Free Republic

The Donald and the Demagogues Democracies that trade substance for charisma don’t last. Trump is America’s answer to Hugo Chávez. By Bret Stephens Aug. 31, 2015 7:34 p.m. ET If by now you don’t find Donald Trump appalling, you’re appalling. If you have reached physical maturity and still chuckle at Mr. Trump’s pubescent jokes about Rosie O’Donnell or Heidi Klum, you will never reach mental maturity. If you watched Mr. Trump mock fellow candidate Lindsey Graham’s low poll numbers and didn’t cringe at the lack of class, you are incapable of class. If you think we need to build new...

The Donald And The Demagogues Democracies that trade substance for charisma don’t last. Trump is America’s answer to Hugo Chávez. By BRET STEPHENS Aug. 31, 2015 If by now you don’t find Donald Trump appalling, you’re appalling. If you have reached physical maturity and still chuckle at Mr. Trump’s pubescent jokes about Rosie O’Donnell or Heidi Klum, you will never reach mental maturity. If you watched Mr. Trump mock fellow candidate Lindsey Graham’s low poll numbers and didn’t cringe at the lack of class, you are incapable of class. If you think we need to build new airports in Queens...

On the day in May when Islamic State militants raised their black flag above the ancient city of Palmyra, the Damascus Opera House featured a singer in a rumpled black suit belting out traditional Arabic ballads. Members of the audience were herded together so the half-empty auditorium appeared full on state television, and the crowd whistled, clapped and danced in the aisles for the benefit of the cameras. This week, as the extremist militants blew up a 2,000-year-old temple in Palmyra, the opera house in the capital 150 miles to the west prepared to open an art exhibit. “It is...

There are few uglier phrases in the modern conservative lexicon than "anchor baby," not least because of the literal imagery the term brings to mind of a human infant, wrapped in chains and flung overboard to secure a vessel in place. But even as a figure of speech, it's a despicable concept. It refers to the notion that undocumented immigrants exploit the quintessentially American policy of birthright citizenship, which confers the status of citizen to anyone born on U.S. territory, by sneaking across the border to give birth to their children. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush recently stumbled into the...

I was wondering why a polling outfit (CNN/ORC) is now all of a sudden trusted by conservatives? If not, then say so. If it is all of a sudden now trusted by conservatives...I thought that CNN is a liberal outfit and not to be trusted? Limbaugh seems to be going after CNN for their Morten Downey Jr. documentary on TV as somehow being used to juxtapose against Trump, and for their interviews of Trump supporters, and wondering if they are going to hand-pick the worst of the worst in those interviews to somehow paint all Trump supporters in a negative...

Obama Sways Influential Jewish Lawmaker to Back Iran Deal Rep. Nadler’s endorsement capped a week in which president locked in support from several wavering Democrats By SIOBHAN HUGHES Aug. 21, 2015 WASHINGTON—Rep. Jerry Nadler on Friday endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, capping a week in which the Obama administration locked in support from several wavering Democrats before a critical vote next month on an agreement that could reshape the U.S. relationship with the Middle East. The Jewish Democrat from New York said that “for all its flaws,” the accord between Iran and six other nations “gives us the best chance...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is bringing out the big guns for his next donor summit, turning to his father and brother to headline the event in Texas this fall, according to a copy of the invitation. Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush will be the big draw at the third major-donor conference Jeb Bush has organized to raise money for his 2016 White House bid. The Houston gathering, dubbed the “Jeb Celebration,” illustrates the pros and cons of Jeb Bush’s famous bloodline because it is sure to draw legions of donors loyal to his dad and...

If you talk to the reporters who work for various big media companies, they insist that they have true editorial independence from the business side of their companies. They insist that the news coverage isn't designed to reflect the business interests of their owners. Of course, most people have always suspected this was bullshit -- and you could see evidence of this in things like the fact that the big TV networks refused to cover the SOPA protests. But -- until now -- there's never necessarily been a smoking gun with evidence of how such business interests influences the editorial...

The summer Trump polling spurt has nonetheless been instructive in exposing a growing problem on the political right. All too many conservatives, including some magazine editors, have been willing to overlook his hucksterism as he’s risen in the polls. They pretend that he deserves respect because he’s giving voice to some deep disquiet or anger in the American electorate. But America has rarely lacked for demagogues willing to exploit public discontents. William Jennings Bryan won three Democratic presidential nominations running against eastern elites. In 1948 Henry Wallace ran as a Soviet sympathizer while Strom Thurmond won 39 electoral votes running...

Sen. Ted Cruz insists he won’t wage “violence” on Republicans–which is part of the reason why he won’t condemn Donald Trump’s comments about immigrants and prisoners of war. The Wall Street Journal isn’t holding back, though. The paper’s conservative editorial board slammed Cruz and praised former Gov. Rick Perry for their starkly different responses to Trump’s claim that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., “is only a war hero because he got captured. I like people who weren’t captured better.” Perry, an Air Force veteran, had one of the quickest and most forceful condemnations of Trump, insisting the real estate mogul wasn’t...

Trading in all symbols was temporarily halted on the New York Stock Exchange floor Wednesday due to an apparent technical issue. "NYSE/NYSE MKT has temporarily suspended trading in all symbols. Additional information will follow as soon as possible," the NYSE said in a statement on its status page. A technical issue caused the trading halt, Reuters reported, citing a source. Trading stopped around 11:30 a.m. ET.

MADISON, Wis. – Cindy Archer was once made to beg sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents not to shoot her dogs during an early-morning raid on her Madison home. Now the former aide to Gov. Scott Walker who has never been charged with a crime in the Democrat-launched John Doe investigation is fighting back in court. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published Tuesday evening, Archer writes that Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and his agents ransacked her house and ruined her career. “After much soul-searching, I am filing a civil-rights lawsuit on Wednesday against Milwaukee County District Attorney...

Last September the Obama administration produced an FBI report that said mass shooting attacks and deaths were up sharply—by an average annual rate of about 16% between 2000 and 2013. Moreover, the problem was worsening. “The findings establish an increasing frequency of incidents,” said the authors. “During the first 7 years included in the study, an average of 6.4 incidents occurred annually. In the last 7 years of the study, that average increased to 16.4 incidents annually.” The White House could not possibly have been more pleased with the media reaction to these findings, which were prominently featured by the...

It’s been almost a month since the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial titled “The Menendez Indictment.” We responded in a letter to the editor that has not been published. It’s a safe bet it never will be, so we post it here. The Journal got to the point in its opening paragraph: Ill-defined federal laws now reach into virtually every sphere of human behavior, and thus prosecutors can destroy almost anyone they choose. The recent indictment of Senator Robert Menendez on 14 counts of corruption and “honest services” fraud is a troubling case in point that deserves more...

WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy slowed to a crawl at the start of the year as businesses slashed investment, exports tumbled and consumers showed signs of caution, marking a return to the uneven growth that has been a hallmark of the nearly six-year economic expansion. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced across the economy, expanded at a 0.2% seasonally adjusted annual rate in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The economy advanced at a 2.2% pace in the fourth quarter and 5% in the third. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected growth...

Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the Wall Street Journal. We reprint in part here. Hillary Clinton’s State Department was part of a panel that approved the sale of one of America’s largest uranium mines at the same time a foundation controlled by the seller’s chairman was making donations to a Clinton family charity, records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show.The $610 million sale of 51% of Uranium One to a unit of Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear agency, was approved in 2010 by a U.S. federal committee that assesses the security implications of foreign investments. The State Department, which...

(Snip) The framework requires that all questions take up sweeping issues, such as “group identity,” which leaves little place for transcendent individuals. Men and women who were once studied as inspirational figures have become examples of trends, and usually not uplifting ones. The immigrant story that the exam tells is of oppressed people escaping to America only to find more oppression. That many came seeking the Promised Land—and found it here—is no longer part of the narrative. (Snip)

France on Saturday outlined one part of what the gradual ramp-up of Iran’s nuclear program could entail after the initial 10-year phase of a framework accord. Since Thursday’s deal between Tehran and a group of six world powers on the outlines of a final agreement, the U.S., the Iranians and the French have each produced their own documents outlining what they see as the highlights of the deal. That has led to squabbling between U.S. and Iranian officials over differences in their versions. According to a French fact sheet, Iran would be able to carry out a “gradual, clearly defined...

Google has a staggering 90% dominance of all search in the EU, making it much more influential than it is in the U.S., where it currently holds 75% dominance, says Business Insider). Experts told The Wall Street Journal that it is easier to bring an antitrust lawsuit to the EU commission than to a U.S. court: Unlike in the U.S., where antitrust investigators must prove their case to a judge, the EU Commission acts as prosecutor, judge, and jury in competition cases... If convicted, Google could be forced to pay as much as 10% of its annual revenue, which amounted...