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Right and Left React to France’s Election Right and Left React to France’s Election
(about 9 hours later)
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.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?Has this series exposed you to new ideas?
Tell us how. Email us at ourpicks@nytimes.com.Tell us how. Email us at ourpicks@nytimes.com.
• David Benkof in The Daily Caller:
“Trump continues to fulfill his campaign promise to be a real friend to LGBT people.”
David Benkof, a conservative opinion columnist whose writing focuses on religious and gay rights issues, argues that President Trump’s executive order on religious liberty should reassure gay Americans worried that this administration would enact discriminatory policies. He accuses gay organizations of “fear-mongering” and defends the president against some of the accusations leveled by gay rights activists. Read more »
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• David French in National Review:
“To guarantee protections for religious liberty, you write those protections into law, you don’t wish-cast them through executive orders.”
David French would likely agree with Mr. Benkof’s diagnosis of the religious liberty order but draws a different conclusion about what it means for President Trump’s fidelity to his campaign promises. Echoing other writers on the right, Mr. French is frustrated that the order does little to address what he sees as real threats to religious freedom. Repealing restrictions on churches’ participation in politics or overturning regulations against the “contraception mandate” cannot be accomplished by executive order, Mr. French reminds his readers, but with legislative power. Read more »
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• Noah Millman in The American Conservative:• Noah Millman in The American Conservative:
“You can’t crow about the decisive defeat of a symptom. You can only be pleased when the disease itself goes into remission.”“You can’t crow about the decisive defeat of a symptom. You can only be pleased when the disease itself goes into remission.”
Noah Millman warns his readers not to draw too many firm conclusions about Emmanuel Macron’s defeat of Marine Le Pen in France’s election this weekend. The roots of populist discontent that propelled Ms. Le Pen to the fore have not magically disappeared with Mr. Macron’s victory. And Mr. Milliman is skeptical that the solutions neoliberalism provides are an adequate cure for what ails the French people. Read more »Noah Millman warns his readers not to draw too many firm conclusions about Emmanuel Macron’s defeat of Marine Le Pen in France’s election this weekend. The roots of populist discontent that propelled Ms. Le Pen to the fore have not magically disappeared with Mr. Macron’s victory. And Mr. Milliman is skeptical that the solutions neoliberalism provides are an adequate cure for what ails the French people. Read more »
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• Erick Erickson in The Resurgent:• Erick Erickson in The Resurgent:
“Ossification has set in within the conservative movement.”“Ossification has set in within the conservative movement.”
Erick Erickson is worried about the state of conservatism. A staunch never-Trump-er, he worries that, just as some Republicans justified the Bush administration’s “big government agenda,” too many today are willing to “put the square peg of Trumpism into the round hole of conservatism.” Read more »Erick Erickson is worried about the state of conservatism. A staunch never-Trump-er, he worries that, just as some Republicans justified the Bush administration’s “big government agenda,” too many today are willing to “put the square peg of Trumpism into the round hole of conservatism.” Read more »
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• David Benkof in The Daily Caller:
“Trump continues to fulfill his campaign promise to be a real friend to LGBT people.”
David Benkof, a conservative opinion columnist whose writing focuses on religious and gay rights issues, argues that President Trump’s executive order on religious liberty should reassure gay Americans worried that this administration would enact discriminatory policies. He accuses gay organizations of “fear-mongering” and defends the president against some of the accusations leveled by gay rights activists. Read more »
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• David French in National Review:
“To guarantee protections for religious liberty, you write those protections into law, you don’t wish-cast them through executive orders.”
David French would likely agree with Mr. Benkof’s diagnosis of the religious liberty order but draws a different conclusion about what it means for President Trump’s fidelity to his campaign promises. Echoing other writers on the right, Mr. French is frustrated that the order does little to address what he sees as real threats to religious freedom. Repealing restrictions on churches’ participation in politics or overturning regulations against the “contraception mandate” cannot be accomplished by executive order, Mr. French reminds his readers, but with legislative power. Read more »
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• Heather Hurlburt in New York Magazine:• Heather Hurlburt in New York Magazine:
“The National Front is not going away, and neither are the issues that fueled its rise.”“The National Front is not going away, and neither are the issues that fueled its rise.”
Heather Hurlburt shares Noah Millman’s view that Mr. Macron’s victory is less than decisive. Liberals, she writes, should not celebrate the election results for too long. Mr. Macron’s party does not have the candidates or nationwide infrastructure of the National Front, and his government is built on a shaky coalition that should make “Macron fans sober up fast Monday morning.” Read more »Heather Hurlburt shares Noah Millman’s view that Mr. Macron’s victory is less than decisive. Liberals, she writes, should not celebrate the election results for too long. Mr. Macron’s party does not have the candidates or nationwide infrastructure of the National Front, and his government is built on a shaky coalition that should make “Macron fans sober up fast Monday morning.” Read more »
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• John Nichols in The Nation:• John Nichols in The Nation:
“This election was not really about Macron. It was about the threat posed by a far-right fantasy that never ends well.”“This election was not really about Macron. It was about the threat posed by a far-right fantasy that never ends well.”
This is about as full-throated a defense of centrism as you’ll get in the pages of The Nation. Although he finds it “profoundly frustrating” that France’s left-wing parties couldn’t put up a candidate for the country’s runoff election, John Nichols is nonetheless optimistic about Mr. Macron’s victory.This is about as full-throated a defense of centrism as you’ll get in the pages of The Nation. Although he finds it “profoundly frustrating” that France’s left-wing parties couldn’t put up a candidate for the country’s runoff election, John Nichols is nonetheless optimistic about Mr. Macron’s victory.
Unlike Ms. Hurlburt and Mr. Millman, Mr. Nichols sees the broad coalition of voters who supported the centrist candidate as a rejection of the populism that ushered in “Brexit” and the Trump presidency. Moreover, the American left, he notes, should be particularly happy that France did not vote for someone who would work as “Trump’s ally or enabler.” Read more »Unlike Ms. Hurlburt and Mr. Millman, Mr. Nichols sees the broad coalition of voters who supported the centrist candidate as a rejection of the populism that ushered in “Brexit” and the Trump presidency. Moreover, the American left, he notes, should be particularly happy that France did not vote for someone who would work as “Trump’s ally or enabler.” Read more »
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• Bill Scher in Real Clear Politics:• Bill Scher in Real Clear Politics:
“Conservatives are more defined by what they oppose than what they support.”“Conservatives are more defined by what they oppose than what they support.”
Why don’t President Trump’s supporters abandon him when he fails to keep campaign promises? Bill Scher argues that legislative victories matter less to his base than the president’s willingness to take on the right opponents: the media, “elites” and the Democrats. The only problem with this strategy? It doesn’t win the president any of the new voters he might need for the next election. Read more »Why don’t President Trump’s supporters abandon him when he fails to keep campaign promises? Bill Scher argues that legislative victories matter less to his base than the president’s willingness to take on the right opponents: the media, “elites” and the Democrats. The only problem with this strategy? It doesn’t win the president any of the new voters he might need for the next election. Read more »
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• Jacob Bacharach in Jacobin:• Jacob Bacharach in Jacobin:
“The Democratic Party is a ghost — diaphanous, spooky, and utterly unable to interact with the actual world.”“The Democratic Party is a ghost — diaphanous, spooky, and utterly unable to interact with the actual world.”
While Erick Erickson diagnoses his side of the ideological divide with ossification, Jacob Bacharach contends that the Democratic Party is already dead. The elites of the party, Mr. Bacharach writes, are devoid of ideals and ideas save one: Be scared of Republicans. Read more »While Erick Erickson diagnoses his side of the ideological divide with ossification, Jacob Bacharach contends that the Democratic Party is already dead. The elites of the party, Mr. Bacharach writes, are devoid of ideals and ideas save one: Be scared of Republicans. Read more »
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• Hal Herring and JR Sullivan with T. Edward Nickens and Josh Parks in Field and Stream:• Hal Herring and JR Sullivan with T. Edward Nickens and Josh Parks in Field and Stream:
“States are trying to wrench control of public lands from the federal government in order to drill, mine, sell off, and — ultimately — steal our national sporting heritage.”“States are trying to wrench control of public lands from the federal government in order to drill, mine, sell off, and — ultimately — steal our national sporting heritage.”
The battle over who should control public lands — the federal government or the state — has been raging since before President Trump took office, and his administration has so far sent mixed signals about its policy. If you’re a hunting or fishing enthusiast, however, writers for Field and Stream think you should support federal control over public lands. Here, in charts and maps that explain how the current laws affect sportsmanship across the country, they lay out a case for public lands to remain in public hands. Read more »The battle over who should control public lands — the federal government or the state — has been raging since before President Trump took office, and his administration has so far sent mixed signals about its policy. If you’re a hunting or fishing enthusiast, however, writers for Field and Stream think you should support federal control over public lands. Here, in charts and maps that explain how the current laws affect sportsmanship across the country, they lay out a case for public lands to remain in public hands. Read more »
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• George Lakoff in conversation with Daphne White in Berkeleyside:• George Lakoff in conversation with Daphne White in Berkeleyside:
“It is a myth that the truth will set us free.”“It is a myth that the truth will set us free.”
George Lakoff is a newly-retired professor of cognitive science and linguistics, which is perhaps why Democratic operatives didn’t listen to him when he predicted President Trump’s victory in 2016. For over a decade, Mr. Lakoff has been arguing that “voters don’t vote their self-interest, they vote their values,” and that two distinct and often unspoken worldviews divide conservatives from progressives. If Democrats want to appeal to swing voters, Mr. Lakoff claims that they must dispose with an Enlightenment worldview dictated by logic and rules and embrace a rhetoric that trades on metaphor and emotion. Read more »George Lakoff is a newly-retired professor of cognitive science and linguistics, which is perhaps why Democratic operatives didn’t listen to him when he predicted President Trump’s victory in 2016. For over a decade, Mr. Lakoff has been arguing that “voters don’t vote their self-interest, they vote their values,” and that two distinct and often unspoken worldviews divide conservatives from progressives. If Democrats want to appeal to swing voters, Mr. Lakoff claims that they must dispose with an Enlightenment worldview dictated by logic and rules and embrace a rhetoric that trades on metaphor and emotion. Read more »
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• Perry Bacon Jr. and Dhrumil Mehta in FiveThirtyEight:• Perry Bacon Jr. and Dhrumil Mehta in FiveThirtyEight:
“Figuring out who will win the election is complicated. It may be even more difficult to figure out who is running.”“Figuring out who will win the election is complicated. It may be even more difficult to figure out who is running.”
It’s never too early to start speculating about who will run in 2020. At least not for the folks at FiveThirtyEight who deployed some sophisticated data science to determine, with varying degrees of precision, the seven signs that someone will run for president during the next election cycle. After reading the piece, you’ll most likely read a lot into Joe Biden’s next trip to Iowa. Read more »It’s never too early to start speculating about who will run in 2020. At least not for the folks at FiveThirtyEight who deployed some sophisticated data science to determine, with varying degrees of precision, the seven signs that someone will run for president during the next election cycle. After reading the piece, you’ll most likely read a lot into Joe Biden’s next trip to Iowa. Read more »
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• Tim Alberta in Politico:• Tim Alberta in Politico:
“My hypothesis is that 80 percent of Americans are around the center — 40 percent left of center, 40 percent right of center — and they’re all persuadable.”“My hypothesis is that 80 percent of Americans are around the center — 40 percent left of center, 40 percent right of center — and they’re all persuadable.”
We occasionally use the “center” category to highlight profiles of up-and-coming political stars who defy, in some way, hardened partisan expectations and traits. In this feature for Politico Magazine, Tim Alberta identifies Representative Will Hurd of Texas as one such figure. As long as the 39-year-old black Republican can hold on to his majority-Hispanic district, he might even be the future of the G.O.P. Read more »We occasionally use the “center” category to highlight profiles of up-and-coming political stars who defy, in some way, hardened partisan expectations and traits. In this feature for Politico Magazine, Tim Alberta identifies Representative Will Hurd of Texas as one such figure. As long as the 39-year-old black Republican can hold on to his majority-Hispanic district, he might even be the future of the G.O.P. Read more »
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Have thoughts about this collection? Email feedback to ourpicks@nytimes.com.Have thoughts about this collection? Email feedback to ourpicks@nytimes.com.