(Lloyd Billingsley) The argument whether Joe Biden is the worst-ever president could be settled by ranking him with the worst people in American history. If that seems too glib or partisan, people might try an historical and literary approach. For example, Voltaire’s eponymous Candide finds chaos and catastrophe on every hand but his mentor Dr. Pangloss sees it as the best of all possible worlds. According to the good doctor, “It is
Category: Power Line Blog
My friend Scottie
(Scott Johnson) This is an entirely personal note about my first friend in life — Scott Sansby. We have been friends since my family moved from Moorhead to St. Paul in 1958. Let me put it this way. We have been friends since the Eisenhower administration. We became friends that summer and then went to grade school together for the following five years. Scottie has a wide world of friends, but we
Dem Congressman Obstructs an Official Proceeding
(John Hinderaker) The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly today for a continuing resolution that will fund the federal government for 45 days. The “clean” CR does not include any of the conservative terms the Republicans have been trying to get, but it does include billions in disaster relief. Personally, I would just as soon have seen a government “shutdown,” i.e., a temporary furlough of nonessential government workers. The fact that Democrats voted
China’s Doll Departs
(Lloyd Billingsley) Sen. Dianne Feinstein has departed this life at the age of 90. The California Democrat can be remembered in several ways, especially as the American politician most faithful to the People’s Republic of China. In April of 2020, Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit charging that Chinese Communist officials are “responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians.” For Sen.
Podcast: The 3WHH, Phila-Pest Edition
(Steven Hayward) Settle in with your best chilled Hungarian dessert wine and Philly cheese steak for this cosmopolitan issue, which finds John Yoo—host for this week’s episode—tired out from looting in his home town of Philadelphia, while Lucretia and Steve are together in Budapest carrying on with more conspiracies against the international rules-based order. John gives us on-scene reports from ground-zero of the “recreational shopping” going on in Philadelphia, plus an update
Coming soon
(Scott Johnson) Democrats have rewritten their rules and schedule to accommodate the requirements of President Biden. Biden is not wildly popular in his own party. Those in the know — they they know that Biden needs all the help he can get. He needs help remaining upright in public. He needs help in the Democratic caucuses and primaries to stave off embarrassment. It’s not an edifying sight. Running a quixotic campaign for
Remembering Pat Paulsen
(Scott Johnson) I haven’t thought about the late comedian Pat Paulsen in a long time. He started running for president in 1968 and kept at it on a quadrennial basis, more or less like a comic version of Minnesota’s own boy wonder Harold Stassen (although Stassen himself became a punch line). See the history set forth in “Pat Paulsen for president!” The Library of Congress has catalogued a 1968 “Pat Paulsen for
The Week in Pictures: Code Violation Edition
(Steven Hayward) As several observers have already mentioned, the Senate’s new Fetterman-friendly dress code, which made casual Friday look like the prom, lasted less than a Half-Scaramucci (Washington’s new favorite measure of time, though I’m holding out for a revival of “fortnight”). Speaking of someone not wearing any clothes, Justin Trudeau looks pretty foolish not noticing an actual Nazi in his midst, having been so good at spotting them among Canadian truckers
Trump the Authoritarian
(John Hinderaker) Democrats like to label Donald Trump an authoritarian. This is why he supposedly is a threat to “our democracy.” The charge is generally groundless. Trump was president for four years, so he has a track record as the least authoritarian president of recent years. But Trump, being Trump, can’t get out of his own way. So earlier this week, on Truth Social, he handed the Democrats all the ammunition they
Dianne Feinstein, Centrist?
(John Hinderaker) Dianne Feinstein died last night. She cast a Senate vote earlier in the day. Tributes to her are pouring in, which is natural and appropriate. But check out how the Washington Post described her: I think it is true that Feinstein was not as crazy as some of her Democratic colleagues, but is there any plausible sense in which she was a centrist? The American Conservative Union rates members of