George Will

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George Will in 2011, demonstrating the toupée fallacy
You gotta spin it to win it
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“”Kramer: I'll tell you who is an attractive man… George Will.
Jerry: Really?
Kramer: Oh yeah! Yeah, he has a clean look. Scrubbed, and shampooed...
Elaine: He's smart.
Kramer: No, no I don't find him all that bright.
—Seinfeld, The Jimmy[1]

George Frederick Will (1941–) is an American newspaper columnist and political commentator. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winner, best known for his conservative commentary on politics. In 1986, the Wall Street Journal called him "perhaps the most powerful journalist in America," in a league with Walter Lippmann (1889–1974).[2][3]

Views[edit]

Even while acting as an independent apologist for the Republican Party, Will differs from most of the Republican Party. He is a self-declared "amiable, low voltage atheist"[4][5] and his political and social views are fairly mixed. For instance, he opposes the death penalty,[6] proposed that the United States withdraw all troops from Afghanistan,[7] criticized the Bush administration for engaging in warrant-less surveillance,[8] and favors legalization of drugs[9] while supporting tighter border security,[10] abolishing the minimum wage,[11] and lowering taxes.[12] Occasionally with his conservative views, he will give a truly independent conservative opinion, but those times are rare.

He believes that progressives are obsessed with the construction of high-speed trains, and not for the stated reasons of reducing traffic congestion or improving the environment, but as part of an innate desire to control other people, destroy individualism, and turn all Americans into collectivists.[13]

Getting off the crazy train[edit]

Will has been a frequent critic of Donald Trump since the very start of his 2016 campaign. Following the annoying orange's rise to power, Will left the Republican party,[14] and has since sensibly dismissed the GOP as a cult.[15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ S06E19
  2. ↑ D'Evelyn, Thomas (October 26, 1986). "Will's collection of columns chronicles his conservatism". The Christian Science Monitor. 
  3. ↑ Quoted in Eric Alterman, Sound and Fury: The Making of the Punditocracy (1999) pp. 87–88.
  4. ↑ "George Will: "I'm an amiable, low voltage atheist"". The Daily Caller. May 5, 2014. 
  5. ↑ Isaac Chotiner. "George Will Finds His Wild Side - The New Republic". The New Republic. 
  6. ↑ Ponnuru, Ramesh (November 6, 2003). "Penalty Box: George Will gets capital punishment wrong". National Review Online. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. 
  7. ↑ Will, George F. (September 1, 2009). "Time for the U.S. to Get Out of Afghanistan". The Washington Post. 
  8. ↑ Will, George F. (February 16, 2006). "No Checks, Many Imbalances". The Washington Post. 
  9. ↑ Will, George F. (April 11, 2012). "Should the U.S. legalize hard drugs?". The Washington Post. 
  10. ↑ Will, George F. (March 30, 2006). "Guard the Borders – And Face Facts, Too". The Washington Post. 
  11. ↑ Will, George F. (January 4, 2007). "The Right Minimum Wage". The Washington Post. 
  12. ↑ Will, George F. (June 10, 2007). "Democrats' Prosperity Problem". The Washington Post. 
  13. ↑ Will: Why Liberals Love Trains By George F. Will On 2/27/11
  14. ↑ Kristen East. "George Will leaves the GOP". Politico. 
  15. ↑ "George Will's case for conservatism and how the Republican Party became "part of the cult" of Trump". Salon. 
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