Dems Blame Schumer: How October 7 Impacted Civilization and More Commentary
From the Right: Democrats Blame Schumer
“It seems that almost everyone within the Democratic Party is now publicly criticizing Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer,” observes Jim Geraghty of National Review. The reality is that he “was dealt a tough situation”—not that “he played the hand particularly poorly.” Had Schumer “urged Democrats to filibuster the latest spending bill, he and his colleagues would have effectively taken responsibility for a government shutdown.” Democrats “likely would have had to eventually accept the same agreement” regardless. “Schumer is a Senate minority leader with limited power,” but “what truly frustrates Democrats is that House Republicans . . . have managed to come together and pass legislation,” while their side is in disarray.
Mideast Update: October 7 Shattered Civilization
“In 2023, a fascist army incinerated Jews alive,” proclaims Brendan O’Neill from Spiked: Ram and Lili Itamari were burned beyond recognition. “This aspect from the new UK parliamentary report” on the atrocities “makes it crystal clear”: That day “marked a brutal rupture of human civilization itself”; “1,182 individuals were killed, and over 4,000 were injured. Among the deceased, 863, or 73 percent, were civilians.” “Methods of killing involved shooting, burning, asphyxiation, grenade explosions, and missile strikes.” Many victims endured mutilation and sexual violence. “This was not a desperate uprising of the ‘Wretched of the Earth’ escaping their ‘prison camp’ for revenge.” It represented “a meticulously organized act of fascist terror with the explicit goal of exterminating as many Jews as possible.”
Campus Watch: The Disturbing Cynicism of Elite Universities
“Elite institutions face significant criticism from the Trump administration,” yet, professor Jonathan Zimmerman argues in The Hill, their primary issue “isn’t racism, antisemitism or wokeism. It’s cynicism.” At the University of Pennsylvania, for instance, “50 percent of graduates enter just two fields: consulting or finance.” Thus, “in contrast to what’s broadcast on Fox News,” academia isn’t producing many authentic “Marxists,” but rather “cynics who can recite a few liberal slogans while heading to Wall Street.” Instead, universities should revert to their foundational ideals. “Humanities courses encourage students to ponder what constitutes a fulfilling life and a better world.” “And does anyone truly believe that sending more Penn graduates into consulting and finance will lead to a better world?”
Eye on Albany: Curb Medicaid Spending
As Congress gets ready to “reduce future federal Medicaid expenditures,” Bill Hammond of the Empire Center cautions that it “would be wise” for Albany to “slow down spending now,” rather than “proceed with a budget that could increase state Medicaid spending by 17 percent or more.” Gov. Hochul’s assertion that the House Republicans’ budget proposal would “strip” healthcare from vulnerable groups is a “serious exaggeration”—as “more than half of the state’s enrollees earn above the federal poverty line.” However, if lawmakers aim to “shield vulnerable Medicaid beneficiaries,” they might want to “target cost reductions on the considerable portion of spending that isn’t directly tied to patient care.” Albany should halt “subsidizing failing providers,” “rewarding political allies,” and “providing coverage for the affluent.”
Energy Expert: The ‘Transition’ That Isn’t Happening
Former Vice President Al Gore, alongside many other climate advocates, asserts that the “energy transition is unavoidable,” comments Mark P. Mills from City Journal. Yet even with the $9 trillion invested in the last decade globally, the “renewable component of final energy consumption is advancing at a mere 0.3%-0.6% annually.” What an “unstoppable juggernaut”! In reality, virtually “no energy transition has ever taken place in history”: The “primary energy sources that have existed for millennia” remain prevalent, and although we’ve “observed a decline in the proportion of energy supplied by these sources,” the notion of an “energy transition” suggests a complete cessation of their usage. Therefore, Team Trump’s opposition to the “Green New Scam” illuminates “massive wasteful expenditures in pursuit of the unattainable.”
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
