Karl Rove: Why the muted enthusiasm from a crowd of Mr. Trump’s most fervent fans? The explanation may be in what the ex-president said and didn’t say in his 15-minute definition of Trumpism. There was no forward-looking agenda, simply a recitation of his greatest hits. People like fresh material. Repetition is useful to a point, but it grows stale.
Publication: Wall Street Journal
China’s Reckless Labs Put the World at Risk
Mike Pompeo, Miles Yu: Beijing is obsessed with viruses, but not biosafety. We are paying a high price for its lapses.
Tech Censorship Is Accelerating
Amazon bans a book as Democrats demand a wider media crackdown.
Rush Limbaugh Popularized Conservative Ideas and Policies
His critics called him a racist and about everything else, which was always unfair. His real offense was to gain millions of weekly listeners by mocking the left’s pieties. He dissected environmental scare campaigns, and he ridiculed the news media for finding epidemics of homelessness only during Republican administrations.
Trump’s Non-Vindication
He may run again, but he won’t win another national election.
Strange New Respect for Mike Pence
One novel, even astonishing, spectacle in President Trump’s impeachment trial has been progressive Democrats singing the praises of Mike Pence…He is probably en route to Walter Reed with symptoms of acute whiplash. For years he has been mocked as a Trump bootlicker, a religious weirdo and bigot.
Star Wars: The Blacklist Strikes Back
Actress Gina Carano falls victim to Hollywood’s new McCarthyism for conservatives.
Biden’s First Week Was a Race to the Left
Karl Rove: It’s understandable that so many in the media hailed Mr. Biden’s ascension to the Oval Office. They loathed the person he replaced. But looking beyond the paeans, the new president is off to a soggy start, with too many discrepancies between declared intentions and subsequent actions.
Punishing Trump May Actually Revive Him
The goal of the Democrats is to banish Mr. Trump from running for office again. The result may instead be his acquittal and political revival.
Look Who’s Still Rioting
President Trump has left office, but peace and harmony have not descended upon the land. Left-wing rioters rampaged in the streets of Portland, Ore., and Seattle on Wednesday, no matter Joe Biden’s unity plea.
Blacklists Are the Rage in Publishing
Thomas Spence: Readiness to silence someone is often called the “cancel culture,” but I prefer an older term—blacklisting—whose historical associations expose the ugliness of what is going on. Not so long ago, book publishing professionals would have been horrified to be accused of it. Today they compete to see who can proclaim his blacklist with the fiercest invective.
Trump Isn’t Guilty of Incitement
Inflaming emotions isn’t a crime. The president didn’t mention violence, much less provoke it.
Donald Trump’s Final Days
The best outcome would be for him to resign to spare the U.S. another impeachment fight.
Why America Needed Mike Pence
Trump wants to upend the Electoral College. His VP knows better.
A Pandemic of Misinformation
Dr. Scott Atlas (Trump’s former advisor): Empirical data from the U.S., Europe and Japan show that lockdowns don’t eliminate the virus and don’t stop the virus from spreading. They do, however, create extremely harmful health and social problems beyond a dramatic drop in learning, including a tripling of reported depression, skyrocketing suicidal ideation, unreported child abuse, skipped visits for cancer and other medical care.
Trump’s Bad Exit
As his days in office dwindle, he’s making everything about him.
Thank You Bill Barr
He’s certainly earned the right to leave early. He has been the right man at the right time for that difficult job, with the principles and toughness to make difficult decisions despite bitter Democrats in Congress and a willful President Trump.
Jill Biden — Drop the “Dr.” Before Your Name
Madame First Lady—Mrs. Biden—Jill—kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the “Dr.” before your name? “Dr. Jill Biden” sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic. Your degree is an Ed.D., a doctor of education.
South Dakota’s Balanced Covid Response
Governor Kristi Noem: They’ve called me “reckless” and a “denier,’” but our numbers are much better than those of Illinois, New Jersey and New York.
A Pardon for General Flynn
President Trump’s decision Wednesday to pardon former national security adviser Michael Flynn is an overdue act of justice that ends four years of political harassment, unjustified prosecution and judicial abuse. If it sounds like we feel strongly about this one, you’re right.
Trump’s Campaign Runs Out of Road
States and counties are certifying, as Sidney Powell is cut loose.
Let the Transition Begin
Trump’s legal challenges are legitimate, but the country needs to be ready if they’re unsuccessful.
This Election Result Won’t Be Overturned
Karl Rove: Recounts occasionally change margins in the hundreds, never in the tens of thousands.
So Much for the Election Landslide
By making the 2020 race close, and perhaps taking it into overtime, Trump has pulled off a second huge political surprise. At least a few pollsters might be looking for a new line of work.