Charles Lipson | The Spectator columnists & writers

How Glenn Youngkin beat the Democrats in Virginia

When a Republican wins in a reliably Democratic state, it’s big news. That’s exactly what happened in Virginia, where newcomer Glenn Youngkin defeated former governor Terry McAuliffe. The Republican won even though McAuliffe had a well-oiled political machine and high name recognition, and was campaigning in a state Joe Biden won by ten points only a year ago. All those advantages were for nought. The Commonwealth will have a Republican governor for the first time in over a decade. It is likely Republicans will win the other two state-wide races for the lieutenant governor and attorney general and could win the House of Delegates, which had been under firm Democratic control. For Democrats, fright night stretched beyond Virginia into New Jersey, where the incumbent Democratic governor is struggling to keep his position.

Trump’s never-ending ‘stolen election’ story damages America

Enough is enough. Yes, there were problems with last November’s election, but they have been litigated and audited for months. We know the outcome. To continue questioning those reviews and continue challenging the election outcome does lasting damage to our country. It’s long past time to stop. It is perfectly proper for candidates to demand recounts, audits and judicial review, as former president Donald Trump has done. We need those safeguards to assure the public, especially those who voted for the putative loser, that the winner holds office legitimately. In the days and weeks after the vote, as those challenges move forward, the candidates have a responsibility. They need to be clear that they are colouring inside the lines.

The Democrat ‘squad’ will regret shooting down Israel’s Iron Dome

America’s left-wing progressives won a victory this week in their long-running battle with Israel. They managed, at least temporarily, to block $1 billion (£730 million) in U.S. funding to replenish the missile interceptors Israel used to shoot down the latest barrage of terror rockets from Gaza. The funding was initially included in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s stopgap spending measure to raise the debt ceiling and fund the U.S. government. The victory was short-lived since House leaders stuck the funding into another bill after the public outcry. Who opposed the funding? The leaders were the 'Squad,' particularly congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Like others on the hard left across America and Europe, they despise Israel.

The terrible cost of the tragedy at Kabul airport

America’s frantic, confused exit from Afghanistan was a humiliating shambles even before Thursday's terrorist attack. Now, it is something much worse. It is a deadly tragedy, leaving victims dead and injured and trapping thousands of Americans and friendly Afghans in a lethal environment, where terrorists roam free. There will be a huge political price to pay for this disaster, and President Biden will pay it. This deadly fiasco didn’t just happen on his watch. It happened because of his decisions, a series of fundamentally bad ones, taken by the President himself. Gone are the days when the administration could trot out a press secretary to try and spin away the unfolding catastrophe, Jen Psaki could quibble over whether Americans were ‘stranded’.

Team Biden will be delighted with the debate

The first presidential debate is the most important — and Joe Biden won it. These contests should be understood — and judged — as political events, not as high-school debating contests. Ask yourself: what should a successful candidate accomplish? He should put forward his own vision, define his opponent, generate enthusiasm among his voters (to ensure they turn out), and appeal to any who remain undecided. He must also answer the big reservations about his candidacy, including major weaknesses identified in polling and by the opposing campaign. And he must drive home his opponent’s weaknesses. Using that scorecard, how did Joe Biden and Donald Trump perform? Biden came into the debate with serious questions about his cognitive ability and energy.

Who rules supreme in America?

Within hours of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, Democrats and Republicans began fighting over how to fill her seat — and when. The stakes are high because the Supreme Court is so important. It can invalidate any federal, state or local law by ruling that it violates the US Constitution. And its decisions set precedents that lower courts must follow. Its rulings are final, made by judges with lifetime appointments. Donald Trump intends to fill Ginsburg’s seat as quickly as possible. He will announce his nominee by the end of the week. That nominee will then face hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by the Republican Lindsey Graham. Once a nominee gets through the committee, the full Senate debates his or her case.

The Edition

Closing time: the coming Tory brawl over Covid rules

39 min listen

The Edition

Closing time: the coming Tory brawl over Covid rules

39 min listen

Americano

Has the Republican convention changed the race?

28 min listen

Americano

Has the Republican convention changed the race?

28 min listen

The Republican National Convention came to an end on Thursday with President Trump's White House lawn speech. Has the three-day event shown a route to victory for the incumbent in November's election? Freddy Gray, editor of the Spectator's US edition, speaks to Charles Lipson, Spectator US contributor and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Chicago.

Nine lessons from the Republican and Democrat conventions

What’s the bottom line so far? The Democrats think they will win by making the race a referendum on Donald Trump (more the person than the policies, though they hate both). They are effectively trying to run Joe Biden as a generic Democrat. The Republicans think the path to victory is to make the race a choice, Trump versus Biden, to say the Democratic Party is dominated by the far left and that Biden is unable or unwilling to stop that oppressive movement. Drawing a sharp contrast between the two parties was the whole point of Vice President Mike Pence’s speech to conclude the convention’s third night. For the most part, though, Republicans focused on the positive case for Trump, not the negative one for Biden.

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