Elle Reynolds, columnist for the Federalist, discusses the limits of Liberalism and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

References:

This week's article:

Liberalism And Afghanistan Failed Each Other

Retired Army Colonel Mike Jason discusses what we did wrong in Afghanistan:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/how-america-failed-afghanistan/619740/

Mark Lilla- The End of Identity Liberalism:

https://marklilla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NYT-identity-liberalism.pdf

Elle Reynolds, columnist for the Federalist, discusses the limits of Liberalism and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

References:

This week's article:

Liberalism And Afghanistan Failed Each Other

Retired Army Colonel Mike Jason discusses what we did wrong in Afghanistan:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/how-america-failed-afghanistan/619740/

Mark Lilla- The End of Identity Liberalism:

https://marklilla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NYT-identity-liberalism.pdf

According to Pullman, the vaccine is undeniably saving lives, there is no solid evidence against getting vaccinated, but its still reasonable to be afraid of it. Huh?

Important terms with Pullman's definitions:

Covid vaccines - "COVID-19 therapy shots", "experimental injections" or "unnecessary medical treatments"

Mask mandates/non vaccine virus mitigation efforts - "extremist and anti-science COVID protocols"

Vaccine developers - “authoritarians who viciously censor all information contrary to their political designs, have spent the last year lying about COVID and science, and treat citizens who question them like cattle to be prodded, branded, and corralled”

AND

Schools - "'learning' institutions that are really social conformity systems pushing experimental genetically based therapies, social restrictions, and face coverings"

References:

Vaccine And Mask Coercion Is A Purge Of Republican Voters, And Republicans Are Letting It Happen

https://thefederalist.com/2021/08/09/vaccine-and-mask-coercion-is-a-purge-of-republican-voters-and-republicans-are-letting-it-happen/?fbclid=IwAR1h1-pDCFhHPyzw-oHW7ivabmgYCPcfs2v8wj0THwwZKrwiBQzI4at_HWM

EPA Mask Effectiveness

https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/epa-researchers-test-effectiveness-face-masks-disinfection-methods-against-covid-19

Joy Pullman, executive editor of the Federalist, expresses gratitude for the vaccine while simultaneously questioning the safety and necessity of vaccination.

Important terms with Pullman's definitions:

Covid vaccines - "COVID-19 therapy shots", "experimental injections" or "unnecessary medical treatments"

Mask mandates/non vaccine virus mitigation efforts - "extremist and anti-science COVID protocols"

Vaccine developers - “authoritarians who viciously censor all information contrary to their political designs, have spent the last year lying about COVID and science, and treat citizens who question them like cattle to be prodded, branded, and corralled”

AND

Schools - "'learning' institutions that are really social conformity systems pushing experimental genetically based therapies, social restrictions, and face coverings"

References:

Vaccine And Mask Coercion Is A Purge Of Republican Voters, And Republicans Are Letting It Happen

https://thefederalist.com/2021/08/09/vaccine-and-mask-coercion-is-a-purge-of-republican-voters-and-republicans-are-letting-it-happen/?fbclid=IwAR1h1-pDCFhHPyzw-oHW7ivabmgYCPcfs2v8wj0THwwZKrwiBQzI4at_HWM

Where does America fall on the "Best Countries" list? Should we be more patriotic?

References:

Rep. Jim Jordan: Loving America shouldn't be controversial. So why do Dems want you to be ashamed?

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/loving-america-controversial-democrats-ashamed-rep-jim-jordan

Best Countries 2020

https://www.usnews.com/media/best-countries/overall-rankings-2020.pdf

Fact checking Rep. Jordan's claim that Speaker Pelosi was responsible for US Capitol security...

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/21/politics/fact-check-jim-jordan-nancy-pelosi-january-6-security/index.html

6 Months After The Insurrection, The Remaining Capitol Fencing Comes Down

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/09/1014561578/6-months-after-the-insurrection-the-remaining-capitol-fencing-comes-down

We are trying something new! Welcome to our first ever Policy Debate! Today we talk the Electoral College, pros, cons and alternatives. Enjoy!

Sources:

Electoral College Alternatives:

Electoral College Alternatives and US Presidential Elections - Vincy Fon

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/scer.12.3655317

The Future is Faction - Steven M. Teles & Robert P. Saldin

https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-future-is-faction

The Politics Industry - Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter

https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Industry-Political-Innovation-Democracy/dp/1633699234

History of the electoral college

https://www.history.com/news/electoral-college-founding-fathers-constitutional-convention

Faithless elector statistics

https://ballotpedia.org/Electoral_College

Taegan Goddard’s electoral college vote map: “What If All States

Split Their Electoral Votes?”

https://electoralvotemap.com/what-if-all-states-split-their-electoral-votes-like-maine-and-nebraska/

Gallup poll: “American’s Split on Proposals for Popular Vote”

https://news.gallup.com/poll/257594/americans-split-proposals-popular-vote.aspx

Gallup poll: “Quarterly Gap in Party Affiliation Largest Since 2012”

https://news.gallup.com/poll/343976/quarterly-gap-party-affiliation-largest-2012.aspx

Article on the 5 times candidates won the popular vote, but lost the electoral college

https://www.potus.com/presidential-facts/lost-popular-vote/

This week we talk voting rules. Democrats and Republicans have a lot to say on this topic. Who should decide how our voting systems work?

What is the Senate filibuster, and what would it take to eliminate it?

https://www.brookings.edu/policy2020/votervital/what-is-the-senate-filibuster-and-what-would-it-take-to-eliminate-it/

80% Of Americans Support Voter ID Rules—But Fewer Worried About Fraud, Poll Finds

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/06/21/80-of-americans-support-voter-id-rules-but-fewer-worried-about-fraud-poll-finds/?sh=2a5f47731e0b

Main Article. Headline "Happy 4th of July, America. Stop Letting Polarization Kill You".

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/happy-4th-july-america-stop-letting-polarization-kill-you-n1273068

NPR- American Life Expectancy Dropped By A Full Year In 1st Half of 2020

https://www.npr.org/2021/02/18/968791431/american-life-expectancy-dropped-by-a-full-year-in-the-first-half-of-2020

USA Facts- U.S. Coronavirus Tracker (by state)

https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/

Pew Research Center- COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Slows Race to Defang the Virus.

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/03/02/covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-slows-race-to-defang-the-virus