Wall Street Journal (October 17)
“Reports of the death of Polish democracy appear to have been greatly exaggerated, as exit polls suggest this weekend’s election has produced a perfectly normal swing in political power. The centrist opposition is expected to have a clear shot at forming an administration to replace the right-leaning Law and Justice (PiS) despite frequent complaints that PiS robbed Poland of its democratic freedoms.”
Tags: Centrist opposition, Complaints, Democratic freedoms, Election, Exit polls, Law and Justice (PiS), Normal, Poland, Political power, Swing
The Economist (February 2)
The decisive election of Petr Pavel as the new president of the Czech Republic shows that “all is not lost for the centrist liberal consensus” and also indicates that populism in Europe is, at last, “losing its mojo.” Pavel’s win “marks another blow for the narrative of European politics shifting inexorably to extremes.”
Tags: Centrist, Consensus, Czech Republic, Decisive, Election, Europe, Extremes, Liberal, Mojo, Pavel, Politics, Populism, President
Wall Street Journal (November 10)
“If Donald Trump announces he’s running for president again, the 2024 election is over.” He is “the Republican Party’s biggest loser” having “flopped in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022.” Donald Trump “has led Republicans into one political fiasco after another.” Perhaps now that “Mr. Trump has botched the 2022 elections,” Republicans will finally be “sick and tired of losing.”
Tags: 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, Biggest loser, Botched, Election, Elections, Fiasco, Flopped, Losing, Republicans, Sick and tired, Trump
New York Times (October 27)
“Because of soaring deforestation rates under President Jair Bolsonaro, the Amazon ecosystem is on the brink of catastrophe.” For Brazilians, “this will be a painful election between two deeply flawed candidates. But for the future of human life on this planet, there is only one right choice.” Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva “promises to stop the destruction.”
Tags: Amazon, Bolsonaro, Brazil, Candidates, Catastrophe, Deforestation, Destruction, Ecosystem, Election, Flawed, Future, Human life, Lula da Silva, Planet, President, Soaring
The Diplomat (May 2)
“Two and half years on and Japan remains an outlier among industrialized G-7 nations, which have re-opened for tourists and eliminated quarantines.” The border restrictions “prevent Japan from benefiting from the weak yen,” which would “encourage inbound tourism and play a considerable role stabilizing the currency and creating jobs.” Nevertheless, “public opinion and the pernicious idea that COVID-19 is brought in by foreigners” seem to be driving debate, with international tourism “unlikely to be given the green light until the second half of the year following the result of the upper house election.”
Tags: Border restrictions, COVID-19, Currency, Election, Foreigners, G-7, Inbound tourism, Industrialized, Japan, Jobs, Outlier, Public opinion, Quarantines, Re-opened, Stabilizing, Tourists, Upper house, Weak yen
San Francisco Chronicle (September 16)
Governor Newsom’s “overwhelming victory in Tuesday’s recall election was, on most levels, cause for celebration. A loss would have been a disaster for the state at a time it could least afford it.” As Trump’s grip loosens, the ex-President remains “a pustule on the face of the nation,” but is no longer “even the biggest pockmark in his home state of Florida.” This recall sham was “perpetrated by a party that would rather play dirty tricks than adjust its policies to the 21st century. And voters knew it.”
Tags: Celebration, Dirty tricks, Disaster, Election, Grip, Loosens, Newsom, Overwhelming, Pockmark, Pustule, Recall, Sham, Trump, Victory, Voters
Financial Times (July 18)
“With just over two months to go until polling day, the devastating floods that swept through western Germany this week have catapulted climate change to the heart of the German election campaign.” Most parties blame global warming “for a catastrophe that has left at least 140 people dead,” but the “dramatic scenes could prove of huge benefit to the Greens, who even before this week were set to make big gains in the September poll.”
Tags: Catastrophe, Climate change, Devastating, Election, Floods, Germany, Global warming, Greens, Parties, Poll, Polling
USA Today (January 6)
“Trump is a danger to his own country. He shouldn’t be president for one more minute,” It is “time for Republicans to help Democrats impeach Trump. He must be punished for unleashing a mob on lawmakers in his quest to reverse an election he lost.”
Tags: Danger, Democrats, Election, Impeach, Lawmakers, Mob, Punished, Republicans, Trump, Unleashing
Wall Street Journal (December 14)
The Supreme Court loss means “President Trump’s legal challenges have run their course.” With “no remaining legal alternatives,” both the President and “the rest of the Republican Party can help the country and themselves by acknowledging the result and moving on.” Unfortunately, “there’s no predicting how Mr. Trump will behave.” He may very well “continue his ‘stolen’ election claims past Jan. 20.”
Tags: Alternatives, Claims, Election, Legal challenges, Loss, Moving on, Republicans, Result, Stolen, Supreme Court, Trump
New York Times (November 16)
“Donald Trump lost the election. He knows it. But he won’t admit it.” The outgoing president is “the Absolute Worst Loser. He has spent his life gaming the system, so it’s no surprise that he can’t accept defeat.”