Obama’s crackdown on the media, crushing campus censorship & other comments – New York Post

Times journalists: Give Us the Fake News President

Two high-profile New York Times reporters say dont be so quick to criticize President Trumps attitude toward the news media especially when compared with that of his predecessor. In a recent appearance at Duke University, the school paper Chronicle reports, Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman said Trumps fake news attacks are nothing like the chilling effect of President Barack Obamas crackdown on journalists and leakers. Apuzzo who, like Goldman, had his phone records seized called the Obama administration the most oppressive for journalists since Richard Nixon. At least Trump, unlike Team Obama, is not calling us criminals, noted Apuzzo, adding: Ill take the guy saying were fake news.

From the right: How To Crush Campus Censorship

The courts have failed and the culture is failing when it comes to free speech on campus, says David French at National Review. Inadequate legal remedies mean there is a far greater financial incentive for a university to keep its sidewalks shoveled in the winter than to protect one of our nations founding liberties. So its time for Congress to speak up and make it costlier to censor. Pass a law mandating that if a public university is found to have violated the constitutional rights of a student or faculty member, it must pay liquidated damages to the plaintiff of no less than $5 million and forfeit a large chunk of its federal funding. Do this and universities will respond with all the energy and fury of a person experiencing an electric shock.

From the left: Judge Hands Trump a Yuge Political Gift

A California federal judges ruling invalidating President Trumps ability to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities may be a policy setback, but it is also a huge political gift, says Chris Cillizza at CNN. Thats because there is nothing the Republican base and the bulk of Republican elected officials hate more than what they view as liberal judges run amok. Trump, sensing political opportunity, quickly pounced with a series of tweets. And, unlike some of his positions, Trump will likely get considerable backing from Hill Republicans. In fact, its no coincidence that Trumps best days both as a candidate and as president are tied directly to news (positive or negative) on the courts. So count this as another good one for the president.

Policy wonk: Why Dems Encourage Govt Shutdowns

Dont believe the dominant media and political narrative that civic-minded Democrats work to keep vital government services open, while shutdown-loving Republican zealots sabotage the government, urges the Manhattan Institutes Brian Riedl. Writing at The Daily Caller, he suggests the opposite is true: Democratic politicians like government shutdowns. In fact, he notes, Congressional Republicans have repeatedly authored legislation to ensure that government shutdowns never happen again, yet Democrats have blocked them. Why? As former Gov. Howard Dean admitted, Democrats should root for government shutdowns because opinion-makers will reflexively blame the GOP. And hes right. So rather than fight shutdowns, they bait Republicans into them.

Reporter: Trump Enables Dems To Ignore Party Problems

President Trumps first 100 days in office appear to have resuscitated the Democrats, if for no reason other than that the rank and file loathe him so deeply and furiously, suggests Gabriel Debenedetti at Politico. Thats the good news for Democrats, anyway. The bad news: This vibrant culture of resistance on the left is obscuring the depth of the hole in which the Democratic Party still finds itself. Indeed, a new Wall Street Journal-NBC poll shows more Americans view the party negatively than positively. As Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan puts it: We have a new energy, but we dont have a new brand. Or the established power structures to channel and amplify it.

Compiled by Eric Fettmann

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Obama's crackdown on the media, crushing campus censorship & other comments - New York Post