From the right: Our Politicized Prosecutors
Florida Gov. Ron “DeSantis is right” to call out George Soros over the Trump indictment, argues Katya Sedgwick at The American Conservative: “Soros contributed over a million dollars” indirectly to Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s campaign, in which “Bragg frequently hinted at his intent to prosecute Trump.”
But “the billionaire has never hidden his opinion about progressive district attorneys,” adopting “the standard communist argument that crime is caused by unjust social organization” and therefore “fixing the injustices” by being “lenient toward criminals” will “reduce crime.”
So the Trump indictment “represents a triumph of the Soros vision for progressive prosecutors,” in which “eroding faith in the political process and deep insecurity in our physical urban environments threaten the democratic institutions of our republic.”
Media desk: America Needs ‘Crossfire’!
“Has any piece of media criticism had such an immediate impact — or such a lousy legacy — as Jon Stewart’s famous takedown of Crossfire?” asks Politico’s Michael Schaffer.
He noted “a relatively rare bit of content” for 2023: “A couple of people articulating positions and defending them, in turn” on TV. In this case, an Al Franken vs. Lindsay Graham matchup on “The Daily Show.”
Yes, “in the annals of televised disputations, it was not exactly William F. Buckley debating Gore Vidal.”
But “today’s conflict-free opinion landscape is instead dominated by programming featuring like-minded people ginning one another up to even more rage” — thanks in large part to the cancellation of “Crossfire” after Stewart’s destruction of “the show’s credibility with the sub-40 demographic.”
Gadfly: Biden’s Misleading Ukraine Exuberance
Even as President Biden was telling Ukraine’s Volodymr Zelensky in February, “We have every confidence that you’re going to continue to prevail,” now-leaked US intelligence assessments were warning Ukraine’s offense would make only “modest territorial gains” thanks to “deficiencies in training and munitions supplies,” notes National Review’s Jim Geraghty: “It is bad that this assessment leaked,” but also “it is bad that Biden’s public assessment of the war in Ukraine is the same rosy-eyed, unrealistic optimism that characterized his assessment of Afghanistan, inflation, migrants crossing the border, and the Chinese spy balloon.
The president is always telling us that things are going great and that we have nothing to worry about, and a little later, we learn that the truth is the opposite.”
Libertarian: Why One-Size-Fits-All Schools Fail
Under Arizona’s “liberating” school-choice laws, public-education funds can follow a child to any school his family picks, cheers Reason’s J.D. Tuccille.
Yet the state’s new governor, Katie Hobbs, “wants to roll back” the program and “offer all kids ‘high-quality public education’ instead.”
Yet parents don’t agree on what kind of education is right for their kids.
“Why isn’t it better to encourage people to explore their own definitions of high-quality education for their children instead of trying to force all kids into one-size-fits-some government institutions that are doomed to serve as battlegrounds for people who could, instead, peacefully go their own way?”
School choice frees families “to choose from a range of options that meet their definition of ‘high quality.’”
Business expert: SVB’s ‘Culture War’ Distraction
“You don’t need a degree in economics to know that rising interest rates will decrease the value” of a bond portfolio “with a low average interest rate,” such as what Silicon Valley Bank held, rails Andy Puzder at FoxNews.
“If you need to sell the bonds in such a portfolio quickly,” you’ll lose “a lot of money.”
So, why did SVB management “fail to hedge its patently obvious exposure to rising rates?”
One answer: SVB’s “focus on social issues,” like diversity, sustainability and “microaggressions,” may have taken management’s eye [off] the ball.”
Indeed, “as the culture war invades boardrooms and C-suites, maintaining a corporate focus on financial success has become increasingly difficult.
Ignoring the contribution this lack of focus likely played at SVB would be to ignore the obvious.”
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board