'Why were the Democrats sleepwalking?'

'Why did the Democrats fail to run a serious primary opponent to Biden?'

Harold Meyerson in The American Prospect

Joe Biden has "been an excellent president," says Harold Meyerson in The American Prospect. He got Congress to approve "landmark legislation" on "mitigating the climate crisis" and "restoring the nation's sagging infrastructure." But polls show "even Democratic base voters" give former President Donald Trump higher approval ratings. Why stick with such a weak candidate? Historians might one day ask why so many Democrats were "sleepwalking while the nation clearly teetered on the brink of authoritarian rule."

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'Hunter Biden's story—and that of his agonized family—is a human one'

Kim Wehle in The Bulwark

Hunter Biden's tax evasion case is an unusual mix of "international business dealings, a lavish lifestyle, massive tax troubles, and a political family," says Kim Wehle in The Bulwark. But it involves scenes "painfully familiar to millions of families struggling with substance abuse, like the story of Joe Biden chasing Hunter down the driveway after a family intervention attempt." Don't forget that the story of Hunter Biden's troubles and his family’s pain "is a human one."

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'An affront to free expression'

Shadi Hamid in The Washington Post

"Cancel culture is back," says Shadi Hamid in The Washington Post. Only this time it's the right trying to silence political views on the left. Republican officials and right-wing commentators are using "reprehensible" statements by student groups excusing "Hamas's grisly attacks on Israeli civilians" to "more broadly delegitimize pro-Palestinian sentiments." Republican lawmakers are trying to punish any pro-Palestinian speech, and accusing "anyone who is insufficiently supportive of Israel's war in Gaza with antisemitism."

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'Tariffs are a sign of weakness'

Andy Kessler in The Wall Street Journal

Tariffs are all the rage this election cycle, says Andy Kessler in The Wall Street Journal. The Republican presidential front-runner, former President Donald Trump, "has proposed 10% tariffs on all imports," even though U.S. industrial capacity is near an all-time high. The White House says there's a consensus on U.S. "industrial strategy." But tariffs "are for losers." They drive up prices and stifle innovation. The markets, "not vote-buying politicians," should decide how businesses allocate their capital.

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