Joe Biden currently enjoys a substantial lead in national and state polls. But if the shock of the 2016 election has taught us anything, it’s that surprising results could await us this November. Most experts consider Trump an underdog, and the vast majority expect him to lose some states that he won in 2016 even if he is ultimately victorious. The Trump campaign seems to acknowledge this possibility by their recent decision to cease advertising in Michigan, a state that Trump carried by just over 10,000 votes in his 2016 victory.
The Hillary Clinton campaign was criticized after the election for failing to hold down the states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The Biden campaign will not make the same mistake in 2020. But are there other states where a lackadaisical campaign could lead to a surprise Trump victory? …
In the midst of widespread demonstrations against the murder of George Floyd by police in Minnesota, Twitter has abandoned even it’s usual permissive moderation policy with respect to white nationalists.
After the recent news that the NFL will attempt to encourage the hiring of minority coaches, there has been some pushback from the usual sources. White nationalist blogger Vox Day writes that “black coaches in the NFL have historically underperformed the average,” but provides no evidence for this claim. I knew that Hue Jackson’s recent tenure at Cleveland had been a massive failure, but there were a lot of greats who had coached for years, principally Tony Dungy and Mike Tomlin. …
“Vanilla goes really well with human flesh,” Alex Jones said. “In fact, vanilla isn’t just a flavor. It’s a texture, a mouthfeel and a secret weapon. Vanilla is the perfect addition to human flesh. A perfect match.”
We met up with Jones last week, just as plans for his new restaurant were unveiled.
In the past, Jones had criticized cannibals on his radio program. But under the stress of a worldwide pandemic, his views have changed. In a much-discussed tirade, Jones confessed to an emerging desire to consume his neighbors. …
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill Gates has pledged millions of dollars in funding for potential vaccines. An effective immunization for the novel coronavirus would not only save thousands of lives, it would also allow workers to return to their jobs, thereby restoring the world economy to its full potential. Developing a safe and effective vaccine in a limited time frame is fraught with scientific difficulties. Unfortunately, there may also be serious social obstacles to the successful deployment of a vaccine. …
After Donald Trump’s surprising win in 2016, attitudes towards the electoral college have tended to come down along party lines, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats demanding its removal. Republicans argue that the electoral college gives much needed power to low-population states, allowing them to assert themselves in disagreements with higher-population states. Meanwhile, Democrats have attacked the electoral college as an undemocratic idea that has outgrown its usefulness. But no one seems to be concerned about an aspect of the electoral college that could have an enormously disruptive effect on American democracy. …
Former CBS News journalist Sharyl Attkisson has filed a lawsuit against several current and former government officials for what she describes as as a “spy operation” against her. Atkinson is best known for her award winning stories on the Obama era gun-running scandal dubbed “Fast and Furious.” In 2014, not long after those reports, she left CBS news over what she claimed was a prevalent liberal bias. Currently she works for the Broadcasting company Sinclair, which is noted for its pro-Trump slant. …
A few days ago, YouTube suspended the channel of white nationalist site VDARE, a move that was celebrated by many pundits and observers. But in a baffling decision that still remains unexplained, YouTube has reversed course and reinstated the channel, much to the satisfaction of the online white nationalist community.
VDARE’s white nationalist nature is denied by some on the right, but the articles are straightforward and not at all subtle. Consider this from a recent article by James Kirkpatrick:
America is a majority-white nation created by Anglo settlers, built upon English legal customs and institutions, and speaking the English language. …
In July of this year, University of Pennsylvania law professor Amy Wax gave a speech on immigration at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington. The substance of Wax’s speech caused controversy, with liberals and some conservatives claiming that her argument for a European preference for future immigrants was racist. What has been missed in the discussion of Wax’s remarks is that portions of her rhetoric actually do have origins with white nationalists and virulent racists.
Before getting to the racist ideas behind Wax’s speech, it might be helpful to take a look at a conservative response. Rod Dreher of The American Conservative concluded, at least on first consideration, that Wax’s comments were not racist. The essence of Dreher’s argument is that there may be valid reasons to restrict immigration from “non-Western” countries, and those restrictions would have an effect on the number of non-white immigrants that entered the country. Because of this effect of the policies, he contends, they are considered racist and even discussing whether they have merit or not is disallowed or at the very least extremely difficult. …
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