‘American political dysfunction is harming national security’
Stefan Katz in The Bulwark
“American political dysfunction is becoming a weakness abroad and even a threat to our national security,” says Stefan Katz. Our partisan chaos “makes democracy look unappealing,” which benefits autocrats. It also “incentivizes” opposite sides of the political divide to disagree with each other rather than uniting behind shared national defense objectives, and hurts military recruiting and readiness. If we want to enhance national security, we need to work on “our ability as a people to govern ourselves.”
‘Elite colleges walked into the Israel divestment trap’
Gary Sernovitz in The New York Times
Some elite colleges, including Brown and Northwestern, have agreed to talk with pro-Palestinian student protesters about divesting from investments associated with Israel as “part of agreements to end campus encampments,” says Gary Sernovitz. But administrators are walking into a “trap.” If they do divest, “when should it end,” and what companies will they avoid? What other countries will university endowments have to ditch next? “Divesting is an easy chant. Investing is hard enough as it is.”
‘Democrats ignore election security, create distrust’
Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial board
Nevada Democrats have pushed through changes in election rules — like allowing mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day — without any apparent concern about potential fraud, says the Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial board. They care more about their expected “political gain” than “election security.” This is only increasing “public distrust” in elections. “Encouraging participation in the democratic process is important. But safeguards to ensure the integrity of the vote are equally vital.”
‘Dog shooter Kristi Noem is probably out, but Trump still has many questionable people angling to be his veep’
Jack Ohman in the San Francisco Chronicle
“Self-confessed dog killer Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota” is probably out in the GOP veepstakes, says Jack Ohman. But “there are plenty of questionable people” still interested in being Donald Trump’s running mate, a job that didn’t end well for the last guy who had it, Mike Pence. Trump clearly wants someone who would be loyal and not “overshadow” him, and options like North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) fit the bill.
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
