Risks of Georgia’s Trump indictment, Gov. Kemp’s right on The Donald and other commentary
From the left: Risks of Georgia’s Trump Charges
“District Attorney Fani Willis is well within her legal rights to bring the case” against ex-prez Donald Trump “over his efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election in Georgia the case under state law,” but “whether that prosecution is advisable, in the wake of federal charges arising out of the same conduct, is a tougher call,” warns Ruth Marcus at The Washington Post. “Legally,” both “the federal government and the state of Georgia” have “the authority to punish conduct that violates their own laws under the theory that, even if it’s the same conduct, the offenses are different.” Yet “there is a concern about piling on here,” as “the federal indictment sets out conduct in six other states in which Trump and his co-conspirators allegedly sought to overturn the election results,” and “at some point, it becomes unfair — yes, even to Trump — to go state by state.”
Campus beat: Race Neutrality, Not Discrimination
“Racial discrimination has no part in a just society,” argues David Sacks at Glenn Loury’s Substack. “Remediating past discrimination is a noble objective on its face” but must be “narrowly tailored to a clearly identifiable race-based problem.” The historical record shows that “racial segregation and inequality in schools was viewed as ‘caste’ legislation and inconsistent with the Fourteenth Amendment.” Universities may consider students “who overcome profound difficulties [or] thrive in extraordinary circumstances,” but schools’ use of race-based “affirmative action violated the constitution, and it violated the American ideals of colorblindness and individualism.” It’s a relief that “the Supreme Court has rectified its well-intentioned mistake in Bakke and taken a step toward an era of race neutrality.”
Hunter files: How AG Garland Protects Prez
Attorney General Merrick Garland has now “dropped any pretence of neutrality,” rails Sean Collins at Spiked. His decision to elevate Delaware US Attorney David Weiss to special counsel came solely in response to political heat, and “the overriding objective is to ensure Joe Biden doesn’t become implicated.” Garland could’ve named a special counsel two years ago, and even now could’ve named someone besides Weiss — who’s “slow-walked” the probe and, per whistleblowers, ensured “any links with Joe Biden” were “ruled out-of-bounds from the investigation.” This is “undoubtedly what gave Garland the confidence” to tap Weiss. Plus, Weiss can “turn down requests to testify” before Congress, claiming an “ongoing investigation.” That now leaves “no major obstacle” to “dragging out” the Hunter probe until after the 2024 election.
Eye on 2024: Gov. Kemp’s Right on The Donald
“The frantic, bumbling efforts of the alleged Trump conspirators were stymied at every turn — by Republican officeholders,” observe The Wall Street Journal’s editors. Vice President Mike Pence refused to stop counting electoral votes, and GOPers ensured the scheme to “choose alternative slates of electors in favor of Donald Trump in states won by Joe Biden failed miserably in every state.” One hero, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, rightly notes, “The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus.” The editorial concludes, “GOP voters may think the indictments against Mr. Trump are partisan. But if they want to lose again in 2024, they’ll dive down Mr. Trump’s 2020 rabbit hole instead of facing Mr. Kemp’s reality.”
Libertarian: Country Ballad Taken Too Seriously
For all the rapid political responses to Oliver Anthony’s viral song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” it shouldn’t be taken “too seriously,” recommends Reason’s Christian Britschgi. The “lyrics complaining about the falling value of the dollar, the heavy burden of taxation” etc. have garnered the praise of many online righties. Even Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) sees it as a way to understand and win rural voters “over to progressive politics.” But “not every song sung by a sad guy with a guitar is a window into the soul of blue-collar America.” The song is “catchy and fun,” but “it’s even more fun when you don’t take it that seriously.”
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
