Ben Domenech

“What can be said of George H. W. Bush beyond the personal accolades is that, as president, he was a man who did nothing by half measures. He was hands-on, engaged, and thought deeply and seriously about the purpose of the nation.”

“Trump's rise was contingent on wide swaths of the country completely tuning out so-called mainstream media sources, while all too many outlets did a poor job covering 2016.”

“The ongoing argument over whether the Enlightenment is a good thing is hardly a new facet of American political life.”

“To think that the heritage of the West, including post-war liberalism, was a selfish, secular, practical arrangement of politics is a fiction.”

“Tolerance as practiced by the Christian, enlightened West was never about thinking that bad people are good but that we are all called to love the sinner and hate the sin.”

“Racist assumptions, ethnolinguistic assumptions of inferiority or superiority, are as old as mankind.”

“Father John Misty imagines that he is a rebel. He is, but he does not realize what he is rebelling against.”

“I know that charges of plagiarism are serious.”

“Writers who do great work must be coddled and encouraged.”

“The world of campaign consulting is full of hype. It is designed to offer those desperate for an edge on their opponent the promise of a silver bullet and a consultancy willing to go to any lengths - including all those things you'd like to do but can't - in order to win.”

“When I was much younger, my siblings and I would routinely tune in to watch 'Bill Nye the Science Guy' on PBS. He was a fascinating instructor bent on helping kids achieve a basic understanding of science. When he engaged in politics, it was only very briefly if at all.”

“I have seen a man charged with revolutionizing incredibly complex government information technology systems who did not know how to use a thumb drive.”

“You shouldn't have to be a chair at a think tank to speak your mind.”

“There are consequences for just expressing generally conservative views. And if those views take on the more extreme dint, the judgment can be swift.”

“Belief that your tribe is good and other tribes are evil is what everyone thought for most of human history.”

“The 'freedom agenda' of George W. Bush's second inaugural was a noble concept - but in practice, it offered ignoble results.”

“Contemporary defenders of the Enlightenment shouldn't overgeneralize: the Enlightenment, however it is defined, is not an unalloyed good.”

“Careful authors and journalists cultivate relationships with a wide variety of sources so as to avoid bad information or being led down an inaccurate path. Gossip columnists don't particularly care if the path is inaccurate, so long as it gets attention and results in more fuel for the fire.”

“We have all had the experience at some point in our lives of sitting across from someone whose favorite subject is themselves. This is true of nearly everyone to some respect - but for some people, it is a particularly acute problem.”

“If you're a conservative who thinks the culture wars are over (they're never really over, of course), then you are a lot more open to the idea of a unprincipled blowhard who promises he's got your back on political correctness.”