Right and Left: Partisan Writing You Shouldn’t Miss
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Version 0 of 1. The political news cycle is fast, and keeping up can be overwhelming. Trying to find differing perspectives worth your time is even harder. That’s why we have scoured the internet for political writing from the right and left that you might not have seen. Has this series exposed you to new ideas? Tell us how. Email us at ourpicks@nytimes.com. • Oren Cass in National Review: “The ad hominem ‘denier’ criticism places arguments and their purveyors beyond the pale, unworthy of response.” Oren Cass criticizes activists who broadly apply the term “climate denial” to positions that don’t precisely match their policy goals. Those who affirm the existence of climate change (and the role that humans play in it) but fail to reach the same legislative recommendations are dismissed out of hand. Mr. Cass argues that “science is but one input to a difficult policy question,” and that extreme voices from both sides of the aisle drown out what could be a “reasoned policy debate” about risks and cost-effective responses to climate change. Read more » _____ • Kyle Sammin in The Federalist: “A bad ruling about a bad policy is good law, and good for America.” Last week, Judge William H. Orrick of San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to deny federal funding to sanctuary cities. Though he disagrees with the “specious” reasoning of the order, Kyle Sammin admits that it “strengthens the federalism that is essential to the system of American liberty.” The order is a bulwark against an increasingly powerful central government that uses federal funding as a cudgel against the rights of individual states. Read more » _____ • Ethan Epstein in The Weekly Standard: “Pre-emption works. ‘Post-emption’ is a lot harder.” Ethan Epstein explores the case for a pre-emptive strike against North Korea. In 1994, then-President Bill Clinton “strongly considered” such a strike but ultimately backed away from it, signing a negotiated deal instead. Mr. Epstein speculates that this decision might top the list of Mr. Clinton’s regrets. He concludes that a pre-emptive strike now would be a risky move, and perhaps not entirely effective. But, he writes, “the nuclear point is the most salient one”; one must address nuclear risks before they become reality rather than after. Read more » _____ • Lawrence Torcello in The Guardian: “I’m a climate alarmist because there is no morally responsible way to downplay the dangers that negligent policies [...] pose to humankind.” Lawrence Torcello is a professor of philosophy at the Rochester Institute of Technology and an unabashed “climate change alarmist.” Urging his readers to recognize the “moral gravity” of the current environmental situation, he finds no room for civility to disastrous policies that threaten all life on the planet. Read more » _____ • Radhika Sainath in Jacobin: “The most successful recent attacks on free speech have come from Zionist organizations seeking to suppress any criticism of Israel.” Much of the conversation about free speech on college campuses has centered on liberal students protesting conservative speakers. Radhika Sainath identifies another free speech issue — the “real free-speech threat” according to her headline. The University of California, Berkeley — the same campus that disinvited Ann Coulter the other week — recently canceled a class entitled “Palestine: A Settler Colonial Analysis.” Though the university reinstated the course after a public outcry, Ms. Sainath argues that the danger of this type of censorship by “institutional actors” is more insidious than that of individual protesters. Read more » _____ • Collier Meyerson in The Nation: “I feel a visceral desire for that first black president, who left office with a high approval rating, to defend the policies and laws enacted during his presidency instead of standing idly by as they are destroyed.” What should former President Barack Obama’s role be during the Trump administration? While most ex-presidents have refrained from criticizing their successors, Collier Meyerson argues that Mr. Obama is in a unique position. Her recommendation? The former president should embrace his role as an educator and critique the current administration’s policies without attacking President Trump head-on. Read more » _____ • Albert R. Hunt in Bloomberg: “Barack Obama is resurfacing. That’s good news for Democrats.” To the question of what Mr. Obama should do during a Trump administration, Albert Hunt supplies this answer: Help the Democrats rebuild. Mr. Hunt hopes that the former president will be a moderating force for the party out of power, marshaling his popularity to unite Democrats rather than pitting himself against President Trump. Read more » _____ • Damon Linker in The Week: “Is a life without work a dream or a nightmare?” Damon Linker argues against the idea of a universal basic income. The psychological degradation associated with joblessness outweighs the material security of a basic income, Mr. Linker writes. Instead, the policy makers should introduce “a New Deal-style government jobs program” that staves off the desolation of permanent unemployment. Read more » _____ Want the Partisan Writing Roundup in your inbox? Sign up for the Morning Briefing Newsletter or the What We’re Reading Newsletter. Have thoughts about this collection? Email feedback to ourpicks@nytimes.com. |