William Kristol
William Kristol is the editor of The Weekly Standard, is a regular on ABC’s This Week and on ABC’s special events and election coverage, and appears frequently on other leading political commentary shows. Before starting the Weekly Standard in 1995, Mr. Kristol led the Project for the Republican Future, where he helped shape the strategy that produced the 1994 Republican congressional victory.
Stories by William Kristol
Newsletters, Podcasts, and Conversations, Oh My!
5:09 PM, Aug 23, 2016
In his most recent newsletter , Jonah Goldberg has a very interesting discussion of "corruption" and the ways in which we're confused about the meaning of that term. (By the way, Jonah's newsletter, "G-File," is spectacularly good. He's a born newsletterist (is that a word?). And you should subscribe here .) In any case, in the course of his discussion, Jonah takes a pretend swipe at TWS: For the sake of argument, let's imagine that in ten or 15 years, a longtime friend of mine, say Steve Hayes, Read more
Don't Count Trump Out Just Yet
10:18 AM, Aug 23, 2016
Susan was out of town this weekend, so I did what everyone does when his wife's away—scheduled dinners with friends Friday and Saturday nights, and got lunch Saturday at our local Chinese restaurant. And I was glad I did, because here's the fortune that came in my (complimentary!) fortune cookie after the tasty hot and sour soup and kung pao chicken: "You are heading in the right direction." Phew. Though you won't believe this, even I occasionally have moments of self-doubt. But this fortune was Read more
The Silence of the GOP
Why Republicans should speak up about Trump.
10:50 AM, Aug 18, 2016
I received an email this morning from Michael Lieber, the former GOP city captain for Bay Village, Ohio, who resigned that post last month to protest Donald Trump's nomination as the presidential candidate for the Republican party. Because Lieber says concisely and eloquently what so many others have communicated to me as well, I asked him for permission to post his email, which he granted. Here it is: We have thrown away the White House and a golden opportunity to save the country from Hillary Read more
Ohio Republican: I Won't Give In To the 'Cult of Trump'
2:24 PM, Aug 13, 2016
A correspondent calls to my attention a remarkable op-ed in the Plain Dealer in Cleveland by Phil Van Treuren, a Republican member of the Amherst City Council in Lorain County, Ohio. Here are some highlights: I never would have guessed that keeping a promise would be the most controversial thing I ever did in my political career. Throughout the primary, I insisted that Donald Trump was the only Republican candidate I would never support in the general election. Trump consistently reinforced the Read more
Three Baby Boom Presidents Would Have Been Enough
Aug 22, 2016
Conservatives, temperamentally respectful of the past, uncertain about the present, and doubtful of the future, are often inclined to embrace the notion that their age is one of decadence. We at The Weekly Standard have tended to resist this temptation. While we might admire works like Jacques Barzun’s From Dawn to Decadence , while we might enjoy an occasional dip into the more apocalyptic waters of Oswald Spengler's Decline of the West , while we might quote a few lines from the great and mord Read more
Panic Among the Chickens
Aug 15, 2016
‘GOP at 'new level of panic' over Trump," ran the banner Washington Post headline on August 4. Just two weeks earlier Donald Trump had accepted his party's presidential nomination, marking the occasion with an effective if not elegant speech. A few days later, polls showed Trump opening up a slight lead over Hil-lary Clinton. Then came the Democratic convention, well-produced but not particularly notable—except for the speech of Gold Star father Khizr Khan. Even this powerful statement would hav Read more
Panic Among the Chickens
6:06 PM, Aug 04, 2016
"GOP at 'new level of panic' over Trump," ran the banner Washington Post headline on August 4. Just two weeks earlier Donald Trump had accepted his party's presidential nomination, marking the occasion with an effective if not elegant speech. A few days later, polls showed Trump opening up a slight lead over Hillary Clinton. Then came the Democratic convention, well-produced but not particularly notable—except for the speech of Gold Star father Khizr Khan. Even this powerful statement would have Read more
Letter From a Young Republican
"I see no viable future for a Republican party under the spell of Trump."
1:28 PM, Aug 02, 2016
My editorial in the latest WEEKLY STANDARD has generated several kind and thoughtful responses. Here's one that I think deserves wider readership (and which I reproduce here with the writer's permission): Dear Mr. Kristol, Upon reading your most recent piece in TWS ("We'll Survive"), I felt compelled to write. Like you, I am a Republican eager to reclaim the mantle of classical liberalism. I am also under 25 and can assure you of the damage Trump has done to the party brand amongst my cohorts. I Read more
Reflections on the Convention in Philly
10:30 AM, Aug 02, 2016
Editor's Note: Below is an excerpt from the boss's weekly newsletter. You can sign up for free here . It was good to attend Hillary Clinton's convention after spending time at Donald Trump's. When you're at Trump's, you can't believe the man is a major party nominee for president of the United States. When you're at Clinton's, you can't believe the woman is a major party nominee for president of the United States. But here we are. I will say that my personal experience in Philadelphia, as in Cle Read more
Mansfield On Trump and Manliness
The Donald is no gentleman.
10:36 AM, Jul 30, 2016
Saturday's must-read: Harvey Mansfield in the Wall Street Journal , "Why Donald Trump is No Gentleman." Here are some highlights: The most obvious observation about Donald Trump is one rarely made: He is not a gentleman. "Not a gentleman" is a designation and reproach he richly deserves but has not received. And why is that? "Gentleman" is no longer a standard we enforce or even a term we use. The outstanding person in this election is Donald Trump, in that he attracts the most attention, but th Read more
We'll Survive
10:10 AM, Jul 29, 2016
Depressed? We feel your pain. It’s not great to be living through the worst presidential matchup ever. And it's not a cheerful thought that one of these two horrendous candidates is very likely to be our next president. "Sad!" as Donald Trump would say. "Unworthy of a nation that is on the one hand already great, and that has had really wonderful leadership for the last eight years, but that on the other hand needs to finally address all the very bad problems that somehow haven't been solved ove Read more
Trump Could Win, Continued
7:06 PM, Jul 25, 2016
Philadelphia In my newsletter Monday (which you can get for free (!) by subscribing here ), I argued briefly that Donald Trump could win the election, and told this anecdote from last week in Cleveland: A few of us grabbed lunch at a burger and beer joint downtown on the first day of the convention. The burgers and beer were fine—though not as good as at the Winking Lizard sports bar Steve Hayes, John McCormack and I frequented later in the week. (By the way, shouldn't that excellent Cleveland-a Read more
Putin's Party?
7:00 AM, Jul 24, 2016
Donald J. Trump is the presidential nominee of the Republican party. But that does not absolve every Republican office holder, donor, and activist from the responsibility of satisfying himself that it is right to support that nominee for president. There are, in my judgment, many reasons to doubt this is the case. But one reason in particular hasn't received sufficient consideration: The fact that Trump and his top campaign aide have many troubling connections with Vladimir Putin's regime . Hone Read more
Remember Freedom?
Aug 01, 2016
‘A vote for anyone other than Donald Trump in November is a vote for Hillary," the governor of Wisconsin has spent the week of the Republican convention robotically repeating. "It's a binary choice," the speaker of the House keeps on telling us, in his less colloquial, more game-theoretical language. This is all nonsense—rationalization masquerading as realism, sophism disguised as sophistication. "A vote for anyone other than Donald Trump" is . . . a vote for anyone other than Donald Trump. And Read more
Why This Convention Could Turn Out To Be a Trump Success
9:50 AM, Jul 20, 2016
Cleveland I've been attending Republican conventions since 1988. As of the Wednesday morning of these conventions, none has ever seemed more messed-up, more poorly managed, and more generally headed to disaster than that 1988 one, my first, in New Orleans. The Reagan-Bush handoff on Monday had been awkward. The rollout of the Dan Quayle vice presidential pick on Tuesday had been disastrous. Vice President Bush had entered the convention trailing Mike Dukakis in the polls. On Wednesday it seemed Read more
The Trump Captivity of the GOP
Reflections on the RNC, day one.
11:59 PM, Jul 18, 2016
Cleveland It was always perhaps the stupider party, the clumsier party, and the stodgier party. But it was also the sounder party, the more constitutional party, and the more responsible party. Now, Donald Trump's Republican party is stupider than ever, but it is no longer sound or constitutional or responsible. Quite an achievement. So it was a depressing first day here at the Republican convention in Cleveland. Not that it was personally unpleasant. The delegates—even ardent Trump supporters—w Read more
The Worst Nominee
Jul 25, 2016
Hillary Clinton may or may not be the all-around worst presidential nominee in the history of the Democratic party. That party has, over the years, thrown up some pretty unappealing characters. It’s also nominated candidates whose policies did (James Buchanan, Jimmy Carter) or would have done (George McClellan, George McGovern) great harm to the nation. The Republican party has, on the whole, had higher standards or at least better luck. Since its first convention in 1856, it has nominated 27 me Read more
Why Not the Best?
A friend considers the possibility.
12:50 PM, Jul 11, 2016
A savvy and patriotic friend writes: The late night phone call surprised its recipient, a former senator who was well into his retirement. After a largely successful career in Washington he had left elected office to make a little money in the private sector and to make up for the years of time away from his loved ones—before age got the better of him. At first he thought the caller was either joking or trying to set him up for some unfavorable press coverage which would further antagonize forme Read more
As Convention Approaches, Will Romney or Kasich Step Up?
4:00 PM, Jul 10, 2016
Any serious student of the theory and history of the Republican National Convention knows the delegates to that convention are unbound and free to exercise their judgment. If this were not the case, why did the Gerald Ford forces think it necessary in 1976 to move to explicitly bind the delegates for that year (and that year only)? The presumption is and has always been that delegates are free to use their judgment. Normally, when there is a respectable and consensus nominee, they do little more Read more
Neither of the Above
Jul 18, 2016
Exactly twelve score years ago, “our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." More precisely: On July 2, 1776, the members of the Continental Congress agreed to declare independence. On July 4, they officially adopted the Declaration of Independence. On the morning of July 5, the Continental Congress dispatched printed copies of the Declaration to state assemblies and to the commanders of the Co Read more
Will Trump Play the One-Term Gambit?
An interesting suggestion from a savvy strategist.
5:24 PM, Jul 06, 2016
I was chatting the other day with a politically savvy and experienced friend. While neither of us is pro-Trump, we agreed that, analytically, Trump's chances are being underrated, and that while one would still have consider Trump an underdog to Clinton, it's not out of the question that he could win. This led my friend to try to imagine himself a strategist for Trump and to think about what moves the Trump campaign could make to improve their chances. Here's what he came up with. I think it's v Read more
Independence Day
9:32 AM, Jul 01, 2016
This election cycle hasn't been kind to Republican big shots. Their favorite presidential candidates—Jeb Bush, Scott Walker and Marco Rubio—fell short. Their opposition to Donald Trump was ineffectual, and their subsequent submission to him inglorious. Now they have one last chance to do something that would bring credit to them and benefit to their party and country: Support the effort by hundreds of delegates to free themselves to vote their conscience at the GOP convention. These delegates ha Read more
Two Senior Juveniles
Jul 04, 2016
As we approach July 4, 2016, the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is proper to recall what the philosopher Leo Strauss, in his introduction to Natural Right and History , called the “weight and elevation" of our founding principles. But fine principles are one thing. One must also ask, how do they fare in the maelstrom of history? Can a nation founded on those principles long endure? For the weight and elevation of our founding principles would count for little if the rep Read more
Paul Ryan is Speaker of the House, Not House GOP Leader
10:54 AM, Jun 17, 2016
In an interview with Chuck Todd that will air on Meet the Press Sunday, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan says this : "The last thing I would do is tell anybody to do something that's contrary to their conscience. Of course I wouldn't do that. Look, believe me, Chuck. I get that this is a very strange situation. He's a very unique nominee. But I feel as a responsibility institutionally as the Speaker of the House that I should not be leading some chasm in the middle of our party. Because you know w Read more
Cut the Thread
Jun 27, 2016
“Trust me, he's only hanging on by a thread." "Patience, my friend, patience . . . we need just one more episode." "My colleagues are close to the breaking point." This is what one hears—this is what I've heard—in recent days from Republican senators, congressmen, and other assorted big shots, when they're asked if they're ready to abandon the Trump Train. After Donald Trump's mind-boggling assault on Judge Gonzalo Curiel, after his childish response to Orlando (one that risked discrediting legi Read more
God Save the Marks?
Jun 20, 2016
Almost a half-century ago, the great Donald Westlake published a comic mystery novel, God Save the Mark. It’s probably not one of Westlake's very best efforts (though even a Westlake non-best-effort is awfully good). The "mark" of the title is a reasonably intelligent and likable young man who happens to have one great weakness: He's a perpetual sucker, an easy target, a credulous victim in a world full of con men and their scams. I'm not going to spoil your enjoyment of the book by explaining h Read more
The United States of Argentina?
Jun 06, 2016
People keep saying how unusual this year’s presidential race is. They're wrong. It's an absolutely normal Third World election. We have three candidates still standing: a self-righteous socialist who's learned nothing in 50 years except how to rally the economically illiterate and uninformed; an heir to wealth who's done nothing impressive in 50 years except to hone his skills as a self-promoter and demagogue; and an insider who's climbed the greasy pole alongside her husband, enriching herself Read more
A Choice Not an Echo
May 30, 2016
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan argued that young Americans in particular should appreciate the power of choice: Think of all the things you get to do in your life, whether it's buying something, whether it's ordering movie tickets, signing up for classes. You name what you can do on this thing, and you want to subscribe to a political philosophy that denies you choices, that denies you the ability to customize your life in things like healt Read more
A Viable Path to Victory
8:48 AM, May 18, 2016
This careful and first-rate national poll, done by Joel Searby of Data Targeting, has just been released. Searby's summary memo and the actual survey results are posted on Data Targeting's website ; I encourage you to take a look at them yourself. The key conclusion: There is a viable path to victory for an independent candidate. It won't be easy, but it's doable. Key findings: A clear majority of respondents would like to have the option of an independent candidate. Fifty-eight percent of respo Read more
