'How many people will vote for RFK Jr. as a protest against the real choices?'

'Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is worse than a spoiler'

Gail Collins in The New York Times

Third-party presidential candidates "can't win, but they can screw things up" for a real contender, says Gail Collins. A "very big chunk" of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 16% support comes from people protesting the "Biden and Trump options." But that gesture just shows those people prioritize "looking cool" over participating in the "real democratic process." Protest votes make it harder to convince voters the "winner actually won," which is a problem with an election denier on the ballot.

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'Justice Alito can blame Mrs. Alito, but he still needs to recuse'

Virginia Canter and Debra Perlin in The Hill

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito can blame his wife for the "two flags associated with the Jan. 6" Capitol attack that flew outside his homes, say Virginia Canter and Debra Perlin. But he can't get out of his "ethical crisis" by shirking responsibility. "He — not his wife — swore to uphold" the standards we expect high court justices to respect. Whatever his excuse, his impartiality is tarnished and he should "recuse himself" from any insurrection-related cases. 

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'Democrats are learning that blind party loyalty can be bad in elections'

Zachary Faria in the Washington Examiner

"Blind party loyalty" can "cost parties elections," says Zachary Faria. President Joe Biden trails Republican Donald Trump "consistently" in polls. "Alarm bells are blaring" and Democrats are "panicking." A majority now tell pollsters they wish they could "replace Biden on the ballot" with somebody younger. The party "should have been willing to punt the historically old and unpopular president when it had the chance," instead of "anointing" him in the primaries without seriously considering rocking the boat.  

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'Four years after George Floyd’s death, what's happened to the racial reckoning?'

Clarence Page in the Chicago Tribune

It has been four years since Minnesota police officers killed George Floyd, with one kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes, says Clarence Page. The murder prompted widespread protests and calls for a "nationwide reckoning on racism, police violence and all manner of historical root causes that had led up to that horrible moment." Why hasn't the reckoning happened? Too many people can't manage to discuss "America's original sin, racism," or the community policing reforms necessary to address it.

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