Conservatism
February 2, 2026 — Bill Glahn
From the Wall Street Journal, Costa Rica elects a conservative as Latin America shifts to the right. I’ve been documenting this phenomenon for a while now: worldwide, politics appear to be moving to the right, especially in Central and South America. The Journal reports, Hondurans late last year elected right-wing candidate Nasry Asfura, whom Trump publicly supported. Chileans in December voted in conservative José Antonio Kast. Bolivia in October ended
»
January 29, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Actually, we all do. Not a day goes by without legal issues playing a prominent role in current events. But it is not easy for people who are not lawyers–the sensible majority!–to get clear explanations of, or sound commentary on, legal issues. That is why Ilan Wurman, law professor at the University of Minnesota, and Center of the American Experiment have launched a new podcast called rationally BASED. Lawyers will
»
January 20, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Everyone knows that Minnesota has gone around the bend, but there are still a few voices of sanity in our state. Among the most important is the American Experiment Podcast. Hosted by Kathryn Johnson and Grace Keating, it has become Minnesota’s go-to source for accurate information, and for sane perspectives on the news. It is a weekly podcast, and we usually create eight or so clips from each episode. In
»
December 28, 2025 — Scott Johnson
Is Candace Owens crazy like a fox or crazy like a psychopath? She appears to have developed a huge online audience for several varieties of insanity on her pocast. That’s quite an accomplishment. However, she will beat a retreat when called on one or another variety of her insane bull. That would suggest she is crazy like a fox. On the other hand, she obviously has no capacity for shame
»
December 24, 2025 — Scott Johnson
Our friends at the Claremont Review of Books are celebrating the magazine’s 25th anniversary. Over the past week we have rolled out the following pieces from the special 25th anniversary double issue in our Picks, all beyond excellent: Charles Kesler, One Score and Five” Helen Andrews, “The Murder of Charlie Kirk” William Voegeli, “Never Trump After 2024” Christopher Caldwell, “Mayor Mamdani’s New York” Nathan Pinkoski, “The Real Watergate Scandal” Vincent
»
December 24, 2025 — Scott Johnson
I read thousands of columns in the course of the year in order to populate our Picks with worthy selections. This year I am taking the liberty of declaring David Azerrad’s “The Return of the Jewish Question” the column of the year. Published earlier this week by Compact, it’s a good one whether or not it’s the best of the year. Author David Azerrad is an assistant professor at Hillsdale
»
December 23, 2025 — Scott Johnson
John Podhoretz has been the editor of Commentary since 2009. John’s father, Norman Podhoretz, was the editor of Commentary for 35 years, from 1960 to 1995. He made his name at the magazine and made history with it. In view of his death last week, Commentary has sent out a selection of the best of NP from the magazine with this message: Throughout more than six decades, Norman Podhoretz wrote
»
December 23, 2025 — Scott Johnson
Ben Shapiro gave two speeches last week that urged leaders of the conservative moment to perform acts of intellectual hygiene. I posted both of them on Power Line. The response from those who disagree with Shapiro has not been impressive. Speaking at TUPUSA’s AmericaFest this past Sunday, Vice President Vance avoided explicit ad hominem attacks, but his response offered little more than pompous non sequiturs. Shapiro has sought to do
»
December 22, 2025 — Scott Johnson
“Vanz Kant Danz” was the workaround title to the song John Fogerty wrote condemning Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz. It was originally “Zanz Kant Danz.” Forgerty was protesting Zaentz’s ownership of the publishing rights to the Creedence Clearwater Revival catalog. Fogerty altered the title and lyrics of the song to avoid a defamation lawsuit by Zaentz. Vice President Vance spoke at the TPUSA AmericaFest event yesterday. RealClearPolitics has posted the
»
December 19, 2025 — Scott Johnson
A sick thread now runs through the conservative movement. It runs from Candace Owens to Tucker Carlson and Carlson’s friends. One can see one symptom of the sickness in its treatement of the Jews. The sickness should be called out, confronted, and refuted. Ben Shapiro has an argument to make against the sickness. That’s what he did in the case he made against Tucker Carlson at the Heritage Foundation. There
»
December 18, 2025 — Scott Johnson
Ben Shapiro spoke at the Heritage Foundation yesterday. Heritage president Kevin Roberts has been in the news for his proud association with Tucker Carlson. Three trustees of Heritage have resigned rather than abide Roberts’s disgrace of the institution he continues to lead, as have several prominent Heritage scholars. In his prepared remarks Shapiro made the case why Carlson should be read out of the conservative movement. He judges Carlson against
»
December 13, 2025 — John Hinderaker
Has 2025 been a disastrous year for nonprofits? Allegedly so: For nonprofit organizations and charities — which the administration and Congress have scrutinized, criticized and stripped of federal money — it’s been a repeat of the terrible difficulties of 2008, when the rapid onset of recession led donors to cut back on contributions. At least one out of three nonprofit organizations experienced a disruption of services in the first half
»
December 12, 2025 — John Hinderaker
The word “capitalism” was invented by leftists to disparage Europe’s predominant economic system in the 19th century. While he didn’t invent the word, Karl Marx was its main popularizer. So the term was originally intended, and has always been used by the Left, as a term of disparagement. Nevertheless, conservatives have generally adopted the word “capitalism” and have sought to defend it. Meanwhile, throughout the 20th century, “socialism” was a
»
December 11, 2025 — Scott Johnson
My law school classmate and friend Barry Anderson went on to serve with distinction on the Minnesota Supreme Court. He wrote me this morning to say I had appropriately praised Senator Cruz on the anti-Semitism front and to recommend “his great remarks at the Federalist Society national lawyers conference. He called out the offenders in [strong] language.” The Federalist Society has posted video of the Hon. Robert H. Bork Memorial
»
December 11, 2025 — Scott Johnson
In the January issue of National Review Phil Klein salutes “Ted Cruz’s finest hour.” He writes: Senator Ted Cruz is trying to wake people up to what he sees as a growing crisis on the right. He has taken to saying that if he were to post “Good morning” on the social media platform X, within minutes he would be deluged by hundreds of blatantly antisemitic replies. It’s not much
»
December 9, 2025 — John Hinderaker
Recently we have been told by the liberal press that some guy named Nick Fuentes, whom nobody had heard of and who has accomplished more or less nothing in life, is now the Pied Piper of American youth. Millions of young men, in particular, supposedly are avid followers of Fuentes’ bizarre political pronouncements. I never believed it. First, I don’t believe that millions of young American men think Josef Stalin
»
December 4, 2025 — Scott Johnson
The reader who clicked on “Personal & confidential: William A. Rusher” has outed himself. Rusher biographer David Frisk wrote to comment on my quotation of the striking Yeats poem Rusher had recited when I saw him debate the colorless Massachusetts liberal Rep. Michael Harrington at Dartmouth in 1971 or 1972: Many thanks for your post about William Rusher at Power Line. In my biography If Not Us, Who? William Rusher,
»
