To read the full articles, follow the links embedded in each headline.
Why Trump and Biden are not shoo-ins for nomination (Aug. 28): History shows it is sheer nonsense to assume that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump each have a lock on their respective parties’ 2024 presidential nominations.
One of the commentariat’s worst instincts is its repeated habit of prematurely declaring political races over. Huge numbers of voters pay only passing attention to politics until soon before they cast votes, and a significant number change their minds several times in the course of a political campaign….
On the truly idiotic myth that one must be ‘mean and tough’ to win (Aug. 29): Of all the memes prevalent on the political Right, perhaps the most inane is the assertion that Republicans often lose because they are “too nice.” The only way to win, supposedly, is to offer the meanest candidate imaginable. Generations of opinion polls and actual election results show that majorities or pluralities of voters in general elections reward empathy, and a clear majority have said that showing respect to others is “very important” to their votes….
Witness President Garfield, a good guy profiled in a New Orleanian’s biography (Aug. 17): A recently released biography of assassinated 19th-century President James Garfield is not only an extraordinarily good read but showcases public-service virtues the public should rediscover.
Garfield is little remembered today, but for two decades, he was a titan in public life. President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier, by New Orleans native C.W. Goodyear, should help resurrect appreciation for a man whose life contained so many elements of 1940s movie heroes that if it were fiction, critics would say screenwriters overplayed the Hollywood tropes….
Debate: Pence, Scott, Haley, and Christie earned praise the right way (Aug. 23):
The reality of the Republican debate is that without former President Donald Trump polluting it with his 2020 election lies, this Republican field is substantively strong.
Set aside Vivek Ramaswamy, a conspiracy theorist and foreign policy neophyte who has no business being in the race. All the others onstage are serious people with solid records and proven competence…..
Washington Examiner says Romney should run for re-election (editorial, Aug. 27): Republican United States Sen. Mitt Romney is on the fence about whether to run for reelection in Utah. He would do his state and country good with another term of public service. Romney is a good man, a principled senator, and an example of patriotic integrity….
