A win for free speech and other commentary – New York Post

From the right: A Win for Free Speech

In 2019, writes John Hinderaker at Power Line, Michigans Democratic attorney general launched a campaign of surveillance and potential criminal prosecution against groups targeted by the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center one of Americas pre-eminent hate groups. But the American Freedom Law Center, one of the organizations the SPLC smeared, fought back and sued. Now, federal Judge Paul Maloney has denied Michigans motion to dismiss the case. That allows it to proceed to discovery, where any communications between the Michigan officials and the SPLC will come to light which should frighten both the prosecutors and the group. Kudos to the American Freedom Law Center, cheers Hinderaker, for taking the fight to the far Left.

Eye on 2020: A Contested Convention Is Possible

At FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver runs the numbers to gauge whether Democrats will have a candidate by convention time. Dont assume there will be a contested convention just because things look a little chaotic, he warns, but dont dismiss the possibility out of hand just because there hasnt been one recently. He puts the odds of no Democrat winning a majority of pledged delegates at 15%, roughly as likely as the Tennessee Titans beating the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month. And, he warns, the odds will increase if the party still has three or four candidates in serious contention after Super Tuesday, March 3. Bottom line: A brokered convention is not a likely occurrence, exactly. But its not unlikely, either.

Impeachment watch: A Challenge To Stay Awake

The Senate impeachment trial of a sitting president, just the third such event in US history, has turned out to be a soporific rather than stimulant, snarks Daniel J. Flynn at The American Spectator. So boring is it that Sen. Richard Burr handed out fidget spinners to help his colleagues stay alert. The chaplain prayed to prevent fatigue, but a New York Times sketch artist caught Sen. Jim Risch asleep. Its no better for those watching at home. For all Democrats hopes to conjure up a case for the presidents removal, a strong desire cannot alone will fantasy into reality. And if their political theater fails to entertain, and the audience knows the ending before the beginning, the public expectedly starts hurling rotten eggs or nodding off.

Labor beat: Govt Unions Face Sharp Shrinkage

The continuing plunge in government-union membership now at 7.1 million, the lowest level in 20 years is an ominous sign for the movement, reports City Journals Steven Malanga. From 2009 to 2018, New York alone lost 1230,000 public-sector union members. This years nationwide drop of 100,000 came even though states and municipalities have started hiring again. One reason: the 2018 Supreme Court ruling in the Janus case, which lets government workers avoid joining unions and paying union fees. Another: Public-pension costs have been crowding out other spending, which has slowed hiring. Now union leaders face the prospect of the inevitable next economic downturn, which will likely set off new waves of membership losses. Under any circumstances, the future does not look bright for government unions.

Foreign desk: A Chance for a Mideast NATO

No modern American president has ever been able to put a sustainable Middle East collective security framework in place, James Jay Carafano notes at Fox News, but Trump just might be the first. The president hasnt figured out how to marry his instincts to eschew endless wars, regime change and nation-building and to make allies carry their share of the load with a long-term framework for safeguarding Americas interests in the Middle East. Early in his presidency he did propose a NATO-like Middle East Strategic Alliance to deal with Iran and transnational Islamist terrorism, but progress was sidelined. If Trump wants a credible common security framework, it will take American leadership to make it happen. And there may never be a better time than now to go for it.

Compiled by The Post Editorial Board

Read the rest here:
A win for free speech and other commentary - New York Post