Uncommon Knowledge
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A number of Republican and MAGA figures have reacted angrily after The Houston Chronicle, one of the biggest newspapers in Texas, endorsed President Joe Biden.
The Houston Chronicle‘s editorial board said they would be backing Biden in the Democratic primary and for re-election so he can “make life better” for the American people as well as prevent the “chaos, corruption and danger to the nation” that would accompany his presumed 2024 Republican challenger Donald Trump returning to the White House.
The Houston Chronicle‘s praise for Biden will be a boost for the Democrat as he seeks re-election in November. It remains to be seen how much of a difference the endorsement will make, seeing as Texas has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate for nearly 50 years, with Trump beating Biden in 2020 by six points in the red state.
In their editorial, the paper’s board admit that Biden “has his shortcomings,” but what his administration has achieved during his time in office is a “potent reminder to his fellow Democrats, to independents and to those Republicans who have somehow resisted Trump’s cultish appeal that the nation has a viable alternative.”
The editorial notes how the U.S. economy is now “healthier” than any other advanced nation having recovered from the pandemic, unemployment is approaching a 50-year low and that inflation is falling.
The board cites other achievements from Biden’s presidency, such as seeking a “modest effort” to address gun safety, introducing a price cap on insulin, leading an allied response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “brutish” invasion of Ukraine as well as seeking a “path to peace and stability in the post-October 7 conflagration involving Gaza, Iran and Israel and the desperate Palestinian people.”
“We are well aware that the Biden administration has not been successful on every front,” the board wrote.
“The calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan was the most obvious failure. The administration’s inability to quell chaos at the border is another, although blame primarily belongs to caviling and cynical MAGA Republicans in the House.
“In servility to Trump, they torpedoed a bipartisan border-security plan painstakingly crafted in the Senate. Biden can’t solve the crisis by executive order; he needs Congress to act.”
In response, a number of Trump supporters lashed out at the paper for their endorsement of Biden on social media.
Steve Guest, a former spokesperson for Texas Senator Ted Cruz, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Untethered from reality. REMINDER: the economy is a mess, our country is being invaded and the border is wide open, and the world is on fire from the Middle East to a ground war in Europe due to Joe Biden’s policies.”
Talk show host Joe Pagliarulo wrote: “O M G—I just LOVE this parody account for the Houston Chronicle. Kudos!!”
Comedian and political commentator Tim Young posted: “Fill the Houston Chronicle office with illegal immigrants. They endorse it, they can house it.”
Robert Bowlin, who frequently supports Trump on social media, added: “So, do you just not care about the fact that he can barely speak and he appears to be on the verge of tears in every press hearing?”
The Houston Chronicle board did note the concerns about the age and cognitive ability of Biden, who will be 82 by the start of his potential second term in office, and said that he may not be the “energetic, garrulous, occasionally even eloquent” public speaker of previous years.
However, the board suggested the president has “forgotten more than his presumed Republican rival will ever know. That’s not saying much, and at the same time, it says it all.”
Trump’s office has been contacted for comment via email.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Holiday traditions run the gamut in North Texas. For some, it means a yearly dinner at a popular Dallas Chinese restaurant. But not just any dinner. These are gatherings reserved months in advance. And Wednesday’s festivities just happened to fall on Christmas day and the start of Hanukkah.
Ask April Kao when they plan to close the Royal China restaurant for the night, and she’ll tell you simply whenever the last person leaves. It’s what she’s grown accustomed to. When the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, with all its excitement and frenzy, comes breezing through the front door of the Royal China restaurant off Preston Road and Royal Lane.
Kao and her husband George, both owners of the restaurant, said opening on December 25 was never part of the original business plan.
“We didn’t used to open on Christmas day,” she said. “And in 2008 after the renovation, people begged and begged, ‘Please you have to open.’”
So, they did, and there’s been a massive turnout ever since. People from surrounding neighborhoods in North Dallas and people from different faith communities rely on Royal China.
“Before we open the door, we have lines outside and it’s getting busier and busier. So we take reservations a year before,” Kao said.
One Dallas family made reservations during the summer just to be sure their 15-year tradition wouldn’t miss a beat.
“My son-in-law, Berry, was the one who first suggested that we come to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas day,” said Lynn Harnden. “And we make our reservations like in July to be sure to come.”
As the years pass, seats are added to the reservation. This year, the Hardens occupied two tables with seventeen guests.
As for upholding family traditions, the Kaos have their own wall of memories at the restaurant. It’s a reminder of how far they’ve come from 1974, when George Kao’s father came from Taiwan with a dream and a plan.
“He is very proud,” he said. “He would smile. He’s smiling from above.”
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