Kristol Clear #170: The Crowdiness of Crowds

[open] View this email as a [webpage](. September 25, 2017 Your weekly newsletter direct from the keyboard of Bill Kristol, featuring timely observations and reflections. A Week of Crowds It was, for me, a week of crowds. It started in New York, where I was attending a conference to release a report from the New Center project, which Bill Galston and I co-chair ([take a look here](. Then I stayed on for a couple of days to touch base with some other people, including some of our contributing editors, other TWS contributors, and various co-conspirators to save the republic. It was all useful and fun. Of course, some of this work had to be done over dinner, and one never ceases to be amazed by number of restaurants in New York—and how many are crowded. We went to some establishments where you can have a good meal that's not too expensive and that aren't so noisy as to preclude easy conversation. If you find yourself wanting that combination of things in New York, I'd recommend taking a look at [La Masseria]( near Times Square, [Cookshop]( in Chelsea, and [Bill's Townhouse]( in midtown. But the problem wasn't the meetings or the meals. It was getting somewhere—anywhere. My stay in New York coincided with the opening of the U.N. General Assembly. My advice: Try never to go to New York during the opening week of the General Assembly. Traffic was simply gridlocked much of the time. That was good in a way, since it meant I walked a fair amount, which is both healthier (so they claim) and considerably more interesting, because you always discover something new or different walking around the Big Apple. But just watching the stopped traffic and the frustrated drivers was exhausting. Then it was back to D.C. to observe Rosh Hashanah with family (very nice, thank you, and Shanah Tovah to those to whom this applies)—and then on to Nashville for a wedding. The wedding was lovely, and everything went fine—but last weekend was also a big weekend in Nashville, a music and football one. So crowds were again a motif (though nothing like on the scale of New York, of course). Our hotel, near the Vanderbilt campus, seemed to be a central gathering place for Alabama fans who were there to root on No. 1 ranked Alabama against Vanderbilt. The rooting was unnecessary, as the Crimson Tide crushed Vandy 59-0. Needless to say, afterwards the hotel was suitably and joyously raucous. I tried to get in on the fun by congratulating several 'Bama fans on their victory while pointing out the equally impressive victory that day by Harvard over Brown. They were unimpressed. I retreated to my room. Nashville also has, as you may know, a full-size replica of the Parthenon (the city fathers believed Nashville to be, or wished it to be thought to be, the Athens of the South). We walked over to see it, and it was pretty interesting and kind of amazing. Worth half an hour when you're next in Nashville, and you can dine out on it for months if not years, I'm sure. Mentioning Athens and the Parthenon reminds me of freedom and empire—the subject of [an editorial in the new issue]( that I wrote with Tom Donnelly. We argue for an "empire for liberty" as the goal of American foreign policy. I'd say, judging from some responses so far, there may be a few more people than one would think who are open to such an ambitious goal and who see the limitations of both the America First types on the right and the U.N. First types on the left. * * * ADVERTISEMENT [TWS House Ad]( * * * Cantor's Rome Speaking of empire, I'm very pleased to let you know of the release of a new [Conversation with University of Virginia literature professor Paul Cantor]( on Conversations with Bill Kristol. Paul is a frequent contributor to THE WEEKLY STANDARD, most recently with [a fascinating article]( on the great painter Hieronymus Bosch. But despite his great range of interests and knowledge, manifested in his work on culture high and low, and on literature, music and art, Shakespeare has always been Paul's central focus and love. In this most recent Conversation, he discusses Shakespeare’s view of ancient Rome. Drawing from his new book [Shakespeare’s Roman Trilogy]( Paul presents illuminating interpretations of Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra, with reflections on what Shakespeare has to say about perennial human questions such as the tensions between ambitious individuals and the political community, between philosophy and politics, and between republics and empires. I think you'll enjoy the conversation—and do feel free to take a look at the website on Shakespeare in the FCG's Great Thinkers series [for more of Cantor's (and Shakespeare's) wisdom](. * * * The World Series competition Jim Swift argued that I should give you all a couple of more days to get your World Series predictions in, and I figured baseball developments over the last week haven't really given people much of an undue advantage over those who made their picks a week ago. So, [submit your entry by clicking this link]( or email us [here](mailto:editor+wkc@weeklystandard.com?subject=2017%20World%20Series%20Contest&body=Who%20will%20win%20the%20AL%20Pennant%3F%3A%0AWho%20will%20win%20the%20NL%20Pennant%3F%3A%0AWho%20will%20win%20the%20World%20Series%3F%3A%0AIn%20how%20many%20games%20will%20they%20win%2C%20total%3F%3A%20) to send us your selections for the two teams that will make the Series, who'll win it, and in how many games. I'm sticking with my pick of the Indians over the Diamondbacks in six—even though local D.C. readers are appalled by my lack of loyalty to the Nationals. Bah, humbug, I say—they're still basically the Expos to me. (I actually rather like and respect the Nats, but I figure this dyspeptic attitude is good for my reputation....) * * * Onward. Bill Kristol * * * From This Issue [The Jobs Problem]( By Andy Smarick We’re suffering a period of remarkably low labor-force participation. The national unemployment rate was only 4.4 percent in August, but just 62.9 percent of the U.S. population is working or looking for work. Ten years ago, before the... [The Surveillance We Need]( By The Editors During the George W. Bush presidency, Democrats were vehement and clamorous defenders of Americans’ civil liberties. They inveighed against the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs as though the agency were spying on ordinary... [The 702 Problem]( By JENNA LIFHITS Unmasking. Leaks. Wiretaps. The mounting surveillance scandals of 2017 are suddenly threatening one of the most effective intelligence-gathering programs in U.S. history. For months, administration officials have been publicly pressing... [Cover]( Oct 2, 2017 Not a Subscriber? Subscribe & Save - Conservative Intelligence - Satirical Wit - Foreign Policy Insight - Sophisticated Perspective - Much more... This email was sent by: The Weekly Standard A MediaDC Publication 1152 15th Street, NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 We respect your right to privacy - [View our Policy]( [Manage Subscriptions]( | [One-Click Unsubscribe](