The Economist (February 3)
Between 2012 and 2022, half of the Americans who adopted EVs and PHEVs were “living in the 10% of counties with the highest proportion of Democratic voters.” Polarization may best the biggest obstacle limiting “the American market for electric vehicles.” Polarization “is cursing not only America’s politics but, increasingly, its culture and marketplace.”
Tags: 2012, 2022, and PHEVs, Culture, Cursing, Democratic, EVs, Limiting, Market, Obstacle, Polarization, Politics, U.S., Vehicles, Voters
Washington Post (August 29)
“Desperate political leaders of all stripes — Republican, Democratic, communist — have found a common enemy: free trade…. American political forces that are usually at odds apparently agree on the appeal of autarky — that economies should be as closed off as possible, whatever the consequences.” This seems to be part of a global phenomenon, with “nationalists and populists in other countries” also pushing “for more trade barriers. Even China, which has enriched itself through trade with other countries, is now reportedly flirting with curbing trade to demonstrate its lack of dependence on the West as its own economy falters.”
Tags: Autarky, China, Common enemy, Communist, Consequences, Democratic, Desperate, Free trade, Nationalists, Political leaders, Populists, Republican, Trade barriers
New York Times (March 31)
“For the first time in American history, a grand jury has indicted a former president of the United States.” Former President Trump “spent years… ignoring democratic and legal norms and precedents, trying to bend the Justice Department and the judiciary to his whims and behaving as if rules didn’t apply to him.” His indictment shows the rules do apply and, with it, these “institutions have proved to be strong enough to hold him accountable for that harm.”
Tags: Accountable, Democratic, Grand jury, History, Indicted, Institutions, Judiciary, Justice Department, Legal norms, Precedents, President, Rules, Strong, Trump, U.S., Whims
New York Times (April 3)
“Though this war is far from over, and Vladimir Putin may still find a way to prevail and come out stronger, if he doesn’t, it could be a watershed in the conflict between democratic and undemocratic systems.”
Tags: Conflict, Democratic, Over, Prevail, Putin, Undemocratic, War, Watershed
Washington Post (September 27)
“In the case of Ukraine, the president is accused of using the awesome power of the United States…to serve his personal political gain. Sadly, this is part of a pattern of violations of democratic norms.” While “Trump is a particularly egregious example” he fits a “global trend” of misbehavior that extends to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary’s Viktor Orban.
Tags: Democratic, Duterte, Egregious, Erdogan, Hungary, India, Johnson, Misbehavior, Modi, Norms, Orbán, Philippines, PM, Political gain, Power, Trump, Turkey, U.S., UK, Ukraine, Violations
The New Yorker (November 7)
“A Democratic majority in the House will not only thwart Donald Trump’s legislative ambitions; it could also intensify the state of crisis and siege in Washington” because the result was mixed. “The vote certainly was not a decisive repudiation of Trump, nor was it anything like the resounding endorsement he craved.”
Tags: Crisis, Democratic, Endorsement, House, Majority, Repudiation, Thwart, Trump, U.S., Washington
The Independent (April 14)
“This is a democratic outrage. If parliament–certainly reflecting public opinion on this occasion–would not support air strikes, then British forces should not have taken part in them, no matter how compelling the arguments may seem to the prime minister. We respect the view that the use of chemical weapons should be punished, but the democratic principle must come first.”
Tags: Air strikes, Arguments, Chemical weapons, Compelling, Democratic, Outrage, Parliament, Public opinion, Support, UK
The Economist (August 27)
“In the wreckage of the Arab world today, many act as if the idea that Islamists can play a useful democratic role is broken, too. They are being repressed anew by reactionary regimes, challenged by violent jihadists and looked upon with suspicion by voters whom they failed…. Yet the blanket repression of all Islamists is the worst possible response. In the end, it will lead only to more resentment, more turmoil and more terrorism.”
Tags: Arab, Democratic, Islamists, Jihadists, Reactionary, Regimes, Repressed, Resentment, Suspicion, Terrorism, Turmoil, Useful, Voters, Wreckage
The Economist (August 5)
“It is odd that North Korea causes so much trouble. It is not exactly a superpower. Its economy is only a fiftieth as big as that of its democratic capitalist cousin, South Korea. Americans spend twice its total GDP on their pets.” And yet everyone is wondering what to do with this rogue. “There are no good options to curb Kim Jong Un.” But a first strike or “blundering into war would be the worst… The world must keep calm and contain Mr Kim.”
Tags: Blundering, Capitalist, Contain, Democratic, Economy, First strike, GDP, Kim Jong Un, North Korea, Pets, Rogue, South Korea, Superpower, Trouble, U.S.
Chicago Tribune (January 17)
“No one in Europe should ever be induced to wonder if America is on the side of Europe’s free and democratic nations or the menacing, corrupt autocrat in the Kremlin. The military partnerships and economic connections between the United States and Europe deserve a great deal of the credit for the relative peace and prosperity of the postwar era.”
Tags: Autocrat, Corrupt, Democratic, Europe, Free, Kremlin, Military, Partnership, Peace, Prosperity, U.S.
