Some Facts about Money and Politics

Jane Fonda (really) writes in the New York Times: Let’s be clear: Over decades the fossil fuel industry has hijacked our political system, and we...

Impeachment Isn’t Binary

Another way to think about the daft little pageant playing out in Washington today — and I think it is the right way to think about it — is this:...

‘Doug from Georgia, You’re on the Air’

I’d think better of Jerrold Nadler if I thought he believed a word of his opening statement today. As for Doug Collins (R, Ga.) . . . ye gods....

A Little More Olsen

On the unhappy subject of Henry Olsen’s sloppy work, I should have mentioned this bit: In the course of abominating the alleged libertarian...

It Sounded Better in the Original German

Molly Ivins had one great line, that Patrick Buchanan’s 1992 Republican Convention speech “probably sounded better in the original German.” If...

Henry Olsen’s Claims Are False

Henry Olsen writes (on Twitter) that “the libertarian-inspired GOP high priesthood of econ policy has blasted [Marco Rubio’s] ‘common good...

A Few Thoughts on Henry Olsen’s Attacks

Henry Olsen writes (on Twitter) that “the libertarian-inspired GOP high priesthood of econ policy has blasted [Marco Rubio’s] ‘common good...

The Bloomberg Plan

Rich, I am not much of an election analyst, but wasn’t that skip-the-early-states strategy the great idea that made Rudy Giuliani the Republican...

About That ‘General Welfare’ . . .

Oren Cass, in the great tradition of college sophomores throughout the ages, discovers in the words “promote the general Welfare” a general...

Both Things Can Be True at the Same Time

Claim: There was no investigation of the Bidens, and Ukraine eventually got the aid money, so there was no corrupt quid pro quo. But: Being inept at...

Breguetgate!

Jim, I think that wristwatch says more about the ambassador than you think. First of all, he’s wearing a chronograph with a suit. You’d think that...

Ask a Farmer

Declan Leary writes: It is perfectly plausible that the manual farmer tilling the land in 1907, whom Harsanyi so pities, found more dignity in the...

Classical (and Pessimistic) Liberalism

I think my ongoing disagreement with Michael Brendan Dougherty might be explained (Michael, I trust, will let me know if he disagrees) this way:...

The Problems of Solitary Confinement

There was a protest today at Gracie Manor in New York City calling for an end to the use of solitary confinement as a punishment in New York City...

Stop Writing These Dumb Headlines

One of the irritating clichés of modern journalism is the “Stop [Doing X]” headline. Dahlia Lithwick’s column today bears the inexplicable...

Re: Liberty as a Means

Thanks, Charles. I wasn’t sure that was even worth responding to, since the author pretty clearly hasn’t read the pieces in question, or can’t...

The News from Boston

I am a little puzzled by Michael Brendan Doughtery’s post this morning. Michael is a Catholic whose Catholicism is central to his political beliefs,...

Life Imitates Art

I guess Henderson State University doesn’t have a very good insurance plan for its instructors.Guys, Breaking Bad was a great television show, but...

Northwestern’s student journalists cowed to the mob — just like professional ones

There’s a dopey old don’t-do-drugs commercial in which a father confronts his weed-smoking son, who exclaims: “I learned it from you, Dad!”...

‘Dueling Populisms’

Jay, I enjoyed your remarks on Lloyd Blankfein and your conversation with Bob Costa. But I take issue with one point: the description of Donald...

Connecting Some Dots on Taxes

A Language Point

The headline over a story in Slate by the poetically named Lili Loofbourow reads: “What It Means to Evacuate.” What it means to evacuate is not...

A Little More Language from ‘Slate’

The vandalism of English pronouns has led to some very entertaining barbarisms. Here is a headline from one of Slate’s increasingly porny advice...

A Couple of Lefty Law Professors . . .

. . . . offer a pretty good explanation of why Elizabeth Warren’s proposed wealth tax is unconstitutional. The framers of the 16th Amendment thought...

More Is More: Caplan and ‘Open Borders’

“Open borders” is a phrase that is thrown around as an accusation — anybody who is marginally less restrictive on immigration than the speaker...

‘Essential Native American Recipes’

Strangely, there is no mention of Elizabeth Warren’s pow-pow chow.Kevin D. Williamson is the roving correspondent for National Review and the author...

If Not in Our Own Interests, Then in Whose?

Rich, I am a little bit perplexed by that Washington Post review. As you know, I do not think of myself as much of a nationalist, and I do sometimes...

Ahmari’s Evolution

Sohrab Ahmari writes to correct my description of his politics during his post-Trotskyite, pre-whatever it is you want to call him now, intermediate...

Ahmari’s Evolution

Sohrab Ahmari writes to correct my description of his politics during his post-Trotskyite, pre-whatever it is you want to call him now, intermediate...

Leveraging U.S. Aid for Political Reasons

. . . a series.

Running on the Economy in 2020

How to think about the Trump-era economy? Begin with a reminder that Americans’ beliefs about the relationship between presidents and the...

Glorious, Indeed

This Month in American Decadence

On the back page of The Atlantic is a feature called “The Big Question.” For November, the question is: “If you could go back in time and change...

This Is Going to Be an Uphill Battle

In regard to my column this morning (“Not Enemies, But Friends”) John Tamny writes: “No, we’re not ‘all in this together’ as [Williamson]...

Tulsi Gabbard dust-up shows Dems need to dump the Clintons for good

Hillary Rodham Clinton is every inch the conspiracy theorist that Donald Trump is, and she demonstrated that with her recent suggestion that both...

Why Republicans should try to win blacks’ votes

Rep. Elijah Cummings was born before Brown v. Board of Education, an era of de jure segregation in the public schools. That ended early in his life;...

Pelosi Must Open the Hearings

I am no great believer in the wisdom of “We the People,” but the people still must be consulted from time to time. This is one of those times. The...

News Flashes

A tornado tore through Dallas not too far from where I live last night. I slept through it. A Home Depot got leveled, and there was a fair amount of...

Dems are giving Elizabeth Warren a pass on her Native American insult

Elizabeth Warren is a career hustler who has tried on many personas: lawyer, writer of dopey self-help books (“The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan”),...

Today in ‘Total Lack of Surprise’

Donald Trump, who once invented an imaginary friend to lie about his sex life to the New York City tabloid press and then named his youngest son after...

The ‘Mystery’ of the Six-Figure Renter

What do we want?More homeownership!How will we get it?Subsidize mortgages!What’s that actually do?Inflate prices!Which results in what?Less...

Socialized Madness

I am not sure I agree with John’s assertion that Joker is “brazenly honest” in its portrayal of mental illness. (Editorial note: “Brazen” in...

It Was Your Turn, Sandusky

I’ve probably mentioned before here that I am a big fan of the newspaper comedy The Paper. Part of the story involves a feckless New York City...

Rich-Guy Hubris, Part . . . Whatever

Marc Benioff, the founder of Salesforce, has published a vacuous essay in the New York Times headlined, “We Need a New Capitalism.” Perhaps it has...

Beating Retreat

To expand on my earlier point, only one of these two things can be true: One, the United States is so beat, broke, and terrified that our commander in...

Andy Asks the Wrong Question

With respect to my good friend Andy McCarthy, I would think that the relevant question touching our shameful abandonment our of allies in Syria is not...

Simone Biles Is Just Too Good

This excellent column by Liriel Higa in the New York Times tells a story that sounds like something out of an Ayn Rand novel. Simone Biles, the...

Elitist at Elitist University Wins Elitist Prize

That’s how we’re supposed to talk about this stuff now, right? Nothing good ever comes out of the Ivy League! From the Wall Street Journal : The...

The Smallest Minority Reviewed in Quadrant

My thanks to Peter Murphy and Quadrant for this very kind review of The Smallest Minority: Independent Thinking in the Age of Mob Politics . A bit:...