Deceptive Poll Questions on Israel, Justin’s Predicament, and Other Commentary
From the left: Pollsters’ Dishonest Israel Qs
Most “poll questions about a ceasefire in Gaza focus on vaguely desirable goals, ignoring the tradeoffs and conflicting values,” argues Mark Mellman at The Hill. “The pollsters ask respondents to assume a ceasefire would entail agreement by both sides to stop the violence, even though Hamas leaders have clearly stated they’ll continue attacking Israel until the Jews leave their homes and homeland.” Also, “no one, including advocates of an immediate, permanent ceasefire, has yet articulated a plan that gets us from an immediate permanent ceasefire to Hamas relinquishing control of Gaza, of its remaining weapons, or of the hostages.” And: “Given a choice between a permanent ceasefire now and one after Hamas’s defeat and the return of hostages, voters overwhelmingly opt for the latter.”
From the right: Who Shouldn’t Run for Prez
“You may have noticed that the number of figures who announce presidential bids has generally grown each cycle,” snarks National Review’s Jim Geraghty. “The 1988 Democratic field was nicknamed ‘the seven dwarfs’ and that was considered a lot of candidates,” yet “17 Republican candidates participated in at least one debate” in 2016 and 23 Democratic candidates in 2020. Many candidates lack “the experience, the record of accomplishments, the proven leadership, or the stature to be a serious candidate.” Fact is, a “little-known governor, or senator, or congressman, or mayor almost never becomes the next president of the United States.” Sorry: “To be a major-party nominee, people need to have heard of you, and they need to like you before you start running.”
Conservative: SCOTUS Must End ‘Insurrection’ Qs
“As a political matter,” banning Donald Trump from the Colorado and Maine ballots is “deeply troubling,” frets The Wall Street Journal’s Jason L. Riley. It “disenfranchises” supporters even as “polls show him leading,” advances “the rigged-system” narratives that are “catnip to his base” and “undermines democratic norms to take down someone regularly accused” of undermining democratic norms. “As a legal matter,” it’s “more complicated.” The Supreme Court should clarify whether the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection” clause applies to cases like this. Voters already believe “courts are playing an unwelcome role in the 2024 election,” that President Biden’s Justice Department has been “loosed” on his likely opponent and that barring Trump from ballots is a “backup plan.” “None of this is good for our democracy.”
Eye on Canada: Justin’s in Trouble
“Justin Trudeau could lose Canada’s next election because he’s just not as angry as the country he leads,” reports Zi-Ann Lum at Politico. Why the anger? “High inflation, runaway grocery prices, rising mortgage rates and a housing crisis.” Trudeau’s “nerd-dad version of politics lost its charm slowly and then suddenly” after stumbles, especially around the “inflation crisis” and COVID, where his “lockdowns and vaccine mandates hit a nerve and mobilized populists” (to say nothing of the early election he called in 2021, which “voters decided” was “a cynical power grab”). Beyond policy, “communications is a problem” (he himself has admitted the need to avoid “ ‘moralizing’ or ‘looking down’ at the world”) “not just for him, but for incumbent progressives around the world.”
Scientist: Why I Quit My MIT Dream Job
“In December, I resigned from my post because I could no longer deal with the pervasive antisemitism on MIT’s campus,” announces Mauricio Karchmer at The Free Press. Student protesters chanted “ ‘From the river to the sea’ with fury and at times glee, like they were reciting catchy songs instead of slogans demanding the erasure of the Jewish people.” Then “faculty members started endorsing this behavior.” A faculty newsletter even featured “several professors parroting anti-Israel propaganda,” while “the only voices . . . standing up for Jews were Jewish.” Indeed, faculty “have encouraged and even led the student body to become social justice warriors, supporting their highly progressive political beliefs. America’s brightest minds are being manipulated by a force they don’t even understand to adopt a narrow view of the world.”
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
