Drew Holden, Author at The Spectator

Thursday

September 12, 2024

Forget about the Trump assassination attempt

Someone attempted to kill a former president of the United States. Live on camera. The would-be assassin failed, but the moment did produce one lasting, indelible image: Donald J. Trump, fist raised, blood streaming down his face, an American flag soaring triumphantly overhead. The effort to minimize the assassination attempt started moments after the shots rang out. CNN’s initial headline was “Secret Service rushes Trump off stage after he falls at rally.” Why did he fall, out of the blue? Who knows! NBC described Trump being evacuated “after popping noises [were] heard” at the rally. The Los Angeles Times said Trump was “whisked off stage after loud noises rang through the crowd.” USA Today said it was after “loud noises startle[d] [the] former president.

Monday

May 17, 2021

Drew Holden

Parse the curse

We all know that there are some things we shouldn’t say. Words that are mean-spirited and injurious, potty-mouthed expressions when we stub our toes, hateful things that can drip off the tongue like acid. But no words are better equipped to capture the changing landscape of a culture than those that aren’t supposed to be uttered. At a moment where everyone from high school principles to New York Times journalists are struggling with the latest iteration of language rules, John McWhorter, an associate professor of linguistics at Columbia University is out with a thoughtful, deeply researched, and downright funny book about swears. Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter — Then, Now, and Forever wrestles with two thorny, topical questions: what can’t we say?

Friday

February 5, 2021

Drew Holden

You shouldn’t compare Marjorie Taylor Greene to Ilhan Omar

Both political parties have always had oddballs entering their ranks, elected officials who probably aren’t fit for the job. Sometimes these situations can end in disgrace — such was the case when Republican congressman Steve King lost his committee assignments over racist comments which led his own party to back his primary challenger. But it’s often easier for parties to protect their own. So it is with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a newly sworn-in firebrand conservative representing Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. Greene checks some of the more traditional Tea Party/populist boxes, but she also brings some quirks all of her own. She’s a well-known adherent of the QAnon conspiracy theory.