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Kudlow predicts Martin Luther King Jr.s vision will triumph over theories that try to divide Americans.

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day and the man who delivered one of the most important and famous speeches in American History.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

This is a thought that I would assume all Americans regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, political party could agree with. And indeed should agree with.

But it is dismaying to me that a growing number of far-left, woke progressives in the name of so-called 'equity' have attempted to subvert MLK's brilliant statement, by moving us toward a society where solving the remnants of racism leads to ever more racism.

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I'm speaking particularly of critical race theory which seeks racial divisions and routinely denounces color blindness as 'White supremacy' or 'White privilege,' or for that matter, Black victimization.

These ideas of reverse racism and Black victimization and attacks on people with White skin not only run completely against what Reverend King envisioned, it's something that provides the greatest harm to children in school where unfortunately critical race theory is being taught by too many left-wing teachers across the country.

One of the brightest spots in this story was newly elected Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin, who Saturday banned CRT in Virginia schools, and all during his campaign insisted that parents run the schools, not boards of education or teacher's unions. Or for that matter, left-wing federal bureaucrats in the D.C. swamp. Good for him.

And if you step back a moment, as the NY Post editorialized today, the civil rights movement has had many, many successes since Reverend King's tragic assassination in the late sixties. Two years ago, when I was in government, and rioting broke out across the country, and the woke CRT cry of systemic racism reached its zenith I would try to argue, "wait a minute, we just elected an African American president for two terms who garnered 80 million White votes just a few years ago." Critics never had an answer for that, but it's such a remarkable fact.

And African Americans routinely serve in the cabinet, the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House, state governors, legislatures. Our election system undoubtedly could stand with some improvements, but in the last six or seven decades, minority progress has been enormous; that is, African American progress.

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Civil rights laws were passed in my lifetime that did enormous good, and more good can undoubtedly come to our imperfect institutions as long as we invoke some civility in the discussions and some common sense in the solutions.

As a young man, I came to believe that civil rights and equality on the basis of merit and character was really a matter of common sense and fairness. American common sense and American fairness. It was the right thing to do. And our great American democracy has been doing it. And will do more of it.

There are still rotten apples left, no question about it. There are still pockets of prejudice. But look where we've come since Reverend King's speech is remarkable.

You might want to acknowledge, look where we've come since Abraham Lincoln. And you might want to also acknowledge, look where we've come since the Declaration of Independence.

Some editorialists are saying that today's left would actually oppose Dr. King. Unfortunately, that may be true. But I think woke CRT, racial hatred by a relatively small minority will fade away. Parents are winning in schools, police are winning in public safety and security, and I think key points made by Sen. Tim Scott about Black economic and financial progress are very important.

Following the Trump tax cuts, unemployment fell across the board for all Americans. Importantly, minority unemployment for Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and women fell to record lows or near record lows. Poverty, especially child poverty fell to record lows.

Underserved minority areas are the biggest beneficiaries of this kind of economic progress. Opportunity zones were successfully set up to use tax incentives in low-income areas. According to the GAO, in 2019 alone $29 billion of new capital went into these underserved areas. Generational wealth creation is another key point from Sen. Scott.

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Of course the worst crime is in minority areas. And it is Blacks and other minorities who are now in full revolt against crazy ideas like defunding the police.

The sad state of our urban public education systems can be repaired with more and more school choice. Whether public school choice, or private school choice, or religious school choice.

These policy changeswill fulfill the Martin Luther King vision of living in a nation where people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. As an American optimist, I always want to emphasize positive achievements, positive policies and positive attitudes.

I think these crazy, woke, critical race theory leftists are the real racists in our society today. And I truly believe their vision will be soundly defeated while Martin Luther King's will triumph.

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow's opening commentary on the January 17, 2022, edition of "Kudlow."

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Kudlow: It is dismaying that a growing number of woke progressives have attempted to subvert MLK's mission - Fox Business

Eighteen months after Sen. Bernie Sanders first introduced legislation to ensure everyone in the U.S. would receive face masks to protect against Covid-19, the White House on Wednesday followed public health guidance by announcing it will make N95s available for free nationwide.

"It's starting to work. Demand more. Demand better."

Drawing from the Strategic National Stockpile, which now has 737 million domestically-manufactured N95 masks after shortages at the beginning of the pandemic, the Biden administration will supply 400 million of the nonsurgical respirators to pharmacies and community health centers across the country later this week. The White House is calling the plan the "largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history."

The N95s, which can filter out 95% of airborne particles when used correctly, will be available by the end of next week, according to the New York Times.

Sanders praised the White House for heeding warnings that cloth masks may not provide sufficient protection against the Omicron variant, calling the move "a good first step."

According to NBC News, there has been division in the administration regarding how far officials should go in urging Americans to use the respirators.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky only recently updated the agency's guidance regarding the superior effectiveness of N95s versus cloth masks, and warned in recent days that people who don't like the fit of the respirators may stop masking altogether.

Sanders, who reintroduced his Masks for All Act last week, vehemently disagreed with Walensky on CNN, sending what Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease doctor at Stanford University, called "a clear, concise message" about upgrading masks.

The Biden administration's deployment of N95s comes as Covid-19 cases have been rising for several weeks, driven by the Omicron variant. The seven-day average for daily new cases reached 1,700 on Monday and modelers say between 50,000 and 300,000 Americans could die of Covid-19 before the wave is expected to end in mid-March.

But Karan rejected the notion that the N95s are reaching Americans too late to make a difference in public health outcomes, especially considering warnings from experts that continued vaccine apartheid is likely to result in new variants cropping up around the world and causing new surges in the United States.

"If you think we'll never need masks again, I'd say that prediction hasn't worked out too well," said Karan.

As the administration announced the distribution of N95s, officials also launched a website where Americans can order four free rapid Covid-19 tests per household. That program follows an overhaul of the White House's strategy regarding testing after Press Secretary Jen Psaki was widely denounced for openly mocking a reporter's suggestion that the U.S. government could and should provide tests to all Americans.

Two weeks after Psaki suggested the proposal was unrealistic, the White House responded to pressure from public health experts and political observers by announcing it would make 500 million tests free to the public.

Dr. Rick Bright, an immunologist who issued early warnings about the Covid-19 pandemic to the Trump administration in January 2020, said the White House's recent policy shifts regarding masks and tests are a sign that Americans and public health experts should "demand more" and "demand better" from the federal government.

After the recent successes, Bright asked, "can we upgrade ventilation and air filtration in schools, businesses, and transportation?"

Continued here:
Catching Up With Progressives, Biden to Provide N95s Nationwide - Common Dreams

A Nobleboro state senator whose win over the Maine Senates top Republican in 2020 was held up as an example for rural progressives is not seeking a second term this fall, setting up another battleground race in Lincoln County.

Sen. Chloe Maxmin, a 29-year-old Democrat, announced last Wednesdaythat she decided not to run again in order to attend the University of Maine School of Law. She cited the demands of legislative life in a statement, saying she planned to start a nonprofit with her campaign manager about grassroots organizing, a topic the two are also releasing a bookabout.

Maxmins win over then-SenateMinority Leader Dana Dow, R-Waldoboro, was one of the more notable upsetsof 2020. It came after Democrats spent heavily on the race in the district encompassing all of Lincoln County, plus Washington and Windsor. She was a freshman state representative at that time after winning a district previously held by a Republican.

It led to her gaining a national profile as an example of a progressive that could win in more conservative and rural districts. Lincoln County only partially fits that bill as a swing county easily won by President Joe Biden by 10 percentage points in 2020, while Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins took it by 8 points the same year.

Everything is really divisive right now, and the need for community-based organizing is more important than ever, Maxmin said, adding that Democrats will need to listen to voters of all affiliations and backgrounds in the rural district if they wish to hold the seat.

Her decision not to run will ensure the 2022 election will again be one to watch. Competition is already ramping up for the seat. Former Republican state Rep. Abden Simmons of Waldoboro registered for the seat in December. He won a single term representing House District 91 in 2016 before losing to Rep. Jeffrey Evangelos, I-Friendship, in 2018.

Two Democrats have registered for the seat. Maxmin has endorsed Round Pond school counselor and educator Cameron Reny, while Damariscotta lawyer David Levesque also filed to run for the seat last week.

Reny, whose husband co-owns the Renys store chain, already appears to have the backing of the Maine Senate Democrats. Her announcementwas made alongside Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, as well as Maxmin.

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Maine lawmaker hailed as example for rural progressives won't seek reelection in 2022 - Bangor Daily News

Vincent Fort, an outspoken Atlanta progressive and former Georgia state Senate whip, announced plans Thursday to challenge Rep. David Scott, a 10-term centrist Democrat, in Georgias June primary elections.

Given Forts close relationship with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and deep ties to the Atlanta-area left, his entry into the race raises the prospect of a primary challenge that attracts national attention and resources.

Its time for a change. We need somebody in place who is prepared and able to fight for a progressive agenda, Fort told HuffPost. We need someone who puts people in this district first.

Scott, a member of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition who chairs the House Committee on Agriculture, has taken some votes that have elicited criticism from progressives. A recipient of copious corporate PAC contributions, Scott voted for the 2005 law making it harder for households to declare bankruptcy, and for a 2018 bill rolling back some of the Wall Street regulations that former President Barack Obama signed into law.

Scotts colleagues on the House Committee on Agriculture have also raised concerns about whether Scott, 76, is in good enough physical and mental shape to adequately discharge his duties as chairman, according to a Politico report. Scott has rejected doubts about his capacities, attributing temporary mobility challenges to a recent leg surgery.

Fort, 65, represented southwest Atlanta in the Georgia state Senate for two decades, reaching the No. 2 position of Democratic whip. During the last period of Democratic control in the state legislature, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Fort shepherded the passage of pioneering laws restricting predatory lending and enhancing punishments for the commission of hate crimes.

We need someone who is going to stand up for hardworking people as opposed to predatory lending companies, Fort told HuffPost.

Fort does not currently live in Georgias solidly Democratic 13th Congressional District, which includes part of the city of Atlanta and suburbs with a large Black population. He plans to move there as soon as possible and said that his tenure as a state senator for some of the district has given him insight into the needs of his would-be constituents. He suggested that he would be more available to constituents than Scott, who also does not live in the district.

Not only am I right on the issues, but I also am present and have always been present, he said. I have a reputation of being in the district, amongst the voters and constituents. I wont be missing in action.

An inside player in the state Capitol, Fort is also known as an independent-minded populist with one foot in the activist world. He was an early supporter of both the Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter movements who frequently intervened personally on behalf of constituents facing eviction or foreclosure.

During the 2016 presidential primary, Fort, who initially backed Hillary Clinton, ended up embracing Sanders candidacy, declaring that Sanders was speaking to the issues that are the most critical to Forts constituents. Fort went on to become a co-chair of Sanders campaign in the state.

Sanders returned the favor in 2017 when Fort launched an ill-fated bid for mayor of Atlanta; he came in fifth place. Fort currently earns a living lobbying for, and advising, labor unions at the state Capitol.

If elected, Fort would mark a dramatic leftward shift in representation for Georgias 13th Congressional District, which includes part of the city of Atlanta and suburbs with a large Black population. He is a supporter of Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, tuition-free public college, student debt cancellation, and federal rules to reduce police misconduct. He stops short of endorsing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel, and demurs when asked about calls to reduce police funding, noting that he has stood both with families who have lost loved ones to police violence and those who have lost loved ones to civilian gun violence.

When I am in the community, I hear two things from the Miss Marys: One, we need to be safe. And two, we need to give the kids something to do, he said. More resources need to be put into making sure that there are alternative approaches to putting people in jail.

Fort, who is refusing to accept corporate PAC contributions, begins his campaign with the endorsement of Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Lewis, a progressive who unseated a more moderate incumbent in the citys 2021 municipal elections.

Fort faces obstacles on the road to defeating Scott in Georgias June 21 primary, however. He does not yet have the support of any progressive groups that normally help primary challengers fundraise, and his frosty relationship with Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia state House Democratic leader-turned-gubernatorial candidate and voting rights icon, could prove a hindrance.

And Fort has competition for the progressive mantle in the race. South Fulton, Georgia, City Councilman Mark Baker is also running to unseat Scott on a left-leaning platform. He has the endorsement of South Fulton Mayor khalid kamau, a democratic socialist and Black Lives Matter activist with his own following in Atlanta-area activist circles.

Read more here:
Progressive Stalwart Vincent Fort To Take On Georgia Rep. David Scott - HuffPost

American Jews were reminded once again last weekend that even in one of the safest countries in the world for Jews, they are never truly safe.

A gun-wielding man of British Muslim descent took four worshipers hostage in a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. After hours of fruitless negotiations, the hostages fled for their lives and the gunman was subsequently killed by an FBI anti-terrorism unit.

As is often the case when high-profile antisemitic attacks occur, American Jews were bombarded by the now familiar thoughts and prayers from political leaders and media figures outraged by the latest manifestation of anti-Jewish hatred.

But such gestures are increasingly falling flat, particularly as more and more American Jewsand Jewish institutionsfind themselves fearful and under assault.

Despite accounting for 2 percent of the US population, Jews are the victims in more than half of all hate crimes. One in four Jews say they have experienced antisemitism in the past year. Wearing a yarmulke in public is becoming an increasingly risky endeavor and an open invitation for ridicule or even assault. Synagogues today in America look more like armed garrisons than open and welcoming places of worship.

This is the new reality for American Jews. And if non-Jews want to truly stand with us, they need to do more than mouth empty platitudes.

For example, Republicans were quick to condemn the attack in Texasand pledge their bona fides in fighting antisemitismbut where was their outrage when just last month former President Donald Trump said Jews used to have absolute power over Congress and that American Jews either dont like Israel or dont care about Israel because they overwhelmingly voted for Barack Obama and Joe Biden?

How many of them have spoken out against the routine and obscene use of Nazi atrocities committed against European Jews as an analogy to mask-wearing and vaccine mandates in the fight against COVID-19?

Truth be told, most American Jews dont have the highest expectations for Republican politicians. The GOP has long used charges of antisemitism as a cudgel for dividing Democrats, all the while looking the other way at anti-Jewish animus in their own ranks.

But its the reaction on the left thats more troubling for Jews, who have long viewed the Democratic Party and progressives as political and cultural allies. Progressives, by and large, are happy to talk about antisemitism when the culprit is a white right-winger. They are far more reticent when anti-Jewish hatred hits closer to home.

As the situation in Colleyville unfolded, some progressive commentators pointed a finger at white supremacists, which is not necessarily surprising. In 2017 neo-Nazis infamously marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, chanting Jews will not replace us. In 2018 a deranged gunman stormed the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and killed 11 worshipers.

But antisemitism is more than just the oldest prejudiceits also bipartisan and multicultural.

Deeply liberal New York City is host to the majority of antisemitic assaults in the United States, and they are almost never carried out by white nationalists.

In 2018 and 2019, Orthodox Jews in New York were routinely the victims of antisemitic attacks, including slapping, kicking, sucker punches, death threats, menacing, vandalism, and swastika graffiti. According to the NYPDs hate crime stats for 2019 and 2020, more than half of those arrested for anti-Jewish hate crimes were persons of color.

In 2019 two members of the extremist Black Israelite sect took over a Kosher supermarket in Jersey City and killed four people, including a local police detective. Weeks later, a machete-wielding Black man stormed a Hannukah celebration in Monsey, New York, killing one person. And then last May, Jews were attacked on the streets of Los Angeles, New York City, and a host of other major American cities by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. In Bal Harbour, Florida, four men surrounded a Jewish family and yelled Die Jew at a man in a yarmulke before threatening to rape his wife and daughter.

On college campuses, virulent criticism and demonization of Israel and its supporters is frequently lodged in the language of antisemitism and the ridicule and exclusion of Jewish students.

Media attentionand outcry from liberal commentatorshas been far more muted after these incidents. At the very least, theres been little introspection at the growing prevalence of antisemitism committed by non-white supremacists.

Few recent episodes have highlighted this resounding silence more than the reaction to comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar, who in February 2019 took to Twitter to declare that American support for Israel is all about the Benjaminsa long-standing conspiracy theory that claims Jews use their allegedly vast wealth to exercise influence and political power.

Though she half-heartedly apologized, only weeks later she obliquely suggested that American Jews maintain dual loyalty to the United States and Israel. She also argued that her comments are unfairly labeled as antisemitic because she is Muslim.

Many progressives rallied around the embattled congresswoman, all the while telling concerned American Jews that she meant no harm and that attacks against her were motivated by Islamophobia.

This is a recurrent phenomenon in the discourse on antisemitism.

American Jews are perhaps the only minority community in America who are regularly told by progressives that what they view as antisemitism really isnt antisemitism. As the British comedian and writer David Baddiel notes in his book Jews Dont Count:

It is a progressive article of faith, Baddiel notes, that those who do not experience racism need to listen, to learn, to accept and not challenge, when others speak about their experiences. Except, it seems, when Jews do. Non-Jews, including progressive non-Jews, are still very happy to tell Jews whether or not the utterance about them was in fact racist.

I was reminded of this odd circumstance in an exchange with the MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan. In the hours after the Colleyville incident he used his nightly newscast to express solidarity with the American Jewish community. You are not alone. We have your back. And in this moment of fear, hate, and violence, you can count on the rest of us, Hasan said.

Many Jews were rightly gratified by Hasans empathetic words. However, after I pointed out on Twitter that its not enough to simply express solidarity with Jews after high-profile incidents, Hasan directed me to an op-ed hed written several years ago defending then-British Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Corbyn had infamously made a host of antisemitic comments. He also associated with and defended virulent Jew-haters. But after British Jews published an open letter decrying Corbyn as an existential threat to Jewish life in the U.K., Hasan wrote, Dont. Be. Silly. He added that it was possible to commit to both defeating antisemitism and electing a Corbyn-led government.

I dont write to point fingers at Hasanwho is humane, fiercely honest, and whose heart is clearly in the right place. Rather, I offer up this admonition as a teachable moment.

Allyship means listening to American Jews when they point out antisemitism, not questioning what centuries of experience have taught us about anti-Jewish hatred. Having our back only some of the time is not enough.

Allyship also means looking inward at the ways that antisemitism has taken root and flourished in American society.

Indeed, the Texas hostage-taker took hostages in a synagogue because he believed that Jews exercise disproportionate power in the United States, and that by taking Jews captive his demands to free a convicted Islamic terrorist would be met.

It is an idea that is widely held across the political spectrum, from those who highlight the allegedly out-sized power of prominent philanthropists like George Soros to those who see financial suasion as the explanation for American support for Israel. Quite often, non-Jews use anti-Jewish tropes or speak in the language of antisemitism, not even understanding the prejudicial nature of their words. Thats why its so important to listen to Jews when they talk about the sometimes subtle nature of antisemitismand the scars it leaves behindjust as we must listen to any minority community talk about prejudice.

The best possible response to anti-Jewish hatred is not just to speak up in the immediate aftermath of incidents like the one in Colleyville. Thats easy. The hard part is recognizing antisemitism when it occurs in its more benign, but common formsand forcefully speaking out against it.

Frankly, Jews need to more forcefully demand such attention from their nominal progressive allies. Far too often we accept a few breadcrumbs of support rather than demanding more than just fancy words.

Quite simply, if you can speak out against Jews being held hostage in a synagogue but balk at condemning the routine use of antisemitic tropes by your political and cultural allies, then American Jews should not be in interested in ritualistic affirmations of support.

If you want to be true allies of American Jews, thoughts and prayers simply wont do.

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Progressive Allies Need to Call Out Everyday Antisemitism - The Daily Beast