Anti-Semitic document causes alarm

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Tribalism runs so deep today that elected leaders regularly accept moral and ethical failings of their own party that they reject in the other. One reason this happens: Party power is everything in a two-party, winner-takes-all system. Most lawmakers need not worry about appealing to all voters but instead to a narrow, partisan fringe that determines primary winners in districts that are largely fixed for one party. Then, in general elections, voters often face the abysmal choice of voting for the "lesser of two evils," often with morality against policy preferences. But, it need not be this way. We can introduce more competition in elections. Just like in the consumer market, competition has a way of forcing everyone to step up their game. With more choices, and thus competition, better products—in this case, candidates—are the natural result. —Mindy Finn

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** White supremacy in the Capitol ranks?
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U.S. Capitol Police suspended an officer yesterday, pending an investigation, after a copy of an infamous anti-Semitic tract was found near a Capitol Hill security post on Sunday. A congressional aide viewed the document at the checkpoint and photographed it. Images show a well-worn copy of the "Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion" on a table inside an entrance to the Longworth House Office Building. ([link removed])
* — The century-old treatise is a fictitious account of a meeting where Jewish masters concoct a plan for world domination. The "protocols" they discuss reflect a variety of ancient anti-Semitic tropes, with a shadowy cabal orchestrating control of the banking system, the media, and government. ([link removed])
*
* — "Our office is full of people...who have good reason to fear white supremacists," tweeted Zach Fisch, chief of staff to Rep. Mondaire Jones, who spotted and photographed the document. "If the [Capitol Police] is all that stands between us and the mob we saw on Jan. 6, how can we feel safe?" ([link removed])
*
* — There is no known direct connection between the document and the Capitol Police, but some members of the force have been under scrutiny for their behavior during the insurrection. Videos showed some officers taking selfies with rioters and allowing them to bypass security. Another officer allegedly said, "It's your house now," as rioters rushed the building. —The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: Breaking news: U.S. intelligence report says Russia attempted to interfere in 2020 election with goal of 'denigrating' Biden and helping Trump —CNN ([link removed])


** Schlefer: We the People are the guardrails of democracy
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"A citizenry with less interest in power than in preserving democracy is the safeguard of last resort. Appearances to the contrary, the problem of polarization in the United States began not with voters but with political elites who drove their bases to extremes. The more directly responsive government can be made to the people, the safer democracy will be." — ([link removed]) Foreign Affairs ([link removed])

Jonathan Schlefer is a senior researcher at Harvard Business School and the author of "Palace Politics: How the Ruling Party Brought Crisis to Mexico."


** Kim speaks
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But not the one you're thinking of. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, delivered the country's first public message to Washington since President Biden took office. Criticizing ongoing military drills in South Korea, she said, "We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off powder smell in our land... If it wants to sleep in peace for [the] coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step." The statement came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin arrived in Seoul for their first diplomatic talks with South Korea. —Reuters ([link removed])

MORE: Biden aides bristled when Justice official called North Korea a 'criminal syndicate,' say officials —NBC News ([link removed])


** House takes on immigration
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Amid an unfolding migrant crisis at the southern border, the House will address immigration reform—one of the most elusive and divisive issues of the past decade—by voting on two bills this week. The American Dream and Promise Act provides a path to citizenship for the undocumented migrants known as "Dreamers," and people living in the U.S. with certain legal protections. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act creates a system for undocumented farm workers to apply for legal status. This week’s votes could serve as a barometer of the chances for comprehensive immigration reform during this session of Congress. Stay tuned. —ABC News ([link removed])

MORE: Senators plan bipartisan revamp of national-security tariffs —Bloomberg ([link removed])
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** Waldman: The GOP's best chance? Cut ties with Trump
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"They can begin to have some actual policy debates to determine what their agenda ought to be for the future and whether they have anything more to offer voters than tax cuts for the wealthy. They might be able to back up a ‘populism’ based mostly on whining about mean tech companies and Mr. Potato Head with some actual ideas that could be appealing to a wider population of voters. They might even find some standard-bearers who build their reputations by inspiring people rather than stoking the most rancid grievances." —Paul Waldman in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Paul Waldman is a political columnist at
The Washington Post.

MORE: An unlikely Trump turncoat shows the GOP way to resist his influence —Politico ([link removed])


** Focus on the Iowa election
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If you thought that 2020 election disputes were limited to the presidential election, think again. House lawmakers are debating whether they swore in the wrong person in Iowa's second congressional district, and the controversy has some observers claiming hypocrisy. ([link removed])
* — Iowa officials certified the election results last year. They confirmed that Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks defeated Democrat Rita Hart by six votes in one of the closest congressional races in history. As a result, Miller-Meeks was sworn in in January. ([link removed])
*
* — Hart petitioned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to review the election results. She claims that 22 ballots were never counted that should have been included in the final total. The House Administration Committee, chaired by a Democrat, is looking into the allegations. ([link removed])
*
* — Republicans are furious. "We are having a meeting about moving forward overturning the election of one of our colleagues," said Iowa Republican Rep. Rodney Davis. Changing one seat wouldn't have much effect on the balance of power, but it could have significant ramifications for concerns about partisan election interference. —The Denver Channel ([link removed])

MORE: WSJ Ed Board: Democrats move on Iowa's second district —The Wall Street Journal ([link removed])


** Stephens: We need a liberal party
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"[T]he neglected territory of American politics is no longer at the illiberal fringes. It's at the liberal center. It's the place most Americans still are, temperamentally and morally, and might yet return to if given the choice. By 'liberal,' I don't mean big-state welfarism. I mean the tenets and spirit of liberal democracy. Respect for the outcome of elections, the rule of law, freedom of speech, and the principle (in courts of law and public opinion alike) of innocent until proven guilty." —Bret Stephens in ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

Bret Stephens is a columnist at
The New York Times.

While Florida governor and prospective Trump heir Ron deSantis has been earning plaudits in conservative circles for keeping schools in his state open during the pandemic, it should be noted that a Democratic governor from one of the most left-leaning states in the nation has done pretty much the same thing.

Former Rhode Island governor (and recently appointed Secretary of Commerce) Gina Raimondo, like deSantis a product of humble Italian-American roots and a graduate of Harvard, analyzed all of the data she could find on keeping schools open and concluded, "If you look at the risk that children who go virtual will be left behind—get behind academically, suffer from severe mental health issues, suffer from food insecurity, suffer from abuse and neglect—it's 100%. One-hundred percent certainty." (New York Times Magazine, February 14, 2021).

And so Gov. Raimondo fought to keep Rhode Island schools open, even offering to help parents in Warwick, R.I., sue their local school district to reopen schools.

It is too easy to paint officeholders who have pushed for open schools as teachers' union-hating zealots, but here is a clear example of a Democrat whose decisions were driven not by partisan rancor, but by data. —Jim V., New York
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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