Editorials
Who taught George Santos to be such a self-serving fraud?
Jim Hightower People are baffled by the surreal saga of George Santos, the bizarre Republican congress critter who is a bottomless sinkhole of lies. How could he think that he, a highly visible public figure, could get away with such blatant fabrications? Perhaps he thought he was a corporation. After all, these multibillion-dollar brand-name outfits…
Read MoreFor Republicans, it’s 3 a.m. in an after-hours bar
Froma Harrop In Joe Biden’s America, it’s morning. For Republicans, it’s now 3 a.m. in an after-hours bar. The people are wasted, hollering about their “enemies,” some working to repurpose their bad behavior into grifting opportunities. The sun in Ronald Reagan’s “Morning in America” pitch set long ago. America, in the official Republican view, is…
Read MoreOld-fashioned civility
Susan Estrich The president didn’t seem to mind. When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene couldn’t restrain herself from calling out “liar,” he was ready. When others started booing, he took them on. The president smiled and veered off his teleprompter. He was at his best. Let Biden be Biden. But what does it say about us?…
Read MoreThe parties: A view from the suburbs
Froma Harrop There are moderates in the suburbs — Democrats, Republicans and Independents — who want Washington spending kept in check. They tend to be liberal on social issues but pained over the extremes of the woke. They have respect for various sexual identities but little interest in learning new pronouns. And they overwhelmingly want…
Read MoreWhat do you do when it’s all too much?
Susan Estrich You start unpacking, one piece at a time. That’s the way to start the new year. One piece at a time. First piece: the next senator from California The most expensive and most watched Senate race began this week with Rep. Katie Porter’s announcement that she will be running for Dianne Feinstein’s seat…
Read MoreExposing questionable ‘truths’ about American myths
David Shribman The half-dozen versions of the final report of the committee examining the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, aren’t the only books that are making waves in the first weeks of the new year. A surprise entry — a look at the biggest legends in American history — is attracting unusual attention as…
Read MoreIsrael’s new hard-line government has made headlines – the bigger demographic changes that caused it, not so much
Michael Brenner American University (THE CONVERSATION) Israel’s new goverment is the most right-wing and religious leadership the country has had in the 75 years of its existence, as many observers have pointed out. And this style of leadership may last because it represents the next generation of Israelis. You don’t have to look far to…
Read MoreThe GOP is the self-loathing party
Rich Lowry Will Rogers famously said: “I belong to no organized political party. I’m a Democrat.” He would have to dig deeper to find a gibe suitable for today’s GOP. The substantive stakes in the battle over Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid, which has produced a deadlock not seen on the House floor in 100 years,…
Read MoreBeware aggrieved empires
Rich Lowry China sent 71 aircraft and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour period, while Russia shelled the Kherson region more than 70 times. These acts of aggression — occurring 5,000 miles apart, one in a grinding war of attrition, the other as part of an ongoing political and diplomatic struggle that may well…
Read MoreOverdose Prevention Sites
Susan estrich They call them “overdose prevention sites.” I’d never heard of them until I saw the picture in the LA Times of a drug user literally falling down in the middle of a city plaza where dozens of people were openly consuming fentanyl, meth and other deadly drugs. What makes it a “prevention” site…
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