The casual characterization of Jan. 6 as an “insurrection” is unjust and it appears to be creating a backlash, at least among Republicans.
Tag: Donald Trump
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Trump, Biden, and the Sham of ‘Our Democracy™’ Laid Bare
As Joe Biden and the elites push a sham narrative surrounding everything from Jan. 6, the principles of American constitutionalism, and even the nature of “the people” itself, Donald Trump stands as a rebuke to them and exposes their hypocrisy and wickedness.
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The MAGA Saga Must Play Out
The Trump saga will, and must, play out. Those who see themselves in his battle with the powerful, who see their troubles mirrored in his struggles, will not be denied.
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How Giorgia Meloni Became Standard-Bearer of the European Right
Once a marginal figure, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's success on the European stage stems partly from the rising popularity of the European right, but, above all, from what she has accomplished.
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‘Authoritarianism’ Is the Least of Our Problems
Donald Trump is not brining authoritarianism to America in '24. If anything, Trump is a victim, not a perpetrator, of authoritarian chicanery.
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Trump’s an ‘Insurrectionist’—But Hillary Was Exercising Free Speech
When Republicans ask questions about the integrity of our elections it's insurrection. When Democrats do it, it's just politics.
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Trump’s Country Party Roots
Aristocracy is the problem, and Americans will fight it with any weapon at hand—including Donald Trump.
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Charles Schumer: Jewish Bourbon
There is little excuse for Schumer’s shock, and his speech on anti-Semitism, delivered in his usual sanctimonious style, was unimpressive. It may have satisfied him. There is no reason it should satisfy anybody else.
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Give Us Educated, Skilled Immigrants Yearning to Support Themselves
Biden is welcoming destitute migrants, instead of newcomers who are educated, have job skills to succeed in today's economy, speak English and arrive ready to provide for their families.
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Congressional Republicans Facilitate the FBI’s FISA Abuse
The FBI has mastered the art of intimidating elected leaders with its FISA surveillance power.
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What Happened to Ron DeSantis?
When a politician stakes his campaign on a demonstration of how thorough, consistent and philosophically pure he is, he might impress conservative journalists and policy wonks, but they don't pick the nominee.
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Hamas Advocacy Exposes Phony Sloganeering of the Left
The left’s hashtag activism about sexual violence is just pure politics meant to manipulate female voters into believing that Democratic policies protect women.
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Stop the #MeToo Lawsuit Carnival
Statutes of limitations are necessary to ensure defendants get fair trials. Politically motivated suspensions hurt more than just their intended targets and are incompatible with justice.
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Biden Looks Doomed—But Is He?
Political scientists say presidential elections are referendums on the incumbent. If that’s the case next year, none of the Biden team’s grounds for optimism will matter.
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A Test for Trump and His Rivals
The path to the nomination for anyone other than Trump is exceedingly narrow. Voter composition and mobilization efforts will be key for Trump’s rivals.
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A Trump Political Miracle?
If Trump’s momentum continues to build, we may be on the precipice of witnessing a world-historic, resounding affirmation of the people’s desire for self-government, against incredible odds.
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‘International Chaos’—Connect the Dots to Biden
Biden's retreat from leadership is in keeping with his long-standing policies and example, with predictable results on the international scene.
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The Unnerving but Unsurprising Elements of Our Current ‘Police State’
Though we are rightly horrified by what our government has become, we ought not be surprised. Delegitimization and suppression of opposition has been the avowed goal of the American left for more than a century.
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FBI and Justice Department Are Greatest Threat to Constitution
The Constitution was never intended to justify surveillance and political interference by un-elected bureaucrats.
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Polemics & Exchanges: November 2023
A reader critiques Pedro Gonzalez's September column: "Even a cursory review of the results suggests some level of fraud." Gonzalez replies: "Trump was a populist so unpopular that he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton."
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Do Sex Scandals Matter?
Trump, Boebert, Gibson—or any candidate—might have moral character flaws, but candidates who are personally objectionable are often politically indispensable.
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A Flawed Primer on ‘Conservative Revolutionaries’
The book Partisans is a product of contemporary political discourse—made up of cut-and-paste, second- and third-hand source-filled rants—that fails to pass for serious scholarship.
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Vivek Ramaswamy and Conservative Victimhood
Vivek Ramaswamy once condemned conservative victimhood, especially Trump's Jan. 6 narrative. Now he's indulging it, in order to cultivate Trump supporters.
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Ramaswamy: A Trump Versus Trump?
Trump wasn't on stage in Milwaukee, but Trumpism was, thanks to Vivek Ramaswamy. Will Ramaswamy take votes from establishment candidates, or from Trump himself?
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The Paths Forward for the GOP Presidential Field
There is truly only one person around whom a GOP consolidation might be feasible, and he happens to be the de facto winner of Wednesday's debate.
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The GOP Primary Obviously Isn’t Over, but the First Debate Is Crucial
If one is to believe the prevailing narrative from Donald Trump’s current campaign to retake the White House, the 2024 Republican presidential primary might as well be over. The former president has been consistently dominating the top-line horse race polling for months now, the argument goes, despite (or perhaps because of?) the fact he has...
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The Imperial Imperative
In the Shadow of the Gods chronicles the charismatic and influential movers of history, known as emperors.
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The Frontrunner Who Looks Like a Loser Is Biden
Democrats don't want to lose next year, but they have to play the hand they dealt themselves.
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The Shameless Son
Jared Kushner should be ashamed of himself for his blatant, unfathomable, and utterly unacceptable profiteering from his father-in-law’s presidency. But shame is a word unknown to the 45th president’s son-in-law.
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The Trump Indictment May Saddle the GOP With a Loser
Trump's rise in the 2024 election polls after his indictment plays into Democrat hands, potentially saddling Republicans with a candidate who cannot win in 2024 because he cannot acknowledge his past mistakes.
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The End of Liberalism Nears
In his latest book, Francis Fukuyama sees liberalism under threat from extremists on both the populist right and the identitarian left.
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Books in Brief: April 2023
Short reviews of Interventions 2020, by Michel Houellebecq, and The Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us about Great Power Rivalry Today, by Hal Brands.
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Christianity Today Editor Russell Moore: ‘We Have No King But Caesar!’
Russell Moore’s recent editorial about the indictment of Donald Trump is a passive-aggressive attack on the former president and his supporters.
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The Trump Indictment and the Triumph of Critical Legal Studies
The indictment of Donald Trump marks the ascendancy of a progressive legal theory that argues all law is merely politics, and makes the courts into a battlefield for political campaigns.
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2024: 3 Leaders, 1 Way to Win
A Trump-DeSantis face-off in the Republican primaries could be costly for the party, but whichever candidate wins the nomination will need to reclaim the Rust Belt in order to beat Biden.
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Hungary’s Orbán: Europe Should Distance Itself from the United States
As the NATO proxy war in Ukraine reached its first anniversary, Hungary’s leaders suggested investigating the U.S. for the Nord Stream sabotage, and creating a new European alliance—without the U.S.
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Hakeem Jeffries Becomes Historic
The ascent of an anti-white egalitarian to House Democratic Leader shows that the American left intends to double-down on racial politics.
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Israel’s Judicial Reform Shows Growing Left-Right Divide Among Jews
The division among Jews worldwide regarding Israeli judicial reforms represents a growing gulf between Jewish liberals and conservatives, or "globalists" and "localists."
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Social Conservatism Isn’t Enough. Culture Matters, Too.
No one’s coming to save us—certainly not illegal immigrants. It’s up to Americans to right the ship.
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The 2024 Test for the New American Right
Among the pool of potential Republican presidential candidates for 2024, Ron DeSantis embodies the tenets and overall ethos of the more nationalist- and populist-infused "New Right" better than any other non-Trump alternative.
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What’s Next for the Right?
The Republican Party must get its own house in order, suppress the influence of its establishment members, and offer a coherent, principled, and politically viable program to the American electorate.
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Trump Backs the GOP Establishment
Despite running as an antiestablishment candidate, former President Donald Trump is fighting to keep two of the three top GOP leaders in power.
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The Art of the Dealmaker: Trump’s ‘Major Announcement’
Instead of advancing his presidential campaign in any meaningful way, Trump's big-announcement collector cards are just him doing what he's always done: merchandising himself and his persona.
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Why Does the GOP Elite Hate Its Own Base?
The scorn of the GOP elite for rank-and-file Republicans is simply unsustainable for the party.
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White Anxiety and the GOP
White anxiety is the single greatest driver of right-wing politics in the United States, and it is as understandable as the fear one feels while trying to avoid death by drowning.
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Books in Brief: December 2022
Short reviews of The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism, by Matthew Continetti, and The Black Boom, by Jason Riley.
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Random Musings; Random Sarcasm
Leftists make up catchphrases to smear their opponents, but they never apply the same logic to themselves.
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After 2022 Setback, GOP Race Is Wide Open
The 2024 Republican presidential race is wide open. After the disastrous mid-terms, a Trump resurgence is far from inevitable.
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Florida, the New Capital of Red State America
Republicans need to simply let Florida and its transformational governor show them the way. The future of the GOP is here in the sunshine state.