Trump’s Biggest Critics Are Significantly Responsible for His Rise

by in Campaign 2016, Conservatism, Foreign Policy, Metapolitics 1

Prominent neoconservatives, led by Bill Kristol, have played leading roles in trying to block Trump’s nomination or repeal it somehow. They’ve lined up fellow-neocons to sign letters opposing his election and/or declining to serve under him should he actually make it to the White House. Some, albeit a relatively small minority so far, have gone so far as to publicly endorse Hillary for president, if only as the lesser evil. Among the most outspoken in the latter group are Bob Kagan, Max Boot, Bret Stephens, and Eliot Cohen. Indeed,…

Yemen, Not Syria or Iraq, Is Obama’s Worst Foreign Policy Mistake

by in Foreign Policy Comments Off on Yemen, Not Syria or Iraq, Is Obama’s Worst Foreign Policy Mistake

The people most upset with President Obama on Syria are those hawks that have wanted him to do much more, and so they blame him for the actions that other states and groups have taken when he has no control over what these other actors do. Meanwhile, when the Obama administration directly and actively participates in creating one of the gravest humanitarian crises of this century, as it has in Yemen, the same people that berate him over Syria have nothing to say about that….

American Jews’ Opinions Toward Israel Shifted As Netanyahu Embraced the GOP

by in Foreign Policy, International Politics, Judaism Comments Off on American Jews’ Opinions Toward Israel Shifted As Netanyahu Embraced the GOP

Gradually but inexorably, the nature of the American Jewish attachment to Israel began to change, to become more and more the province of the Orthodox. I do not begrudge the Orthodox their dominance. They didn’t steal Zionism from anyone. To a certain degree, non-Orthodox Jews have abdicated it. Regardless, the net effect is clear. Survey data tells us that Orthodox Jews in this country are twice as likely as Conservative Jews, four times as likely as Reform Jews, and eight times as likely as unaffiliated…

Winning Reelection Won’t Solve Paul Ryan’s Problems

by in Campaign 2016, Conservatism, Immigration, Metapolitics, Trade 1

The most important election of the year, apart from the one occurring on November 8, takes place today. That’s when Speaker of the House Paul Ryan goes up against the vice president of a water filtration company, Paul Nehlen, in the first serious primary challenge that Ryan has faced in the 18 years since he was elected to Congress. The odds for Nehlen are long. Of nearly 5,000 primaries held between 1992 and 2012, only 31 challengers toppled the incumbent. Nehlen also seems a little…

Globalism vs. Nationalism May Be the Future of American Politics

by in Immigration, Metapolitics, Trade Comments Off on Globalism vs. Nationalism May Be the Future of American Politics

First-past-the-post voting like America’s tends inevitably to yield two-party systems, which usually require awkward coalitions. What determines which interest groups coalesce? In 1929 Harold Hotelling, an economist, wrote that a rational voter would choose a candidate whose views showed most “proximity” to his own. In turn, a political party serious about winning should take the positions most likely to convince the voter in the electorate’s ideological middle. Since both parties needed to attract most votes from a broad electorate, this “median-voter theorem” would push them…

Was McAuliffe’s TPP Remark Actually Deliberate?

by in Campaign 2016, Foreign Policy, Trade Comments Off on Was McAuliffe’s TPP Remark Actually Deliberate?

In the first five minutes of his first State of the Commonwealth address, [Virginia Gov. Terry] McAuliffe said he wanted to make Virginia the East Coast capital for agriculture and forestry. At the time, it was third behind Georgia and North Carolina; today it has overtaken North Carolina. “He is uniquely positioned to be successful at it,” said Maurice Jones, Virginia’s secretary of commerce and trade. “Why? Because he knows everybody everywhere.” McAuliffe formed many of those international relationships traveling the world with President Bill…

Foreign Governments Have a History of Intervening in American Elections

by in Campaign 2016, Foreign Policy, History, International Politics Comments Off on Foreign Governments Have a History of Intervening in American Elections

Something quite remarkable happened this morning. Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, beseeched the government of Russia, a foreign and quasi-hostile country, to hack the private email account of Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he told a room of flummoxed reporters. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.” For those few readers who aren’t up to speed, let’s back up a step. It…

Kasich, Rest of GOP Leaders Still Haven’t Realized the Bush Foreign Policy Was a Failure

by in Campaign 2016, Foreign Policy Comments Off on Kasich, Rest of GOP Leaders Still Haven’t Realized the Bush Foreign Policy Was a Failure

The Republican Party is heir to a failed foreign policy that it has never fully confronted. The man who forced a partial confrontation has just secured the party’s nomination. But the reaction of the party elite appears to be that the best approach is to return, as soon as possible, to the old doctrines and nostrums and that it best to focus, not on the current election, but on establishing the parameters for 2020. How else to interpret Ohio Governor John Kasich’s speech on Tuesday afternoon…