New York Times (January 17)
“President Trump is celebrating the anniversary of his return to power by accelerating his attack on the rule of law.” Just a “year into his second term, America risks losing a central feature of our democracy: that we are a country ruled by laws, not by one man…. On behalf of Americans who are now living without a functioning system of federal law and order, Congress should step up and end this self-interested destruction.”
Tags: Accelerating, Anniversary, Attack, Congress, Democracy, Federal law, Functioning, Laws, Order, Risks, Rule of law, Trump
New York Times (January 19)
“America’s leaders and institutions must remain undeterred. They will need to show courage and resilience in the face of Mr. Trump’s efforts as they continue to play their unique roles in our democracy. Vigilance is everything: If institutions surrender to the fear and coercion — by bending the knee or by rationalizing that the next right actions aren’t worth the fight, stress or risk — they not only embolden future abuses; they are also complicit in undermining their own power and influence.”
Tags: Abuses, Coercion, Complicit, Courage, Democracy, Efforts, Fear, Institutions, Leaders, Power and influence, Resilience, Surrender, Trump, U.S., Undermining, Vigilance
The Guardian (September 1)
“Germany was once an economic model to emulate but its reliance on industries past their sell-by date is costing it dear.” The nation is increasingly “an analogue economy in a digital world.” Though “brutal,” the truth “is that Germany is no longer an appropriate role model for the UK (or indeed, any other country). It is a country where the threat to democracy posed by extremist parties is the result of economic failure.”
Tags: Analogue economy, Brutal, Democracy, Digital world, Economic failure, Economic model, Emulate, Extremist parties, Germany, Industries, Reliance, Threat, UK
Irish Examiner (December 1)
“Why did Elon Musk purchase Twitter? His official answer — to defend free speech and democracy — is so unconvincing that the question won’t go away. Musk’s repeated appeals to these ideals to justify important decisions he has made since taking over are so confounding that they raise deep suspicions about his motives.”
Tags: Confounding, Decisions, Deep suspicions, Democracy, Free speech, Ideals, Important, Justify, Motives, Musk, Purchase, Twitter, Unconvincing
Washington Post (November 17)
“Republican officials seem to be hoping that their voters will do their dirty work for them and deliver them from Trump — reversing the usual roles of leaders and followers. But it won’t work. The party must put an end to its moral cowardice and finally and frontally confront the cancer within.” These officials must “explain to their voters that Trump is a demagogue who tried to undermine American democracy.”
Tags: Confront, Demagogue, Democracy, Dirty work, Followers, Leaders, Moral cowardice, Officials, Party, Republican, Trump, U.S., Undermine, Voters
New York Times (June 12)
“Something truly terrible happened on Jan. 6, and confronting it is essential to healing our divided nation.” The hearings aren’t “simply about holding Mr. Trump, his allies and the flag-draped thugs storming the halls to account. The hearings challenge all Americans to recommit to the principles of democracy, ask how important those values are to us and face the threats posed to our democratic way of life.”
Tags: Challenge, Democracy, Divided nation, Essential, Healing, Hearings, Jan. 6, Recommit, Terrible, Threats, Thugs, Trump, Values
Washington Post (December 27)
“Americans must rally against the real threat to our democracy: China.” During the past decades of neglect, we “largely ignored the rising challenge of China and only now are approaching an appropriate level of alarm…. There isn’t much of a choice here: Rally, or face eclipse.”
Washington Post (September 25)
“After dominating Germany and, indeed, Europe for so long, Ms. Merkel leaves a legacy of sober, patient leadership, in which she both articulated and modeled democratic values. This was especially important at times when the leaders of other Western nations… did not.” The impact of her departure will be widely felt as “the world’s need for strong champions and exemplars of democracy is greater than ever.”
Tags: Champions, Democracy, Democratic values, Dominating, Europe, Exemplars, Germany, Leadership, Legacy, Merkel, Need, Patient, Sober
The Economist (March 20)
Last week China slapped down democracy in Hong Kong. The imposition of tight mainland control over the territory is not just a tragedy for the 7.5m people who live there, it is also a measure of China’s determination not to compromise over how it asserts its will.” But China has pressure points. It is “more tightly coupled with the West than communist Russia ever was. This presents the free world with an epoch-defining question: how should it best secure prosperity, lower the risk of war and protect freedom as China rises?”
Tags: China, Communist, Compromise, Control, Democracy, Hong Kong, Imposition, Mainland, Prosperity, Risk, Russia, Territory, War
The Guardian (July 29)
“Ireland’s place in the global hierarchy appears on the rise, and the UK has continued marvelling at the shrewd cunning of their plucky little neighbour.” But some of the praise seems unwarranted. “Ireland hasn’t turned into some 24th-century futurist utopia so much as installed sensible public policy that should seem unremarkable in a modern democracy.” It’s simply that Ireland’s “mild competency… can appear to be stone-cold genius compared with the UK’s blundering mess.”
Tags: Competency, Cunning, Democracy, Genius, Global hierarchy, Ireland, Mess, Praise, Sensible, Shrewd, UK, Utopia
