used in crimes, suicides or accidents, and when they are, it’s virtually always the result of the user’s actions. Many other products, such as motorcycles, have much higher probabilities of causing harm. The death rate per motorcycle is 0.05%; the date rate for guns is 0.008%. The latter includes murder, accidental deaths and suicides. Guns are also used defensively about 2 million times in the average year, according to the FBI. Will government reward gun makers when their products are used to save lives?
My own research has found that increased gun ownership is associated with less crime, not more. Poor people in the highest crime areas benefit the most from owning guns, and gun maker liability would be sure to make guns unaffordable for these individuals.
Police are important to fighting crime, but people can’t rely on them for protection. Officers virtually always arrive at the scene of a crime after the perpetrator has fled. Police know this. When a 2016 survey by the National Association of Chiefs of Police asked 15,000 chiefs and sheriffs if law-abiding citizens should be able to buy guns for self-defense, 88% answered yes. PoliceOne surveyed its 450,000 members, and 77% answered that legally armed citizens are extremely or very important to reducing crime rates.
If high-profile Democrat politicians really believe that guns produce no benefits, they ought to ask their bodyguards to disarm. These politicians would disarm poor people, and at the same time would never enter their neighborhoods without armed guards.
Gun control advocates claim that the gun makers are responsible for any harm from their weapons because they specifically cater to the criminal market with low prices, easy concealability, corrosion resistance, accurate firing, and high firepower. Lightweight, compact firearms may appeal to criminals, but they also make life easier for the 19.5 million Americans who carry concealed handguns. Women are most likely to prefer smaller, lightweight guns.
Many Democrats also try to blame gun makers for accidental deaths that they claim are “foreseeable.” Supposedly, manufacturers aren’t doing enough to make their guns child-proof.
Nationwide in 2018, 30 children under 5, and 54 under 15, died from accidental gun deaths. But with 120 million people owning 300 million guns, accidental deaths from guns are far less “foreseeable” than from many other products. Gun owners must also be very responsible, or such accidents would be much more frequent.
By contrast, nearly 100 children under 5 drown in bathtubs each year. Another 350 drown in pools. Should bathtub and pool makers be sued for the “harm” their products cause? What about bicycle makers for kids killed in accidents? Biden and Democrats want to ban guns. And if they abolish the Senate filibuster, as they keep threatening, they could do it.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/29/the_flawed_thinking_behind_bidens_gun_control_bill_145144.html
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/daa5ac581e9f4af0b6e92db20f8082b6bb370085c8855ad670cd6ae38688dc95.json
|
[
"“The coming years will decide the survival of our Second Amendment,” President Trump warned before the election.\nTrump was right.\nDuring the 2020 campaign, Joe Biden promised a long list of gun control regulations. There is a reason that Michael Bloomberg spent $125 million helping Biden in Florida and something over $600 million nationally in the general election.\nThe agenda includes: classifying many semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than 10 bullets as Class 3 weapons (which can require nine months or more for approval and a $200 fee), national gun licensing, “red flag” laws that let judges take away people’s guns without a hearing, background checks on the private transfer of guns, and bans on some semi-automatic firearms that happen to look like military weapons.\nThe first gun control bill that Biden will push in his first 100 days would make gun makers and sellers civilly liable for misuse of guns they sell. That means people could sue manufacturers whenever a crime, accident, or suicide occurs with a gun. We aren’t talking about cases where there was a product liability issue or where laws are violated, such as selling a gun without a valid background check. While it isn’t stated, the goal is to put the gun makers out of business.\nCan you imagine what would happen to the car or other products if similar rules were to apply? Some 4.5 million Americans are injured each year in car accidents, and 40,000 die. When accidents occurred because a driver wasn’t paying attention or was driving recklessly, it makes no sense to sue Ford for lost wages, medical costs, and pain and suffering. Criminals also frequently use cars when they commit crimes. Why should car companies be liable for that?\nComputers are used to plan crimes, hack into private servers, and steal intellectual property. If Apple were held liable, it would very quickly be drowning in lawsuits. If the company even survived, its products would become much more expensive in order to cover the new legal fees.\nGuns aren’t any different. Far less than 1% of guns are ever used in crimes, suicides or accidents, and when they are, it’s virtually always the result of the user’s actions. Many other products, such as motorcycles, have much higher probabilities of causing harm. The death rate per motorcycle is 0.05%; the date rate for guns is 0.008%. The latter includes murder, accidental deaths and suicides. Guns are also used defensively about 2 million times in the average year, according to the FBI. Will government reward gun makers when their products are used to save lives?\nMy own research has found that increased gun ownership is associated with less crime, not more. Poor people in the highest crime areas benefit the most from owning guns, and gun maker liability would be sure to make guns unaffordable for these individuals.\nPolice are important to fighting crime, but people can’t rely on them for protection. Officers virtually always arrive at the scene of a crime after the perpetrator has fled. Police know this. When a 2016 survey by the National Association of Chiefs of Police asked 15,000 chiefs and sheriffs if law-abiding citizens should be able to buy guns for self-defense, 88% answered yes. PoliceOne surveyed its 450,000 members, and 77% answered that legally armed citizens are extremely or very important to reducing crime rates.\nIf high-profile Democrat politicians really believe that guns produce no benefits, they ought to ask their bodyguards to disarm. These politicians would disarm poor people, and at the same time would never enter their neighborhoods without armed guards.\nGun control advocates claim that the gun makers are responsible for any harm from their weapons because they specifically cater to the criminal market with low prices, easy concealability, corrosion resistance, accurate firing, and high firepower. Lightweight, compact firearms may appeal to criminals, but they also make life easier for the 19.5 million Americans who carry concealed handguns. Women are most likely to prefer smaller, lightweight guns.\nMany Democrats also try to blame gun makers for accidental deaths that they claim are “foreseeable.” Supposedly, manufacturers aren’t doing enough to make their guns child-proof.\nNationwide in 2018, 30 children under 5, and 54 under 15, died from accidental gun deaths. But with 120 million people owning 300 million guns, accidental deaths from guns are far less “foreseeable” than from many other products. Gun owners must also be very responsible, or such accidents would be much more frequent.\nBy contrast, nearly 100 children under 5 drown in bathtubs each year. Another 350 drown in pools. Should bathtub and pool makers be sued for the “harm” their products cause? What about bicycle makers for kids killed in accidents? Biden and Democrats want to ban guns. And if they abolish the Senate filibuster, as they keep threatening, they could do it.",
"The Flawed Thinking Behind Biden's Gun Control Bill",
"The coming years will decide the survival of our Second Amendment, President Trump warned before the election.\nTrump was right.\nDuring the 2020..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-15T15:41:25 | null | 2021-01-15T00:00:00 |
It's been obvious for quite a while that our country is coming apart at the seams. People on all sides are upset, and they want to punish their political...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F15%2Fhow_we_can_fix_this_great_country_starting_with_3_easy_steps_145041.html.json
|
en
| null |
How We Can Fix This Great Country, Starting With 3 Easy Steps
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
It's been obvious for quite a while that our country is coming apart at the seams. People on all sides are upset, and they want to punish their political opponents. We aren't able to disagree in a productive way. We demonize one another; we are too partisan; and we are definitely too angry. This isn't unique to the right or the left. It's all of us.
If the riots in Washington, and those before them in cities across America, didn't prove we have grown out of control, then nothing will. There were, of course, well-meaning people in Washington who were there because they love their country and who did not condone the worst behavior. The same was true of the Black Lives Matter marches around the country, which were populated by a lot of people with good intentions coupled with a radical element intent on destruction. Nonetheless, the images from the Capitol are hard to watch.
The big question is, what do we do now? How do we come together and heal a broken country? There are certainly policy changes we need to debate, but our problems are deeper than policy. Before we begin those debates, we need to change our culture.
The first step is for those in positions of power to realize how frustrated and unhappy many Americans are. Low wage growth coupled with massively increasing costs for things like health care and education have left people feeling stagnant and worried about a lack of opportunity for themselves and their children. People at the upper ends of our income scale are not just surviving but thriving like never before. Globalism, automation and all that comes with them are an amazing boon for a tiny number of Americans, and they are causing a lot of pain for a great many more.
COVID-19 has exacerbated this dynamic. Addressing our growing inequality without killing our economic growth and the dynamism so essential for our economy is amazingly difficult and complicated. We have spent too little time and effort thinking through these issues. It's easy for those doing well to laugh at the crazies, and some of last week's behavior gave them all the more reason to do so. But that is precisely the attitude that brought us to the sad place we are at.
For those of us not in positions of power, the vast majority of Americans, we have to decide if we have a country worth saving. If we do, then we all have to change our behavior. There are practical things each of us can do. I've already started, and it's working for me. Maybe this plan can work for others.
No. 1: Turn off the TV.
Cable news is bad for you. It doesn't matter if you are addicted to Fox or MSNBC. It's all infotainment. With some notable exceptions, and there are some, TV is not designed to inform or educate you. TV producers are a lot like the engineers who obsess over how to keep us in casinos. Casinos famously spend amazing amounts of time and money figuring out how to keep people at the tables: the sounds, the air pumped in, the free drinks and the confusing layouts with the hidden exits. These are not perks or design flaws. They are all deliberately placed to keep you in your seat gambling more than you planned on.
Most cable news is the same. They know what you are emotional about, and they play it up to keep you watching. If guests aren't partisan enough, the producers tell them to up the volume and the rancor. This can make for entertaining programming, but it's not good for us.
Try stopping. You will feel better.
No. 2: Read news from a variety of sources.
The largest newsrooms with the most in-depth news coverage are still the traditional liberal corporate media behemoths. If you aren't reading The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times or The Washington Post, you are missing out on a lot of good reporting. But if you are only reading those outlets, then you are missing out on a great deal of news they are either too biased to cover or determined to cover unfairly. Each of those outlets has grown even more liberal over the years, so if you want a more complete picture, balance that diet out with reporting from newer, independent news sources working hard to bring you information and ideas that are missing from corporate media.
I founded the Daily Caller, so I don't pretend to be unbiased here, but we have a 100-person newsroom producing a couple of hundred pieces of real news, grounded in hard facts, every single day. We fill in many gaps that the corporate media overlooks because of their own biases. And we aren't the only ones. The Washington Examiner, for example, does the same.
No. 3: Speak with more people outside your political bubble.
We are spending too much time in our bubbles. The internet has made everything more efficient, and we can easily find news or information that confirms our personal biases and read nothing else. Too many people do this. It's lazy. It's not healthy. We all have friends or family that we disagree with politically. It's good to debate people with different views. You may learn something new, or at least understand where the other side is coming from. They can do the same. Anyone who isn't doing this regularly should really start.
Our country is in pain right now. If we don't begin to heal, there is no telling where things will go. If recent events don't convince every American that we need to try to come together, then God help us all. We have an amazing country, unique and impressive in so many ways. It's worth fixing. Given where we are, though, things are not going to fix themselves. It's easy to pretend that the problem is just with our leaders or with the people who think differently, but it's not. We have the leaders we deserve. We are the problem. We each have some responsibility for the sad place we are at, and we each have a role to play in fixing it. I hope we try.
COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/15/how_we_can_fix_this_great_country_starting_with_3_easy_steps_145041.html
|
en
| 2021-01-15T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/66d19d0648c2343c9f170328509283f427360bdad1999ce81b72e4b176f42f75.json
|
[
"It's been obvious for quite a while that our country is coming apart at the seams. People on all sides are upset, and they want to punish their political opponents. We aren't able to disagree in a productive way. We demonize one another; we are too partisan; and we are definitely too angry. This isn't unique to the right or the left. It's all of us.\nIf the riots in Washington, and those before them in cities across America, didn't prove we have grown out of control, then nothing will. There were, of course, well-meaning people in Washington who were there because they love their country and who did not condone the worst behavior. The same was true of the Black Lives Matter marches around the country, which were populated by a lot of people with good intentions coupled with a radical element intent on destruction. Nonetheless, the images from the Capitol are hard to watch.\nThe big question is, what do we do now? How do we come together and heal a broken country? There are certainly policy changes we need to debate, but our problems are deeper than policy. Before we begin those debates, we need to change our culture.\nThe first step is for those in positions of power to realize how frustrated and unhappy many Americans are. Low wage growth coupled with massively increasing costs for things like health care and education have left people feeling stagnant and worried about a lack of opportunity for themselves and their children. People at the upper ends of our income scale are not just surviving but thriving like never before. Globalism, automation and all that comes with them are an amazing boon for a tiny number of Americans, and they are causing a lot of pain for a great many more.\nCOVID-19 has exacerbated this dynamic. Addressing our growing inequality without killing our economic growth and the dynamism so essential for our economy is amazingly difficult and complicated. We have spent too little time and effort thinking through these issues. It's easy for those doing well to laugh at the crazies, and some of last week's behavior gave them all the more reason to do so. But that is precisely the attitude that brought us to the sad place we are at.\nFor those of us not in positions of power, the vast majority of Americans, we have to decide if we have a country worth saving. If we do, then we all have to change our behavior. There are practical things each of us can do. I've already started, and it's working for me. Maybe this plan can work for others.\nNo. 1: Turn off the TV.\nCable news is bad for you. It doesn't matter if you are addicted to Fox or MSNBC. It's all infotainment. With some notable exceptions, and there are some, TV is not designed to inform or educate you. TV producers are a lot like the engineers who obsess over how to keep us in casinos. Casinos famously spend amazing amounts of time and money figuring out how to keep people at the tables: the sounds, the air pumped in, the free drinks and the confusing layouts with the hidden exits. These are not perks or design flaws. They are all deliberately placed to keep you in your seat gambling more than you planned on.\nMost cable news is the same. They know what you are emotional about, and they play it up to keep you watching. If guests aren't partisan enough, the producers tell them to up the volume and the rancor. This can make for entertaining programming, but it's not good for us.\nTry stopping. You will feel better.\nNo. 2: Read news from a variety of sources.\nThe largest newsrooms with the most in-depth news coverage are still the traditional liberal corporate media behemoths. If you aren't reading The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times or The Washington Post, you are missing out on a lot of good reporting. But if you are only reading those outlets, then you are missing out on a great deal of news they are either too biased to cover or determined to cover unfairly. Each of those outlets has grown even more liberal over the years, so if you want a more complete picture, balance that diet out with reporting from newer, independent news sources working hard to bring you information and ideas that are missing from corporate media.\nI founded the Daily Caller, so I don't pretend to be unbiased here, but we have a 100-person newsroom producing a couple of hundred pieces of real news, grounded in hard facts, every single day. We fill in many gaps that the corporate media overlooks because of their own biases. And we aren't the only ones. The Washington Examiner, for example, does the same.\nNo. 3: Speak with more people outside your political bubble.\nWe are spending too much time in our bubbles. The internet has made everything more efficient, and we can easily find news or information that confirms our personal biases and read nothing else. Too many people do this. It's lazy. It's not healthy. We all have friends or family that we disagree with politically. It's good to debate people with different views. You may learn something new, or at least understand where the other side is coming from. They can do the same. Anyone who isn't doing this regularly should really start.\nOur country is in pain right now. If we don't begin to heal, there is no telling where things will go. If recent events don't convince every American that we need to try to come together, then God help us all. We have an amazing country, unique and impressive in so many ways. It's worth fixing. Given where we are, though, things are not going to fix themselves. It's easy to pretend that the problem is just with our leaders or with the people who think differently, but it's not. We have the leaders we deserve. We are the problem. We each have some responsibility for the sad place we are at, and we each have a role to play in fixing it. I hope we try.\nCOPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM",
"How We Can Fix This Great Country, Starting With 3 Easy Steps",
"It's been obvious for quite a while that our country is coming apart at the seams. People on all sides are upset, and they want to punish their political..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-06T03:34:49 | null | 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
PITTSBURGH -- Years ago, there was an urban arcade called The Bank located here within a series of five old buildings that once housed financial offices in the...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F05%2Fauthenticity_cant_be_purchased_by_the_foot_144966.html.json
|
en
| null |
Authenticity Can't Be Purchased by the Foot
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
PITTSBURGH -- Years ago, there was an urban arcade called The Bank located here within a series of five old buildings that once housed financial offices in the Gilded Age. Connected internally by a savvy developer, 145,000 square feet of abandoned former grandeur was turned into a series of high-end shops, bars, a bookstore located in a former bank vault and a disco simply called The Library.
It was the late 1970s, and discos were everywhere. This one attempted to set itself apart with a little pretense, a proper dress code: jackets, ties and no jeans for the men; women mostly wore suits during the week; and the high-end fashion came out on the weekend.
The books that lined the place and the more sophisticated music selection were an attempt to imply this was a more intellectual crowd than the one attending the 2001 disco across the river, or the Rusty Scupper and Bahama Mama located in the lower level. Those were places for jeans, shot-and-beer combos and a blue-collar crowd wanting to dance the night away.
But no matter where you came from, people knew the pretense or lack thereof was just that: pretense. There was no trickery, because no one really thought the books that lined the elegant decor of The Library meant that the people there were any smarter than the people listening to music one floor lower at the Rusty Scupper.
Where you went was who you were, aspired to be or connected with. You went to these places to perhaps meet someone or hang out with friends, dance and mostly find a way to escape from your daily grind.
Whether you worked the line at Jones and Laughlin Steel on Second Avenue a couple of miles away or climbed your way up in the white-collar world of Mellon Bank or PPG Industries a couple of blocks away, you knew that when you entered The Library, those books were a prop and meant nothing.
Last week, a Politico Magazine story revealed that some of the intellectuals and/or experts we see on cable television or speaking at Zoom events have adopted using books as a prop, 2020 style. People are buying books by the foot -- not for reading, just to make them look smart.
Even before the pandemic, there has been a service run by Maryland bookseller Wonder Book called Books by the Foot, which provides books for decor in offices, hotels and movie sets. But since the pandemic began, the service has seen a 20% surge in residential orders, presumably to accent the credibility experts are trying to project.
The story says the Wonder Books team rarely knows the real identity of the people whose home office they've staged, especially if the customer has some degree of fame or is trying to achieve fame, as they often order under a code name.
Back in the 1970s at The Library disco, when you walked in, you knew the books were a vanity prop. Maybe people had more street sense or common sense, but you knew exactly what the deal was and you were fine with it.
Today, you'd expect an expert to at least own a couple of shelves of books they have actually read. Certainly, these were the same people who poked fun of President Donald Trump after MSNBC's Chris Hayes tweeted a photo showing Trump had staged his own books in the old State Department library right after he was inaugurated.
And it's not just Joe Public they are trying to impress; they are also looking for the elusive perfect-10 rating from former Bill Clinton staffer Claude Taylor's Room Rater -- a Twitter account that screenshots celebrities, politicians and talking heads on Zoom calls or cable TV interviews and rates their backdrops.
I've seen many acquaintances proudly tweet anytime they've earned a solid ranking from Room Rating -- and, perhaps more importantly, thankfully avoided a snarky ranking sent their way if they somehow failed to provide a good backdrop. I now realize it is just another one of those useless status symbols that people who aren't famous find perplexing.
There is something off about having someone else curate your bookshelf. It is like having someone else curate your credibility or personality. It is amusing, tragic, shallow -- and, honestly, more than a little bit sad.
There is also something off about having someone rate or judge your home or office on social media.
So why is book staging a thing in Washington? Because people want to be seen, noticed and admired for their accessories, whether it is carefully curated books or a rented or borrowed piece of art -- even if those books are never opened or that piece of art is never studied or admired.
While many people may believe this is just a silly story, others will look at it as just another display of a lack of authenticity from people in Washington who often claim to know more than we do.
I personally prefer to see someone on Zoom or cable news talk about what they know and focus on their words or their stories, rather than judging whether their lighting is just right or they are reading the right books. In fact, the ones who really capture my attention traditionally have imperfect backgrounds or show a child wandering into the room.
At least at that moment, we know that the speakers may be imperfect, but they aren't pretending to be something they're not -- and that's a measure of authenticity you cannot buy by the foot.
COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/05/authenticity_cant_be_purchased_by_the_foot_144966.html
|
en
| 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/992ce5966b84b3563433e7152f64110cce862eab83723a18ccce32debad95dfc.json
|
[
"PITTSBURGH -- Years ago, there was an urban arcade called The Bank located here within a series of five old buildings that once housed financial offices in the Gilded Age. Connected internally by a savvy developer, 145,000 square feet of abandoned former grandeur was turned into a series of high-end shops, bars, a bookstore located in a former bank vault and a disco simply called The Library.\nIt was the late 1970s, and discos were everywhere. This one attempted to set itself apart with a little pretense, a proper dress code: jackets, ties and no jeans for the men; women mostly wore suits during the week; and the high-end fashion came out on the weekend.\nThe books that lined the place and the more sophisticated music selection were an attempt to imply this was a more intellectual crowd than the one attending the 2001 disco across the river, or the Rusty Scupper and Bahama Mama located in the lower level. Those were places for jeans, shot-and-beer combos and a blue-collar crowd wanting to dance the night away.\nBut no matter where you came from, people knew the pretense or lack thereof was just that: pretense. There was no trickery, because no one really thought the books that lined the elegant decor of The Library meant that the people there were any smarter than the people listening to music one floor lower at the Rusty Scupper.\nWhere you went was who you were, aspired to be or connected with. You went to these places to perhaps meet someone or hang out with friends, dance and mostly find a way to escape from your daily grind.\nWhether you worked the line at Jones and Laughlin Steel on Second Avenue a couple of miles away or climbed your way up in the white-collar world of Mellon Bank or PPG Industries a couple of blocks away, you knew that when you entered The Library, those books were a prop and meant nothing.\nLast week, a Politico Magazine story revealed that some of the intellectuals and/or experts we see on cable television or speaking at Zoom events have adopted using books as a prop, 2020 style. People are buying books by the foot -- not for reading, just to make them look smart.\nEven before the pandemic, there has been a service run by Maryland bookseller Wonder Book called Books by the Foot, which provides books for decor in offices, hotels and movie sets. But since the pandemic began, the service has seen a 20% surge in residential orders, presumably to accent the credibility experts are trying to project.\nThe story says the Wonder Books team rarely knows the real identity of the people whose home office they've staged, especially if the customer has some degree of fame or is trying to achieve fame, as they often order under a code name.\nBack in the 1970s at The Library disco, when you walked in, you knew the books were a vanity prop. Maybe people had more street sense or common sense, but you knew exactly what the deal was and you were fine with it.\nToday, you'd expect an expert to at least own a couple of shelves of books they have actually read. Certainly, these were the same people who poked fun of President Donald Trump after MSNBC's Chris Hayes tweeted a photo showing Trump had staged his own books in the old State Department library right after he was inaugurated.\nAnd it's not just Joe Public they are trying to impress; they are also looking for the elusive perfect-10 rating from former Bill Clinton staffer Claude Taylor's Room Rater -- a Twitter account that screenshots celebrities, politicians and talking heads on Zoom calls or cable TV interviews and rates their backdrops.\nI've seen many acquaintances proudly tweet anytime they've earned a solid ranking from Room Rating -- and, perhaps more importantly, thankfully avoided a snarky ranking sent their way if they somehow failed to provide a good backdrop. I now realize it is just another one of those useless status symbols that people who aren't famous find perplexing.\nThere is something off about having someone else curate your bookshelf. It is like having someone else curate your credibility or personality. It is amusing, tragic, shallow -- and, honestly, more than a little bit sad.\nThere is also something off about having someone rate or judge your home or office on social media.\nSo why is book staging a thing in Washington? Because people want to be seen, noticed and admired for their accessories, whether it is carefully curated books or a rented or borrowed piece of art -- even if those books are never opened or that piece of art is never studied or admired.\nWhile many people may believe this is just a silly story, others will look at it as just another display of a lack of authenticity from people in Washington who often claim to know more than we do.\nI personally prefer to see someone on Zoom or cable news talk about what they know and focus on their words or their stories, rather than judging whether their lighting is just right or they are reading the right books. In fact, the ones who really capture my attention traditionally have imperfect backgrounds or show a child wandering into the room.\nAt least at that moment, we know that the speakers may be imperfect, but they aren't pretending to be something they're not -- and that's a measure of authenticity you cannot buy by the foot.\nCOPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM",
"Authenticity Can't Be Purchased by the Foot",
"PITTSBURGH -- Years ago, there was an urban arcade called The Bank located here within a series of five old buildings that once housed financial offices in the..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-22T14:11:04 | null | 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
Why Congress Gave Lloyd Austin a Pass | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F22%2Fwhy_congress_gave_lloyd_austin_a_pass_534104.html.json
|
en
| null |
Why Congress Gave Lloyd Austin a Pass
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Another retired general will be secretary of defense—and nobody in Washington seems that bothered by it.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/22/why_congress_gave_lloyd_austin_a_pass_534104.html
|
en
| 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/c4fbb0bd031319d26f617b888429f93b14426e56dd43f42ecc45e5656aee68da.json
|
[
"Another retired general will be secretary of defense—and nobody in Washington seems that bothered by it.",
"Why Congress Gave Lloyd Austin a Pass",
"Why Congress Gave Lloyd Austin a Pass | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-09T14:29:12 | null | 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
The Trashing of the Republic | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F09%2Fthe_trashing_of_the_republic_533081.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
The Trashing of the Republic
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/09/the_trashing_of_the_republic_533081.html
|
en
| 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/01e7600d82ce18d34d8d73ae940d748d2c8fc1699e91f54a2498e6cfd395f9fb.json
|
[
"The Trashing of the Republic",
"The Trashing of the Republic | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-07T05:49:06 | null | 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
Cruz, Hawley, Trump Trying to Hijack Democracy | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F06%2Fcruz_hawley_trump_trying_to_hijack_democracy_532708.html.json
|
en
| null |
Cruz, Hawley, Trump Trying to Hijack Democracy
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
The political system more than the legal system must make Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Donald Trump pay for trying to hijack democracy.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/06/cruz_hawley_trump_trying_to_hijack_democracy_532708.html
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/3d56105bac3333cf1074f2a2cf87bc39492afe09ed16310f68b4080577706334.json
|
[
"The political system more than the legal system must make Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Donald Trump pay for trying to hijack democracy.",
"Cruz, Hawley, Trump Trying to Hijack Democracy",
"Cruz, Hawley, Trump Trying to Hijack Democracy | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-18T18:24:26 | null | 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
Trump's Legacy? Lies & Norm Breaking - by Dems & the Media | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F18%2Ftrumps_legacy_lies_amp_norm_breaking_-_by_dems_amp_the_media_533748.html.json
|
en
| null |
Trump's Legacy? Lies & Norm Breaking - by Dems & the Media
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
The Trump era did indeed change America--but it was far from the apocalyptic spiraling predicted by Democrats and the media.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/18/trumps_legacy_lies_amp_norm_breaking_-_by_dems_amp_the_media_533748.html
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/0328ad1527a4f2bf3dda044885f17ca6c33c07989f80b3d507edd97f89f63129.json
|
[
"The Trump era did indeed change America--but it was far from the apocalyptic spiraling predicted by Democrats and the media.",
"Trump's Legacy? Lies & Norm Breaking - by Dems & the Media",
"Trump's Legacy? Lies & Norm Breaking - by Dems & the Media | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-24T20:47:39 | null | 2021-01-24T00:00:00 |
Giving Up the 'Golden Goose': What’s Next for the Media? | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F24%2Fgiving_up_the_golden_goose_whatrsquos_next_for_the_media_534270.html.json
|
en
| null |
Giving Up the 'Golden Goose': What’s Next for the Media?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
For the past four years, Donald Trump dominated politics, the press, and the daily thoughts of Americans as no single figure ever has. His tweets, taunts and tantrums set the agenda for the day’s news, leaving journalists — and their audiences — scrambling to keep up.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/24/giving_up_the_golden_goose_whatrsquos_next_for_the_media_534270.html
|
en
| 2021-01-24T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/7b626f597da2cf21827b34bbc443aa6d2f577a29cdfe7dd718f585848d496d5a.json
|
[
"For the past four years, Donald Trump dominated politics, the press, and the daily thoughts of Americans as no single figure ever has. His tweets, taunts and tantrums set the agenda for the day’s news, leaving journalists — and their audiences — scrambling to keep up.",
"Giving Up the 'Golden Goose': What’s Next for the Media?",
"Giving Up the 'Golden Goose': What’s Next for the Media? | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-22T21:21:53 | null | 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
Why Biden's Inaugural Address Succeeded | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F22%2Fwhy_bidens_inaugural_address_succeeded_534150.html.json
|
en
| null |
Why Biden's Inaugural Address Succeeded
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Political speeches follow a surprisingly simple set of rules—or at least the successful ones do. Newly sworn-in President Joe Biden observed them all in his inaugural address. Although his 20 minutes at the lectern are not likely to be parsed and studied for rhetorical flourishes, with this speech Biden accomplished something more important: He signaled how he will approach this job and this moment in history.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/22/why_bidens_inaugural_address_succeeded_534150.html
|
en
| 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/55c0a169c34311df152cf53181a123fae1ed24aefea656a017fcda272e90c614.json
|
[
"Political speeches follow a surprisingly simple set of rules—or at least the successful ones do. Newly sworn-in President Joe Biden observed them all in his inaugural address. Although his 20 minutes at the lectern are not likely to be parsed and studied for rhetorical flourishes, with this speech Biden accomplished something more important: He signaled how he will approach this job and this moment in history.",
"Why Biden's Inaugural Address Succeeded",
"Why Biden's Inaugural Address Succeeded | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-23T03:34:27 | null | 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
PITTSBURGH -- The Pennsylvania state legislature, controlled by Republicans, is on the precipice of reshaping the states three appellate courts by amending...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F22%2Fpa_republicans_push_for_change_in_electing_state_supreme_court_145103.html.json
|
en
| null |
PA Republicans Push for Change in Electing State Supreme Court
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
PITTSBURGH -- The Pennsylvania state legislature, controlled by Republicans, is on the precipice of reshaping the state’s three appellate courts by amending the state Constitution so voters will elect judges by region instead of statewide.
Implementing this change via amendment would obviate any requirement for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s signature, and may be the most significant referendum placed in front of voters in 2021 in this state -- or any other.
“It is likely the most important election in the nation in the coming months whose consequences are far reaching,” said G. Terry Madonna, senior fellow at Millersville University near Lancaster.
Pennsylvania’s three high courts -- the Commonwealth, Superior, and Supreme -- are all elected by voters in statewide elections to 10-year terms on the bench. When the judges’ terms expire they can run in so-called “retention” elections, in which voters simply mark yes or no.
Because voters rarely do the latter, he majority of the appellate judges in Pennsylvania are from the state’s two largest cities, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The result is that Democrats have maintained controlled over the state Supreme Court irrespective of other electoral trends: Five of the state’s seven state Supreme Court judges come from Philly or Pittsburgh. Not coincidentally, all five are Democrats.
Supporters of the amendment say that the high court reflects almost exclusively the values and priorities of liberal, urban Democratic voters. State Sen. Ryan Aument, a Lancaster Republican who led the effort to craft the judicial districts, said this past summer that 79% of the state’s population is unrepresented by the state’s highest court. Defenders of the current system counter by saying that the Republican fix would make the problem conservatives care about -- politicization of the courts -- even worse.
“I think it's unconscionable that they're trying to politicize our courts,” said state Sen. Jay Costa, a Pittsburgh Democrat. “That's exactly what the Republicans are trying to do -- and then disenfranchise voters.”
“They don't like the outcome of the state Supreme Court rulings and the composition of it,” Costa added. “I do believe Pennsylvania residents are going to get a chance to vote on it because Republicans have the numbers. But I hope folks realize what’s at stake here, and we have a lot of work to do to educate the public on, what's going to happen and what they're giving up here, and how it just doesn't make sense.”
“There's no doubt that this amendment is a reaction to 5-2 Democrat domination on the state Supreme Court but also the urban concentration, if you will, of the jurists on the Supreme Court,” explained Madonna. The professor added that it is also not really a reaction to the results of the recent presidential election. Instead, he points to several controversial rulings the state’s highest court has made in the past three years that includes redrawing the congressional districts just months before the 2018 midterms to setting the time, manner, and place of an election ahead of the primary and general elections this year. All these rulings favored Democrats.
“Many Republicans believe the majority-Democrat state Supreme Court has overstepped its constitutional role in many of these cases,” Madonna noted.
Senate Republicans have until mid-February to hold a second vote ensuring the measure goes on the ballot for a statewide referendum in May.
Madonna, who has done polling on Pennsylvanian voters on their choice for judges before, said the most common thing he found is that voters have no idea who they are voting for when choosing candidates for judge because they are little known in their areas.
“Democrats will make the argument that it is about population concentration but when you have a court with no representation from rural and small-town parts, I don't think there's any doubt that you can't dismiss the argument out of hand,” he said.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/22/pa_republicans_push_for_change_in_electing_state_supreme_court_145103.html
|
en
| 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/11c8da67e791957b4f8cd49d3ff365e26df63c9ad809a24cfeb2cae6707118ad.json
|
[
"PITTSBURGH -- The Pennsylvania state legislature, controlled by Republicans, is on the precipice of reshaping the state’s three appellate courts by amending the state Constitution so voters will elect judges by region instead of statewide.\nImplementing this change via amendment would obviate any requirement for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s signature, and may be the most significant referendum placed in front of voters in 2021 in this state -- or any other.\n“It is likely the most important election in the nation in the coming months whose consequences are far reaching,” said G. Terry Madonna, senior fellow at Millersville University near Lancaster.\nPennsylvania’s three high courts -- the Commonwealth, Superior, and Supreme -- are all elected by voters in statewide elections to 10-year terms on the bench. When the judges’ terms expire they can run in so-called “retention” elections, in which voters simply mark yes or no.\nBecause voters rarely do the latter, he majority of the appellate judges in Pennsylvania are from the state’s two largest cities, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The result is that Democrats have maintained controlled over the state Supreme Court irrespective of other electoral trends: Five of the state’s seven state Supreme Court judges come from Philly or Pittsburgh. Not coincidentally, all five are Democrats.\nSupporters of the amendment say that the high court reflects almost exclusively the values and priorities of liberal, urban Democratic voters. State Sen. Ryan Aument, a Lancaster Republican who led the effort to craft the judicial districts, said this past summer that 79% of the state’s population is unrepresented by the state’s highest court. Defenders of the current system counter by saying that the Republican fix would make the problem conservatives care about -- politicization of the courts -- even worse.\n“I think it's unconscionable that they're trying to politicize our courts,” said state Sen. Jay Costa, a Pittsburgh Democrat. “That's exactly what the Republicans are trying to do -- and then disenfranchise voters.”\n“They don't like the outcome of the state Supreme Court rulings and the composition of it,” Costa added. “I do believe Pennsylvania residents are going to get a chance to vote on it because Republicans have the numbers. But I hope folks realize what’s at stake here, and we have a lot of work to do to educate the public on, what's going to happen and what they're giving up here, and how it just doesn't make sense.”\n“There's no doubt that this amendment is a reaction to 5-2 Democrat domination on the state Supreme Court but also the urban concentration, if you will, of the jurists on the Supreme Court,” explained Madonna. The professor added that it is also not really a reaction to the results of the recent presidential election. Instead, he points to several controversial rulings the state’s highest court has made in the past three years that includes redrawing the congressional districts just months before the 2018 midterms to setting the time, manner, and place of an election ahead of the primary and general elections this year. All these rulings favored Democrats.\n“Many Republicans believe the majority-Democrat state Supreme Court has overstepped its constitutional role in many of these cases,” Madonna noted.\nSenate Republicans have until mid-February to hold a second vote ensuring the measure goes on the ballot for a statewide referendum in May.\nMadonna, who has done polling on Pennsylvanian voters on their choice for judges before, said the most common thing he found is that voters have no idea who they are voting for when choosing candidates for judge because they are little known in their areas.\n“Democrats will make the argument that it is about population concentration but when you have a court with no representation from rural and small-town parts, I don't think there's any doubt that you can't dismiss the argument out of hand,” he said.",
"PA Republicans Push for Change in Electing State Supreme Court",
"PITTSBURGH -- The Pennsylvania state legislature, controlled by Republicans, is on the precipice of reshaping the states three appellate courts by amending..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-27T14:12:51 | null | 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
On COVID-19 & Climate Change, Denialism Is Deadly | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F27%2Fon_covid-19_amp_climate_change_denialism_is_deadly_534466.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
On COVID-19 & Climate Change, Denialism Is Deadly
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Our View: Like coronavirus, climate crisis won't magically disappear. Joe Biden's expected moratorium on new oil and gas leasing would be a good start.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/27/on_covid-19_amp_climate_change_denialism_is_deadly_534466.html
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/9dc21449a7d804c3017612e5c175f313067f3f8bb46c56359c78908bedb5a78f.json
|
[
"Our View: Like coronavirus, climate crisis won't magically disappear. Joe Biden's expected moratorium on new oil and gas leasing would be a good start.",
"On COVID-19 & Climate Change, Denialism Is Deadly",
"On COVID-19 & Climate Change, Denialism Is Deadly | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-14T00:31:22 | null | 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
Biden Admin's Goal to Impose More Control Over America | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F13%2Fbiden_admins_goal_to_impose_more_control_over_america_533355.html.json
|
en
| null |
Biden Admin's Goal to Impose More Control Over America
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
For the next two years, Democrats will control the presidency, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. But this is not the Democratic Party of old. This is the furthest left Democratic Party in history.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/13/biden_admins_goal_to_impose_more_control_over_america_533355.html
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/e8ae123d361a4733c4e16197f12fe016f3770bc6548af64f172952b122f046a2.json
|
[
"For the next two years, Democrats will control the presidency, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. But this is not the Democratic Party of old. This is the furthest left Democratic Party in history.",
"Biden Admin's Goal to Impose More Control Over America",
"Biden Admin's Goal to Impose More Control Over America | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-26T22:20:40 | null | 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
Democrats Need an Autopsy to Understand 2020 Election | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F26%2Fdemocrats_need_an_autopsy_to_understand_2020_election_534402.html.json
|
en
| null |
Democrats Need an Autopsy to Understand 2020 Election
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Self-examination and opening lines of communication can be valuable, and no hand-wringing or sacrifice of any Democratic constituencies is necessary.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/26/democrats_need_an_autopsy_to_understand_2020_election_534402.html
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/c40ca790730c3ba36d2e66487e8f8c2bc7c5d9ca7c35654e337e349c5c43214f.json
|
[
"Self-examination and opening lines of communication can be valuable, and no hand-wringing or sacrifice of any Democratic constituencies is necessary.",
"Democrats Need an Autopsy to Understand 2020 Election",
"Democrats Need an Autopsy to Understand 2020 Election | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-20T02:53:51 | null | 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
As we stumble through the twilight of the Trump era, let us devote a moment to an actual issue. Let us briefly visit Donald Trump's vow to save the coal...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Fcoal_gets_dug_under_145064.html.json
|
en
| null |
Coal Gets Dug Under
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
As we stumble through the twilight of the Trump era, let us devote a moment to an actual issue. Let us briefly visit Donald Trump's vow to save the coal industry -- notable because it figured prominently in his successful 2016 campaign. His "Trump Digs Coal" sign at a rally showcasing miners in hard hats signaled to blue-collar voters that he was on their side.
Did he Make Anthracite Great Again? He did not. Trump leaves office with the coal industry in collapse. Over his four years, America saw a 24 percent drop in average quarterly coal mining jobs. In 2019 alone, more than eight coal companies filed for bankruptcy, including the industry giant Murray Energy.
Yet in 2018, Trump held an event in Charleston, West Virginia, where he declared: "We are back. The coal industry is back." And so was his chorus line of miners, this time holding signs that read, "Promises Made. Promises Kept."
Alvin Long, a worker at the now-closed Kayenta mine in northeast Arizona, offered a different take. "All of his promises went down the drain," he said. He voted for Trump in 2016.
There was no saving the coal industry. Cleaner and cheaper natural gas has replaced coal. And now, even-cleaner renewable energy is challenging natural gas. Last year, for the first time, wind, solar and other renewable energy started producing more electricity than coal.
It was not Trump's fault that coal was dying. It was his fault that he lied about being able to save it and then lied that he had. Rather than helping transition coal workers into different lines of work, Trump fed them delusional promises.
One of Trump's biggest donors was Murray Energy owner Bob Murray. He called Barack Obama's time in office "eight years of pure hell." Trump hopped to checking off Murray's wish list, undoing Obama's environmental legacy. The ban on dumping mining waste in streams went out the window. A rule that would have stopped coal-burning plants from pouring toxic metals into rivers was delayed. Trump discarded an Obama-era rule that required power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions -- and killed Congress' effort to extend clean energy tax credits. Tighter regulations on worker safety got tossed.
But what Murray really wanted was a government bailout. Trump tried to provide one by rigging the market.
He pushed a crazy plan to force utility companies to buy electricity from money-losing coal plants. In the name of securing electric power, the administration wanted to guarantee financial returns for power plants that could store 90 days of fuel on-site. Competing natural gas plants couldn't participate because, you see, they feed fuel to the facilities by pipeline. Regulators gave it a thumbs-down.
Trump wasn't all chocolate and flowers for coal producers. As domestic consumption plunged, coal companies saw opportunity in demand from Asia, especially China. They did some exporting, but then Trump launched his trade war. Then he ignored the COVID-19 crisis, which drained demand for energy.
Coal executives, meanwhile, used a couple of fat years to enrich themselves rather than cushion their businesses. Windfalls that could have gone into building up cash reserves were quickly sent out to investors in the form of dividends and buybacks. And so, when hard times came, the cupboards were bare.
Simply put, coal is over. "There was no policy Trump could have implemented that would have changed this situation with coal," historian Peter Shulman, author of "Coal and Empire," said.
How far we have come from the empty vow four years ago to bring back "beautiful, clean coal." Closing that circle of false hope could actually be a good thing for coal country. Coal country can be saved. Coal cannot.
COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/19/coal_gets_dug_under_145064.html
|
en
| 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/df4cddddd36f2d3e1d4da058ef05b9443379746ec774f1e268f89355aed7528c.json
|
[
"As we stumble through the twilight of the Trump era, let us devote a moment to an actual issue. Let us briefly visit Donald Trump's vow to save the coal industry -- notable because it figured prominently in his successful 2016 campaign. His \"Trump Digs Coal\" sign at a rally showcasing miners in hard hats signaled to blue-collar voters that he was on their side.\nDid he Make Anthracite Great Again? He did not. Trump leaves office with the coal industry in collapse. Over his four years, America saw a 24 percent drop in average quarterly coal mining jobs. In 2019 alone, more than eight coal companies filed for bankruptcy, including the industry giant Murray Energy.\nYet in 2018, Trump held an event in Charleston, West Virginia, where he declared: \"We are back. The coal industry is back.\" And so was his chorus line of miners, this time holding signs that read, \"Promises Made. Promises Kept.\"\nAlvin Long, a worker at the now-closed Kayenta mine in northeast Arizona, offered a different take. \"All of his promises went down the drain,\" he said. He voted for Trump in 2016.\nThere was no saving the coal industry. Cleaner and cheaper natural gas has replaced coal. And now, even-cleaner renewable energy is challenging natural gas. Last year, for the first time, wind, solar and other renewable energy started producing more electricity than coal.\nIt was not Trump's fault that coal was dying. It was his fault that he lied about being able to save it and then lied that he had. Rather than helping transition coal workers into different lines of work, Trump fed them delusional promises.\nOne of Trump's biggest donors was Murray Energy owner Bob Murray. He called Barack Obama's time in office \"eight years of pure hell.\" Trump hopped to checking off Murray's wish list, undoing Obama's environmental legacy. The ban on dumping mining waste in streams went out the window. A rule that would have stopped coal-burning plants from pouring toxic metals into rivers was delayed. Trump discarded an Obama-era rule that required power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions -- and killed Congress' effort to extend clean energy tax credits. Tighter regulations on worker safety got tossed.\nBut what Murray really wanted was a government bailout. Trump tried to provide one by rigging the market.\nHe pushed a crazy plan to force utility companies to buy electricity from money-losing coal plants. In the name of securing electric power, the administration wanted to guarantee financial returns for power plants that could store 90 days of fuel on-site. Competing natural gas plants couldn't participate because, you see, they feed fuel to the facilities by pipeline. Regulators gave it a thumbs-down.\nTrump wasn't all chocolate and flowers for coal producers. As domestic consumption plunged, coal companies saw opportunity in demand from Asia, especially China. They did some exporting, but then Trump launched his trade war. Then he ignored the COVID-19 crisis, which drained demand for energy.\nCoal executives, meanwhile, used a couple of fat years to enrich themselves rather than cushion their businesses. Windfalls that could have gone into building up cash reserves were quickly sent out to investors in the form of dividends and buybacks. And so, when hard times came, the cupboards were bare.\nSimply put, coal is over. \"There was no policy Trump could have implemented that would have changed this situation with coal,\" historian Peter Shulman, author of \"Coal and Empire,\" said.\nHow far we have come from the empty vow four years ago to bring back \"beautiful, clean coal.\" Closing that circle of false hope could actually be a good thing for coal country. Coal country can be saved. Coal cannot.\nCOPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM",
"Coal Gets Dug Under",
"As we stumble through the twilight of the Trump era, let us devote a moment to an actual issue. Let us briefly visit Donald Trump's vow to save the coal..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-15T16:49:39 | null | 2021-01-15T00:00:00 |
Old Hands in Biden's Cabinet Will Give U.S. a New Start | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F15%2Fold_hands_in_bidens_cabinet_will_give_us_a_new_start_533548.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Old Hands in Biden's Cabinet Will Give U.S. a New Start
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Old Hands in Biden's Cabinet Will Give U.S. a New Start
Our View: President-elect Biden picks a White House team that will have to undo the floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall havoc Donald Trump's leaving behind.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/15/old_hands_in_bidens_cabinet_will_give_us_a_new_start_533548.html
|
en
| 2021-01-15T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/bc1e5af0c79e877865452241d6fd80290339b078afc01c8f2478f5a9a92ca4ab.json
|
[
"Old Hands in Biden's Cabinet Will Give U.S. a New Start\nOur View: President-elect Biden picks a White House team that will have to undo the floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall havoc Donald Trump's leaving behind.",
"Old Hands in Biden's Cabinet Will Give U.S. a New Start",
"Old Hands in Biden's Cabinet Will Give U.S. a New Start | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-22T06:51:46 | null | 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
On Biden's First Day as President, Liberal Press Gets Giddy | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F21%2Fon_bidens_first_day_as_president_liberal_press_gets_giddy_534064.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
On Biden's First Day as President, Liberal Press Gets Giddy
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
On Biden's First Day as President, Liberal Press Gets Giddy
People of all political stripes should allow some space for generosity and positive statements on Inauguration Day.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/21/on_bidens_first_day_as_president_liberal_press_gets_giddy_534064.html
|
en
| 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/362a983f7e72c35fd5b3fc8b827f369e53068bcc757cfebcc0194c6ae5659641.json
|
[
"On Biden's First Day as President, Liberal Press Gets Giddy\nPeople of all political stripes should allow some space for generosity and positive statements on Inauguration Day.",
"On Biden's First Day as President, Liberal Press Gets Giddy",
"On Biden's First Day as President, Liberal Press Gets Giddy | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-29T12:34:55 | null | 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
Our Landmark Day in the Fight for the Climate | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2Four_landmark_day_in_the_fight_for_the_climate_534681.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Our Landmark Day in the Fight for the Climate
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Our Landmark Day in the Fight for the Climate
The newly announced actions may well mark the beginning of the end of the fossil-fuel era.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/29/our_landmark_day_in_the_fight_for_the_climate_534681.html
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/b4dc51fe473703c552d297b8be0342022937148739307ce16882a08897221df8.json
|
[
"Our Landmark Day in the Fight for the Climate\nThe newly announced actions may well mark the beginning of the end of the fossil-fuel era.",
"Our Landmark Day in the Fight for the Climate",
"Our Landmark Day in the Fight for the Climate | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-07T01:08:29 | null | 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
In Georgia, Politics of Envy & Grievance Beat Message of Hope | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F06%2Fin_georgia_politics_of_envy_amp_grievance_beat_message_of_hope_532830.html.json
|
en
| null |
In Georgia, Politics of Envy & Grievance Beat Message of Hope
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
To someone who loves this country, it is almost inconceivable that Georgia voters have chosen to send Rafael Warnock to the Senate.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/06/in_georgia_politics_of_envy_amp_grievance_beat_message_of_hope_532830.html
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/02204bc0918c57ee9be24626bb273109b231bb6ca043f5c9556c443aefa71e06.json
|
[
"To someone who loves this country, it is almost inconceivable that Georgia voters have chosen to send Rafael Warnock to the Senate.",
"In Georgia, Politics of Envy & Grievance Beat Message of Hope",
"In Georgia, Politics of Envy & Grievance Beat Message of Hope | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-17T23:25:24 | null | 2021-01-17T00:00:00 |
197 - 10: Media, Pelosi Fail to Ignite Republican Civil War | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F17%2F197_-_10_media_pelosi_fail_to_ignite_republican_civil_war_533622.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
197 - 10: Media, Pelosi Fail to Ignite Republican Civil War
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Various left-wing writers (some of them nominally Republican) have been salivating over the prospects of a GOP civil war.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/17/197_-_10_media_pelosi_fail_to_ignite_republican_civil_war_533622.html
|
en
| 2021-01-17T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/8f61fe844aa7e976e85226833915f9f35dbe3576a67f8a9680553e3952188c47.json
|
[
"Various left-wing writers (some of them nominally Republican) have been salivating over the prospects of a GOP civil war.",
"197 - 10: Media, Pelosi Fail to Ignite Republican Civil War",
"197 - 10: Media, Pelosi Fail to Ignite Republican Civil War | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-27T08:55:04 | null | 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
Fettering Biden's Administrative State | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F26%2Ffettering_bidens_administrative_state_534393.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Fettering Biden's Administrative State
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
The administrative state will get a new lease on life under President Joe Biden, but America's administrative state is far more constrained than that of many other countries. Britain, for exampl
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/26/fettering_bidens_administrative_state_534393.html
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/63104f333566936c6be809162279526c9fd21b06d98f980b35db9fbe83d21253.json
|
[
"The administrative state will get a new lease on life under President Joe Biden, but America's administrative state is far more constrained than that of many other countries. Britain, for exampl",
"Fettering Biden's Administrative State",
"Fettering Biden's Administrative State | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-16T18:08:40 | null | 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
My father was a psychiatrist. Some also used to refer to him as a Renaissance man since he taught philosophy and was a trained pianist. He was also a...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F16%2Fhow_art_offers_refuge_from_--_and_a_reframing_of_--_unrest_145020.html.json
|
en
| null |
How Art Offers Refuge From -- and a Reframing of -- Unrest
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
My father was a psychiatrist. Some also used to refer to him as a “Renaissance man” since he taught philosophy and was a trained pianist. He was also a wonderful family man. Today he has advanced Alzheimer’s, so he hasn’t experienced the loneliness of the COVID pandemic, the grief of the racial justice protests, and most recently the horrifying storming of the U.S. Capitol. Nevertheless, over the past year, I have often found myself asking, “What would Dad say?”
The question came to mind as I considered how we are talking about these deeply troubling events not just among ourselves but also with our children. There is a great deal to feel sad about – the political rancor and coarseness that has now devolved into violence, increased distrust in our institutions, and civil unrest. But there is also much to be contextualized. And I suspect our children, most of all, would benefit from less talk about “processing” what they are seeing and feeling and more talk about the beauty – and the fragility – of the world around them.
If my father were cognizant today, I’m sure he would have spent much of this past year as all of us did: glued to the news. But I imagine he would have balanced his concern and heartbreak for the nation by playing the piano. That’s because, for my father, the piano was a refuge – a connection to love through the great classics of the American Songbook; to our culture and history (he spoke often about jazz being America’s only true art form); and even to math as he worked out sophisticated chord progressions -- as if they were equations -- in his head.
So why, during a dark period such as this, don’t we take less time wallowing and more time considering the beauty that exists all around us in art, music, and nature? When I heard that my daughters’ art and music classes were canceled last week so they could spend time managing their emotions regarding the violence at the Capitol, it struck me as an enormous lost opportunity. Instead, this could have been the perfect moment to engage students in the arts, which not only can be a safe haven during an unsettling period, but also provide an opportunity to consider how the arts help us express a range of feelings, values, contradictions, and politics.
A perfect place to start would have been by introducing young people to the Hudson River School, a group of mid-19th-century American artists who produced breathtaking landscape paintings. Without a long history to reflect on, these masterpieces were a chance to glorify the natural beauty of our young country and promote a sense of national pride. Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Albert Bierstadt, Jasper Francis Cropsey, among others, captured the beauty and foreboding of their surroundings and expressed both the contrast of our desire to explore and discover with our ability to coexist peacefully with nature. Perhaps most of all, these artists understood how the wilderness could serve as a moral lesson for the country – an opportunity to express our fragility while reinforcing ideas of antiquity, virtue, and spirituality during a period of great uncertainty.
Last week left us all feeling that our society might be crumbling – quite literally – as we watched the windows of the Capitol, designed and derived from Greek and Roman ideals, smashed. But this is just the time when reflecting on our nation’s artistic culture might be most important, especially for our children. The Hudson River School – housed largely at Washington, D.C.’s Corcoran Gallery of Art, just a mile from the Capitol – helps us to recognize our tendency toward corruption, to acknowledge the gift of liberty, and our ability to help create a stronger nation.
Of course, the Hudson River School is just one example of how the arts can be both a refuge from confusion and sadness as well as a way to think about order and integrity. Just as those painters juxtaposed lightness with darkness, we might push ourselves – and our children – to think about how disorder and tragedy can coexist with beauty and justice. And how we might do better at balancing the two.
If I could speak with my dad today, I suspect he would share these views. Let’s put an end to the constant grieving and refocus instead on the enormous opportunity we have to advance a future of compassion, liberty, and virtue.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/16/how_art_offers_refuge_from_--_and_a_reframing_of_--_unrest_145020.html
|
en
| 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/2a2d687bc9c9f995f296e97ef92c68a6d1ac9e570dee36eaf28dd88f94ee6353.json
|
[
"My father was a psychiatrist. Some also used to refer to him as a “Renaissance man” since he taught philosophy and was a trained pianist. He was also a wonderful family man. Today he has advanced Alzheimer’s, so he hasn’t experienced the loneliness of the COVID pandemic, the grief of the racial justice protests, and most recently the horrifying storming of the U.S. Capitol. Nevertheless, over the past year, I have often found myself asking, “What would Dad say?”\nThe question came to mind as I considered how we are talking about these deeply troubling events not just among ourselves but also with our children. There is a great deal to feel sad about – the political rancor and coarseness that has now devolved into violence, increased distrust in our institutions, and civil unrest. But there is also much to be contextualized. And I suspect our children, most of all, would benefit from less talk about “processing” what they are seeing and feeling and more talk about the beauty – and the fragility – of the world around them.\nIf my father were cognizant today, I’m sure he would have spent much of this past year as all of us did: glued to the news. But I imagine he would have balanced his concern and heartbreak for the nation by playing the piano. That’s because, for my father, the piano was a refuge – a connection to love through the great classics of the American Songbook; to our culture and history (he spoke often about jazz being America’s only true art form); and even to math as he worked out sophisticated chord progressions -- as if they were equations -- in his head.\nSo why, during a dark period such as this, don’t we take less time wallowing and more time considering the beauty that exists all around us in art, music, and nature? When I heard that my daughters’ art and music classes were canceled last week so they could spend time managing their emotions regarding the violence at the Capitol, it struck me as an enormous lost opportunity. Instead, this could have been the perfect moment to engage students in the arts, which not only can be a safe haven during an unsettling period, but also provide an opportunity to consider how the arts help us express a range of feelings, values, contradictions, and politics.\nA perfect place to start would have been by introducing young people to the Hudson River School, a group of mid-19th-century American artists who produced breathtaking landscape paintings. Without a long history to reflect on, these masterpieces were a chance to glorify the natural beauty of our young country and promote a sense of national pride. Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Albert Bierstadt, Jasper Francis Cropsey, among others, captured the beauty and foreboding of their surroundings and expressed both the contrast of our desire to explore and discover with our ability to coexist peacefully with nature. Perhaps most of all, these artists understood how the wilderness could serve as a moral lesson for the country – an opportunity to express our fragility while reinforcing ideas of antiquity, virtue, and spirituality during a period of great uncertainty.\nLast week left us all feeling that our society might be crumbling – quite literally – as we watched the windows of the Capitol, designed and derived from Greek and Roman ideals, smashed. But this is just the time when reflecting on our nation’s artistic culture might be most important, especially for our children. The Hudson River School – housed largely at Washington, D.C.’s Corcoran Gallery of Art, just a mile from the Capitol – helps us to recognize our tendency toward corruption, to acknowledge the gift of liberty, and our ability to help create a stronger nation.\nOf course, the Hudson River School is just one example of how the arts can be both a refuge from confusion and sadness as well as a way to think about order and integrity. Just as those painters juxtaposed lightness with darkness, we might push ourselves – and our children – to think about how disorder and tragedy can coexist with beauty and justice. And how we might do better at balancing the two.\nIf I could speak with my dad today, I suspect he would share these views. Let’s put an end to the constant grieving and refocus instead on the enormous opportunity we have to advance a future of compassion, liberty, and virtue.",
"How Art Offers Refuge From -- and a Reframing of -- Unrest",
"My father was a psychiatrist. Some also used to refer to him as a Renaissance man since he taught philosophy and was a trained pianist. He was also a..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-21T04:38:39 | null | 2021-01-20T00:00:00 |
In This Dark Time for Nation, Biden Must Usher in a New Era | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F20%2Fin_this_dark_time_for_nation_biden_must_usher_in_a_new_era_533940.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
In This Dark Time for Nation, Biden Must Usher in a New Era
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/20/in_this_dark_time_for_nation_biden_must_usher_in_a_new_era_533940.html
|
en
| 2021-01-20T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/a839742a0217d5aa0f76e024a793d1e49b3aad5b60f7aa6189bf505c96e76a13.json
|
[
"In This Dark Time for Nation, Biden Must Usher in a New Era",
"In This Dark Time for Nation, Biden Must Usher in a New Era | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-11T15:15:44 | null | 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
Dems Have Been Endorsing Political Violence For 4 Years | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Fdems_have_been_endorsing_political_violence_for_4_years_533187.html.json
|
en
| null |
Dems Have Been Endorsing Political Violence For 4 Years
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Hate to break it to you but if Trump had won, there would have been violence on Wednesday, and it most certainly would have been worse. How do I know? Because Democrats have been endorsing violence as a political tactic throughout the Trump Administration.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/11/dems_have_been_endorsing_political_violence_for_4_years_533187.html
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/b8f3b0cfb1cc91803948f9201e3b1a8478ceb25a4390805cfc818d823bdef694.json
|
[
"Hate to break it to you but if Trump had won, there would have been violence on Wednesday, and it most certainly would have been worse. How do I know? Because Democrats have been endorsing violence as a political tactic throughout the Trump Administration.",
"Dems Have Been Endorsing Political Violence For 4 Years",
"Dems Have Been Endorsing Political Violence For 4 Years | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-07T13:23:14 | null | 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
The Triumph of Stacey Abrams Over Donald Trump | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fthe_triumph_of_stacey_abrams_over_donald_trump_532874.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
The Triumph of Stacey Abrams Over Donald Trump
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Van Jones writes that with one Senate seat secured for Democrats in Georgia and the Senate other race yet to be called, it is already clear that there is a lesson to be learned from the runoff.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/07/the_triumph_of_stacey_abrams_over_donald_trump_532874.html
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/007324af02d573ae8cc8b2377dc8bea776657392668ea84f8a1cc6cc3b3a17f6.json
|
[
"Van Jones writes that with one Senate seat secured for Democrats in Georgia and the Senate other race yet to be called, it is already clear that there is a lesson to be learned from the runoff.",
"The Triumph of Stacey Abrams Over Donald Trump",
"The Triumph of Stacey Abrams Over Donald Trump | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-23T21:47:49 | null | 2021-01-23T00:00:00 |
The Predictable Transphobic Backlash Comes for Biden | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F23%2Fthe_predictable_transphobic_backlash_comes_for_biden_534191.html.json
|
en
| null |
The Predictable Transphobic Backlash Comes for Biden
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
The Predictable Transphobic Backlash Comes for Biden
On his first day, Biden rolled back Trump's anti-LGBTQ policies. Trolls were not happy.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/23/the_predictable_transphobic_backlash_comes_for_biden_534191.html
|
en
| 2021-01-23T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/8ef37e2182e4b7eb6cfbc582634ed4ad059ddd764ee554f91552f29a0016d287.json
|
[
"The Predictable Transphobic Backlash Comes for Biden\nOn his first day, Biden rolled back Trump's anti-LGBTQ policies. Trolls were not happy.",
"The Predictable Transphobic Backlash Comes for Biden",
"The Predictable Transphobic Backlash Comes for Biden | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-16T19:05:36 | null | 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
Why the Right and Left Both Want George Orwell on Their Side | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F16%2Fwhy_the_right_and_left_both_want_george_orwell_on_their_side_533638.html.json
|
en
| null |
Why the Right and Left Both Want George Orwell on Their Side
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Why the Right and Left Both Want George Orwell on Their Side
Historian Laura Beers puts a growing number of references to George Orwell by prominent US Republicans in context, writing that while Orwell abhored censorship and likely would not have supported the de-platforming of Donald Trump or the cancelation of Josh Hawley's book contract, he also would also have despised how both men have corrupted and abused political language.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/16/why_the_right_and_left_both_want_george_orwell_on_their_side_533638.html
|
en
| 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/9f4925ec22dfd502fe5cca071cbbd1920614166adcb4864236b6aa051dcc4905.json
|
[
"Why the Right and Left Both Want George Orwell on Their Side\nHistorian Laura Beers puts a growing number of references to George Orwell by prominent US Republicans in context, writing that while Orwell abhored censorship and likely would not have supported the de-platforming of Donald Trump or the cancelation of Josh Hawley's book contract, he also would also have despised how both men have corrupted and abused political language.",
"Why the Right and Left Both Want George Orwell on Their Side",
"Why the Right and Left Both Want George Orwell on Their Side | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-10T06:28:14 | null | 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
Twitter Is the Enemy of the American People | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F09%2Ftwitter_is_the_enemy_of_the_american_people_533109.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Twitter Is the Enemy of the American People
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Twitter is free to do as it pleases. And I am free to call them what they are: a shill for communist China that seeks the destruction of America.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/09/twitter_is_the_enemy_of_the_american_people_533109.html
|
en
| 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/82d3fc7e834dfd32724879780e149468617174a6f522d04a0479541b6f21bd1c.json
|
[
"Twitter is free to do as it pleases. And I am free to call them what they are: a shill for communist China that seeks the destruction of America.",
"Twitter Is the Enemy of the American People",
"Twitter Is the Enemy of the American People | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-11T15:16:59 | null | 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
Why We're Introducing an Article of Impeachment | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Fwhy_were_introducing_an_article_of_impeachment_533167.html.json
|
en
| null |
Why We're Introducing an Article of Impeachment
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Why We're Introducing an Article of Impeachment
One of the authors of the impeachment article against President Trump makes his case.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/11/why_were_introducing_an_article_of_impeachment_533167.html
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/c82b788813b7107289babf454e8d4b4e049c349d7004cf272b547d6b846d1e2e.json
|
[
"Why We're Introducing an Article of Impeachment\nOne of the authors of the impeachment article against President Trump makes his case.",
"Why We're Introducing an Article of Impeachment",
"Why We're Introducing an Article of Impeachment | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-26T22:20:46 | null | 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
How Biden Can Fix Trump's 1776 Disaster | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F26%2Fhow_biden_can_fix_trumps_1776_disaster_534452.html.json
|
en
| null |
How Biden Can Fix Trump's 1776 Disaster
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Americans could use a commission that studies our founding—as long as it's thorough, historian-led and nonpartisan.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/26/how_biden_can_fix_trumps_1776_disaster_534452.html
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/8d52a4f523f2a1c4aeca3a46a54fb57e216c38c9cc4c2b599e9273b87975128c.json
|
[
"Americans could use a commission that studies our founding—as long as it's thorough, historian-led and nonpartisan.",
"How Biden Can Fix Trump's 1776 Disaster",
"How Biden Can Fix Trump's 1776 Disaster | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-30T02:49:34 | null | 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
Washington state National Guard troops who helped protect the U.S. Capitol complex during President Bidens inauguration and in the days afterward...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2Fnational_guards_dc_deployment_raises_superspreader_concerns_145151.html.json
|
en
| null |
National Guard's D.C. Deployment Raises Superspreader Concerns
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Washington state National Guard troops who helped protect the U.S. Capitol complex during President Biden’s inauguration and in the days afterward experienced a COVID outbreak upon returning home, raising questions about why the troops weren’t tested or vaccinated for the virus before they left for D.C. and how many other units and individuals they might have infected while in the nation’s capital.
At last count Thursday night, there were at least eight known positive COVID test results among the Washington state contingent, according to several sources familiar with details of the outbreak, including a spouse of a service member who came down with COVID upon his return from D.C. The eight guardsmen who tested positive worked closely together throughout their deployment, traveling, eating and sleeping in tight proximity to one another.
Spokesmen for several other states’ National Guard bureaus, including those from New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania, declined to say how many of their troops who deployed to D.C. have reported positive COVID cases, citing privacy laws. The lack of transparency after 25,000 guardsmen were called up to provide security for the inauguration is spurring concern that the deployment may have created a superspreader event both in D.C., where thousands of troops remain, and dozens of states when the troops returned home.
“At this time, it is the National Guard bureau’s policy not to give specifics on Guard members who have tested positive for COVID-19,” Amelia Thatcher, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey National Guard, told RealClearPolitics in an emailed statement. “However, quarantine measures and other CDC-recommend standards are being followed, and medical attention will be provided when needed.”
“Our highest priority is to ensure the highest levels of safety, comfort and health protection of our Guard members and their communities,” Thatcher added.
Some spouses of servicemembers who were deployed to D.C. are now questioning that commitment. They want to know why their husbands weren’t tested before they deployed to D.C., a preventative measure that some other states provided.
Viral images of thousands of National Guard troops sleeping in a parking garage in the Capitol complex with access to only one bathroom and two stalls have sparked outrage about the troops’ treatment during their deployment. Top lawmakers from both parties decried the decision to send the troops to the garage, and House and Senate leaders quickly ordered Capitol police to let them back into the Capitol building and congressional offices
“If this is true, it’s outrageous. I will get to the bottom of this,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted.
“Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight,” remarked Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs in combat. “I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.”
While no clear reason was ever offered for why the troops were ordered to vacate the Capitol and congressional office buildings, one explanation cited was that some troops were not wearing masks while sleeping.
The group that included COVID-infected troops from Washington state had slept largely unmasked in a congressional hallway at least one night, had mingled with several other states’ troops and also interacted with several lawmakers, a guardsman’s spouse told RCP. Several members of Congress and their staff snapped photos and shook the hands of the service members there to protect them in the days and weeks after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The Department of Defense did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the COVID outbreak among the National Guard and whether there was a testing protocol – mandatory or simply recommended — that the Pentagon provided to state Guard commanders.
If there was no protocol for all states, each was left to its own procedures, resulting in an inconsistent patchwork of COVID-prevention and screening policies.
Only two states’ National Guard offices – Oklahoma and California – told RCP they had COVID-tested troops before they left for D.C. An Oklahoma spokesman said that the pre-deployment COVID testing turned up several positive results that sidelined those guardsmen and women from being part of the deployment.
Both states said they were aware of just one guard member in each state coming down with COVID after the deployment out of the hundreds of troops each state sent to Washington. California spokesman Jonathan Shiroma also said all personnel were offered their first COVID vaccination before their departure to D.C.
The Oklahoma Guard also tested its troops when they returned, but California did not.
Nevada National Guard spokesman Mikol Kirschenbaum said the bureau followed CDC COVID health guidelines and that all troops had their temperatures checked and completed a screening questionnaire when they arrived to check in at the D.C. Armory.
“Masks and social distancing were required where the missions allowed,” Kirschenbaum said.
When they returned home, the bureau then made rapid tests available and provided “information on what to do if service members present symptoms after they return.”
“For those that were required to stay behind (quarantine and/or isolation), a military support [staffer] has been assigned to stay in DC with them and they are being monitored by medical professionals,” he added.
When first contacted about the COVID outbreak within Washington state contingent, spokeswoman Karina Shagren said she knew of only one service member out of the 400 deployed to D.C. who had tested positive. Informed that the number was at least eight, Shagren said her state bureau is “not tracking an outbreak among Washington National Guard soldiers and airmen who were in D.C.”
“As I mentioned, we performed the usual health screenings before our troops mobilized and returned,” she said. “… We aren’t tracking any requirement to perform COVID tests prior to a domestic mission. Our men and women traveled largely on a military aircraft – and followed the direction provided by the agencies they supported in D.C.”
Shagren also stressed how rapidly the troops were called up for the inauguration mission.
“Within a week, we were asked to mobilize more than 1,000 guardsmen to support law enforcement partners at the state’s and nation’s capital,” she said. “Please understand and appreciate the speed at which we were moving.”
She also said that all of the Washington state troops sent to D.C. slept in hotels, contradicting sources who said they were 100% certain that some of the service members slept in a congressional office hallway inauguration night.
Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate are demanding to know why the National Guard is retaining a heavy presence in D.C. as the government returns to business as usual. Pentagon officials said Monday that about 5,000 guard members will remain in D.C. through mid-March, when former President Trump’s impeachment trial is expected to end. Some states are deploying hundreds more troops just days after most of the soldiers had returned home.
A coalition of 11 GOP lawmakers, led by Rep. Michael Walz of Florida, sent a letter to Army Secretary John Whitley seeking justification for the ongoing “significant” troop presence. Others are objecting to plans for a permanent fence around the Capitol announced this week by the U.S Capitol Police.
But Democrats are arguing more money is needed to protect lawmakers from ongoing threats of violence, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying Thursday that some of the danger is coming from an “enemy” within Congress. The remark spurred more questions about whom Pelosi was referring to and served as a sign of escalating internal tensions between the two parties since the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters.
Sen. Tom Cotton penned an op-ed arguing that the National Guard should be allowed to return home. “The National Guard answered the call at a critical time, but its mission is now complete. It’s time to reopen the Capitol Grounds to the American people,” he wrote. “It’s time to send home the troops….
“Despite cold weather and uncomfortable conditions, these soldiers did their duty, in the finest traditions of the Guard. Their presence, coupled with tough federal charges against Capitol rioters, deterred any further violence; the presidential inauguration occurred without incident.”
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/29/national_guards_dc_deployment_raises_superspreader_concerns_145151.html
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/ca583aa6cb10a50ec79dc89b7acf7dd6b98f3926f9afa37c13c884fbc40923f2.json
|
[
"Washington state National Guard troops who helped protect the U.S. Capitol complex during President Biden’s inauguration and in the days afterward experienced a COVID outbreak upon returning home, raising questions about why the troops weren’t tested or vaccinated for the virus before they left for D.C. and how many other units and individuals they might have infected while in the nation’s capital.\nAt last count Thursday night, there were at least eight known positive COVID test results among the Washington state contingent, according to several sources familiar with details of the outbreak, including a spouse of a service member who came down with COVID upon his return from D.C. The eight guardsmen who tested positive worked closely together throughout their deployment, traveling, eating and sleeping in tight proximity to one another.\nSpokesmen for several other states’ National Guard bureaus, including those from New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania, declined to say how many of their troops who deployed to D.C. have reported positive COVID cases, citing privacy laws. The lack of transparency after 25,000 guardsmen were called up to provide security for the inauguration is spurring concern that the deployment may have created a superspreader event both in D.C., where thousands of troops remain, and dozens of states when the troops returned home.\n“At this time, it is the National Guard bureau’s policy not to give specifics on Guard members who have tested positive for COVID-19,” Amelia Thatcher, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey National Guard, told RealClearPolitics in an emailed statement. “However, quarantine measures and other CDC-recommend standards are being followed, and medical attention will be provided when needed.”\n“Our highest priority is to ensure the highest levels of safety, comfort and health protection of our Guard members and their communities,” Thatcher added.\nSome spouses of servicemembers who were deployed to D.C. are now questioning that commitment. They want to know why their husbands weren’t tested before they deployed to D.C., a preventative measure that some other states provided.\nViral images of thousands of National Guard troops sleeping in a parking garage in the Capitol complex with access to only one bathroom and two stalls have sparked outrage about the troops’ treatment during their deployment. Top lawmakers from both parties decried the decision to send the troops to the garage, and House and Senate leaders quickly ordered Capitol police to let them back into the Capitol building and congressional offices\n“If this is true, it’s outrageous. I will get to the bottom of this,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted.\n“Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight,” remarked Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs in combat. “I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.”\nWhile no clear reason was ever offered for why the troops were ordered to vacate the Capitol and congressional office buildings, one explanation cited was that some troops were not wearing masks while sleeping.\nThe group that included COVID-infected troops from Washington state had slept largely unmasked in a congressional hallway at least one night, had mingled with several other states’ troops and also interacted with several lawmakers, a guardsman’s spouse told RCP. Several members of Congress and their staff snapped photos and shook the hands of the service members there to protect them in the days and weeks after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.\nThe Department of Defense did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the COVID outbreak among the National Guard and whether there was a testing protocol – mandatory or simply recommended — that the Pentagon provided to state Guard commanders.\nIf there was no protocol for all states, each was left to its own procedures, resulting in an inconsistent patchwork of COVID-prevention and screening policies.\nOnly two states’ National Guard offices – Oklahoma and California – told RCP they had COVID-tested troops before they left for D.C. An Oklahoma spokesman said that the pre-deployment COVID testing turned up several positive results that sidelined those guardsmen and women from being part of the deployment.\nBoth states said they were aware of just one guard member in each state coming down with COVID after the deployment out of the hundreds of troops each state sent to Washington. California spokesman Jonathan Shiroma also said all personnel were offered their first COVID vaccination before their departure to D.C.\nThe Oklahoma Guard also tested its troops when they returned, but California did not.\nNevada National Guard spokesman Mikol Kirschenbaum said the bureau followed CDC COVID health guidelines and that all troops had their temperatures checked and completed a screening questionnaire when they arrived to check in at the D.C. Armory.\n“Masks and social distancing were required where the missions allowed,” Kirschenbaum said.\nWhen they returned home, the bureau then made rapid tests available and provided “information on what to do if service members present symptoms after they return.”\n“For those that were required to stay behind (quarantine and/or isolation), a military support [staffer] has been assigned to stay in DC with them and they are being monitored by medical professionals,” he added.\nWhen first contacted about the COVID outbreak within Washington state contingent, spokeswoman Karina Shagren said she knew of only one service member out of the 400 deployed to D.C. who had tested positive. Informed that the number was at least eight, Shagren said her state bureau is “not tracking an outbreak among Washington National Guard soldiers and airmen who were in D.C.”\n“As I mentioned, we performed the usual health screenings before our troops mobilized and returned,” she said. “… We aren’t tracking any requirement to perform COVID tests prior to a domestic mission. Our men and women traveled largely on a military aircraft – and followed the direction provided by the agencies they supported in D.C.”\nShagren also stressed how rapidly the troops were called up for the inauguration mission.\n“Within a week, we were asked to mobilize more than 1,000 guardsmen to support law enforcement partners at the state’s and nation’s capital,” she said. “Please understand and appreciate the speed at which we were moving.”\nShe also said that all of the Washington state troops sent to D.C. slept in hotels, contradicting sources who said they were 100% certain that some of the service members slept in a congressional office hallway inauguration night.\nRepublican lawmakers in both the House and Senate are demanding to know why the National Guard is retaining a heavy presence in D.C. as the government returns to business as usual. Pentagon officials said Monday that about 5,000 guard members will remain in D.C. through mid-March, when former President Trump’s impeachment trial is expected to end. Some states are deploying hundreds more troops just days after most of the soldiers had returned home.\nA coalition of 11 GOP lawmakers, led by Rep. Michael Walz of Florida, sent a letter to Army Secretary John Whitley seeking justification for the ongoing “significant” troop presence. Others are objecting to plans for a permanent fence around the Capitol announced this week by the U.S Capitol Police.\nBut Democrats are arguing more money is needed to protect lawmakers from ongoing threats of violence, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying Thursday that some of the danger is coming from an “enemy” within Congress. The remark spurred more questions about whom Pelosi was referring to and served as a sign of escalating internal tensions between the two parties since the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters.\nSen. Tom Cotton penned an op-ed arguing that the National Guard should be allowed to return home. “The National Guard answered the call at a critical time, but its mission is now complete. It’s time to reopen the Capitol Grounds to the American people,” he wrote. “It’s time to send home the troops….\n“Despite cold weather and uncomfortable conditions, these soldiers did their duty, in the finest traditions of the Guard. Their presence, coupled with tough federal charges against Capitol rioters, deterred any further violence; the presidential inauguration occurred without incident.”",
"National Guard's D.C. Deployment Raises Superspreader Concerns",
"Washington state National Guard troops who helped protect the U.S. Capitol complex during President Bidens inauguration and in the days afterward..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-24T20:47:09 | null | 2021-01-24T00:00:00 |
Can Biden Restore Belief in the Good of Government? | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F24%2Fcan_biden_restore_belief_in_the_good_of_government_534267.html.json
|
en
| null |
Can Biden Restore Belief in the Good of Government?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Can Biden Restore Belief in the Good of Government?
Despite the gravity of the challenges ahead, President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris are setting out with some distinct advantages.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/24/can_biden_restore_belief_in_the_good_of_government_534267.html
|
en
| 2021-01-24T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/a97962ab06be4bb8bb771aaf30eac78f10871551b3613e2ee30be0fe8450725c.json
|
[
"Can Biden Restore Belief in the Good of Government?\nDespite the gravity of the challenges ahead, President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris are setting out with some distinct advantages.",
"Can Biden Restore Belief in the Good of Government?",
"Can Biden Restore Belief in the Good of Government? | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-23T12:35:19 | null | 2021-01-23T00:00:00 |
In his inaugural address, President Biden focused on a message of unity as the nation confronts overwhelming challenges, including the COVID-19 crisis,...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F23%2Fpennsylvania_will_reflect_voter_mood_during_biden_presidency_145101.html.json
|
en
| null |
Pennsylvania Will Reflect Voter Mood During Biden Presidency
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
In his inaugural address, President Biden focused on a message of unity as the nation confronts overwhelming challenges, including the COVID-19 crisis, economically devastating lockdowns, and cultural unrest.
Biden sought to diffuse the nation’s combustible mood, presenting a theme of recovery rather than an ambitious policy agenda. Now, as a new Washington dynamic begins, Biden – along with members of Congress – should remember what Americans signaled in the 2020 election. Voters undoubtedly issued a pandemic-era rejection of Donald Trump, but in down-ballot races, they reminded Democrats that the political left’s radical ideas do not reflect their values.
Following this month’s runoffs in Georgia, voters opted for moderation and effectively divided government, with an evenly split Senate – West Virginia’s blue dog Democrat, Joe Manchin, represents a swing vote – and a narrow Democratic majority in the House (the closest margin in decades). There was no blue wave, including in state legislatures, which Democrats failed to flip to control redistricting . Instead, Republicans won two more state legislative bodies, now holding 61 of 99 state chambers.
This moderation trend – support for Biden, not down-ballot progressives – was particularly evident in Pennsylvania, once again a presidential bellwether. The Keystone State’s suburban regions, especially Philadelphia’s collar counties, overwhelmingly favored Biden, fueling his statewide victory. The suburbs’ swing-voting contingent, though, rejected leftist candidates in down-ballot races. Republicans gained seats in the state House, retained their state Senate majority, and, for the first time in decades, picked up the auditor general and treasurer offices. The GOP prevailed despite Democrats and progressive groups outspending Republicans by a wide margin at the national and state level s .
Pennsylvania’s suburban voters viewed Biden as a centrist figure, one who didn’t embrace his party’s leftward direction. In fact, during last year’s campaign, Biden distanced himself from Democrats’ more radical proposals. For example, he disavowed “Medicare for All” during the primary. Meantime, while denouncing Trump-era tax cuts, Biden promised to only raise taxes on annual incomes of more than $400,000 (though the 2017 reform cut taxes for all income earners ). He even opposed the “ defund the police ” rhetoric while cities erupted last summer.
Confronting energy policy, a major issue in Pennsylvania, Biden’s campaign consistently denied – in response to “ gaffes ” to appease progressive audiences – that he would ban fracking. At the same time, Biden distanced himself from the “Green New Deal,” saying he had his own plan to address climate change.
In other words, Biden won a swing state like Pennsylvania by appealing to suburban voters’ sensibilities, not by going hard left. After all, socialist ideas are unpopular. This was true, too, in off-year races during Trump’s presidency, when moderate Democrats – such as western Pennsylvania’s Conor Lamb – prevailed in competitive congressional districts. From suburban Pittsburgh to the southeast’s Chester County, voters have consistently turned against the Democratic Party’s extremist wing while also rejecting Trump.
After the 2020 election, moderate Democrats, including Lamb , criticized the party’s left for their losses. In Pennsylvania , Democrats blamed progressive rhetoric for their poor down-ballot showing. In response, democratic socialists lashed out at their fellow party members, blaming “the establishment” and “racism.”
The reality, though, is that socialist policies are toxic to voters. Polling shows that while voters, especially the young, are more open to the word “socialism,” they don’t support the policies that come with it . In fact, voters overwhelmingly prefer a free-market system to a government-run economy – especially suburbanites. This was the case in Greater Philadelphia, where free-market candidates won despite the region’s Democratic direction.
This trend, too, is consistent with polling commissioned by the Commonwealth Foundation, which found that Pennsylvanians prefer free-market policies. In the last two years, for example, surveys showed that more than 70% of voters in suburban Philadelphia support giving parents more control over their child’s education through tax-credit scholarships or education scholarship accounts. In addition, nearly three-fourths support reforms that limit the growth of state spending . Seventy percent also favor work or work-search expectations for healthy adults receiving Medicaid. And, during Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s economic lockdown, 74% of suburban Philadelphia voters supported allowing businesses that follow CDC guidelines to reopen.
In other words, suburban voters favor moderation – as the election results showed. But despite his campaign persona, Biden may already be inching closer to leftist economic policies. As Axios reported last week, Biden’s “economic policy team has signaled that it will be the first administration ever to construct economic policy around issues like race, gender equality, and climate change, rather than around traditional indicators like gross domestic product or deficit ratios.” Economic policies based on identity and progressive politics, rather than free-market ideas, could once again make the suburbs a battleground in the 2022 midterms.
After all, voters didn’t reject free-market ideas in 2020. Instead, it was leftist, even socialist, policies that frightened the electorate. As the Biden administration begins, look to Pennsylvania’s suburban voters as a gauge on the electoral mood. They eschewed Trump throughout his presidency, but they also understand that radical progressivism isn’t the answer to our nation’s many challenges.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/23/pennsylvania_will_reflect_voter_mood_during_biden_presidency_145101.html
|
en
| 2021-01-23T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/6e3a3f9fe1a1e3521349df1eef394cc56a1baecdf582e1128a861970544911a5.json
|
[
"In his inaugural address, President Biden focused on a message of unity as the nation confronts overwhelming challenges, including the COVID-19 crisis, economically devastating lockdowns, and cultural unrest.\nBiden sought to diffuse the nation’s combustible mood, presenting a theme of recovery rather than an ambitious policy agenda. Now, as a new Washington dynamic begins, Biden – along with members of Congress – should remember what Americans signaled in the 2020 election. Voters undoubtedly issued a pandemic-era rejection of Donald Trump, but in down-ballot races, they reminded Democrats that the political left’s radical ideas do not reflect their values.\nFollowing this month’s runoffs in Georgia, voters opted for moderation and effectively divided government, with an evenly split Senate – West Virginia’s blue dog Democrat, Joe Manchin, represents a swing vote – and a narrow Democratic majority in the House (the closest margin in decades). There was no blue wave, including in state legislatures, which Democrats failed to flip to control redistricting . Instead, Republicans won two more state legislative bodies, now holding 61 of 99 state chambers.\nThis moderation trend – support for Biden, not down-ballot progressives – was particularly evident in Pennsylvania, once again a presidential bellwether. The Keystone State’s suburban regions, especially Philadelphia’s collar counties, overwhelmingly favored Biden, fueling his statewide victory. The suburbs’ swing-voting contingent, though, rejected leftist candidates in down-ballot races. Republicans gained seats in the state House, retained their state Senate majority, and, for the first time in decades, picked up the auditor general and treasurer offices. The GOP prevailed despite Democrats and progressive groups outspending Republicans by a wide margin at the national and state level s .\nPennsylvania’s suburban voters viewed Biden as a centrist figure, one who didn’t embrace his party’s leftward direction. In fact, during last year’s campaign, Biden distanced himself from Democrats’ more radical proposals. For example, he disavowed “Medicare for All” during the primary. Meantime, while denouncing Trump-era tax cuts, Biden promised to only raise taxes on annual incomes of more than $400,000 (though the 2017 reform cut taxes for all income earners ). He even opposed the “ defund the police ” rhetoric while cities erupted last summer.\nConfronting energy policy, a major issue in Pennsylvania, Biden’s campaign consistently denied – in response to “ gaffes ” to appease progressive audiences – that he would ban fracking. At the same time, Biden distanced himself from the “Green New Deal,” saying he had his own plan to address climate change.\nIn other words, Biden won a swing state like Pennsylvania by appealing to suburban voters’ sensibilities, not by going hard left. After all, socialist ideas are unpopular. This was true, too, in off-year races during Trump’s presidency, when moderate Democrats – such as western Pennsylvania’s Conor Lamb – prevailed in competitive congressional districts. From suburban Pittsburgh to the southeast’s Chester County, voters have consistently turned against the Democratic Party’s extremist wing while also rejecting Trump.\nAfter the 2020 election, moderate Democrats, including Lamb , criticized the party’s left for their losses. In Pennsylvania , Democrats blamed progressive rhetoric for their poor down-ballot showing. In response, democratic socialists lashed out at their fellow party members, blaming “the establishment” and “racism.”\nThe reality, though, is that socialist policies are toxic to voters. Polling shows that while voters, especially the young, are more open to the word “socialism,” they don’t support the policies that come with it . In fact, voters overwhelmingly prefer a free-market system to a government-run economy – especially suburbanites. This was the case in Greater Philadelphia, where free-market candidates won despite the region’s Democratic direction.\nThis trend, too, is consistent with polling commissioned by the Commonwealth Foundation, which found that Pennsylvanians prefer free-market policies. In the last two years, for example, surveys showed that more than 70% of voters in suburban Philadelphia support giving parents more control over their child’s education through tax-credit scholarships or education scholarship accounts. In addition, nearly three-fourths support reforms that limit the growth of state spending . Seventy percent also favor work or work-search expectations for healthy adults receiving Medicaid. And, during Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s economic lockdown, 74% of suburban Philadelphia voters supported allowing businesses that follow CDC guidelines to reopen.\nIn other words, suburban voters favor moderation – as the election results showed. But despite his campaign persona, Biden may already be inching closer to leftist economic policies. As Axios reported last week, Biden’s “economic policy team has signaled that it will be the first administration ever to construct economic policy around issues like race, gender equality, and climate change, rather than around traditional indicators like gross domestic product or deficit ratios.” Economic policies based on identity and progressive politics, rather than free-market ideas, could once again make the suburbs a battleground in the 2022 midterms.\nAfter all, voters didn’t reject free-market ideas in 2020. Instead, it was leftist, even socialist, policies that frightened the electorate. As the Biden administration begins, look to Pennsylvania’s suburban voters as a gauge on the electoral mood. They eschewed Trump throughout his presidency, but they also understand that radical progressivism isn’t the answer to our nation’s many challenges.",
"Pennsylvania Will Reflect Voter Mood During Biden Presidency",
"In his inaugural address, President Biden focused on a message of unity as the nation confronts overwhelming challenges, including the COVID-19 crisis,..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-18T18:24:21 | null | 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
The Vaccine Has Exposed Teachers Unions' True Priorities | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F18%2Fthe_vaccine_has_exposed_teachers_unions_true_priorities_533724.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
The Vaccine Has Exposed Teachers Unions' True Priorities
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Educators in many parts of the country are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, which should mean one thing: No more excuses. It's time to return to school in person, full time, as quickly as possible.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/18/the_vaccine_has_exposed_teachers_unions_true_priorities_533724.html
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/127d63c3d9eed8853775a26ad5bf82802243d860ea30c7e6f47749abc414b41c.json
|
[
"Educators in many parts of the country are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, which should mean one thing: No more excuses. It's time to return to school in person, full time, as quickly as possible.",
"The Vaccine Has Exposed Teachers Unions' True Priorities",
"The Vaccine Has Exposed Teachers Unions' True Priorities | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-07T05:49:01 | null | 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
Confessions of a Sports Dropout | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F06%2Fconfessions_of_a_sports_dropout_532822.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Confessions of a Sports Dropout
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
It took a good while for the Left to capture sports, or at least to badly infect them. But this year, it happened.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/06/confessions_of_a_sports_dropout_532822.html
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/bd58179849a6610ede96bf2f6840bb14e811b87b6837a0f6e86309c19ea66b41.json
|
[
"It took a good while for the Left to capture sports, or at least to badly infect them. But this year, it happened.",
"Confessions of a Sports Dropout",
"Confessions of a Sports Dropout | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-28T18:27:44 | null | 2021-01-28T00:00:00 |
Did the BLM Protests Lead to the 2020 Spike in Homicides? | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F28%2Fdid_the_blm_protests_lead_to_the_2020_spike_in_homicides_534549.html.json
|
en
| null |
Did the BLM Protests Lead to the 2020 Spike in Homicides?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Serious crime, particularly murder, soared while everyone was supposed to be locked indoors. Between 2019—by no means a famously peaceful year—and 2020, homicides alone surged by 42 percent during the summer and 34 percent during the fall. Many politically acceptable explanations have been advanced for this, with left-leaning publications like Vox preferring to focus on the undeniable economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, an alternative explanation fits the data far better: crime increased because major police departments had their budgets slashed and reeled in their stops dramatically—and similar chaos has followed such “woke” policy moves nearly every time they have been implemented.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/28/did_the_blm_protests_lead_to_the_2020_spike_in_homicides_534549.html
|
en
| 2021-01-28T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/1e7c732154b03ffb6204d29dea277582ce776bb153426c1f2b017ec098cd0a18.json
|
[
"Serious crime, particularly murder, soared while everyone was supposed to be locked indoors. Between 2019—by no means a famously peaceful year—and 2020, homicides alone surged by 42 percent during the summer and 34 percent during the fall. Many politically acceptable explanations have been advanced for this, with left-leaning publications like Vox preferring to focus on the undeniable economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, an alternative explanation fits the data far better: crime increased because major police departments had their budgets slashed and reeled in their stops dramatically—and similar chaos has followed such “woke” policy moves nearly every time they have been implemented.",
"Did the BLM Protests Lead to the 2020 Spike in Homicides?",
"Did the BLM Protests Lead to the 2020 Spike in Homicides? | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-22T21:21:23 | null | 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
Melania Trump Deserved Much Better From the Media | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F22%2Fmelania_trump_deserved_much_better_from_the_media_534160.html.json
|
en
| null |
Melania Trump Deserved Much Better From the Media
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Melania Trump had style. She had grace. But the media hated her husband. So, instead of simply focusing on him, they extended the food-fight to her.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/22/melania_trump_deserved_much_better_from_the_media_534160.html
|
en
| 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/a7e19e5f0b5a480b944efc46daf345385092f0723c97b9ea49f0a27869c7b6d1.json
|
[
"Melania Trump had style. She had grace. But the media hated her husband. So, instead of simply focusing on him, they extended the food-fight to her.",
"Melania Trump Deserved Much Better From the Media",
"Melania Trump Deserved Much Better From the Media | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-07T13:22:54 | null | 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
Merrick Garland Is the Right Choice to Rehabilitate Justice Department | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fmerrick_garland_is_the_right_choice_to_rehabilitate_justice_department_532892.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Merrick Garland Is the Right Choice to Rehabilitate Justice Department
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/07/merrick_garland_is_the_right_choice_to_rehabilitate_justice_department_532892.html
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/6049e864e7b5b7d7cce60c9406cebaad85b158ccc36fddd983626629e204802f.json
|
[
"Merrick Garland Is the Right Choice to Rehabilitate Justice Department",
"Merrick Garland Is the Right Choice to Rehabilitate Justice Department | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-05T20:30:03 | null | 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
Evidence Shows Widespread Fraud Took Place in 2020 | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F05%2Fevidence_shows_widespread_fraud_took_place_in_2020_532676.html.json
|
en
| null |
Evidence Shows Widespread Fraud Took Place in 2020
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Evidence Shows Widespread Fraud Took Place in 2020
A political scientist examines the evidence and concludes that widespread fraud took place.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/05/evidence_shows_widespread_fraud_took_place_in_2020_532676.html
|
en
| 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/db71176cf95492ea2ef38b6484839fa19b7919f40c12b4a9b6f50c72f52e9ba2.json
|
[
"Evidence Shows Widespread Fraud Took Place in 2020\nA political scientist examines the evidence and concludes that widespread fraud took place.",
"Evidence Shows Widespread Fraud Took Place in 2020",
"Evidence Shows Widespread Fraud Took Place in 2020 | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-06T16:56:41 | null | 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
If you live in Florida or Texas and you're 65 or over, you can get in line for a COVID-19 vaccine at a mall, stadium or drive-thru center. You may have to wait...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F06%2Fend_the_deadly_vaccine_delays_144970.html.json
|
en
| null |
End the Deadly Vaccine Delays
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
If you live in Florida or Texas and you're 65 or over, you can get in line for a COVID-19 vaccine at a mall, stadium or drive-thru center. You may have to wait for hours, but being in line is better than being in the dark. That's where most New Yorkers are -- desperate to get the vaccine and with no way to sign up. It may be months before they can. It's a problem in many other states, too.
The first vaccines were shipped to the states on Dec. 13, but most are sitting on shelves unused, while some 2,600 people a day die from COVID-19 nationwide. State and local officials -- including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill De Blasio in New York -- are showing a depraved indifference to human life as they play politics over who gets vaccine priority.
It's time for the public to demand that these officials open up mass vaccination centers and get the lifesaving shots into our arms.
De Blasio is boasting that 1 million city residents will be vaccinated by the end of January. But as of Monday, a handful of sites have been opened for health care workers only.
The mayor says he plans to send an email to city employees asking them to volunteer to administer the vaccines. With deaths mounting and ICU beds filling, more is needed. De Blasio should be asking Cuomo to call in the National Guard to set up and operate vaccination sites. West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland are already using the Guard and turning armories into vaccine clinics. State and local officials should be treating vaccination like a D-Day invasion in the war against the virus.
Or they could follow the example of New York's response to the challenge of smallpox in 1947. With no warning, smallpox -- a deadly disease thought to have been eradicated -- was brought to New York by a sick traveler. All it takes to spread smallpox is a cough, sneeze or touch -- just like COVID-19. Back then, the city health department swung into action and vaccinated over 6 million residents in one month. First come, first serve. And it worked. Only two New Yorkers died.
Compare that with thousands expected to die in the coming months while waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine.
De Blasio says the city would be moving faster if the state would loosen regulations on who can receive the vaccine. He's got a point. Right now, the state is limiting the vaccine to health care workers and long-term care residents, and next in line will be "essential workers" -- mostly from unions -- and people over 75. That means seniors ages 65 to 74 and adults with critical health problems will wait several months.
The Cuomo administration is adamant about that schedule, even though two-thirds of vaccines are unused.
That's a mistake. States doling out vaccines in tiny increments are letting people die needlessly and delaying herd immunity, when enough people can be vaccinated to stop the virus.
The invasion of a new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 is another reason to vaccinate widely, advises former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. It's likely to become the dominant strain, increasing everyone's risk. He advises "moving more quickly into a general vaccination program" for people 65 and up.
Will Cuomo listen? He's shown a callous lack of interest. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested a vaccine rollout plan, New York sent in 83 pages of blather. No specifics on where the shots will be given and who would administer them when hospital staff is already stretched. No real plan, yet we've known for months the vaccines were coming.
But when the Buffalo Bills made it to the playoffs, Cuomo jumped into action, charging the state health department to come up with a precision plan to open the stadium at limited capacity. Meanwhile, next Saturday, when the Bills play, another 150 New Yorkers will likely lose their lives to COVID-19.
New Yorkers should be screaming bloody murder about the vaccination delay. Because that's what it is.
So should Americans in many other states. The problem threatening lives is not a shortage of vaccines. It is a shortage of urgency and commitment on the part of state and local officials. When California Gov. Gavin Newsom was confronted with the embarrassing fact that a staggering 76% of vaccines are still unused in his state while Californians die every day from COVID-19, Newsom said we ought to be "humble" about what can be achieved. Nonsense.
The public does not need a lecture about being humble. They need action now. Their lives are at stake.
COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/06/end_the_deadly_vaccine_delays_144970.html
|
en
| 2021-01-06T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/bba8d59af64f6c2a4b7dea11fccbfb5875d0b2bf2c51afd65ae3ddd9865663bd.json
|
[
"If you live in Florida or Texas and you're 65 or over, you can get in line for a COVID-19 vaccine at a mall, stadium or drive-thru center. You may have to wait for hours, but being in line is better than being in the dark. That's where most New Yorkers are -- desperate to get the vaccine and with no way to sign up. It may be months before they can. It's a problem in many other states, too.\nThe first vaccines were shipped to the states on Dec. 13, but most are sitting on shelves unused, while some 2,600 people a day die from COVID-19 nationwide. State and local officials -- including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill De Blasio in New York -- are showing a depraved indifference to human life as they play politics over who gets vaccine priority.\nIt's time for the public to demand that these officials open up mass vaccination centers and get the lifesaving shots into our arms.\nDe Blasio is boasting that 1 million city residents will be vaccinated by the end of January. But as of Monday, a handful of sites have been opened for health care workers only.\nThe mayor says he plans to send an email to city employees asking them to volunteer to administer the vaccines. With deaths mounting and ICU beds filling, more is needed. De Blasio should be asking Cuomo to call in the National Guard to set up and operate vaccination sites. West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland are already using the Guard and turning armories into vaccine clinics. State and local officials should be treating vaccination like a D-Day invasion in the war against the virus.\nOr they could follow the example of New York's response to the challenge of smallpox in 1947. With no warning, smallpox -- a deadly disease thought to have been eradicated -- was brought to New York by a sick traveler. All it takes to spread smallpox is a cough, sneeze or touch -- just like COVID-19. Back then, the city health department swung into action and vaccinated over 6 million residents in one month. First come, first serve. And it worked. Only two New Yorkers died.\nCompare that with thousands expected to die in the coming months while waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine.\nDe Blasio says the city would be moving faster if the state would loosen regulations on who can receive the vaccine. He's got a point. Right now, the state is limiting the vaccine to health care workers and long-term care residents, and next in line will be \"essential workers\" -- mostly from unions -- and people over 75. That means seniors ages 65 to 74 and adults with critical health problems will wait several months.\nThe Cuomo administration is adamant about that schedule, even though two-thirds of vaccines are unused.\nThat's a mistake. States doling out vaccines in tiny increments are letting people die needlessly and delaying herd immunity, when enough people can be vaccinated to stop the virus.\nThe invasion of a new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 is another reason to vaccinate widely, advises former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. It's likely to become the dominant strain, increasing everyone's risk. He advises \"moving more quickly into a general vaccination program\" for people 65 and up.\nWill Cuomo listen? He's shown a callous lack of interest. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested a vaccine rollout plan, New York sent in 83 pages of blather. No specifics on where the shots will be given and who would administer them when hospital staff is already stretched. No real plan, yet we've known for months the vaccines were coming.\nBut when the Buffalo Bills made it to the playoffs, Cuomo jumped into action, charging the state health department to come up with a precision plan to open the stadium at limited capacity. Meanwhile, next Saturday, when the Bills play, another 150 New Yorkers will likely lose their lives to COVID-19.\nNew Yorkers should be screaming bloody murder about the vaccination delay. Because that's what it is.\nSo should Americans in many other states. The problem threatening lives is not a shortage of vaccines. It is a shortage of urgency and commitment on the part of state and local officials. When California Gov. Gavin Newsom was confronted with the embarrassing fact that a staggering 76% of vaccines are still unused in his state while Californians die every day from COVID-19, Newsom said we ought to be \"humble\" about what can be achieved. Nonsense.\nThe public does not need a lecture about being humble. They need action now. Their lives are at stake.\nCOPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM",
"End the Deadly Vaccine Delays",
"If you live in Florida or Texas and you're 65 or over, you can get in line for a COVID-19 vaccine at a mall, stadium or drive-thru center. You may have to wait..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-17T01:54:18 | null | 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
Landmark Moment: Liberal Tech Giants Show Their Power | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F16%2Flandmark_moment_liberal_tech_giants_show_their_power_533632.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Landmark Moment: Liberal Tech Giants Show Their Power
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/16/landmark_moment_liberal_tech_giants_show_their_power_533632.html
|
en
| 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/b5f3d78ca9e15a16a826f357cff67272de7123e776d148293380d364ea801c8d.json
|
[
"Landmark Moment: Liberal Tech Giants Show Their Power",
"Landmark Moment: Liberal Tech Giants Show Their Power | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-10T06:27:54 | null | 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
Grim December Jobs Report Shows Shutdowns Must End | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F09%2Fgrim_december_jobs_report_shows_shutdowns_must_end_533049.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Grim December Jobs Report Shows Shutdowns Must End
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Over the past year, the U.S. national debt has increased by nearly $4 trillion, largely thanks to trillions of dollars in COVID relief and bailouts for a host of industries that were crippled by the lockdowns.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/09/grim_december_jobs_report_shows_shutdowns_must_end_533049.html
|
en
| 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/81e325336fd5c506f70a5913aba57f4779fcf625d22aeb5737b3791c5521af92.json
|
[
"Over the past year, the U.S. national debt has increased by nearly $4 trillion, largely thanks to trillions of dollars in COVID relief and bailouts for a host of industries that were crippled by the lockdowns.",
"Grim December Jobs Report Shows Shutdowns Must End",
"Grim December Jobs Report Shows Shutdowns Must End | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-30T18:00:32 | null | 2021-01-30T00:00:00 |
Cancel Culture Swings for the Fences | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F30%2Fcancel_culture_swings_for_the_fences_534782.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Cancel Culture Swings for the Fences
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/30/cancel_culture_swings_for_the_fences_534782.html
|
en
| 2021-01-30T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/b30205e15d20cdd7ecfdd1aa0338cc9e89112215c4c0b0fabb3e6e637a928246.json
|
[
"Cancel Culture Swings for the Fences",
"Cancel Culture Swings for the Fences | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-04T03:24:12 | null | 2021-01-03T00:00:00 |
Cancel Culture Seeks to Create a Society of Liars | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F03%2Fcancel_culture_seeks_to_create_a_society_of_liars_532446.html.json
|
en
| null |
Cancel Culture Seeks to Create a Society of Liars
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Cancel Culture Seeks to Create a Society of Liars
Sean D. Elliot/The Day via AP
Americans are increasingly afraid to express themselves honestly.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/03/cancel_culture_seeks_to_create_a_society_of_liars_532446.html
|
en
| 2021-01-03T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/0ebfa18f16aa3091217858eb5dce0340a11b0d7f0c3229d4c1f38f42c55ff1e7.json
|
[
"Cancel Culture Seeks to Create a Society of Liars\nSean D. Elliot/The Day via AP\nAmericans are increasingly afraid to express themselves honestly.",
"Cancel Culture Seeks to Create a Society of Liars",
"Cancel Culture Seeks to Create a Society of Liars | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-26T13:56:42 | null | 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
Republicans are searching for a post-Trump identity now that they are out of power in Washington, but one policy position will certainly carry on, and likely...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F26%2Fhouse_gop_draws_red_line_on_federally_funded_abortion_145118.html.json
|
en
| null |
House GOP Draws Red Line on Federally Funded Abortion
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Republicans are searching for a post-Trump identity now that they are out of power in Washington, but one policy position will certainly carry on, and likely take on a renewed emphasis: opposition to federal funding of abortion.
Almost the entirety of the GOP House caucus, led by Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks (pictured), have pledged to oppose any legislation that repeals the Hyde Amendment, the decades-old policy that prohibits federal programs such as Medicaid from paying for abortions.
It is perhaps the clearest line that party members -- 200 in total -- have drawn on policy since Joe Biden became president.
In a letter to both House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Schumer, obtained by RealClearPolitics, the minority party made its position known: “We pledge to vote against any government funding bill that eliminates or weakens the Hyde Amendment or other current-law, pro-life appropriations provisions.”
The sentiment is not new. But the need for the proclamation is, conservatives say.
A Clinton-era provision, the Hyde Amendment was included in appropriations bills through the presidencies of both Republicans and Democrats. In fact, there was a time when it was relatively uncontroversial. And for a time, Biden also opposed spending taxpayer dollars on abortion. “I will continue to abide by the same principle that has guided me throughout my 21 years in the Senate: those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them,” he wrote in 1994. “As you may know, I have consistently — on no fewer than 50 occasions — voted against federal funding of abortions.”
But times have changed and so has Biden.
After reaffirming his support for the amendment one week, he reversed it the next. “Circumstances have changed,” he said during a June 2019 speech in Atlanta. “We’ve seen state after state including Georgia passing extreme laws,” the former vice president added. “It’s clear that these folks are going to stop at nothing to get rid of Roe.”
Biden has brought his updated view with him to the White House at a time when Democrats control both chambers of Congress. And his party expects to see changes. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said as much in December.
“This is the last year,” DeLauro promised. “The time has come in this current moment to reckon with the norm, with the status quo” regarding Hyde.
When asked where the president stands on repealing the amendment he once supported, White House press secretary Jen Psaki would only point to Biden’s personal faith. “I will just take the opportunity to remind all of you that he is a devout Catholic and somebody who attends church regularly,” she told a reporter from a Catholic news agency. “…I don’t have anything more for you on that.” The Catholic Church views abortion as immoral and impermissible.
House Republicans are not waiting for a more precise answer from the new president, and while he stresses the need for unity, they are making clear that this is an area where they will not compromise. According to a senior GOP aide, “This is a line in the sand that conservatives of all stripes agree we cannot cross.”
Banks, who helped author the letter, said in a statement that “millions of Americans do not want their hard-earned money used to pay for abortions.” He added, “My colleagues and I demand congressional leaders protect the ban on taxpayer-funded abortions and save the Hyde Amendment.”
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/26/house_gop_draws_red_line_on_federally_funded_abortion_145118.html
|
en
| 2021-01-26T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/7b9235f7d7d4613830d185becc5ee2e8c174a6e229239b65fd065e77de535ec4.json
|
[
"Republicans are searching for a post-Trump identity now that they are out of power in Washington, but one policy position will certainly carry on, and likely take on a renewed emphasis: opposition to federal funding of abortion.\nAlmost the entirety of the GOP House caucus, led by Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks (pictured), have pledged to oppose any legislation that repeals the Hyde Amendment, the decades-old policy that prohibits federal programs such as Medicaid from paying for abortions.\nIt is perhaps the clearest line that party members -- 200 in total -- have drawn on policy since Joe Biden became president.\nIn a letter to both House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Schumer, obtained by RealClearPolitics, the minority party made its position known: “We pledge to vote against any government funding bill that eliminates or weakens the Hyde Amendment or other current-law, pro-life appropriations provisions.”\nThe sentiment is not new. But the need for the proclamation is, conservatives say.\nA Clinton-era provision, the Hyde Amendment was included in appropriations bills through the presidencies of both Republicans and Democrats. In fact, there was a time when it was relatively uncontroversial. And for a time, Biden also opposed spending taxpayer dollars on abortion. “I will continue to abide by the same principle that has guided me throughout my 21 years in the Senate: those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them,” he wrote in 1994. “As you may know, I have consistently — on no fewer than 50 occasions — voted against federal funding of abortions.”\nBut times have changed and so has Biden.\nAfter reaffirming his support for the amendment one week, he reversed it the next. “Circumstances have changed,” he said during a June 2019 speech in Atlanta. “We’ve seen state after state including Georgia passing extreme laws,” the former vice president added. “It’s clear that these folks are going to stop at nothing to get rid of Roe.”\nBiden has brought his updated view with him to the White House at a time when Democrats control both chambers of Congress. And his party expects to see changes. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said as much in December.\n“This is the last year,” DeLauro promised. “The time has come in this current moment to reckon with the norm, with the status quo” regarding Hyde.\nWhen asked where the president stands on repealing the amendment he once supported, White House press secretary Jen Psaki would only point to Biden’s personal faith. “I will just take the opportunity to remind all of you that he is a devout Catholic and somebody who attends church regularly,” she told a reporter from a Catholic news agency. “…I don’t have anything more for you on that.” The Catholic Church views abortion as immoral and impermissible.\nHouse Republicans are not waiting for a more precise answer from the new president, and while he stresses the need for unity, they are making clear that this is an area where they will not compromise. According to a senior GOP aide, “This is a line in the sand that conservatives of all stripes agree we cannot cross.”\nBanks, who helped author the letter, said in a statement that “millions of Americans do not want their hard-earned money used to pay for abortions.” He added, “My colleagues and I demand congressional leaders protect the ban on taxpayer-funded abortions and save the Hyde Amendment.”",
"House GOP Draws Red Line on Federally Funded Abortion",
"Republicans are searching for a post-Trump identity now that they are out of power in Washington, but one policy position will certainly carry on, and likely..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-14T12:44:39 | null | 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
Trump Is Impeached, and Not Just by the House | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F14%2Ftrump_is_impeached_and_not_just_by_the_house_533460.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Trump Is Impeached, and Not Just by the House
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Trump Is Impeached, and Not Just by the House
No president has ever found himself so shunned and so isolated, with repercussions for his political legacy and his earnings potential.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/14/trump_is_impeached_and_not_just_by_the_house_533460.html
|
en
| 2021-01-14T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/ec9b646610b2eb2e1b35c56044b5e93ab78a2cf1ae6db80630ed0a4add3a9ef0.json
|
[
"Trump Is Impeached, and Not Just by the House\nNo president has ever found himself so shunned and so isolated, with repercussions for his political legacy and his earnings potential.",
"Trump Is Impeached, and Not Just by the House",
"Trump Is Impeached, and Not Just by the House | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-04T19:56:27 | null | 2021-01-04T00:00:00 |
Monopoly vs Democracy: How to End a Gilded Age | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F04%2Fmonopoly_vs_democracy_how_to_end_a_gilded_age_532620.html.json
|
en
| null |
Monopoly vs Democracy: How to End a Gilded Age
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Monopoly vs Democracy: How to End a Gilded Age
The limited victories of Gilded Age reform movements show that the fight against inequality is primarily a fight against monopoly power.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/04/monopoly_vs_democracy_how_to_end_a_gilded_age_532620.html
|
en
| 2021-01-04T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/cc28939e595e4136010f6bd3e122da538b7cdda96ca350bb98aec0c71f0ace5f.json
|
[
"Monopoly vs Democracy: How to End a Gilded Age\nThe limited victories of Gilded Age reform movements show that the fight against inequality is primarily a fight against monopoly power.",
"Monopoly vs Democracy: How to End a Gilded Age",
"Monopoly vs Democracy: How to End a Gilded Age | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-12T07:51:25 | null | 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
Amid Covid, Israel Is the World's Greatest Hope | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Famid_covid_israel_is_the_worlds_greatest_hope_533240.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Amid Covid, Israel Is the World's Greatest Hope
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Israel is no longer viewed as a liability by foreign actors but rather a reliable power worth copying and mimicking.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/11/amid_covid_israel_is_the_worlds_greatest_hope_533240.html
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/37eb2bb0ec33517d5d37d5e902351a6ab8ad889dbfb9e73d15e699a9768b604e.json
|
[
"Israel is no longer viewed as a liability by foreign actors but rather a reliable power worth copying and mimicking.",
"Amid Covid, Israel Is the World's Greatest Hope",
"Amid Covid, Israel Is the World's Greatest Hope | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-27T22:43:11 | null | 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
Vegas School District Suicide Crisis Worse Than You Think | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F27%2Fvegas_school_district_suicide_crisis_worse_than_you_think_534512.html.json
|
en
| null |
Vegas School District Suicide Crisis Worse Than You Think
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
It will take years to fully understand how much damage a year of school closures did to the mental health of Clark County children. The early indicators are heartbreaking.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/27/vegas_school_district_suicide_crisis_worse_than_you_think_534512.html
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/f660452d946f9e54b3e14b7e51ac9cc25eb193262a1f59c6e59099ba38ad7374.json
|
[
"It will take years to fully understand how much damage a year of school closures did to the mental health of Clark County children. The early indicators are heartbreaking.",
"Vegas School District Suicide Crisis Worse Than You Think",
"Vegas School District Suicide Crisis Worse Than You Think | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-12T01:14:51 | null | 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
WASHINGTON (AP) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that he will designate Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Fpompeo_to_designate_yemens_houthi_rebels_as_terrorist_group_145005.html.json
|
en
| null |
Pompeo To Designate Yemen’s Houthi Rebels as Terrorist Group
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that he will designate Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels as a “foreign terrorist organization” as time runs down on the Trump administration. The designation will take effect on Jan. 19, one day before president-elect Joe Biden takes office.
The announcement Sunday comes as Pompeo and his top aides rush to complete actions they believe will cement their legacy and the president’s. In addition to the Houthi designation, Pompeo in coming days is also expected to likely re-designate Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” according to several admininstration officials.
Both moves will impose or re-impose sanctions on the targets and may complicate the incoming Biden administration’s diplomacy. On Saturday Pompeo angered China when he declared restrictions on U.S. diplomatic contacts with Taiwanese officials to be null and void. In addition, Pompeo plans before leaving office on Jan. 20 to draw explicit links between Iran and al-Qaida and hit more Iranian entities with sanctions, the officials said.
The officials were not authorized to discuss the steps publicly because they have not yet been announced and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The administration had been weighing the formal designation of the Houthi rebels as a “foreign terrorist organization” for months. But that effort had been bogged down in internal disagreements over whether sanctions could be effectively enforced without worsening the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Objections from the Treasury Department were apparently overcome last week after certain exemptions to the sanctions allowing for aid work to continue were arranged.
Late Sunday, Pompeo announced that he was proceeding with the designation of the Houthis., also known as Ansarsallah, along with separate terrorist designations of three senior rebel leaders.
“These designations will provide additional tools to confront terrorist activity and terrorism by Ansarallah, a deadly Iran-backed militia group in the Gulf region,” he said. “The designations are intended to hold Ansarallah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks threatening civilian populations, infrastructure, and commercial shipping. ”
Consideration of the designation had already prompted complaints from relief organizations that have warned the sanctions could prove catastrophic for efforts to help starving Yemeni civilians who have been caught in the conflict between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
“The United States recognizes concerns that these designations will have an impact on the humanitarian situation in Yemen,” Pompeo said in his statement. “We are planning to put in place measures to reduce their impact on certain humanitarian activity and imports into Yemen.”
Those measures will include the issuance of special licenses by Treasury to allow U.S. assistance to continue to flow to Yemen and for humanitarian organizations to continue to work there, he said.
President Donald Trump has taken a tough line on Cuba and rolled back many of the sanctions that the Obama administration had eased or lifted as part of a broader rapprochement with the communist island. Removing Cuba from the “state sponsors of terrorism” list had been a key component of that effort and re-listing the country has been a long-term goal of Pompeo’s.
Such a designation is a legal one and it was not immediately clear on Sunday if all the technical criteria needed to restore Cuba to the list had been met, according to the officials. In removing Cuba from the list, the Obama administration had determined that the country no longer supported international terrorism, but Pompeo is expected to cite Cuban support for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a major justification for the move, the officials said.
Pompeo is also expected to deliver remarks later this week denouncing Iran for its alleged harboring and support for members of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. In November, U.S, officials said Iran had been harboring al-Qaida’s No. 2, Abu Muhammad al-Masri, who had been killed in August by Israeli agents in Iran along with his daughter, the widow of bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden.
The Trump administration has steadily ratcheted up pressure on Iran since the president withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and began to re-impose sanctions that had been eased under the agreement, which aimed to curb Iran’s atomic program.
On Saturday, Pompeo announced that he was rescinding all restrictions on contacts between U.S. diplomats and Taiwanese officials. Those restrictions had been in place since the U.S. formally adopted its “one China” policy in 1979 and recognized Beijing after dropping formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Pompeo has been at the forefront of the administration’s push to go after China for its actions in Taiwan, crackdowns on dissent and human rights in Tibet, Hong Kong and the western Xinjiang region, as well as Beijing’s disputed maritime claims in the South China Sea.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/11/pompeo_to_designate_yemens_houthi_rebels_as_terrorist_group_145005.html
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/53ca99103af2f2779554d47930b8f4a819ee73c5f4671c1e3186c8bf1f7cbd36.json
|
[
"WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that he will designate Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels as a “foreign terrorist organization” as time runs down on the Trump administration. The designation will take effect on Jan. 19, one day before president-elect Joe Biden takes office.\nThe announcement Sunday comes as Pompeo and his top aides rush to complete actions they believe will cement their legacy and the president’s. In addition to the Houthi designation, Pompeo in coming days is also expected to likely re-designate Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” according to several admininstration officials.\nBoth moves will impose or re-impose sanctions on the targets and may complicate the incoming Biden administration’s diplomacy. On Saturday Pompeo angered China when he declared restrictions on U.S. diplomatic contacts with Taiwanese officials to be null and void. In addition, Pompeo plans before leaving office on Jan. 20 to draw explicit links between Iran and al-Qaida and hit more Iranian entities with sanctions, the officials said.\nThe officials were not authorized to discuss the steps publicly because they have not yet been announced and spoke on condition of anonymity.\nThe administration had been weighing the formal designation of the Houthi rebels as a “foreign terrorist organization” for months. But that effort had been bogged down in internal disagreements over whether sanctions could be effectively enforced without worsening the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen.\nObjections from the Treasury Department were apparently overcome last week after certain exemptions to the sanctions allowing for aid work to continue were arranged.\nLate Sunday, Pompeo announced that he was proceeding with the designation of the Houthis., also known as Ansarsallah, along with separate terrorist designations of three senior rebel leaders.\n“These designations will provide additional tools to confront terrorist activity and terrorism by Ansarallah, a deadly Iran-backed militia group in the Gulf region,” he said. “The designations are intended to hold Ansarallah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks threatening civilian populations, infrastructure, and commercial shipping. ”\nConsideration of the designation had already prompted complaints from relief organizations that have warned the sanctions could prove catastrophic for efforts to help starving Yemeni civilians who have been caught in the conflict between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.\n“The United States recognizes concerns that these designations will have an impact on the humanitarian situation in Yemen,” Pompeo said in his statement. “We are planning to put in place measures to reduce their impact on certain humanitarian activity and imports into Yemen.”\nThose measures will include the issuance of special licenses by Treasury to allow U.S. assistance to continue to flow to Yemen and for humanitarian organizations to continue to work there, he said.\nPresident Donald Trump has taken a tough line on Cuba and rolled back many of the sanctions that the Obama administration had eased or lifted as part of a broader rapprochement with the communist island. Removing Cuba from the “state sponsors of terrorism” list had been a key component of that effort and re-listing the country has been a long-term goal of Pompeo’s.\nSuch a designation is a legal one and it was not immediately clear on Sunday if all the technical criteria needed to restore Cuba to the list had been met, according to the officials. In removing Cuba from the list, the Obama administration had determined that the country no longer supported international terrorism, but Pompeo is expected to cite Cuban support for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a major justification for the move, the officials said.\nPompeo is also expected to deliver remarks later this week denouncing Iran for its alleged harboring and support for members of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. In November, U.S, officials said Iran had been harboring al-Qaida’s No. 2, Abu Muhammad al-Masri, who had been killed in August by Israeli agents in Iran along with his daughter, the widow of bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden.\nThe Trump administration has steadily ratcheted up pressure on Iran since the president withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and began to re-impose sanctions that had been eased under the agreement, which aimed to curb Iran’s atomic program.\nOn Saturday, Pompeo announced that he was rescinding all restrictions on contacts between U.S. diplomats and Taiwanese officials. Those restrictions had been in place since the U.S. formally adopted its “one China” policy in 1979 and recognized Beijing after dropping formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.\nPompeo has been at the forefront of the administration’s push to go after China for its actions in Taiwan, crackdowns on dissent and human rights in Tibet, Hong Kong and the western Xinjiang region, as well as Beijing’s disputed maritime claims in the South China Sea.",
"Pompeo To Designate Yemen’s Houthi Rebels as Terrorist Group",
"WASHINGTON (AP) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that he will designate Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-23T21:47:54 | null | 2021-01-23T00:00:00 |
The Radical Normality of Biden's First Days in Office | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F23%2Fthe_radical_normality_of_bidens_first_days_in_office_534159.html.json
|
en
| null |
The Radical Normality of Biden's First Days in Office
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/23/the_radical_normality_of_bidens_first_days_in_office_534159.html
|
en
| 2021-01-23T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/7aab2c98e855c80731c7ab84fed7e8a812485f259ceb9f8265b8ffe7a9ec315d.json
|
[
"The Radical Normality of Biden's First Days in Office",
"The Radical Normality of Biden's First Days in Office | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-08T06:37:14 | null | 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
GA Confirms Pre-Trump Republican Party Is Dead & Gone | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fga_confirms_pre-trump_republican_party_is_dead_amp_gone_532920.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
GA Confirms Pre-Trump Republican Party Is Dead & Gone
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Trump leaves his party in better shape than his previous two predecessors left theirs, but the GOP is still at war with itself.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/07/ga_confirms_pre-trump_republican_party_is_dead_amp_gone_532920.html
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/5e740fb1d28bacad6d33b796f61968f99ae9dffdd2ba61e00c1a9a560c5b4655.json
|
[
"Trump leaves his party in better shape than his previous two predecessors left theirs, but the GOP is still at war with itself.",
"GA Confirms Pre-Trump Republican Party Is Dead & Gone",
"GA Confirms Pre-Trump Republican Party Is Dead & Gone | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-18T18:23:30 | null | 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
Dem Efforts to Purge GOP a Threat to the Republic | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F18%2Fdem_efforts_to_purge_gop_a_threat_to_the_republic_533730.html.json
|
en
| null |
Dem Efforts to Purge GOP a Threat to the Republic
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
If you aren't worried about the heavy-handed reaction by the Democrats to the recent insurrection at the Capitol, you should be.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/18/dem_efforts_to_purge_gop_a_threat_to_the_republic_533730.html
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/f0a811efb8e0ca1e7be4e28fedeb90c0f33eac7982335ce121c16cacbde76b16.json
|
[
"If you aren't worried about the heavy-handed reaction by the Democrats to the recent insurrection at the Capitol, you should be.",
"Dem Efforts to Purge GOP a Threat to the Republic",
"Dem Efforts to Purge GOP a Threat to the Republic | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-16T19:05:01 | null | 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
Is Israel's Arab Joint List Breaking Up Ahead of March Elections? | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F16%2Fis_israels_arab_joint_list_breaking_up_ahead_of_march_elections_533651.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Is Israel's Arab Joint List Breaking Up Ahead of March Elections?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/16/is_israels_arab_joint_list_breaking_up_ahead_of_march_elections_533651.html
|
en
| 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/58ecd1093fcf5973fa44a932272217637c0ed102926e913c64c285456b6588d5.json
|
[
"Is Israel's Arab Joint List Breaking Up Ahead of March Elections?",
"Is Israel's Arab Joint List Breaking Up Ahead of March Elections? | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-10T16:50:47 | null | 2021-01-10T00:00:00 |
The Way Forward for America After Trump | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F10%2Fthe_way_forward_for_america_after_trump_533133.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
The Way Forward for America After Trump
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
The Way Forward for America After Trump
Editorial: In the post-President Donald Trump era, we have to find a way forward as a nation. Our future depends on it.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/10/the_way_forward_for_america_after_trump_533133.html
|
en
| 2021-01-10T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/092acbac16ca0b34e1832065cf0c98ce0b0df734946aec3b7470331155e95123.json
|
[
"The Way Forward for America After Trump\nEditorial: In the post-President Donald Trump era, we have to find a way forward as a nation. Our future depends on it.",
"The Way Forward for America After Trump",
"The Way Forward for America After Trump | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-30T18:00:52 | null | 2021-01-30T00:00:00 |
How Biden's Stimulus Bill Could Actually Build Back Better | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F30%2Fhow_bidens_stimulus_bill_could_actually_build_back_better_534715.html.json
|
en
| null |
How Biden's Stimulus Bill Could Actually Build Back Better
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
How Biden's Stimulus Bill Could Actually Build Back Better
The economic relief bill should address the current crisis — but it can try to mitigate the next crisis, too.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/30/how_bidens_stimulus_bill_could_actually_build_back_better_534715.html
|
en
| 2021-01-30T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/d14847dbd6c0c5fe4b0f3141aa0e67b88049cbb5b623edb3170c610351cd8577.json
|
[
"How Biden's Stimulus Bill Could Actually Build Back Better\nThe economic relief bill should address the current crisis — but it can try to mitigate the next crisis, too.",
"How Biden's Stimulus Bill Could Actually Build Back Better",
"How Biden's Stimulus Bill Could Actually Build Back Better | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-27T19:37:25 | null | 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
Good morning, its Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. I keep thinking the news cant get any worse -- and then we learn that while most Americans desperately await...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F27%2Fuighur_advocacy_canceling_lincoln_pandemic_plan__145132.html.json
|
en
| null |
Uighur Advocacy; Canceling Lincoln; Pandemic Plan
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Good morning, it’s Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. I keep thinking the news can’t get any worse -- and then we learn that while most Americans desperately await their chance to get COVID vaccinations, a majority of nursing home workers in this country are refusing to take their shots. President Biden did his part yesterday in announcing stepped up federal efforts and producing more of the life-saving serum, but you wonder sometimes if America is still governable.
On that cheery note, I’d point you to RCP’s front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. Today’s lineup features Dhruv Khullar (The New Yorker), Rep. Raul Grijalva (The Hill), Jamelle Bouie (New York Times), and Matt Welch (Reason). We also offer original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors this morning, including the following:
* * *
Uighur Advocates: Will Biden Actions Match Words on ‘Genocide’? Susan Crabtree reports on the new team’s support for the Trump administration’s stance on China’s mistreatment of the Muslim minority.
Republican Attacks on Liz Cheney Will Backfire. Robert Doar explains why.
A New Generation of Diverse Leaders Helps Expand the GOP. Paris Dennard highlights the election of Rep. Byron Donalds as emblematic of young African Americans drawn to the party’s message of freedom and opportunity.
Facebook Cancels Abe Lincoln. John Cribb describes how the social media giant rejected attempts to place an ad for his historical novel about the 16th president.
Will the Truth on COVID Restrictions Really Prevail? Scott W. Atlas contends that data on state infections/hospitalizations/deaths undermines “the science” behind the closure of businesses and other lockdown measures.
For Stability in Afghanistan, Invest in Women. At RealClearWorld, Farhat Popal urges the Biden administration to protect gains in human rights in negotiations with the Taliban.
RealClearPolicy Webinar on Biden’s Crypto Policies. Highlights from the event (and the full video) can be found here.
Why Warner Bros. Went to Simultaneous Streaming. At RealClearMarkets, Eric Fruits examines the upset created in Hollywood when the film studio changed its plans for releasing films.
Civic Virtues as Moral Facts: Recovering the Other Half of Our Founding. In the latest 1776 Series essay, Daniel J. Mahoney contrasts the moral consensus of early America with the subjective, rights-based morality that defines American culture today.
* * *
Carl M. Cannon
Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics
@CarlCannon (Twitter)
[email protected]
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/27/uighur_advocacy_canceling_lincoln_pandemic_plan__145132.html
|
en
| 2021-01-27T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/1e76d2167fffa8277d5646e17c964029e774e989b10e391465b2f3fee763d37c.json
|
[
"Good morning, it’s Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. I keep thinking the news can’t get any worse -- and then we learn that while most Americans desperately await their chance to get COVID vaccinations, a majority of nursing home workers in this country are refusing to take their shots. President Biden did his part yesterday in announcing stepped up federal efforts and producing more of the life-saving serum, but you wonder sometimes if America is still governable.\nOn that cheery note, I’d point you to RCP’s front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. Today’s lineup features Dhruv Khullar (The New Yorker), Rep. Raul Grijalva (The Hill), Jamelle Bouie (New York Times), and Matt Welch (Reason). We also offer original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors this morning, including the following:\n* * *\nUighur Advocates: Will Biden Actions Match Words on ‘Genocide’? Susan Crabtree reports on the new team’s support for the Trump administration’s stance on China’s mistreatment of the Muslim minority.\nRepublican Attacks on Liz Cheney Will Backfire. Robert Doar explains why.\nA New Generation of Diverse Leaders Helps Expand the GOP. Paris Dennard highlights the election of Rep. Byron Donalds as emblematic of young African Americans drawn to the party’s message of freedom and opportunity.\nFacebook Cancels Abe Lincoln. John Cribb describes how the social media giant rejected attempts to place an ad for his historical novel about the 16th president.\nWill the Truth on COVID Restrictions Really Prevail? Scott W. Atlas contends that data on state infections/hospitalizations/deaths undermines “the science” behind the closure of businesses and other lockdown measures.\nFor Stability in Afghanistan, Invest in Women. At RealClearWorld, Farhat Popal urges the Biden administration to protect gains in human rights in negotiations with the Taliban.\nRealClearPolicy Webinar on Biden’s Crypto Policies. Highlights from the event (and the full video) can be found here.\nWhy Warner Bros. Went to Simultaneous Streaming. At RealClearMarkets, Eric Fruits examines the upset created in Hollywood when the film studio changed its plans for releasing films.\nCivic Virtues as Moral Facts: Recovering the Other Half of Our Founding. In the latest 1776 Series essay, Daniel J. Mahoney contrasts the moral consensus of early America with the subjective, rights-based morality that defines American culture today.\n* * *\nCarl M. Cannon\nWashington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics\n@CarlCannon (Twitter)\[email protected]",
"Uighur Advocacy; Canceling Lincoln; Pandemic Plan",
"Good morning, its Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. I keep thinking the news cant get any worse -- and then we learn that while most Americans desperately await..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-18T18:24:41 | null | 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
Why Dems and the Media Demonize All Republicans | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F18%2Fwhy_dems_and_the_media_demonize_all_republicans_533728.html.json
|
en
| null |
Why Dems and the Media Demonize All Republicans
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Why Dems and the Media Demonize All Republicans
There’s a reason why blameless Republicans and Trump voters are being tarred with the same brush as the Capitol rioters.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/18/why_dems_and_the_media_demonize_all_republicans_533728.html
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/fee5d2708d36c949b478820067822e5d012f529348d11d75a5004cd199d5f336.json
|
[
"Why Dems and the Media Demonize All Republicans\nThere’s a reason why blameless Republicans and Trump voters are being tarred with the same brush as the Capitol rioters.",
"Why Dems and the Media Demonize All Republicans",
"Why Dems and the Media Demonize All Republicans | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-14T00:31:55 | null | 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
Leftists Are Colonizing Red Towns | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F13%2Fleftists_are_colonizing_red_towns_533417.html.json
|
en
| null |
Leftists Are Colonizing Red Towns
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Complacency is a problem for east Tennesseans. They are so used to Republicans winning elections that they falsely assume victory is automatic. It is not.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/13/leftists_are_colonizing_red_towns_533417.html
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/8c157e5b133cc05aa94010b7c0260e33a8511b2707e29d1e71fb499fc2ae72e8.json
|
[
"Complacency is a problem for east Tennesseans. They are so used to Republicans winning elections that they falsely assume victory is automatic. It is not.",
"Leftists Are Colonizing Red Towns",
"Leftists Are Colonizing Red Towns | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-08T06:37:04 | null | 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
As Goes Georgia--Will Dems Break the Midterm Jinx? | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fas_goes_georgia--will_dems_break_the_midterm_jinx_532889.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
As Goes Georgia--Will Dems Break the Midterm Jinx?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/07/as_goes_georgia--will_dems_break_the_midterm_jinx_532889.html
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/fce267486cff5ffc501b5272d6759f39b621456f3a3be957fff3544b3a3c7b7f.json
|
[
"As Goes Georgia--Will Dems Break the Midterm Jinx?",
"As Goes Georgia--Will Dems Break the Midterm Jinx? | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-25T20:47:22 | null | 2021-01-25T00:00:00 |
Biden's Actions Speak Louder Than Words | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Fbidens_actions_speak_louder_than_words_534377.html.json
|
en
| null |
Biden's Actions Speak Louder Than Words
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Hours after giving his excellent inaugural speech, President Biden went to the White House and signed 17 executive orders—including more than a dozen which totally contradict his pledge of bipartisanship.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/25/bidens_actions_speak_louder_than_words_534377.html
|
en
| 2021-01-25T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/052c2afbd3fc6b84a79161f7a74d2aee5316b01bde4995f69cb362a8a47ade94.json
|
[
"Hours after giving his excellent inaugural speech, President Biden went to the White House and signed 17 executive orders—including more than a dozen which totally contradict his pledge of bipartisanship.",
"Biden's Actions Speak Louder Than Words",
"Biden's Actions Speak Louder Than Words | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-07T21:47:08 | null | 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
The Five Crises of the American Regime | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fthe_five_crises_of_the_american_regime_532938.html.json
|
en
| null |
The Five Crises of the American Regime
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
The Five Crises of the American Regime
The mob assault on the Capitol is simply another entry in the catalog of American decline
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/07/the_five_crises_of_the_american_regime_532938.html
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/bd3a441bad6e1d4c83edb7ba50a07c5aee256b11744bf0811bc9193f5b9a05c8.json
|
[
"The Five Crises of the American Regime\nThe mob assault on the Capitol is simply another entry in the catalog of American decline",
"The Five Crises of the American Regime",
"The Five Crises of the American Regime | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-19T18:01:49 | null | 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
Biden's First Economic Relief Bill Isn't Screwing Around | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Fbidens_first_economic_relief_bill_isnt_screwing_around_533535.html.json
|
en
| null |
Biden's First Economic Relief Bill Isn't Screwing Around
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Joe Biden does indeed want to go big. The president-elect is presenting a propose a new, $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Thursday night as the first item on his to-do list in office, a plan aimed at speeding up the vaccination rollout while providing vast amounts of financial support to households as well as state and local governments.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/19/bidens_first_economic_relief_bill_isnt_screwing_around_533535.html
|
en
| 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/9f853dc589b77e0d628b07a5d10bfbd277d5d0f20f5532fbca6ede9be7ab0d14.json
|
[
"Joe Biden does indeed want to go big. The president-elect is presenting a propose a new, $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Thursday night as the first item on his to-do list in office, a plan aimed at speeding up the vaccination rollout while providing vast amounts of financial support to households as well as state and local governments.",
"Biden's First Economic Relief Bill Isn't Screwing Around",
"Biden's First Economic Relief Bill Isn't Screwing Around | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-22T21:21:13 | null | 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
Inside Biden's Agenda for His First 100 Days | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F22%2Finside_bidens_agenda_for_his_first_100_days_534153.html.json
|
en
| null |
Inside Biden's Agenda for His First 100 Days
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Biden's first three months in office will be about far more than just signaling a shift in tone
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/22/inside_bidens_agenda_for_his_first_100_days_534153.html
|
en
| 2021-01-22T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/fb37d74530aa5cdc4e2cd42bde6dd87979fce82d058cac45d5b6999f7c489f57.json
|
[
"Biden's first three months in office will be about far more than just signaling a shift in tone",
"Inside Biden's Agenda for His First 100 Days",
"Inside Biden's Agenda for His First 100 Days | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-29T22:57:28 | null | 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
Biden's Grand Opening | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2Fbidens_grand_opening_534552.html.json
|
en
| null |
Biden's Grand Opening
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
With an economic rescue plan that is both ambitious and well targeted, US President Joe Biden and his team have demonstrated a clear understanding of the scale and range of action that the current situation requires. A broader reconstruction plan can and must come later; but crisis management remains the order of the day.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/29/bidens_grand_opening_534552.html
|
en
| 2021-01-29T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/698a42fd0e78e0545d2ec93198de6e373a117d160884efd59807cb9ec25dcbd3.json
|
[
"With an economic rescue plan that is both ambitious and well targeted, US President Joe Biden and his team have demonstrated a clear understanding of the scale and range of action that the current situation requires. A broader reconstruction plan can and must come later; but crisis management remains the order of the day.",
"Biden's Grand Opening",
"Biden's Grand Opening | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-25T13:52:30 | null | 2021-01-25T00:00:00 |
Sen. Mitch McConnell was handily reelected in November, and has cemented his legacy as the architect of a recast judiciary that saw 230 new conservative...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Fmitch_mcconnells_time_for_choosing_145113.html.json
|
en
| null |
Mitch McConnell's Time for Choosing
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Sen. Mitch McConnell was handily reelected in November, and has cemented his legacy as the architect of a recast judiciary that saw 230 new conservative federal judges and three Supreme Court justices join the bench in just four years. He has also just lost his job as majority leader, and witnessed one of the darkest hours for our nation, and certainly the darkest hour for the GOP, in his lifetime. But for a 78-year-old man, closing in on four decades in the U.S. Congress and perhaps in his final term in office, the most difficult and challenging days and weeks of his career are still before him.
All eyes are on McConnell, from corporate titans to Main Street voters, as they await whether he will work across the aisle on critical issues like pandemic relief, or thwart President Biden’s agenda. But it is what McConnell will do within his own party that will determine not only his place in history but the future of the GOP and the integrity and independence of the Congress.
CNN reported Friday that “dozens of influential Republicans, including some former Trump administration officials,” are lobbying McConnell to support an impeachment conviction of the former president and a vote to bar him from future office as the best, and only, way for the party to move on. A vote by McConnell to convict Trump would likely provide necessary cover for other like-minded Republican senators to do the same.
McConnell’s break with Trump came on Jan. 6. Hours after Republicans lost the Senate -- when Trump doomed the runoff races for incumbent Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue but before the storming of the Capitol -- McConnell finally spoke out against the president’s election fraud big lie and his colleagues' complicity in it. “If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral,” he said on the Senate floor that morning.
Immediately after the attack on the Capitol, McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, resigned as transportation secretary. And McConnell World, the most loyal of teams that doesn't ever leak, then orchestrated a leak blessed from the top to let the media know the leader “hates” Trump, wouldn’t speak to him ever again, was glad House Democrats were impeaching him, and would possibly vote to convict in a Senate trial.
McConnell, and Republicans urging him to distance the party from Trump, know the former president cost the party its Senate majority by depressing votes in the Georgia runoffs, and that his incitement of sedition, willingness to endanger Vice President Pence, refusal to stop the riots while they were ongoing, and praise of the rioters, amounted to a dangerous stain on the country by a leader betraying the Constitution.
By trying to move on from Trump, it doesn’t appear McConnell hopes to return the party to its former principles -- free market capitalism, free trade, the rule of law, limited government, debt reduction -- all of which were tossed or trashed by Trump. This notion is a lost cause, and not one GOP leader even mentioned federalism or the sovereignty of states in the aftermath of a violent mob attempting to steal an election and overthrow the government. McConnell and others aligned with him are merely hoping to distance the party from the illiberalism of Trumpism in hopes of winning back some of the voters Republicans lost in the Trump years. To earn credibility with those voters they must disavow what Trump did.
Over at Fox News, Sean Hannity is telling his audience Republicans need a new leader in the Senate because McConnell is “king of the establishment Republicans.” He is indeed. And the establishment is interested in moving away from brain-washing lies, chief among them Trump’s claim of election fraud. They instead would like to be a party that can collect the corporate dollars now being banned and denied them.
Republicans like McConnell are right, but they dwell in a lonely minority. Trump is, quite literally, working to break the party by threatening to begin a new MAGA or “Patriot” party -- a gift to Democrats. The GOP has splintered since the deadly insurrection. Blanket rejections of violence are as far as Republicans have gone as a group, and there are still only five or six in either chamber who have told voters they were lied to.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said the night of Jan. 6 that he was done with Trump, ran back to his perch as a top Trump adviser within days. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who said Trump bore some responsibility for the deadly attack on Congress, is now walking back his statements, saying Trump didn’t provoke violence and everyone in the country is responsible for what happened.
An impeachment trial will begin in the Senate in two weeks. Now out of office, Trump would not be removed by a conviction, but could be banned from future office with an accompanying vote. Conviction, requiring 67 votes -- 17 Republicans joining Democrats -- is nearly impossible. Republicans from critical corners of the conference have made that clear. It’s not just those eying a run for president in 2024, or ardent Trumpkins like Sen. Ron Johnson, who are trying to fend off a Trump-fueled primary challenge in 2022. Sen. John Cornyn, a close leadership ally of McConnell’s who was just reelected, is the kind of Republican hoping to move on from Trump and who would be needed for conviction. He says a trial is “vindictive.” Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of leadership, said a trial is “stupid.” Graham was the most blunt, saying on Fox News last week that anyone wanting to erase Trump is “going to get erased.”
In a statement released to the press Sunday, Trump aide Jason Miller made clear the threat to House members who voted for impeachment and to those Senate Republicans considering voting to convict. “The president has made clear his goal is to win back the House and Senate for Republicans in 2022," Miller said. "There’s nothing that's actively being planned regarding an effort outside of that, but it’s completely up to Republican senators if this is something that becomes more serious."
GOP House members, and their leaders -- with the exception of Rep. Liz Cheney -- have absorbed the threat. There are primary challenges awaiting Cheney and the other nine Republicans who voted for impeachment, and Cheney also faces censure at home plus a move by more than 115 of her colleagues to remove her as chair of the House GOP Conference. Vocal Trumpkins like Rep. Matt Gaetz are denouncing Cheney as a danger to the party and insisting “President Trump is still the leader of the Republican Party and the America First movement.” Freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has embraced QAnon conspiracy theories, has warned the only organizing principle for Republicans is Trump. “The vast majority of Republican voters, volunteers, and donors are no longer loyal to the GOP, Republican Party, and candidates just because they have an R by their name. Their loyalty now lies with Donald J. Trump.”
McConnell is an institutionalist who doesn’t like government shutdowns, or threats to breach the debt ceiling. He repeatedly resisted pressure from Trump to eliminate the filibuster, which was, at that time, protecting the rights of the Democratic minority in the Senate. He vigorously defended democracy in his Jan. 6 speech. Last week he graciously congratulated Sen. Chuck Schumer as the chamber's new majority leader.
He is also a fierce partisan. For all of McConnell’s candor since the morning of Jan. 6, he remains complicit by his silence until that deadly day. He never spoke out because he wanted to keep the Georgia seats, and he wanted to remain majority leader. McConnell famously blocked Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court nomination for 237 days, claiming the Senate couldn’t confirm a justice in the same year as an election but confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the high court eight days before an election -- in both cases because doing so helped his party. Right now, what McConnell thinks is best for the party is not what base voters think is best.
For McConnell, conviction should be easy. He swore an oath to defend the Constitution -- not a corrupt and dangerous president -- against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The permission that acquittal would provide to future demagogues and authoritarians is an invitation to future sedition and insurrection. An acquittal not only makes Trump more powerful, it is likely the end of impeachment as a constitutional tool as well, which threatens the check that Congress has on the executive. Will McConnell try to convince others to follow him?
The easy choice, of course, is acquiescence -- he can just back down. But that will likely doom the GOP to long-term minority status, as millions of Trump voters stop voting without their idol on the ticket and other voters write off the party for good. A partisan acquittal would also continue to erode the separation of powers and the constitutional order.
McConnell must soon choose a path and walk it. He knows he can’t go both ways.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/25/mitch_mcconnells_time_for_choosing_145113.html
|
en
| 2021-01-25T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/6940294abfeee5041d9611facb4d8502657f1d5371448ed8aada458bba129a24.json
|
[
"Sen. Mitch McConnell was handily reelected in November, and has cemented his legacy as the architect of a recast judiciary that saw 230 new conservative federal judges and three Supreme Court justices join the bench in just four years. He has also just lost his job as majority leader, and witnessed one of the darkest hours for our nation, and certainly the darkest hour for the GOP, in his lifetime. But for a 78-year-old man, closing in on four decades in the U.S. Congress and perhaps in his final term in office, the most difficult and challenging days and weeks of his career are still before him.\nAll eyes are on McConnell, from corporate titans to Main Street voters, as they await whether he will work across the aisle on critical issues like pandemic relief, or thwart President Biden’s agenda. But it is what McConnell will do within his own party that will determine not only his place in history but the future of the GOP and the integrity and independence of the Congress.\nCNN reported Friday that “dozens of influential Republicans, including some former Trump administration officials,” are lobbying McConnell to support an impeachment conviction of the former president and a vote to bar him from future office as the best, and only, way for the party to move on. A vote by McConnell to convict Trump would likely provide necessary cover for other like-minded Republican senators to do the same.\nMcConnell’s break with Trump came on Jan. 6. Hours after Republicans lost the Senate -- when Trump doomed the runoff races for incumbent Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue but before the storming of the Capitol -- McConnell finally spoke out against the president’s election fraud big lie and his colleagues' complicity in it. “If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral,” he said on the Senate floor that morning.\nImmediately after the attack on the Capitol, McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, resigned as transportation secretary. And McConnell World, the most loyal of teams that doesn't ever leak, then orchestrated a leak blessed from the top to let the media know the leader “hates” Trump, wouldn’t speak to him ever again, was glad House Democrats were impeaching him, and would possibly vote to convict in a Senate trial.\nMcConnell, and Republicans urging him to distance the party from Trump, know the former president cost the party its Senate majority by depressing votes in the Georgia runoffs, and that his incitement of sedition, willingness to endanger Vice President Pence, refusal to stop the riots while they were ongoing, and praise of the rioters, amounted to a dangerous stain on the country by a leader betraying the Constitution.\nBy trying to move on from Trump, it doesn’t appear McConnell hopes to return the party to its former principles -- free market capitalism, free trade, the rule of law, limited government, debt reduction -- all of which were tossed or trashed by Trump. This notion is a lost cause, and not one GOP leader even mentioned federalism or the sovereignty of states in the aftermath of a violent mob attempting to steal an election and overthrow the government. McConnell and others aligned with him are merely hoping to distance the party from the illiberalism of Trumpism in hopes of winning back some of the voters Republicans lost in the Trump years. To earn credibility with those voters they must disavow what Trump did.\nOver at Fox News, Sean Hannity is telling his audience Republicans need a new leader in the Senate because McConnell is “king of the establishment Republicans.” He is indeed. And the establishment is interested in moving away from brain-washing lies, chief among them Trump’s claim of election fraud. They instead would like to be a party that can collect the corporate dollars now being banned and denied them.\nRepublicans like McConnell are right, but they dwell in a lonely minority. Trump is, quite literally, working to break the party by threatening to begin a new MAGA or “Patriot” party -- a gift to Democrats. The GOP has splintered since the deadly insurrection. Blanket rejections of violence are as far as Republicans have gone as a group, and there are still only five or six in either chamber who have told voters they were lied to.\nSen. Lindsey Graham, who said the night of Jan. 6 that he was done with Trump, ran back to his perch as a top Trump adviser within days. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who said Trump bore some responsibility for the deadly attack on Congress, is now walking back his statements, saying Trump didn’t provoke violence and everyone in the country is responsible for what happened.\nAn impeachment trial will begin in the Senate in two weeks. Now out of office, Trump would not be removed by a conviction, but could be banned from future office with an accompanying vote. Conviction, requiring 67 votes -- 17 Republicans joining Democrats -- is nearly impossible. Republicans from critical corners of the conference have made that clear. It’s not just those eying a run for president in 2024, or ardent Trumpkins like Sen. Ron Johnson, who are trying to fend off a Trump-fueled primary challenge in 2022. Sen. John Cornyn, a close leadership ally of McConnell’s who was just reelected, is the kind of Republican hoping to move on from Trump and who would be needed for conviction. He says a trial is “vindictive.” Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of leadership, said a trial is “stupid.” Graham was the most blunt, saying on Fox News last week that anyone wanting to erase Trump is “going to get erased.”\nIn a statement released to the press Sunday, Trump aide Jason Miller made clear the threat to House members who voted for impeachment and to those Senate Republicans considering voting to convict. “The president has made clear his goal is to win back the House and Senate for Republicans in 2022,\" Miller said. \"There’s nothing that's actively being planned regarding an effort outside of that, but it’s completely up to Republican senators if this is something that becomes more serious.\"\nGOP House members, and their leaders -- with the exception of Rep. Liz Cheney -- have absorbed the threat. There are primary challenges awaiting Cheney and the other nine Republicans who voted for impeachment, and Cheney also faces censure at home plus a move by more than 115 of her colleagues to remove her as chair of the House GOP Conference. Vocal Trumpkins like Rep. Matt Gaetz are denouncing Cheney as a danger to the party and insisting “President Trump is still the leader of the Republican Party and the America First movement.” Freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has embraced QAnon conspiracy theories, has warned the only organizing principle for Republicans is Trump. “The vast majority of Republican voters, volunteers, and donors are no longer loyal to the GOP, Republican Party, and candidates just because they have an R by their name. Their loyalty now lies with Donald J. Trump.”\nMcConnell is an institutionalist who doesn’t like government shutdowns, or threats to breach the debt ceiling. He repeatedly resisted pressure from Trump to eliminate the filibuster, which was, at that time, protecting the rights of the Democratic minority in the Senate. He vigorously defended democracy in his Jan. 6 speech. Last week he graciously congratulated Sen. Chuck Schumer as the chamber's new majority leader.\nHe is also a fierce partisan. For all of McConnell’s candor since the morning of Jan. 6, he remains complicit by his silence until that deadly day. He never spoke out because he wanted to keep the Georgia seats, and he wanted to remain majority leader. McConnell famously blocked Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court nomination for 237 days, claiming the Senate couldn’t confirm a justice in the same year as an election but confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the high court eight days before an election -- in both cases because doing so helped his party. Right now, what McConnell thinks is best for the party is not what base voters think is best.\nFor McConnell, conviction should be easy. He swore an oath to defend the Constitution -- not a corrupt and dangerous president -- against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The permission that acquittal would provide to future demagogues and authoritarians is an invitation to future sedition and insurrection. An acquittal not only makes Trump more powerful, it is likely the end of impeachment as a constitutional tool as well, which threatens the check that Congress has on the executive. Will McConnell try to convince others to follow him?\nThe easy choice, of course, is acquiescence -- he can just back down. But that will likely doom the GOP to long-term minority status, as millions of Trump voters stop voting without their idol on the ticket and other voters write off the party for good. A partisan acquittal would also continue to erode the separation of powers and the constitutional order.\nMcConnell must soon choose a path and walk it. He knows he can’t go both ways.",
"Mitch McConnell's Time for Choosing",
"Sen. Mitch McConnell was handily reelected in November, and has cemented his legacy as the architect of a recast judiciary that saw 230 new conservative..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-04T03:24:47 | null | 2021-01-03T00:00:00 |
Hawley Tramples the 2020 Vote in His Run to 2024 | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F03%2Fhawley_tramples_the_2020_vote_in_his_run_to_2024_532559.html.json
|
en
| null |
Hawley Tramples the 2020 Vote in His Run to 2024
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Hawley Tramples the 2020 Vote in His Run to 2024
Like every Republican hopeful not named Trump, Hawley has been pondering how to jump the competition.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/03/hawley_tramples_the_2020_vote_in_his_run_to_2024_532559.html
|
en
| 2021-01-03T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/92cd7182b0b801cbf9847e47955ecd1d496a82280ab5b1fe979b7302e3158a0c.json
|
[
"Hawley Tramples the 2020 Vote in His Run to 2024\nLike every Republican hopeful not named Trump, Hawley has been pondering how to jump the competition.",
"Hawley Tramples the 2020 Vote in His Run to 2024",
"Hawley Tramples the 2020 Vote in His Run to 2024 | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-13T15:01:28 | null | 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
Why I'll Vote to Impeach President Trump Again | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F13%2Fwhy_ill_vote_to_impeach_president_trump_again_533391.html.json
|
en
| null |
Why I'll Vote to Impeach President Trump Again
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Why I'll Vote to Impeach President Trump Again
Congress has bigger fish to fry, but president must be held accountable for inciting violence
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/13/why_ill_vote_to_impeach_president_trump_again_533391.html
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/2d31191a3cd77bd45935c49b88e030559cc3e3437499a6d36cf6ed62a75b3de8.json
|
[
"Why I'll Vote to Impeach President Trump Again\nCongress has bigger fish to fry, but president must be held accountable for inciting violence",
"Why I'll Vote to Impeach President Trump Again",
"Why I'll Vote to Impeach President Trump Again | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[
"January"
] | 2021-01-19T23:51:29 | null | 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
Donald Trump was permanently banned from Twitter on Jan. 8, bringing to an end to perhaps the worlds most prolific and influential Twitter account. While Twitter has deleted all of his tweets, the...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Ftrumps_twitter_signature_a_12-year_timeline_145070.html.json
|
en
| null |
Trump's Twitter Signature: A 12-Year Timeline
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Donald Trump was permanently banned from Twitter on Jan. 8, bringing to an end to perhaps the world’s most prolific and influential Twitter account. While Twitter has deleted all of his tweets, the Trump Twitter Archive has preserved the 56,571 utterances sent by @realDonaldTrump since his first one on May 4, 2009. What can we learn about how Trump used his account over the years?
The timeline below shows the total number of tweets he sent each week since he joined. Trump didn’t begin tweeting heavily until August 2011 and really embraced it starting in September 2012 as he weighed in on that year’s presidential election. Beginning in October 2015, he steadily decreased his Twitter use week over week through the election, at which point he began to steadily ramp up his use. But from the 2020 election through his ban, he tweeted less and less. (Click the image to enlarge it.)
Did Trump primarily tweet his own thoughts or amplify those of others? Zooming in on the August 2011-to-present period, the timeline below shows the percentage of his tweets that were retweets. It was not until January 2016 that he began noticeably retweeting others and it was not until the start of 2019 that he began relying ever more heavily on retweets. Yet, starting in July 2020, amid the ongoing George Floyd protests, he began turning back to his own statements. In all, 10,170 (18%) of his tweets were retweets.
His increasing reliance on retweets coincides with a sharp decrease in the percentage of his tweets that exclude retweets (this includes replies and mentioning other accounts), dropping from around 80%-90% of his tweets to around 30% by mid-2016. Only in early 2019 did he begin once again mentioning other users, increasing through the end of 2019 and decreasing again from July 2020 onward. It appears the Floyd protests marked a turning point in which he shifted from largely amplifying the thoughts of others toward mostly putting forth his own commentaries. In all, 58% of his tweets have mentioned another user.
Since mid-2019 he has steadily increased the percentage of capitalized letters in his tweets, from 8% a week to 12%, but has decreased his use of capitalized letters in the weeks since the election. In contrast, since the start of 2019 he has steadily reduced his use of exclamation points, from as much as 70% of his weekly tweets to around 40%, but then steadily increased their use in the weeks since the election.
Just over 28% of Trump’s tweets contained either an image or video or a link to an external website. The most common sites he linked to were pscp.tv, facebook.com, donaldjtrump.com, breitbart.com, whitehouse.gov, winred.com, instagram.com, youtube.com, foxnews.com, thegreggjarrett.com, dailycaller.com, washingtonexaminer.com, nypost.com and thehill.com.
How often does Trump refer to himself? The timeline below shows the percentage of his tweets that mentioned “I,” “me,” or “Trump” versus “we,” “our,” or “ours.” From late 2012 to early 2016 he tended to spend four times as many tweets on himself. As his campaign accelerated during 2016, he sharply decreased his mentions of himself and steadily increased his references to “we” and “our” and “ours.” By his election he was using the two sets of terms equally, but began decreasing use of both categories in mid-2019.
What about the tone of his tweets? The timeline below shows the average weekly tone of his tweets using an eight-week rolling average of the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) tone dictionary. Tone is computed by counting the percentage of his words that were deemed “negative” (top Trump words include “fake” and “bad”) and subtracting them from the percentage of words deemed “positive” (top Trump words include “great” and “thank”). Higher weekly scores indicate there were more positive words than negative words that week.
The tone of Trump’s tweets begins a steady negative slide in late May 2015 just before he formally announced his candidacy and reached a bottom in January 2020. As the pandemic raged, the tone of his tweets became sharply more positive as he projected an optimistic and upbeat message. In April he shifted his tone towards greater negativity and then rebounded in August heading into the election, then turned hard negative in the weeks after the election.
How much did Trump’s tweets resonate with the media? The timeline below shows the number of online news articles per day that linked to one of his tweets from April 20, 2016 through present, as monitored by the GDELT Project. Despite tweeting more than ever, media interest in his tweets had been on a steady decline leading up to the 2020 election. His claims of a stolen election appear to have reversed this decline, drawing widespread coverage.
For Trump himself, “television became the medium through which he could watch the effects of his tweets,” the New York Times reported, while for voters themselves, 72% heard about his tweets through television coverage. So how much coverage did his tweets receive? Using data from the Internet Archive Television News Archive, the heatmap below shows the seconds of airtime each hour from Jan. 1, 2020 through present across BBC News London, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News in which the text “@realDonaldTrump” was visible somewhere on-screen.
Since the start of last year, BBC showed his tweets over more than five hours of airtime, with CNN, MSNBC Fox News each devoting around 14.7 hours to his tweets. Even banishment from Twitter hasn’t eliminated coverage of his tweets. In the days since the ban his Twitter handle is still shown on air for 100-200 seconds a day across the four channels, a decrease of around half of his pre-ban levels.
In the end, the graphs above show how celebrity Trump evolved into candidate Trump into President Trump and how his use of the platform changed from touting himself to amplifying the views of others, his focus on negativity and the media’s fixation on his every word.
RealClear Media Fellow Kalev Leetaru is a senior fellow at the George Washington University Center for Cyber & Homeland Security. His past roles include fellow in residence at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Government.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/19/trumps_twitter_signature_a_12-year_timeline_145070.html
|
en
| 2021-01-19T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/fa5bd8e6b23d627d2375c4d963e0fd0472d25a0713551c8b1393c9e444c4a7f0.json
|
[
"Donald Trump was permanently banned from Twitter on Jan. 8, bringing to an end to perhaps the world’s most prolific and influential Twitter account. While Twitter has deleted all of his tweets, the Trump Twitter Archive has preserved the 56,571 utterances sent by @realDonaldTrump since his first one on May 4, 2009. What can we learn about how Trump used his account over the years?\nThe timeline below shows the total number of tweets he sent each week since he joined. Trump didn’t begin tweeting heavily until August 2011 and really embraced it starting in September 2012 as he weighed in on that year’s presidential election. Beginning in October 2015, he steadily decreased his Twitter use week over week through the election, at which point he began to steadily ramp up his use. But from the 2020 election through his ban, he tweeted less and less. (Click the image to enlarge it.)\nDid Trump primarily tweet his own thoughts or amplify those of others? Zooming in on the August 2011-to-present period, the timeline below shows the percentage of his tweets that were retweets. It was not until January 2016 that he began noticeably retweeting others and it was not until the start of 2019 that he began relying ever more heavily on retweets. Yet, starting in July 2020, amid the ongoing George Floyd protests, he began turning back to his own statements. In all, 10,170 (18%) of his tweets were retweets.\nHis increasing reliance on retweets coincides with a sharp decrease in the percentage of his tweets that exclude retweets (this includes replies and mentioning other accounts), dropping from around 80%-90% of his tweets to around 30% by mid-2016. Only in early 2019 did he begin once again mentioning other users, increasing through the end of 2019 and decreasing again from July 2020 onward. It appears the Floyd protests marked a turning point in which he shifted from largely amplifying the thoughts of others toward mostly putting forth his own commentaries. In all, 58% of his tweets have mentioned another user.\nSince mid-2019 he has steadily increased the percentage of capitalized letters in his tweets, from 8% a week to 12%, but has decreased his use of capitalized letters in the weeks since the election. In contrast, since the start of 2019 he has steadily reduced his use of exclamation points, from as much as 70% of his weekly tweets to around 40%, but then steadily increased their use in the weeks since the election.\nJust over 28% of Trump’s tweets contained either an image or video or a link to an external website. The most common sites he linked to were pscp.tv, facebook.com, donaldjtrump.com, breitbart.com, whitehouse.gov, winred.com, instagram.com, youtube.com, foxnews.com, thegreggjarrett.com, dailycaller.com, washingtonexaminer.com, nypost.com and thehill.com.\nHow often does Trump refer to himself? The timeline below shows the percentage of his tweets that mentioned “I,” “me,” or “Trump” versus “we,” “our,” or “ours.” From late 2012 to early 2016 he tended to spend four times as many tweets on himself. As his campaign accelerated during 2016, he sharply decreased his mentions of himself and steadily increased his references to “we” and “our” and “ours.” By his election he was using the two sets of terms equally, but began decreasing use of both categories in mid-2019.\nWhat about the tone of his tweets? The timeline below shows the average weekly tone of his tweets using an eight-week rolling average of the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) tone dictionary. Tone is computed by counting the percentage of his words that were deemed “negative” (top Trump words include “fake” and “bad”) and subtracting them from the percentage of words deemed “positive” (top Trump words include “great” and “thank”). Higher weekly scores indicate there were more positive words than negative words that week.\nThe tone of Trump’s tweets begins a steady negative slide in late May 2015 just before he formally announced his candidacy and reached a bottom in January 2020. As the pandemic raged, the tone of his tweets became sharply more positive as he projected an optimistic and upbeat message. In April he shifted his tone towards greater negativity and then rebounded in August heading into the election, then turned hard negative in the weeks after the election.\nHow much did Trump’s tweets resonate with the media? The timeline below shows the number of online news articles per day that linked to one of his tweets from April 20, 2016 through present, as monitored by the GDELT Project. Despite tweeting more than ever, media interest in his tweets had been on a steady decline leading up to the 2020 election. His claims of a stolen election appear to have reversed this decline, drawing widespread coverage.\nFor Trump himself, “television became the medium through which he could watch the effects of his tweets,” the New York Times reported, while for voters themselves, 72% heard about his tweets through television coverage. So how much coverage did his tweets receive? Using data from the Internet Archive Television News Archive, the heatmap below shows the seconds of airtime each hour from Jan. 1, 2020 through present across BBC News London, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News in which the text “@realDonaldTrump” was visible somewhere on-screen.\nSince the start of last year, BBC showed his tweets over more than five hours of airtime, with CNN, MSNBC Fox News each devoting around 14.7 hours to his tweets. Even banishment from Twitter hasn’t eliminated coverage of his tweets. In the days since the ban his Twitter handle is still shown on air for 100-200 seconds a day across the four channels, a decrease of around half of his pre-ban levels.\nIn the end, the graphs above show how celebrity Trump evolved into candidate Trump into President Trump and how his use of the platform changed from touting himself to amplifying the views of others, his focus on negativity and the media’s fixation on his every word.\nRealClear Media Fellow Kalev Leetaru is a senior fellow at the George Washington University Center for Cyber & Homeland Security. His past roles include fellow in residence at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Government.",
"Trump's Twitter Signature: A 12-Year Timeline",
"Donald Trump was permanently banned from Twitter on Jan. 8, bringing to an end to perhaps the worlds most prolific and influential Twitter account. While Twitter has deleted all of his tweets, the..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-18T05:29:58 | null | 2021-01-17T00:00:00 |
Biden Relief Plan Is a Trojan Horse for Liberal Agenda | RealClearPolitics
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F17%2Fbiden_relief_plan_is_a_trojan_horse_for_liberal_agenda_533681.html.json
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Biden Relief Plan Is a Trojan Horse for Liberal Agenda
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
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President-elect Joe Biden just unveiled his proposal for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Democrats insist it is targeted to respond to the crisis and only full of commonsense measures and much-needed emergency spending.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/17/biden_relief_plan_is_a_trojan_horse_for_liberal_agenda_533681.html
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en
| 2021-01-17T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/4fcbc693f17f4f730ff1ef162673a11e3ed21a8a6f42b6e213f067e382b861de.json
|
[
"President-elect Joe Biden just unveiled his proposal for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Democrats insist it is targeted to respond to the crisis and only full of commonsense measures and much-needed emergency spending.",
"Biden Relief Plan Is a Trojan Horse for Liberal Agenda",
"Biden Relief Plan Is a Trojan Horse for Liberal Agenda | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-17T16:18:21 | null | 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
Dems, Woke Media Cling Desperately to Trump Hatred | RealClearPolitics
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F16%2Fdems_woke_media_cling_desperately_to_trump_hatred_533544.html.json
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Dems, Woke Media Cling Desperately to Trump Hatred
| null | null |
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https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/16/dems_woke_media_cling_desperately_to_trump_hatred_533544.html
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en
| 2021-01-16T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/f59c29e2ec5920dd8b34266b48898d0e2593760c340742f137ba9d0737e8b0ba.json
|
[
"Dems, Woke Media Cling Desperately to Trump Hatred",
"Dems, Woke Media Cling Desperately to Trump Hatred | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-11T15:16:34 | null | 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
Restoring Democracy Starts With Removing Trump | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Frestoring_democracy_starts_with_removing_trump_533206.html.json
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| null |
Restoring Democracy Starts With Removing Trump
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
| null |
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/11/restoring_democracy_starts_with_removing_trump_533206.html
|
en
| 2021-01-11T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/d8d1525b0a237be85a4abedf0f2c1c84ae115d4e38b9033684c2589e602e1631.json
|
[
"Restoring Democracy Starts With Removing Trump",
"Restoring Democracy Starts With Removing Trump | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-07T13:04:52 | null | 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
Democrats and much of the Republican-hating media call the Republicans' election challenge dead on arrival and say the effort hurt Republicans in Georgia. If...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fright-wing_conspiracy_insane_--_left-wing_conspiracy_theories_not_so_much_144982.html.json
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Right-Wing Conspiracy 'Insane' -- Left-Wing Conspiracy Theories, Not So Much
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Democrats and much of the Republican-hating media call the Republicans' election challenge dead on arrival and say the effort hurt Republicans in Georgia. If so, why the outrage protestations from the left?
Many of the election fraud allegations made by team Trump have been ignored or downplayed by media sources from which much of America gets their "news." So many Americans know nothing about the legal challenges that raise questions about voter irregularities, mathematical improbabilities, questionable extensions of ballot deadlines and unsolicited ballots apparently illegally sent in Michigan, among other factual and legal issues raised.
Yes, the President Donald Trump-hating cable TV hosts, pundits, column writers, newspaper editorials and legal scholars prattle on about how these GOP congresspersons "undermine the integrity of our republic." But many of these same critics said little about the integrity of our republic when, for the entirety of Trump's presidency, critics made baseless charges, including but not limited to: that Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin turned the president into a Russia asset fraudulently elected to do Moscow's bidding; that under the 25th Amendment, Trump's mental state required him to step down; that Trump's violations of the emoluments clause make him a "grifter"; and that our democratically elected president is a "fascist," a "Nazi" and, of course, a "racist."
Democrats and the media realize that much of the country knows nothing about the concerns raised by attorney Alan Dershowitz, who campaigned for Barack Obama, and George Washington Law School's professor Jonathan Turley, who says he does not support Trump and he voted for Bill Clinton and Obama, and former independent counsel Ken Starr. All raised questions about the election, especially regarding Pennsylvania and how its deadlines were extended.
Critics hammer Trump for embracing election "conspiracy theories." But many who now call Trump "delusional" for questioning the election have embraced some of the most outrageous conspiracy theories, without the believers being held up to public ridicule. These conspiracies include:
Seventy-eight percent of Democrats, according to an August 2018 Gallup poll, believed not only that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election but also that this interference put Trump in office. Our intelligence community reached no such conclusion.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., falsely blames President Ronald Reagan's CIA for playing a major role in the urban crack-cocaine epidemic. Waters even wrote a foreword for a book called "Dark Alliance," that made this sensational claim. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, despite their contempt for Reagan, all disputed Waters' assertion. The San Jose Mercury News, the newspaper that published the CIA-crack cocaine allegation, issued a retraction of the most serious claims. The reporter resigned, and later, at age 49, committed suicide.
Prominent Black entertainers accused the American government scientists of inventing HIV/AIDS. Comedian/activist Dick Gregory said the virus "was not passed from chimpanzees to mankind, but was probably knowingly developed by doctors and scientists working for the U.S. government." Bill Cosby said AIDS "was started by human beings to get after certain people they don't like." Will Smith claimed, "AIDS was created as a result of biological-warfare testing." Director Spike Lee said, "I'm convinced AIDS is a government-engineered disease."
Lee also speculated that the U.S. government, under President George W. Bush, blew up levees during Hurricane Katrina to force Blacks out of New Orleans. "It's not far-fetched," Lee said, "and also I would like to say it's not necessarily blow it up. But, the residents of that ward, they believe it, there was a Hurricane Betsy in '65, the same that happened where a choice had to be made, one neighborhood got to save another neighborhood and flood another 'hood, flood another neighborhood."
So, spare us the concern about irresponsible "conspiracy theories" given the left's embrace of several, including the damnable lie that the police engage in "systemic" racism against Blacks. For four years, Democrats like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Rep. John Lewis called Trump "illegitimate." Democrats and the media do not want a Biden presidency similarly handicapped.
COPYRIGHT 2021 LAURENCE A. ELDER
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/07/right-wing_conspiracy_insane_--_left-wing_conspiracy_theories_not_so_much_144982.html
|
en
| 2021-01-07T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/ae0bf9ac8a482a1f09628e7116d34a4cc86f1416a0b95bed4af239d3c522c6c6.json
|
[
"Democrats and much of the Republican-hating media call the Republicans' election challenge dead on arrival and say the effort hurt Republicans in Georgia. If so, why the outrage protestations from the left?\nMany of the election fraud allegations made by team Trump have been ignored or downplayed by media sources from which much of America gets their \"news.\" So many Americans know nothing about the legal challenges that raise questions about voter irregularities, mathematical improbabilities, questionable extensions of ballot deadlines and unsolicited ballots apparently illegally sent in Michigan, among other factual and legal issues raised.\nYes, the President Donald Trump-hating cable TV hosts, pundits, column writers, newspaper editorials and legal scholars prattle on about how these GOP congresspersons \"undermine the integrity of our republic.\" But many of these same critics said little about the integrity of our republic when, for the entirety of Trump's presidency, critics made baseless charges, including but not limited to: that Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin turned the president into a Russia asset fraudulently elected to do Moscow's bidding; that under the 25th Amendment, Trump's mental state required him to step down; that Trump's violations of the emoluments clause make him a \"grifter\"; and that our democratically elected president is a \"fascist,\" a \"Nazi\" and, of course, a \"racist.\"\nDemocrats and the media realize that much of the country knows nothing about the concerns raised by attorney Alan Dershowitz, who campaigned for Barack Obama, and George Washington Law School's professor Jonathan Turley, who says he does not support Trump and he voted for Bill Clinton and Obama, and former independent counsel Ken Starr. All raised questions about the election, especially regarding Pennsylvania and how its deadlines were extended.\nCritics hammer Trump for embracing election \"conspiracy theories.\" But many who now call Trump \"delusional\" for questioning the election have embraced some of the most outrageous conspiracy theories, without the believers being held up to public ridicule. These conspiracies include:\nSeventy-eight percent of Democrats, according to an August 2018 Gallup poll, believed not only that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election but also that this interference put Trump in office. Our intelligence community reached no such conclusion.\nRep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., falsely blames President Ronald Reagan's CIA for playing a major role in the urban crack-cocaine epidemic. Waters even wrote a foreword for a book called \"Dark Alliance,\" that made this sensational claim. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, despite their contempt for Reagan, all disputed Waters' assertion. The San Jose Mercury News, the newspaper that published the CIA-crack cocaine allegation, issued a retraction of the most serious claims. The reporter resigned, and later, at age 49, committed suicide.\nProminent Black entertainers accused the American government scientists of inventing HIV/AIDS. Comedian/activist Dick Gregory said the virus \"was not passed from chimpanzees to mankind, but was probably knowingly developed by doctors and scientists working for the U.S. government.\" Bill Cosby said AIDS \"was started by human beings to get after certain people they don't like.\" Will Smith claimed, \"AIDS was created as a result of biological-warfare testing.\" Director Spike Lee said, \"I'm convinced AIDS is a government-engineered disease.\"\nLee also speculated that the U.S. government, under President George W. Bush, blew up levees during Hurricane Katrina to force Blacks out of New Orleans. \"It's not far-fetched,\" Lee said, \"and also I would like to say it's not necessarily blow it up. But, the residents of that ward, they believe it, there was a Hurricane Betsy in '65, the same that happened where a choice had to be made, one neighborhood got to save another neighborhood and flood another 'hood, flood another neighborhood.\"\nSo, spare us the concern about irresponsible \"conspiracy theories\" given the left's embrace of several, including the damnable lie that the police engage in \"systemic\" racism against Blacks. For four years, Democrats like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Rep. John Lewis called Trump \"illegitimate.\" Democrats and the media do not want a Biden presidency similarly handicapped.\nCOPYRIGHT 2021 LAURENCE A. ELDER\nDISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM",
"Right-Wing Conspiracy 'Insane' -- Left-Wing Conspiracy Theories, Not So Much",
"Democrats and much of the Republican-hating media call the Republicans' election challenge dead on arrival and say the effort hurt Republicans in Georgia. If..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-20T18:38:29 | null | 2021-01-20T00:00:00 |
One Last Bit of Jaw-Dropping Racism From Trump | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F20%2Fone_last_bit_of_jaw-dropping_racism_from_trump_533900.html.json
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One Last Bit of Jaw-Dropping Racism From Trump
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
On Monday, the Trump administration released the first, and only, report from the President's Advisory 1776 Commission. Its authors insist that the 45-page document is an effort to set the historical record straight. "In order to build up a healthy, united citizenry," they write, "scholars, students, and all Americans must reject false and fashionable ideologies that obscure facts, ignore historical context, and tell America's story solely as one of oppression and victimhood rather than one of imperfection but also unprecedented achievement toward freedom, happiness, and fairness for all."
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/20/one_last_bit_of_jaw-dropping_racism_from_trump_533900.html
|
en
| 2021-01-20T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/8d640898b433d6b7d6c7de533d340ad558072fb19be837254944a5aeb0a7a200.json
|
[
"On Monday, the Trump administration released the first, and only, report from the President's Advisory 1776 Commission. Its authors insist that the 45-page document is an effort to set the historical record straight. \"In order to build up a healthy, united citizenry,\" they write, \"scholars, students, and all Americans must reject false and fashionable ideologies that obscure facts, ignore historical context, and tell America's story solely as one of oppression and victimhood rather than one of imperfection but also unprecedented achievement toward freedom, happiness, and fairness for all.\"",
"One Last Bit of Jaw-Dropping Racism From Trump",
"One Last Bit of Jaw-Dropping Racism From Trump | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-09T02:52:42 | null | 2021-01-08T00:00:00 |
(AP) -- Twitter banned President Donald Trumps account Friday, citing the risk of further incitement of violence.
The social platform has been...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fas_democrats_push_to_censor_rivals_twitter_bans_trump_permanently_145002.html.json
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| null |
As Democrats Push to Censor Rivals, Twitter Bans Trump Permanently
| null | null |
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(AP) -- Twitter banned President Donald Trump’s account Friday, citing “the risk of further incitement of violence.”
The social platform has been under growing pressure to take further action against Trump following Wednesday’s deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Twitter initially suspended Trump’s account for 12 hours after he posted a video that repeated false claims about election fraud and praised the rioters who stormed the Capitol.
Twitter’s move deprives Trump of a potent tool he has used to communicate directly with the American people for more than a decade. He has used Twitter to announce policy changes, challenge opponents, insult enemies, praise his allies and himself — and to spread misinformation, flirt with inciting violence and denounce targets of his ire in capital letters.
Twitter has long given Trump and other world leaders broad exemptions from its rules against personal attacks, hate speech and other behaviors. But in a detailed explanation posted on its blog Friday, the company said recent Trump tweets amounted to glorification of violence when read in the context of the Capitol riot and plans circulating online for future armed protests around the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
In those tweets, Trump stated that he will not be attending the inauguration and referred to his supporters as “American Patriots,” saying they will have “a GIANT VOICE long into the future.” Twitter said these statements “are likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts that took place on January 6, 2021, and that there are multiple indicators that they are being received and understood as encouragement to do so.”
The company said “plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021. ”
Twitter said its policy enables world leaders to speak to the public, but that these accounts “are not above our rules entirely” and can’t use Twitter to incite violence. Trump had roughly 89 million followers.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
In the wake of Wednesday’s deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, calls are mounting for Twitter, Facebook and other social platforms to suspend President Donald Trump’s access to social media — permanently.
Facebook and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, on Thursday suspended Trump’s account for at least two weeks, and possibly indefinitely. Twitter, however, merely revoked Trump’s posting privileges for 12 hours after he posted a video that repeated false claims about election fraud and praised the rioters who stormed the Capitol.
On Friday, the company permanently banned two Trump loyalists — former national security adviser Michael Flynn and attorney Sidney Powell — as part of a broader purge of accounts promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory. Twitter said it will take action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm.
“Given the renewed potential for violence surrounding this type of behavior in the coming days, we will permanently suspend accounts that are solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content,” Twitter said in an emailed statement. The company also said Trump attorney Lin Wood was permanently suspended Tuesday for violating its rules, but provided no additional details.
The company says that when it determines a group or campaign is engaged in “coordinated harmful activity,” it may suspend accounts that it finds primarily encourages that behavior.
Social media companies have been under intensified pressure to crack down on hate speech since a violent mob egged on by Trump stormed the Capitol. Dozens of QAnon social media accounts were hyping up Trump’s Jan. 6 rally in the heart of Washington, expressing hope that it could lead to the overturn of the election results.
On Friday, the advocacy coalition Stop Hate for Profit launched a campaign to pressure the major platforms, including YouTube owner Google, to kick Trump off their services for good. The organization, which includes the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Free Press and Color of Change, said it will call for an advertiser boycott if the platforms don’t take action by Jan. 20, the date of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Last summer, the coalition organized a monthlong ad boycott of Facebook that ultimately involved hundreds of companies to push for more assertive action on hate speech at the social network.
Some federal lawmakers and celebrities have likewise called on the tech companies to extend suspensions or ban Trump altogether. Frank Pallone, a powerful Democratic congressman from New Jersey, tweeted that “It’s time for (Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey) and Mark Zuckerberg to remove Trump from their platforms.”
“President Trump’s platform on social media has been used to incite violence and insurrection,” said Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia, in an emailed statement. “Facebook and Instagram made the correct decision in banning President Trump for at least the remainder of his term and I will continue to urge Twitter and other platforms to do the same.”
Former First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted Thursday that Silicon Valley companies should stop enabling Trump’s “monstrous behavior” and called for them to permanently ban Trump and enact policies to prevent their technology from being used by national leaders to ”fuel insurrection.”
One former Twitter official has called on the platform to suspend Trump’s account in a way that would block anyone from following him and keep past tweets invisible for an indefinite period. It’s a change in position for Adam Sharp, Twitter’s former head of news, government, and elections, who tweeted Thursday that he had “long been a defender of Twitter’s permissiveness” regarding Trump’s violations of its rules. Sharp left the company in 2016.
Trump resumed tweeting Thursday. Twitter has said it could take further action as it kept track of “activity on the ground and statements made off Twitter.”
Other tech companies also acted against Trump’s accounts, citing threats of violence. Snapchat locked Trump’s account “indefinitely.” Twitch, the live-streaming site owned by Amazon and used by Trump’s campaign to stream speeches, disabled Trump’s account until he leaves office. E-commerce company Shopify shut down two online Trump memorabilia stores.
YouTube announced more general changes that will penalize accounts spreading misinformation about voter fraud in the 2020 election, with repeat offenders facing permanent removal. Reddit on Friday banned a forum for Trump supporters, called “donaldtrump.”
Whether the external pressure will lead to a policy change at Twitter is unclear, said Sinan Aral, social media researcher and director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. But it is more in the spotlight because other companies have taken more aggressive steps, which could influence its decision-making. “Being the platform that is now making the proactive decision to give the microphone back kind of puts you in the spotlight,” he said.
Some criticized tech companies for blocking or barring Trump. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is seen as friendly to Trump, on Thursday said, “I don’t like anybody being censored or taking away from the the right to post a message on Twitter or Face(book). I don’t agree with that, I don’t accept that.” He said the issue should be decided by government and not private companies.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/08/as_democrats_push_to_censor_rivals_twitter_bans_trump_permanently_145002.html
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en
| 2021-01-08T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/4bdab74ad6b9f8c670ccd8a38326da80873ef51f6b9f487e443ee218abe8e7c0.json
|
[
"(AP) -- Twitter banned President Donald Trump’s account Friday, citing “the risk of further incitement of violence.”\nThe social platform has been under growing pressure to take further action against Trump following Wednesday’s deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Twitter initially suspended Trump’s account for 12 hours after he posted a video that repeated false claims about election fraud and praised the rioters who stormed the Capitol.\nTwitter’s move deprives Trump of a potent tool he has used to communicate directly with the American people for more than a decade. He has used Twitter to announce policy changes, challenge opponents, insult enemies, praise his allies and himself — and to spread misinformation, flirt with inciting violence and denounce targets of his ire in capital letters.\nTwitter has long given Trump and other world leaders broad exemptions from its rules against personal attacks, hate speech and other behaviors. But in a detailed explanation posted on its blog Friday, the company said recent Trump tweets amounted to glorification of violence when read in the context of the Capitol riot and plans circulating online for future armed protests around the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.\nIn those tweets, Trump stated that he will not be attending the inauguration and referred to his supporters as “American Patriots,” saying they will have “a GIANT VOICE long into the future.” Twitter said these statements “are likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts that took place on January 6, 2021, and that there are multiple indicators that they are being received and understood as encouragement to do so.”\nThe company said “plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021. ”\nTwitter said its policy enables world leaders to speak to the public, but that these accounts “are not above our rules entirely” and can’t use Twitter to incite violence. Trump had roughly 89 million followers.\nTHIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.\nIn the wake of Wednesday’s deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, calls are mounting for Twitter, Facebook and other social platforms to suspend President Donald Trump’s access to social media — permanently.\nFacebook and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, on Thursday suspended Trump’s account for at least two weeks, and possibly indefinitely. Twitter, however, merely revoked Trump’s posting privileges for 12 hours after he posted a video that repeated false claims about election fraud and praised the rioters who stormed the Capitol.\nOn Friday, the company permanently banned two Trump loyalists — former national security adviser Michael Flynn and attorney Sidney Powell — as part of a broader purge of accounts promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory. Twitter said it will take action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm.\n“Given the renewed potential for violence surrounding this type of behavior in the coming days, we will permanently suspend accounts that are solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content,” Twitter said in an emailed statement. The company also said Trump attorney Lin Wood was permanently suspended Tuesday for violating its rules, but provided no additional details.\nThe company says that when it determines a group or campaign is engaged in “coordinated harmful activity,” it may suspend accounts that it finds primarily encourages that behavior.\nSocial media companies have been under intensified pressure to crack down on hate speech since a violent mob egged on by Trump stormed the Capitol. Dozens of QAnon social media accounts were hyping up Trump’s Jan. 6 rally in the heart of Washington, expressing hope that it could lead to the overturn of the election results.\nOn Friday, the advocacy coalition Stop Hate for Profit launched a campaign to pressure the major platforms, including YouTube owner Google, to kick Trump off their services for good. The organization, which includes the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Free Press and Color of Change, said it will call for an advertiser boycott if the platforms don’t take action by Jan. 20, the date of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.\nLast summer, the coalition organized a monthlong ad boycott of Facebook that ultimately involved hundreds of companies to push for more assertive action on hate speech at the social network.\nSome federal lawmakers and celebrities have likewise called on the tech companies to extend suspensions or ban Trump altogether. Frank Pallone, a powerful Democratic congressman from New Jersey, tweeted that “It’s time for (Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey) and Mark Zuckerberg to remove Trump from their platforms.”\n“President Trump’s platform on social media has been used to incite violence and insurrection,” said Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia, in an emailed statement. “Facebook and Instagram made the correct decision in banning President Trump for at least the remainder of his term and I will continue to urge Twitter and other platforms to do the same.”\nFormer First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted Thursday that Silicon Valley companies should stop enabling Trump’s “monstrous behavior” and called for them to permanently ban Trump and enact policies to prevent their technology from being used by national leaders to ”fuel insurrection.”\nOne former Twitter official has called on the platform to suspend Trump’s account in a way that would block anyone from following him and keep past tweets invisible for an indefinite period. It’s a change in position for Adam Sharp, Twitter’s former head of news, government, and elections, who tweeted Thursday that he had “long been a defender of Twitter’s permissiveness” regarding Trump’s violations of its rules. Sharp left the company in 2016.\nTrump resumed tweeting Thursday. Twitter has said it could take further action as it kept track of “activity on the ground and statements made off Twitter.”\nOther tech companies also acted against Trump’s accounts, citing threats of violence. Snapchat locked Trump’s account “indefinitely.” Twitch, the live-streaming site owned by Amazon and used by Trump’s campaign to stream speeches, disabled Trump’s account until he leaves office. E-commerce company Shopify shut down two online Trump memorabilia stores.\nYouTube announced more general changes that will penalize accounts spreading misinformation about voter fraud in the 2020 election, with repeat offenders facing permanent removal. Reddit on Friday banned a forum for Trump supporters, called “donaldtrump.”\nWhether the external pressure will lead to a policy change at Twitter is unclear, said Sinan Aral, social media researcher and director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. But it is more in the spotlight because other companies have taken more aggressive steps, which could influence its decision-making. “Being the platform that is now making the proactive decision to give the microphone back kind of puts you in the spotlight,” he said.\nSome criticized tech companies for blocking or barring Trump. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is seen as friendly to Trump, on Thursday said, “I don’t like anybody being censored or taking away from the the right to post a message on Twitter or Face(book). I don’t agree with that, I don’t accept that.” He said the issue should be decided by government and not private companies.",
"As Democrats Push to Censor Rivals, Twitter Bans Trump Permanently",
"(AP) -- Twitter banned President Donald Trumps account Friday, citing the risk of further incitement of violence.\nThe social platform has been..."
] |
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[] | 2021-01-05T09:24:33 | null | 2021-01-04T00:00:00 |
Devin Nunes Tells The Truth Until It Hurts | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F04%2Fdevin_nunes_tells_the_truth_until_it_hurts_532650.html.json
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en
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Devin Nunes Tells The Truth Until It Hurts
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
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The more Rep. Devin Nunes was attacked, the more he wanted to understand what was behind the Russia collusion narrative.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/04/devin_nunes_tells_the_truth_until_it_hurts_532650.html
|
en
| 2021-01-04T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/4d64baabfd4342917cf643875acabf44f3eb831da667e09cf9836a0ff4678df1.json
|
[
"The more Rep. Devin Nunes was attacked, the more he wanted to understand what was behind the Russia collusion narrative.",
"Devin Nunes Tells The Truth Until It Hurts",
"Devin Nunes Tells The Truth Until It Hurts | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-08T13:32:51 | null | 2021-01-08T00:00:00 |
Are We Entering a New Era of Political Violence? | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fare_we_entering_a_new_era_of_political_violence_532969.html.json
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https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
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en
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Are We Entering a New Era of Political Violence?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
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https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/08/are_we_entering_a_new_era_of_political_violence_532969.html
|
en
| 2021-01-08T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/e99954d98d4b890a028c9aa291c0306333aa535aca7cf1bab9b1cd2f58afb977.json
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[
"Are We Entering a New Era of Political Violence?",
"Are We Entering a New Era of Political Violence? | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-12T18:44:08 | null | 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
Welcome to Life Without Trump's Tweets | RealClearPolitics
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F12%2Fwelcome_to_life_without_trumps_tweets_533277.html.json
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en
| null |
Welcome to Life Without Trump's Tweets
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
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Welcome to Life Without Trump's Tweets
Trump spoke on Twitter not like a leader, but like a drunken man on a bar stool — bitter, mean, bloviating and inflammatory.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/12/welcome_to_life_without_trumps_tweets_533277.html
|
en
| 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/31f21d4f53a384fc60ae22c0edfbbd339b10a2c092d09d004f74bb4fc786f7f9.json
|
[
"Welcome to Life Without Trump's Tweets\nTrump spoke on Twitter not like a leader, but like a drunken man on a bar stool — bitter, mean, bloviating and inflammatory.",
"Welcome to Life Without Trump's Tweets",
"Welcome to Life Without Trump's Tweets | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-18T18:24:51 | null | 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
A sprawling series of barbed-wire barricades surround the U.S. Capitol, and so many members of the National Guard are camped out inside theyre sleeping on...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F18%2Fafter_siege_will_gop_fight_scandal-tainted_biden_nominee_145055.html.json
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| null |
After Siege, Will GOP Fight Scandal-Tainted Biden Nominee?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
A sprawling series of barbed-wire barricades surround the U.S. Capitol, and so many members of the National Guard are camped out inside they’re sleeping on floors.
While bracing for the possibility of more violence in Washington and beyond, Democrats are urging swift confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s national security team.
There’s one obvious problem, however: Before the storming of the Capitol that left five dead and a nation aghast and on edge, Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was facing one of the toughest confirmation fights of any Biden nominee. And concerns about him among Republicans have not dissipated along with the tear gas.
(Retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III, the incoming president’s choice for defense secretary, also faces confirmation hurdles, though some opposition comes from Democrats concerned about maintaining civilian leadership at the Pentagon.)
Democrats want to fast-track both confirmations, stressing the need to fill a leadership vacuum at key national security agencies. Former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf was one of several Trump administration officials who resigned in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters. Pete Gaynor, the former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a Trump appointee who is well-liked across the aisle, is now in charge at DHS, but Biden is eager to have his own team in place.
With the nation still coming to grips with the violence inside the Capitol and the GOP divided over Trump’s subsequent impeachment, it’s unclear whether Senate Republicans have the stomach to battle controversial Cabinet nominations.
It won’t take long to find out. Sens. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who will chair the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in the new Congress, along with Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who will serve as the panel’s ranking member, set Mayorkas’ confirmation hearing for Tuesday, one day before Biden’s inauguration.
Ron Klain, the incoming White House chief of staff, publicly thanked Senate Republicans for scheduling hearings.
“We need to move quickly to get the right people in these agencies, and to make sure we’re keeping this country safe, and that we’re ready for whatever threats might come,” Klain said during a Washington Post interview Friday that was live-streamed.
Mayorkas’ track records indicates that he has both the pedigree and the desire to lead a reversal of Trump’s immigration policies, which Biden has promised. A Cuban-born naturalized citizen, Mayorkas knows the agency well, having served as deputy DHS secretary and the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Obama administration.
In that post, he developed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which protected immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children from being deported and allowed them to work legally.
“We must bring to an immediate end the inhuman and unjust treatment of immigrants,” Mayorkas said in recent remarks to the American Business Immigration Coalition. “There is no more powerful and heartbreaking example of that inhumanity than the separation of children from their parents.”
Mayorkas’ background seems perfectly aligned with Biden’s promise of a major immigration reset, but his previous tenure at DHS is both a blessing and a curse.
In 2013, every Republican, including several centrists who have regularly broken with Trump, voted against Mayorkas’ nomination to be deputy DHS secretary. Those Republicans include Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Portman, who will serve as the top Republican on the Homeland Security panel.
The blanket GOP opposition stemmed from an inspector general investigation into the EB-5 visa program USCIS administered, which found Mayorkas improperly intervened to help business interests, including some with ties to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton’s brother, and Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor and Democratic National Committee chairman.
Among the entities that received special treatment to obtain the visas, according to the IG report, were investors in a hotel and casino project in Las Vegas being pushed by Reid, and an investor proposal to fund electric car manufacturing, which involved a company whose board chairman was McAuliffe. The IG investigation also implicated Anthony Rodham, Hillary Clinton’s brother, because he ran an investment firm that directed funds to the electric car manufacturing effort.
Mayorkas was only able to win confirmation to the DHS post in 2013 because a month earlier Reid changed Senate rules to allow a simple majority to end debate on nominations, not the 60-vote threshold confirmations previously had to overcome.
The final IG investigation into the allegations found that Mayorkas created an appearance of favoritism and special access at the UCIS when he was director there from 2009 to 2013, and it noted that investigators were surprised by the number of whistleblowers who came forward to complain about him. In addition, officials and staff also cited his unprofessional management style.
“During the course of our review, we found that a number of staff members described Mr. Mayorkas’ communication and management style as very aggressive. … One staff member said Mr. Mayorkas was ‘full of emotion, impulsive, volatile, and tenacious,’” the IG report stated. “Another high-ranking USCIS official told us that employees were afraid to speak up in the meetings because if they had a different view, Mr. Mayorkas would ‘cut them up, take them apart, or put them in their place.’”
A source familiar with the complaints told RealClearPolitics that several officials at DHS were stunned by Biden’s decision to nominate Mayorkas considering the IG’s findings and also because he was known for yelling at staff and berating those who disagreed with him. This source also voiced concern that some whistleblowers who filed complaints against Mayorkas remain at DHS and could face retribution from him.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who first publicly raised complaints about Mayorkas’ tenure at UCIS, will likely oppose his nomination again, and he’s not mincing words.
“For years, including during Mr. Mayorkas’ tenure at DHS, the EB-5 program was susceptible to fraud and abuse. But rather than fixing those issues, the IG found that Mr. Mayorkas gave preferential treatment to some visa applicants over others,” Grassley told RCP in a statement. “The IG noted that this favoritism prompted an unusually broad array of whistleblower complaints.
“That brand of leadership isn’t good for agency culture or the security of our nation.”
Other Republicans have been even harsher. In November, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton accused Mayorkas of “selling green cards to Chinese nationals on behalf of rich Democratic donors.”
“Think about that,” Cotton said on “Fox & Friends.” “… That is disqualifying to lead the Department of Homeland Security.”
The visa scandal isn’t the only baggage in Mayorkas’ background that Republicans are expected to bring up during Tuesday’s hearing. The nominee, along with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Biden’s choice for Health and Human Services secretary, were key figures in a scandal involving President Bill Clinton’s early release of a convicted cocaine trafficker in 2001.
Becerra and Mayorkas were among several prominent Democratic figures in Los Angeles at the time who reached out to the Clinton White House about commuting the sentence of Carlos Vignali Jr., whose father, Horatio, was a wealthy entrepreneur and major Democratic door.
Vignali Jr. was convicted in 1994 of involvement in a drug ring that shipped hundreds of pounds of cocaine from Los Angeles to Minnesota, where it was converted to crack and sold on the streets. Media reports at the time characterized the prosecution as the largest drug case in Minnesota state history.
Clinton commuted Vignali’s sentence on his last day in office. The move drew intense scrutiny and prompted a 2002 investigation by the GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform because the commutation was provided over objections from the Justice Department’s pardon office, and Vignali was freed while several of his black co-defendants remained in jail.
A group of well-connected Democrats had close ties to Vignali’s father, including Becerra, then a U.S. congressman, and Mayorkas, then the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. Vignali’s father also paid $200,000 to Hillary Clinton’s other brother, Hugh Rodham, to help obtain Vignali’s release. The Clintons said they didn’t realize Hugh Rodham had been paid for his role until press reports uncovered it; they then called on him to return the money.
Mayorkas said his role amounted to one phone call to the White House, and that he never requested Vignali receive a commutation, only that his case be carefully considered. Shortly after Clinton’s commutation, Mayorkas issued a statement calling his phone call to the White House a “mistake.”
Mayorkas reiterated that regret during sworn testimony before the Senate in 2009 when he was nominated by Obama to lead UCIS. At the time, Mayorkas overcame his role in the scandal to be confirmed in a unanimous vote, but that was before the IG’s findings in the EB-5 scandal.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/18/after_siege_will_gop_fight_scandal-tainted_biden_nominee_145055.html
|
en
| 2021-01-18T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/5e31de2965a6483dc7709d6fbf013ac7d247663af475c9db0738860d1b32a7c5.json
|
[
"A sprawling series of barbed-wire barricades surround the U.S. Capitol, and so many members of the National Guard are camped out inside they’re sleeping on floors.\nWhile bracing for the possibility of more violence in Washington and beyond, Democrats are urging swift confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s national security team.\nThere’s one obvious problem, however: Before the storming of the Capitol that left five dead and a nation aghast and on edge, Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was facing one of the toughest confirmation fights of any Biden nominee. And concerns about him among Republicans have not dissipated along with the tear gas.\n(Retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III, the incoming president’s choice for defense secretary, also faces confirmation hurdles, though some opposition comes from Democrats concerned about maintaining civilian leadership at the Pentagon.)\nDemocrats want to fast-track both confirmations, stressing the need to fill a leadership vacuum at key national security agencies. Former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf was one of several Trump administration officials who resigned in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters. Pete Gaynor, the former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a Trump appointee who is well-liked across the aisle, is now in charge at DHS, but Biden is eager to have his own team in place.\nWith the nation still coming to grips with the violence inside the Capitol and the GOP divided over Trump’s subsequent impeachment, it’s unclear whether Senate Republicans have the stomach to battle controversial Cabinet nominations.\nIt won’t take long to find out. Sens. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who will chair the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in the new Congress, along with Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who will serve as the panel’s ranking member, set Mayorkas’ confirmation hearing for Tuesday, one day before Biden’s inauguration.\nRon Klain, the incoming White House chief of staff, publicly thanked Senate Republicans for scheduling hearings.\n“We need to move quickly to get the right people in these agencies, and to make sure we’re keeping this country safe, and that we’re ready for whatever threats might come,” Klain said during a Washington Post interview Friday that was live-streamed.\nMayorkas’ track records indicates that he has both the pedigree and the desire to lead a reversal of Trump’s immigration policies, which Biden has promised. A Cuban-born naturalized citizen, Mayorkas knows the agency well, having served as deputy DHS secretary and the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Obama administration.\nIn that post, he developed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which protected immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children from being deported and allowed them to work legally.\n“We must bring to an immediate end the inhuman and unjust treatment of immigrants,” Mayorkas said in recent remarks to the American Business Immigration Coalition. “There is no more powerful and heartbreaking example of that inhumanity than the separation of children from their parents.”\nMayorkas’ background seems perfectly aligned with Biden’s promise of a major immigration reset, but his previous tenure at DHS is both a blessing and a curse.\nIn 2013, every Republican, including several centrists who have regularly broken with Trump, voted against Mayorkas’ nomination to be deputy DHS secretary. Those Republicans include Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Portman, who will serve as the top Republican on the Homeland Security panel.\nThe blanket GOP opposition stemmed from an inspector general investigation into the EB-5 visa program USCIS administered, which found Mayorkas improperly intervened to help business interests, including some with ties to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton’s brother, and Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor and Democratic National Committee chairman.\nAmong the entities that received special treatment to obtain the visas, according to the IG report, were investors in a hotel and casino project in Las Vegas being pushed by Reid, and an investor proposal to fund electric car manufacturing, which involved a company whose board chairman was McAuliffe. The IG investigation also implicated Anthony Rodham, Hillary Clinton’s brother, because he ran an investment firm that directed funds to the electric car manufacturing effort.\nMayorkas was only able to win confirmation to the DHS post in 2013 because a month earlier Reid changed Senate rules to allow a simple majority to end debate on nominations, not the 60-vote threshold confirmations previously had to overcome.\nThe final IG investigation into the allegations found that Mayorkas created an appearance of favoritism and special access at the UCIS when he was director there from 2009 to 2013, and it noted that investigators were surprised by the number of whistleblowers who came forward to complain about him. In addition, officials and staff also cited his unprofessional management style.\n“During the course of our review, we found that a number of staff members described Mr. Mayorkas’ communication and management style as very aggressive. … One staff member said Mr. Mayorkas was ‘full of emotion, impulsive, volatile, and tenacious,’” the IG report stated. “Another high-ranking USCIS official told us that employees were afraid to speak up in the meetings because if they had a different view, Mr. Mayorkas would ‘cut them up, take them apart, or put them in their place.’”\nA source familiar with the complaints told RealClearPolitics that several officials at DHS were stunned by Biden’s decision to nominate Mayorkas considering the IG’s findings and also because he was known for yelling at staff and berating those who disagreed with him. This source also voiced concern that some whistleblowers who filed complaints against Mayorkas remain at DHS and could face retribution from him.\nSen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who first publicly raised complaints about Mayorkas’ tenure at UCIS, will likely oppose his nomination again, and he’s not mincing words.\n“For years, including during Mr. Mayorkas’ tenure at DHS, the EB-5 program was susceptible to fraud and abuse. But rather than fixing those issues, the IG found that Mr. Mayorkas gave preferential treatment to some visa applicants over others,” Grassley told RCP in a statement. “The IG noted that this favoritism prompted an unusually broad array of whistleblower complaints.\n“That brand of leadership isn’t good for agency culture or the security of our nation.”\nOther Republicans have been even harsher. In November, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton accused Mayorkas of “selling green cards to Chinese nationals on behalf of rich Democratic donors.”\n“Think about that,” Cotton said on “Fox & Friends.” “… That is disqualifying to lead the Department of Homeland Security.”\nThe visa scandal isn’t the only baggage in Mayorkas’ background that Republicans are expected to bring up during Tuesday’s hearing. The nominee, along with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Biden’s choice for Health and Human Services secretary, were key figures in a scandal involving President Bill Clinton’s early release of a convicted cocaine trafficker in 2001.\nBecerra and Mayorkas were among several prominent Democratic figures in Los Angeles at the time who reached out to the Clinton White House about commuting the sentence of Carlos Vignali Jr., whose father, Horatio, was a wealthy entrepreneur and major Democratic door.\nVignali Jr. was convicted in 1994 of involvement in a drug ring that shipped hundreds of pounds of cocaine from Los Angeles to Minnesota, where it was converted to crack and sold on the streets. Media reports at the time characterized the prosecution as the largest drug case in Minnesota state history.\nClinton commuted Vignali’s sentence on his last day in office. The move drew intense scrutiny and prompted a 2002 investigation by the GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform because the commutation was provided over objections from the Justice Department’s pardon office, and Vignali was freed while several of his black co-defendants remained in jail.\nA group of well-connected Democrats had close ties to Vignali’s father, including Becerra, then a U.S. congressman, and Mayorkas, then the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. Vignali’s father also paid $200,000 to Hillary Clinton’s other brother, Hugh Rodham, to help obtain Vignali’s release. The Clintons said they didn’t realize Hugh Rodham had been paid for his role until press reports uncovered it; they then called on him to return the money.\nMayorkas said his role amounted to one phone call to the White House, and that he never requested Vignali receive a commutation, only that his case be carefully considered. Shortly after Clinton’s commutation, Mayorkas issued a statement calling his phone call to the White House a “mistake.”\nMayorkas reiterated that regret during sworn testimony before the Senate in 2009 when he was nominated by Obama to lead UCIS. At the time, Mayorkas overcame his role in the scandal to be confirmed in a unanimous vote, but that was before the IG’s findings in the EB-5 scandal.",
"After Siege, Will GOP Fight Scandal-Tainted Biden Nominee?",
"A sprawling series of barbed-wire barricades surround the U.S. Capitol, and so many members of the National Guard are camped out inside theyre sleeping on..."
] |
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[] | 2021-01-21T00:01:59 | null | 2021-01-20T00:00:00 |
Obituary for a Failed Presidency | RealClearPolitics
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https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F20%2Fobituary_for_a_failed_presidency_533955.html.json
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en
| null |
Obituary for a Failed Presidency
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
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https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/20/obituary_for_a_failed_presidency_533955.html
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en
| 2021-01-20T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/1bb1b6342a1e96cee3ce3156706246c11b0cadf63b1a92b4a3065d7e7ce8e710.json
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[
"Obituary for a Failed Presidency",
"Obituary for a Failed Presidency | RealClearPolitics"
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[] | 2021-01-05T20:31:49 | null | 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
On Wednesday, when numerous Trump loyalists object to the certification of the legitimate Electoral College count and fellow Republicans join Democrats to vote...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F05%2Feven_republicans_defying_trump_wont_level_with_voters_144963.html.json
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en
| null |
Even Republicans Defying Trump Won't Level With Voters
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
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On Wednesday, when numerous Trump loyalists object to the certification of the legitimate Electoral College count and fellow Republicans join Democrats to vote against them, a civil war within the GOP will manifest on an unfortunate battlefield: the floor of the U.S. Congress. Even if they have managed to hold the Senate majority after two elections the day before in Georgia, the division within the party will reverberate for years. All of it is the inevitable result of Donald Trump weaponizing disinformation and lies.
In what will be the final episode of the Trump show, a made-for-television day in which the president will delight in watching his defenders attempt to subvert millions of votes cast legally in a free and fair election, these officeholders will stoke more outrage in voters who believe Trump’s fraudulent claims of systemic voter fraud. Like the leader of the free world, his enablers too will fail to provide evidence of this. The sick spectacle will bring historic shame upon the nation as the whole world watches on cable news.
Republicans who stand to defend the Constitution and the oath they took again on Sunday when sworn in to the 117th Congress will be doing the right and honorable thing, and though it should be perfunctory and ceremonial, it will put them at great risk with voters who believe the election was stolen. But just because the system will have “worked” by week’s end, and the outcome was never in doubt, doesn’t mean that the long-term damage of Trump’s fake election fraud will be diminished. Millions of Americans believe him, and thus far there are only two Republicans in Congress expressly telling them not to -- Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Sen. Ben Sasse.
Senate leaders are urging Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and others leading the objection stunt to abandon their plot. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has told colleagues privately only that this is the most important vote of his career, and has left colleagues free to vote as they wish. The closest thing to a dramatic public statement came from Sen. John Thune, the second-highest-ranking Senate Republican. “This is an issue that’s incredibly consequential, incredibly rare historically and very precedent-setting,” Thune said. “This is a big vote.”
While this quote was likely to enrage Trump, it is not an effort to fix the problem by telling voters that the pollution they’re inhaling on Facebook -- and through Trump’s Stop the Steal texts -- is fake news, to put it nicely.
Remarkably, House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney will break with Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy and vote to certify the count Wednesday. She circulated a letter providing a brief lesson on the Constitution, with specific Article II and 12th Amendment references so voters are clear that “nothing in the Constitution remotely says that Congress is the court of last resort, with the authority to second guess and invalidate state and federal court judicial rulings in election challenges.” The statement, of course, does not address that Trump has deceived millions and millions of Americans into believing something no Congress could ever let stand.
Sen. Pat Toomey, who is notably retiring, came out first against what Hawley announced and on which Cruz then piggy-backed. Toomey called out his colleagues by name, said their efforts undermine the right of people living in a democracy to choose their own leaders, and quoted former Attorney General Bill Barr stating: “we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election.” Trump’s voters now believe Barr is a member of a Deep State cabal that includes dead Venezuelans, the Democrats and the media, so that won’t change their minds. Sen. Rob Portman proposed a blue ribbon commission to examine election integrity, as he too plans to certify the vote Wednesday. Unfortunately that’s also not telling voters the truth.
Sen. Mitt Romney -- the boldest truth teller in the GOP -- warned the “egregious” stunt “dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic.” He called out the ambition of the plotters, and the danger of Trump calling for his supporters to surround the Capitol on Wednesday, which he said “has the predictable potential to lead to disruption, and worse.” But not once did Romney speak to the consequences of millions believing the garbage Trump has sold them for two months ahead of what will happen Wednesday. Nor did Sens. Tom Cotton or Lisa Murkowski or Roger Wicker or Mike Lee or even former House Speaker Paul Ryan. It seems they cannot come out with a simple declaration about the root of the problem, as Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan did when he said, “It concerns me that folks continue to fan the flames of misinformation for the sole purpose of wanting to flip an election.” Or as Geraldo Rivera, a Trump friend, did when he said on Fox News Monday night that Trump voters were being “fed propaganda” about election fraud.”
No one knows more about the lack of evidence of systemic fraud that would have changed the outcome of the election than Hawley and Cruz. Expertly trained in the law, having served as attorney general of Missouri and solicitor general of Texas, respectively, the two 2024 hopefuls are only presenting “allegations of fraud,” knowing the mere theater itself will allow the BS brigade to raise money from, and curry favor with, Trump voters feeling aggrieved over fraud they are told was hatched by a wide-reaching conspiracy. And perhaps making America great again now means charging people with crimes, without evidence, because of something we read on Facebook.
When pressed about a lack of evidence, as Sen. Ron Johnson was on “Meet the Press” Sunday, many Trump enablers will say they have to do this for voters who don’t believe the election results because, well, the media lacks credibility and the Democrats “never accepted” Trump’s 2016 election. Sure, Democrats who called Trump an illegitimate president from the get-go most certainly damaged faith in our electoral system these last four years. But Hillary Clinton didn’t question one state’s counts or sovereignty, and the undeniable influence of Russia in helping Trump’s campaign was confirmed by every intelligence agency in our government.
The most cynical statement of all came from Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, who, when he was considering joining Hawley, told Politico: “It’s a protest vote only. Because in my opinion there’s zero chance that anything will come from it. The House is not going to overturn and I don’t think you’ll even get close in the Senate.” Turns out Braun’s decided now he’s all in, because duping people over election results can’t be that damaging if it can’t succeed, right?
If Trump is leaving, and Republicans will break with him on Wednesday to protect the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic -- which now includes their colleagues -- it’s stunning that Kinzinger and Sasse are the only Republicans in Congress to address the fact that voters have been lied to on a massive scale. “All this talk from @realDonaldTrump and congressional grifters is simply explained: they will raise money and gain followers by blaming everyone else knowing full well they can’t do anything. It’s sad, and an utter scam. #restoreourgop,” Kinzinger tweeted on Dec. 26.
Sasse’s Facebook post explaining, in exhausting detail, what happened in six swing state elections, emphasized that what Trump and his allies tell people on television and online wasn’t presented in court because “there are no penalties for misleading the public. But there are serious penalties for misleading a judge, and the president's lawyers know that -- and thus they have repeated almost none of the claims of grand voter fraud that the campaign spokespeople are screaming at their most zealous supporters. So, here’s the heart of this whole thing: this isn’t really a legal strategy – it’s a fundraising strategy. Since Election Day, the president and his allied organizations have raised well over half a billion (billion!) dollars from supporters who have been led to believe that they’re contributing to a ferocious legal defense. But in reality, they’re mostly just giving the president and his allies a blank check that can go to their super-PACs, their next plane trip, their next campaign or project. That’s not serious governing. It’s swampy politics – and it shows very little respect for the sincere people in my state who are writing these checks.” Sasse and Kinzinger aren’t enjoying this -- they have plenty of Republican constituents telling them to Stop the Steal -- but they are gently trying to Stop the Scam.
“Every public official has the responsibility to tell the truth,” Sasse wrote in his Facebook post. But Republicans don’t get a pass because their party leader lies all the time and they secretly don’t like it. They have consistently refused to call out Trump’s falsehoods knowing full well that compulsive lying is not compatible with governance, let alone self-governance and democracy. But by letting each lie go, day after week after month after year, they have led us to this moment. They can think that certifying Joe Biden’s election gets them past the immediate crisis and cleanses them of the sins of Hawley, Cruz, McCarthy, et al. -- but without speaking truthfully to their voters about Trump's lies they remain complicit in hijacking self-government.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/05/even_republicans_defying_trump_wont_level_with_voters_144963.html
|
en
| 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/7971ea11633e467cc60c85c7ce7a91a182a84cd606e697d58c623c50036111ae.json
|
[
"On Wednesday, when numerous Trump loyalists object to the certification of the legitimate Electoral College count and fellow Republicans join Democrats to vote against them, a civil war within the GOP will manifest on an unfortunate battlefield: the floor of the U.S. Congress. Even if they have managed to hold the Senate majority after two elections the day before in Georgia, the division within the party will reverberate for years. All of it is the inevitable result of Donald Trump weaponizing disinformation and lies.\nIn what will be the final episode of the Trump show, a made-for-television day in which the president will delight in watching his defenders attempt to subvert millions of votes cast legally in a free and fair election, these officeholders will stoke more outrage in voters who believe Trump’s fraudulent claims of systemic voter fraud. Like the leader of the free world, his enablers too will fail to provide evidence of this. The sick spectacle will bring historic shame upon the nation as the whole world watches on cable news.\nRepublicans who stand to defend the Constitution and the oath they took again on Sunday when sworn in to the 117th Congress will be doing the right and honorable thing, and though it should be perfunctory and ceremonial, it will put them at great risk with voters who believe the election was stolen. But just because the system will have “worked” by week’s end, and the outcome was never in doubt, doesn’t mean that the long-term damage of Trump’s fake election fraud will be diminished. Millions of Americans believe him, and thus far there are only two Republicans in Congress expressly telling them not to -- Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Sen. Ben Sasse.\nSenate leaders are urging Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and others leading the objection stunt to abandon their plot. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has told colleagues privately only that this is the most important vote of his career, and has left colleagues free to vote as they wish. The closest thing to a dramatic public statement came from Sen. John Thune, the second-highest-ranking Senate Republican. “This is an issue that’s incredibly consequential, incredibly rare historically and very precedent-setting,” Thune said. “This is a big vote.”\nWhile this quote was likely to enrage Trump, it is not an effort to fix the problem by telling voters that the pollution they’re inhaling on Facebook -- and through Trump’s Stop the Steal texts -- is fake news, to put it nicely.\nRemarkably, House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney will break with Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy and vote to certify the count Wednesday. She circulated a letter providing a brief lesson on the Constitution, with specific Article II and 12th Amendment references so voters are clear that “nothing in the Constitution remotely says that Congress is the court of last resort, with the authority to second guess and invalidate state and federal court judicial rulings in election challenges.” The statement, of course, does not address that Trump has deceived millions and millions of Americans into believing something no Congress could ever let stand.\nSen. Pat Toomey, who is notably retiring, came out first against what Hawley announced and on which Cruz then piggy-backed. Toomey called out his colleagues by name, said their efforts undermine the right of people living in a democracy to choose their own leaders, and quoted former Attorney General Bill Barr stating: “we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election.” Trump’s voters now believe Barr is a member of a Deep State cabal that includes dead Venezuelans, the Democrats and the media, so that won’t change their minds. Sen. Rob Portman proposed a blue ribbon commission to examine election integrity, as he too plans to certify the vote Wednesday. Unfortunately that’s also not telling voters the truth.\nSen. Mitt Romney -- the boldest truth teller in the GOP -- warned the “egregious” stunt “dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic.” He called out the ambition of the plotters, and the danger of Trump calling for his supporters to surround the Capitol on Wednesday, which he said “has the predictable potential to lead to disruption, and worse.” But not once did Romney speak to the consequences of millions believing the garbage Trump has sold them for two months ahead of what will happen Wednesday. Nor did Sens. Tom Cotton or Lisa Murkowski or Roger Wicker or Mike Lee or even former House Speaker Paul Ryan. It seems they cannot come out with a simple declaration about the root of the problem, as Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan did when he said, “It concerns me that folks continue to fan the flames of misinformation for the sole purpose of wanting to flip an election.” Or as Geraldo Rivera, a Trump friend, did when he said on Fox News Monday night that Trump voters were being “fed propaganda” about election fraud.”\nNo one knows more about the lack of evidence of systemic fraud that would have changed the outcome of the election than Hawley and Cruz. Expertly trained in the law, having served as attorney general of Missouri and solicitor general of Texas, respectively, the two 2024 hopefuls are only presenting “allegations of fraud,” knowing the mere theater itself will allow the BS brigade to raise money from, and curry favor with, Trump voters feeling aggrieved over fraud they are told was hatched by a wide-reaching conspiracy. And perhaps making America great again now means charging people with crimes, without evidence, because of something we read on Facebook.\nWhen pressed about a lack of evidence, as Sen. Ron Johnson was on “Meet the Press” Sunday, many Trump enablers will say they have to do this for voters who don’t believe the election results because, well, the media lacks credibility and the Democrats “never accepted” Trump’s 2016 election. Sure, Democrats who called Trump an illegitimate president from the get-go most certainly damaged faith in our electoral system these last four years. But Hillary Clinton didn’t question one state’s counts or sovereignty, and the undeniable influence of Russia in helping Trump’s campaign was confirmed by every intelligence agency in our government.\nThe most cynical statement of all came from Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, who, when he was considering joining Hawley, told Politico: “It’s a protest vote only. Because in my opinion there’s zero chance that anything will come from it. The House is not going to overturn and I don’t think you’ll even get close in the Senate.” Turns out Braun’s decided now he’s all in, because duping people over election results can’t be that damaging if it can’t succeed, right?\nIf Trump is leaving, and Republicans will break with him on Wednesday to protect the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic -- which now includes their colleagues -- it’s stunning that Kinzinger and Sasse are the only Republicans in Congress to address the fact that voters have been lied to on a massive scale. “All this talk from @realDonaldTrump and congressional grifters is simply explained: they will raise money and gain followers by blaming everyone else knowing full well they can’t do anything. It’s sad, and an utter scam. #restoreourgop,” Kinzinger tweeted on Dec. 26.\nSasse’s Facebook post explaining, in exhausting detail, what happened in six swing state elections, emphasized that what Trump and his allies tell people on television and online wasn’t presented in court because “there are no penalties for misleading the public. But there are serious penalties for misleading a judge, and the president's lawyers know that -- and thus they have repeated almost none of the claims of grand voter fraud that the campaign spokespeople are screaming at their most zealous supporters. So, here’s the heart of this whole thing: this isn’t really a legal strategy – it’s a fundraising strategy. Since Election Day, the president and his allied organizations have raised well over half a billion (billion!) dollars from supporters who have been led to believe that they’re contributing to a ferocious legal defense. But in reality, they’re mostly just giving the president and his allies a blank check that can go to their super-PACs, their next plane trip, their next campaign or project. That’s not serious governing. It’s swampy politics – and it shows very little respect for the sincere people in my state who are writing these checks.” Sasse and Kinzinger aren’t enjoying this -- they have plenty of Republican constituents telling them to Stop the Steal -- but they are gently trying to Stop the Scam.\n“Every public official has the responsibility to tell the truth,” Sasse wrote in his Facebook post. But Republicans don’t get a pass because their party leader lies all the time and they secretly don’t like it. They have consistently refused to call out Trump’s falsehoods knowing full well that compulsive lying is not compatible with governance, let alone self-governance and democracy. But by letting each lie go, day after week after month after year, they have led us to this moment. They can think that certifying Joe Biden’s election gets them past the immediate crisis and cleanses them of the sins of Hawley, Cruz, McCarthy, et al. -- but without speaking truthfully to their voters about Trump's lies they remain complicit in hijacking self-government.",
"Even Republicans Defying Trump Won't Level With Voters",
"On Wednesday, when numerous Trump loyalists object to the certification of the legitimate Electoral College count and fellow Republicans join Democrats to vote..."
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-14T00:31:45 | null | 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
Democrats Are Using Capitol Riot to Consolidate Power | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F13%2Fdemocrats_are_using_capitol_riot_to_consolidate_power_533404.html.json
|
en
| null |
Democrats Are Using Capitol Riot to Consolidate Power
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
America's Cold Civil War will only heat up as those with all the power take precisely the wrong lessons from the Capitol Hill riot.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/13/democrats_are_using_capitol_riot_to_consolidate_power_533404.html
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/45c71b88ab5bd1453a6647c41202717a60dd458898fecd3064a434a598a38b97.json
|
[
"America's Cold Civil War will only heat up as those with all the power take precisely the wrong lessons from the Capitol Hill riot.",
"Democrats Are Using Capitol Riot to Consolidate Power",
"Democrats Are Using Capitol Riot to Consolidate Power | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-05T20:29:28 | null | 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
Call Actually Reveals a President Deep Into Detail | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F05%2Fcall_actually_reveals_a_president_deep_into_detail_532596.html.json
|
en
| null |
Call Actually Reveals a President Deep Into Detail
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
These weren’t the vague, non-committal words of the President of the United States on the phone call leaked by the Washington Post newspaper – which has recently taken millions of dollars from the Chinese Communist Party – this Sunday. They were the statements of the establishment Republicans on the call: Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Ryan Germany, and Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs on the January 2nd call.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/05/call_actually_reveals_a_president_deep_into_detail_532596.html
|
en
| 2021-01-05T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/3690cb9a6e3e609db20f148e66ce970b0adef865952bde4b44bae539486689e6.json
|
[
"These weren’t the vague, non-committal words of the President of the United States on the phone call leaked by the Washington Post newspaper – which has recently taken millions of dollars from the Chinese Communist Party – this Sunday. They were the statements of the establishment Republicans on the call: Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Ryan Germany, and Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs on the January 2nd call.",
"Call Actually Reveals a President Deep Into Detail",
"Call Actually Reveals a President Deep Into Detail | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-28T18:28:44 | null | 2021-01-28T00:00:00 |
Why Demonizing Liberals as 'Socialists' Doesn't Work | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F28%2Fwhy_demonizing_liberals_as_socialists_doesnt_work_534573.html.json
|
en
| null |
Why Demonizing Liberals as 'Socialists' Doesn't Work
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
As Americans die because the Trump administration refused to lead during the pandemic, it's hard to sell the idea that we need less government.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/28/why_demonizing_liberals_as_socialists_doesnt_work_534573.html
|
en
| 2021-01-28T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/2618d55d58ada732ec51dad48f370551a868baac3576b5d2d1ae560cfae80d17.json
|
[
"As Americans die because the Trump administration refused to lead during the pandemic, it's hard to sell the idea that we need less government.",
"Why Demonizing Liberals as 'Socialists' Doesn't Work",
"Why Demonizing Liberals as 'Socialists' Doesn't Work | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-21T14:27:12 | null | 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
Canceling Keystone XL Is a Gift to China and Russia | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F21%2Fcanceling_keystone_xl_is_a_gift_to_china_and_russia_534019.html.json
|
en
| null |
Canceling Keystone XL Is a Gift to China and Russia
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Joe Biden’s plans to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline is a gift to someone. The radical green groups for sure: they have opposed the oil link since its inception. The trucking and railroad industry will benefit, too, because once the pipeline is stopped, then the oil will be transported in and around America by something with wheels. It’s also a gift to our adversaries: for who will benefit when America and Canada can’t bring their fossil fuels to market? The competition. Russia and Venezuela will be thrilled to know their market share will increase thanks to the Biden Administration’s fumble.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/21/canceling_keystone_xl_is_a_gift_to_china_and_russia_534019.html
|
en
| 2021-01-21T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/7b90b4ce6c2b0581db5ec1dcc33124a3518f2147ec137169ebb5932b3e69cc6c.json
|
[
"Joe Biden’s plans to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline is a gift to someone. The radical green groups for sure: they have opposed the oil link since its inception. The trucking and railroad industry will benefit, too, because once the pipeline is stopped, then the oil will be transported in and around America by something with wheels. It’s also a gift to our adversaries: for who will benefit when America and Canada can’t bring their fossil fuels to market? The competition. Russia and Venezuela will be thrilled to know their market share will increase thanks to the Biden Administration’s fumble.",
"Canceling Keystone XL Is a Gift to China and Russia",
"Canceling Keystone XL Is a Gift to China and Russia | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-09T18:40:06 | null | 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
Sen. Scott Has the Right Election Commission Idea | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F09%2Fsen_scott_has_the_right_election_commission_idea_533073.html.json
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/favicon.ico
|
en
| null |
Sen. Scott Has the Right Election Commission Idea
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
Amid shameful behavior by President Trump and his supporters in trying to subvert duly certified election results and intimidate lawmakers in protest of phantom claims of fraud, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott has the far more constructive approach.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/09/sen_scott_has_the_right_election_commission_idea_533073.html
|
en
| 2021-01-09T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/0562e6daec7f53861ab535f5d11b31854e746e2ea1fd4f19aebf47ce876e66ff.json
|
[
"Amid shameful behavior by President Trump and his supporters in trying to subvert duly certified election results and intimidate lawmakers in protest of phantom claims of fraud, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott has the far more constructive approach.",
"Sen. Scott Has the Right Election Commission Idea",
"Sen. Scott Has the Right Election Commission Idea | RealClearPolitics"
] |
[] | 2021-01-13T00:10:21 | null | 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
Will U.S. Ever Examine 2020 Election Irregularities? | RealClearPolitics
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2F2021%2F01%2F12%2Fwill_us_ever_examine_2020_election_irregularities_533248.html.json
|
en
| null |
Will U.S. Ever Examine 2020 Election Irregularities?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
But the actual “big lie” is that the 2020 election was on the up-and-up and no amount of unpersoning will persuade half the country otherwise. Indeed, it confirms it.
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2021/01/12/will_us_ever_examine_2020_election_irregularities_533248.html
|
en
| 2021-01-12T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/7c40c4507c80bec63fdb06545d6d895f63c93106eddbb4626c1afe7f36a24915.json
|
[
"But the actual “big lie” is that the 2020 election was on the up-and-up and no amount of unpersoning will persuade half the country otherwise. Indeed, it confirms it.",
"Will U.S. Ever Examine 2020 Election Irregularities?",
"Will U.S. Ever Examine 2020 Election Irregularities? | RealClearPolitics"
] |
|
[] | 2021-01-13T11:51:49 | null | 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
SCRANTON, Pa. -- In the downtown here, if you pass Courthouse Square on Adams Avenue, then merge onto Washington Avenue, youll eventually enter Green Ridge,...
|
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Farticles%2F2021%2F01%2F13%2Fwill_a_biden_presidency_reflect_his_scranton_roots_145019.html.json
|
en
| null |
Will a Biden Presidency Reflect His Scranton Roots?
| null | null |
www.realclearpolitics.com
|
SCRANTON, Pa. -- In the downtown here, if you pass Courthouse Square on Adams Avenue, then merge onto Washington Avenue, you’ll eventually enter Green Ridge, a neighborhood seemingly preserved in ’50s-era America. “It’s a Norman Rockwell kind of scene,” Sarah Piccini, assistant director of the Lackawanna Historical Society, told me.
Indeed, stately old residences line this leafy stretch of North Washington Avenue, where “Scranton Loves Joe” signs adorn lawns and a large, ornamental donkey – clearly a tribute to the Democratic Party – commands the front porch of a Colonial revival home. There isn’t any doubt about the politics of this section, where President-elect Joe Biden spent his early youth. “Where Biden grew up in Green Ridge, Irish-Catholic Democrat was one conjoined word,” said Austin Burke, former president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Even today, that political, if not tribal, allegiance remains intact – especially with a native son about to ascend to the White House.
Next Wednesday, Biden will become the 46th U.S. president amid nightmarish conditions, including a pandemic, economic devastation, rising urban crime, and cultural upheaval. Matters only worsened last week when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol not long after President Trump’s divisive rally – the culmination of post-election disgruntlement. The nation’s chaotic state is the ultimate test for Biden, who, for decades, has presented himself as a loyal Democrat but also a unifying, centrist figure.
Biden’s persona is doubtless shaped by his Scranton roots, which he proudly referenced even before the 2020 campaign. It’s important to understand how the former vice president is a product of the Electric City, where politics remains something of a local industry. “Biden has been shaped for years as a creature of Washington, but before that he was a creature of Scranton,” said Christopher Borick, a native of nearby Throop and director of Muhlenberg College’s Institute of Public Opinion.
Though Biden lived in Scranton only until age 10, the city’s political and cultural past is encoded in his DNA. Tim Hinton, a Scranton attorney and distant relative, noted that the president-elect has “deep, widespread roots [among] very prominent people who did a lot to shape Scranton and help build up the city, whether designing roads, inspecting mines, or serving in the state Senate.”
Indeed, Biden’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Patrick Blewitt, left Ireland’s County Mayo 170 years ago this month and settled with his parents in Scranton, then a center for iron and railroads. By that point, the community of 1,000 – nestled in the Lackawanna Valley wilderness – was transitioning into an industrial empire fueled by the area’s anthracite coal mines. During this period, Patrick, who became a local engineer, planned many of Scranton’s streets as the region experienced explosive population growth driven, in large part, by Irish immigration.
By 1880, when Scranton’s population reached 45,000 – at one point, it was among America’s fastest-growing cities – the Irish had diluted the political influence of Welsh Methodist Republicans, who often worked as mine superintendents. Biden’s maternal great-grandfather, Edward F. Blewitt, was among those Irish Catholics who ascended the city’s Democratic hierarchy. Blewitt – Scranton’s city engineer under Mayor Terence Powderly, later head of the Knights of Labor – served in the Pennsylvania state Senate from 1907 to 1910. He was also a founder of what became Scranton’s chapter of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, which became a local political force.
When Blewitt died in 1926, The Scranton Republican recognized the Green Ridge resident’s over 40 years in local politics. Blewitt, the paper reported, “made friends easily and had the faculty of keeping them.” This also applied to the opposing political party: “Although a Democrat, Blewitt became a warm personal friend of the late United States Senator Boies Penrose,” a powerful Philadelphia Republican who controlled state politics. Meantime, The Scranton Times described Blewitt as a “Democrat of the old school. … He had endeared himself to a legion of acquaintances and friends here by reason of his many sterling qualities.”
Scranton’s pervasive Irish-Catholic Democratic culture, which dictated Blewitt’s career, only intensified after his death. “The Irish always controlled the city,” noted Michael DeMichele, a retired University of Scranton historian who, for decades, taught a regional ethnic studies course. A native of Scranton’s South Side, DeMichele recounted working in playgrounds when City Hall was controlled by James Hanlon, who served as mayor from 1946 to 1962. During that period, Irish political leaders ran ethnically diverse tickets to maintain control in the melting-pot city. “People used to vote the straight ticket for Democrats,” noted DeMichele.
Biden was born into this world in 1942, not long after Scranton’s population peaked at 143,000. At that point, the Irish elite dominated Green Ridge, designed as one of Scranton’s earliest suburban neighborhoods. In those early years, Biden’s family lived with his maternal grandparents in a three-story home, situated at the end of North Washington Avenue near Marywood University, then a Catholic women’s college. Even then, Green Ridge was a dramatic contrast from Scranton’s West Side or Minooka, both working-class Irish strongholds. “Green Ridge was always seen as the way up,” said Borick. “And as an Irish Catholic, being a lawyer or a politician was a vocation and path forward.”
Of course, other Scrantonians, including the non-Irish, followed this vocation before Biden. In the summer of 1964, prior to Biden’s senior year at the University of Delaware, William Scranton – the city’s patrician namesake, a liberal Republican and Pennsylvania’s then-governor – made a last-minute effort to secure the GOP nomination from Barry Goldwater, Arizona’s conservative U.S. senator. At the time, Bob Casey Sr., father of current U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, was Scranton’s state senator. In 1986, Casey Sr., a Green Ridge resident, defeated William Scranton’s son, Bill, in what was considered a gubernatorial upset.
By St. Patrick’s Day 1973, Biden, who followed his great-grandfather’s political path, was America’s youngest U.S. senator, representing Delaware. On that day, not long after the tragic death of his wife and daughter, Biden spoke at the annual dinner hosted by the local Friendly Sons, which Blewitt helped form. Among the attendees was Eugene Peters, who served as Republican mayor from 1970 to 1978. The son of Lebanese immigrants and a lifelong resident of Scranton’s Hyde Park, Peters vividly recalled Biden’s remarks. “I said he could be president someday,” Peters told me.
Now, almost 48 years later, Biden will fulfill that role. Of course, Scranton, like the nation, has profoundly changed since 1973. New immigrant groups, including Nepali-Bhutanese and Hispanics, reside in neighborhoods such as South Side. Nearly half of Scranton’s ethnic Catholic parishes, moreover, have closed or consolidated since the late 2000s – a trend likely accelerated by abuse scandals in the Scranton Diocese, which figured prominently in a 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report. Meantime, City Hall is confronting Scranton’s economic challenges. The current mayor, Paige Cognetti – an Oregon native and Obama administration alum – won election as an independent in 2019, not long after the preceding Democratic mayor resigned on federal public-corruption charges.
The Democratic Party, too, no longer wields the regional influence that it enjoyed during Biden’s youth or, decades later, the Obama era. In fact, though Scranton remains Democratic – every city precinct favored Biden in November – northeastern Pennsylvania is beginning to trend Republican. In 2016, the anthracite coal region – particularly neighboring Luzerne County – played a pivotal role in Trump’s statewide victory. That year, Trump lost Lackawanna County by about 3,500 votes to Hillary Clinton, whose father, a Republican, grew up in Scranton. It was an unthinkable scenario for Democrats, once a driving force behind the region’s labor movement.
In 2020, Biden won Lackawanna by nearly 10,000 votes. “If you had told me years ago that Biden, or anybody from Scranton, was running for president, I would think he’d get 80% of the vote in Lackawanna,” noted Borick.
Though Lackawanna is Pennsylvania’s second most Democratic county, Republicans have continued to make voter registration gains. According to Lance Stange, a Scranton native and Lackawanna’s GOP chairman, the county’s Republican Party has grown by 11% since 2016, while Democrats’ registration decreased by about 6%. “Republicans have gained ground in approximately 75% of Lackawanna County’s municipalities, including Scranton,” said Stange. “The Democrats are really only growing in the wealthiest areas of Lackawanna County.” This is part of a wider trend throughout the coal region, where many longtime Democrats flocked to the GOP during Trump’s presidency. It remains unclear, though, if they will continue to favor Republicans – or just stay home – in future elections.
Amid the region’s shifting politics, Green Ridge remains frozen in time. Austin Burke, now a local artist, recounted how a former chamber chairman, after spending over a year in the Abingtons – a prosperous suburban area – returned to Green Ridge. “He moved back to be among his own,” said Burke, who noted how the children of current residents look to buy neighborhood homes.
One afternoon last week, a trio of children – after passing a state historical marker for the late Casey Sr. – ascended a hill off North Washington Avenue to Hank’s Hoagies, a luncheonette where a life-size cutout figure of Biden greets customers. A few blocks away, a St. Bernard rested on a porch as people walked by. The neighborhood was calm, even idyllic, and a parallel universe compared to the national state of affairs.
It remains to be seen how Biden – a native of this culture – can serve as a calming, if transitional, force during this dark time, which is partly fueled by extremist forces in both political parties. “I feel very confident about Biden,” said Peters, the former GOP mayor who worked with a Democratic City Council. “I tried to serve all the people – that’s my philosophy in government – and I believe Biden will have a similar approach.”
|
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/01/13/will_a_biden_presidency_reflect_his_scranton_roots_145019.html
|
en
| 2021-01-13T00:00:00 |
www.realclearpolitics.com/de202be9cde281374ccbdfef9a71ea8fd695eea2802607aaecc19e977ee63dd1.json
|
[
"SCRANTON, Pa. -- In the downtown here, if you pass Courthouse Square on Adams Avenue, then merge onto Washington Avenue, you’ll eventually enter Green Ridge, a neighborhood seemingly preserved in ’50s-era America. “It’s a Norman Rockwell kind of scene,” Sarah Piccini, assistant director of the Lackawanna Historical Society, told me.\nIndeed, stately old residences line this leafy stretch of North Washington Avenue, where “Scranton Loves Joe” signs adorn lawns and a large, ornamental donkey – clearly a tribute to the Democratic Party – commands the front porch of a Colonial revival home. There isn’t any doubt about the politics of this section, where President-elect Joe Biden spent his early youth. “Where Biden grew up in Green Ridge, Irish-Catholic Democrat was one conjoined word,” said Austin Burke, former president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Even today, that political, if not tribal, allegiance remains intact – especially with a native son about to ascend to the White House.\nNext Wednesday, Biden will become the 46th U.S. president amid nightmarish conditions, including a pandemic, economic devastation, rising urban crime, and cultural upheaval. Matters only worsened last week when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol not long after President Trump’s divisive rally – the culmination of post-election disgruntlement. The nation’s chaotic state is the ultimate test for Biden, who, for decades, has presented himself as a loyal Democrat but also a unifying, centrist figure.\nBiden’s persona is doubtless shaped by his Scranton roots, which he proudly referenced even before the 2020 campaign. It’s important to understand how the former vice president is a product of the Electric City, where politics remains something of a local industry. “Biden has been shaped for years as a creature of Washington, but before that he was a creature of Scranton,” said Christopher Borick, a native of nearby Throop and director of Muhlenberg College’s Institute of Public Opinion.\nThough Biden lived in Scranton only until age 10, the city’s political and cultural past is encoded in his DNA. Tim Hinton, a Scranton attorney and distant relative, noted that the president-elect has “deep, widespread roots [among] very prominent people who did a lot to shape Scranton and help build up the city, whether designing roads, inspecting mines, or serving in the state Senate.”\nIndeed, Biden’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Patrick Blewitt, left Ireland’s County Mayo 170 years ago this month and settled with his parents in Scranton, then a center for iron and railroads. By that point, the community of 1,000 – nestled in the Lackawanna Valley wilderness – was transitioning into an industrial empire fueled by the area’s anthracite coal mines. During this period, Patrick, who became a local engineer, planned many of Scranton’s streets as the region experienced explosive population growth driven, in large part, by Irish immigration.\nBy 1880, when Scranton’s population reached 45,000 – at one point, it was among America’s fastest-growing cities – the Irish had diluted the political influence of Welsh Methodist Republicans, who often worked as mine superintendents. Biden’s maternal great-grandfather, Edward F. Blewitt, was among those Irish Catholics who ascended the city’s Democratic hierarchy. Blewitt – Scranton’s city engineer under Mayor Terence Powderly, later head of the Knights of Labor – served in the Pennsylvania state Senate from 1907 to 1910. He was also a founder of what became Scranton’s chapter of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, which became a local political force.\nWhen Blewitt died in 1926, The Scranton Republican recognized the Green Ridge resident’s over 40 years in local politics. Blewitt, the paper reported, “made friends easily and had the faculty of keeping them.” This also applied to the opposing political party: “Although a Democrat, Blewitt became a warm personal friend of the late United States Senator Boies Penrose,” a powerful Philadelphia Republican who controlled state politics. Meantime, The Scranton Times described Blewitt as a “Democrat of the old school. … He had endeared himself to a legion of acquaintances and friends here by reason of his many sterling qualities.”\nScranton’s pervasive Irish-Catholic Democratic culture, which dictated Blewitt’s career, only intensified after his death. “The Irish always controlled the city,” noted Michael DeMichele, a retired University of Scranton historian who, for decades, taught a regional ethnic studies course. A native of Scranton’s South Side, DeMichele recounted working in playgrounds when City Hall was controlled by James Hanlon, who served as mayor from 1946 to 1962. During that period, Irish political leaders ran ethnically diverse tickets to maintain control in the melting-pot city. “People used to vote the straight ticket for Democrats,” noted DeMichele.\nBiden was born into this world in 1942, not long after Scranton’s population peaked at 143,000. At that point, the Irish elite dominated Green Ridge, designed as one of Scranton’s earliest suburban neighborhoods. In those early years, Biden’s family lived with his maternal grandparents in a three-story home, situated at the end of North Washington Avenue near Marywood University, then a Catholic women’s college. Even then, Green Ridge was a dramatic contrast from Scranton’s West Side or Minooka, both working-class Irish strongholds. “Green Ridge was always seen as the way up,” said Borick. “And as an Irish Catholic, being a lawyer or a politician was a vocation and path forward.”\nOf course, other Scrantonians, including the non-Irish, followed this vocation before Biden. In the summer of 1964, prior to Biden’s senior year at the University of Delaware, William Scranton – the city’s patrician namesake, a liberal Republican and Pennsylvania’s then-governor – made a last-minute effort to secure the GOP nomination from Barry Goldwater, Arizona’s conservative U.S. senator. At the time, Bob Casey Sr., father of current U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, was Scranton’s state senator. In 1986, Casey Sr., a Green Ridge resident, defeated William Scranton’s son, Bill, in what was considered a gubernatorial upset.\nBy St. Patrick’s Day 1973, Biden, who followed his great-grandfather’s political path, was America’s youngest U.S. senator, representing Delaware. On that day, not long after the tragic death of his wife and daughter, Biden spoke at the annual dinner hosted by the local Friendly Sons, which Blewitt helped form. Among the attendees was Eugene Peters, who served as Republican mayor from 1970 to 1978. The son of Lebanese immigrants and a lifelong resident of Scranton’s Hyde Park, Peters vividly recalled Biden’s remarks. “I said he could be president someday,” Peters told me.\nNow, almost 48 years later, Biden will fulfill that role. Of course, Scranton, like the nation, has profoundly changed since 1973. New immigrant groups, including Nepali-Bhutanese and Hispanics, reside in neighborhoods such as South Side. Nearly half of Scranton’s ethnic Catholic parishes, moreover, have closed or consolidated since the late 2000s – a trend likely accelerated by abuse scandals in the Scranton Diocese, which figured prominently in a 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report. Meantime, City Hall is confronting Scranton’s economic challenges. The current mayor, Paige Cognetti – an Oregon native and Obama administration alum – won election as an independent in 2019, not long after the preceding Democratic mayor resigned on federal public-corruption charges.\nThe Democratic Party, too, no longer wields the regional influence that it enjoyed during Biden’s youth or, decades later, the Obama era. In fact, though Scranton remains Democratic – every city precinct favored Biden in November – northeastern Pennsylvania is beginning to trend Republican. In 2016, the anthracite coal region – particularly neighboring Luzerne County – played a pivotal role in Trump’s statewide victory. That year, Trump lost Lackawanna County by about 3,500 votes to Hillary Clinton, whose father, a Republican, grew up in Scranton. It was an unthinkable scenario for Democrats, once a driving force behind the region’s labor movement.\nIn 2020, Biden won Lackawanna by nearly 10,000 votes. “If you had told me years ago that Biden, or anybody from Scranton, was running for president, I would think he’d get 80% of the vote in Lackawanna,” noted Borick.\nThough Lackawanna is Pennsylvania’s second most Democratic county, Republicans have continued to make voter registration gains. According to Lance Stange, a Scranton native and Lackawanna’s GOP chairman, the county’s Republican Party has grown by 11% since 2016, while Democrats’ registration decreased by about 6%. “Republicans have gained ground in approximately 75% of Lackawanna County’s municipalities, including Scranton,” said Stange. “The Democrats are really only growing in the wealthiest areas of Lackawanna County.” This is part of a wider trend throughout the coal region, where many longtime Democrats flocked to the GOP during Trump’s presidency. It remains unclear, though, if they will continue to favor Republicans – or just stay home – in future elections.\nAmid the region’s shifting politics, Green Ridge remains frozen in time. Austin Burke, now a local artist, recounted how a former chamber chairman, after spending over a year in the Abingtons – a prosperous suburban area – returned to Green Ridge. “He moved back to be among his own,” said Burke, who noted how the children of current residents look to buy neighborhood homes.\nOne afternoon last week, a trio of children – after passing a state historical marker for the late Casey Sr. – ascended a hill off North Washington Avenue to Hank’s Hoagies, a luncheonette where a life-size cutout figure of Biden greets customers. A few blocks away, a St. Bernard rested on a porch as people walked by. The neighborhood was calm, even idyllic, and a parallel universe compared to the national state of affairs.\nIt remains to be seen how Biden – a native of this culture – can serve as a calming, if transitional, force during this dark time, which is partly fueled by extremist forces in both political parties. “I feel very confident about Biden,” said Peters, the former GOP mayor who worked with a Democratic City Council. “I tried to serve all the people – that’s my philosophy in government – and I believe Biden will have a similar approach.”",
"Will a Biden Presidency Reflect His Scranton Roots?",
"SCRANTON, Pa. -- In the downtown here, if you pass Courthouse Square on Adams Avenue, then merge onto Washington Avenue, youll eventually enter Green Ridge,..."
] |
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