America Is Addicted to Outrage. Is There a Cure?

“Outrage often emerges when an anecdote about a particular drama becomes generalized into a hashtag, as when that masterpiece of unshaven phallocratic beastliness Harvey Weinstein was dragged before the public gaze, and, in an instant, the #MeToo movement arose, drawing forth the squalid secrets of other famous men. After many a summer dies the swine. But the greatest casualty of outrage may be judgment itself. It’s dangerous when indignation abstracts itself, as when charges of sexual misconduct become…

Teachers Want a Raise

BY CHUCK WARREN APRIL 3, 2018 In case you missed it, there is a teacher revolt occurring in your state, or a state near you. Teachers want raises, big ones, and they want them now. It started with a nearly two week teacher walk out in West Virginia for a 5% pay increase and now has emboldened public school teachers in other states like Oklahoma, where teachers continue to threaten to strike even after being given a $6,000 a…

Is Steve Bannon Overrated?

Steve Bannon has declared war on the establishment, but why should we care? President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist plans to support challengers against incumbent Republican senators in the 2018 midterms, a move that has received plenty of media attention and responses from both Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Bannon fancies himself a kingmaker, but it’s unclear if he actually wields that power. “When you want to talk about why there’s no repeal-and-replace,…

Freedom Festival Speech 1997

At this season when we memorialize the arrival of our forbearers in these valleys of the west, it is fitting that we celebrate freedom, the reason for their coming here. Human liberty is such a precious and remarkable thing that it is worthy of a great festival. We’ve heard this remarkable choir tonight. They sing with such tremendous power. This choir has become a great national treasure. Its roots reach back 150 years to the…

Chaffetz Resignation Sparks Conflict, Compressed Campaigns in Utah

In any other year, Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s decision to resign would have sparked a crowded Republican primary. But as one Utah GOP operative put it, this year is not like any other year. Consultant Chuck Warren sat down with a state lawmaker Friday morning to talk about a possible run for Congress. The lawmaker pointed to a picture of his family and his home and said, “Why would I give that up to go up there and pound my head against…

Will He or Won’t He? Hatch Keeps Utah in Suspense

Hatch’s 2012 victory in the face of a tea party challenge could discourage potential challengers, said Hansen, the senator’s former campaign manager. “I think they look at it and say, ‘Look, if we try to challenge him, he’ll just beat us again,’” Hansen said. Utah strategists say the anti-establishment environment from 2010 has fizzled with respect to Hatch. A spokesman for conservative group FreedomWorks, which supported Hatch’s 2012 challenger, said it was too early to determine whether the group would be…