Eugene Robinson's Blog, page 99

Eugene Robinson Live

Eugene Robinson discussed his latest columns and political news.

Republicans are digging themselves a hole over immigration

For the GOP presidential field, it’s all about whether immigrants can and should be rounded up and deported.

The GOP’s denial won’t defeat Trump

Republicans seem to be in deep denial about the possibility of a Trump win.

Hillary Clinton is her own worst enemy

This isn’t about whether Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, which is likely. It isn’t even about whether she becomes our next president, which she has a better chance of doing than anyone else. It’s about basic respect — for us and for the truth.Read full article >>

Can Jeb Bush ever escape his brother’s shadow?

Jeb Bush has firmly established himself as the Republican to vote for if you wish his brother were still president. Best of luck with that.In what was billed as a major foreign policy speech Tuesday, Bush proposed inching back into Iraq, wading into the Syrian civil war and engaging in much the same kind of geopolitical engineering and nation-building that George W. Bush attempted. So much for the whole “I am my own man” routine.Read full article >>

The rise of Donald Trump is evidence that our political system isn’t working

The Republican Party is in total chaos. Democrats aren’t there yet but may be approaching the neighborhood. It’s time to acknowledge that our political system simply isn’t doing its job.Once again, following Thursday’s debate and its messy aftermath, the GOP establishment confidently predicts that the Donald Trump phenomenon is over, done with, finished, kaput. Why, he picked a fight with popular Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly! He bluffed his way through the debate with rhetoric and showmanship rather than policy positions! His campaign organization is in turmoil! He wouldn’t even pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee!Read full article >>

The one reason Donald Trump was the clear winner of the first GOP debate

CLEVELANDIt was billed as The Donald Trump Show, and the Republican front-runner delivered. He mugged. He pouted. He projected outrage without being troubled by specificity or fact. When he got punched — and the moderators threw haymakers all night — he stuck out his chin and punched back.Read full article >>

GOP candidates range from hopeless to hapless on climate change

The vast majority of scientists who have devoted their professional lives to studying the Earth’s climate believe human-induced warming is an urgent problem requiring bold action. Republican candidates for president insist they know better.Read full article >>

Christmas comes early this year — the gift of a Trump-fueled GOP debate

I feel like a kid the week before Christmas. There’s just one present under the tree, but it’s all a columnist could ever hope for: the first Republican debate! How could Thursday night in Cleveland fail to be one of the most entertaining political spectacles we’ve seen in a long time? There are, far as I can tell, 17 candidates for the GOP nomination. Nobody’s quite sure which 10 will qualify for the prime-time clash, with the rest relegated to an earlier also-rans debate. Fox News, which is organizing the festivities, says it will use an average of national polls to make the cut, but won’t say which polls.Read full article >>

Attacking Donald Trump seems to only make him stronger

Don’t be sure the McCain episodeis the beginning of the end of Donald Trump’s bizarre presidential campaign. Don’t even be sure it’s the end of the beginning. Attacking him with censure and shame is like trying to destroy Godzilla with electricity: It might just make him stronger.Read full article >>