GOP presidential hopeful Ramaswamy defends ‘nationalism’

NEWS AND OPINION:

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy continues to make frequent appearances in the media, and Sunday was no exception.

“Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream was curious if the candidate was uncomfortable being called a “nationalist” or an “American nationalist” in recent media coverage. She also wondered if this designation could cause him to lose voter support.

“Why embrace it? What does it mean to you?” Ms. Bream asked.

“To me, nationalism doesn’t have to be a bad word. It means we stand for the ideals that set this nation into motion 250 years ago — meritocracy, the pursuit of excellence, the rule of law, free speech and open debate, self-governance. These were the values that won the American Revolution, Shannon. And I think we need to be proud of these ideals again,” Mr. Ramaswamy replied.

“Young Americans across this country are no longer proud to be American. I am. And as a first millennial ever to run for president as a Republican, I think it is part of my responsibility to revive that civic pride in the next generation,” he continued.

“The beautiful thing about America is that we’re not a country founded on an ethnicity or on a single language or a monarch. We’re a nation founded on a set of ideals that brought together a divided group of people 250 years ago. I think those ideals can still bring together a divided group of people today. That’s what I’m running to lead and I expect we can. That’s why I’m in this race,” Mr. Ramaswamy advised.

TEXAS SETS THE PACE

This could be proof that free enterprise still works, and works very well.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has reason to celebrate Friday’s release of May employment data by the Texas Workforce Commission. It had good news for the Lone Star State.

“For the first time in the state’s history, the Texas seasonally adjusted civilian labor force crossed the 15 million threshold, adding 49,000 people over the month to reach 15,009,300 in May,” the commission said in a statement released Friday.

The report also revealed that Texas has now added more than 2.1 million jobs during Mr. Abbott’s time in office.

“Texas has smashed the record for total jobs 20 months in a row, proof that jobs grow and people prosper where free enterprise flourishes. With the Texas labor force now surpassing 15 million people and larger than the population in 46 states, we truly are building an even stronger Texas of tomorrow,” the governor said in a written statement.

But that’s not all.

In early June, Mr. Abbott today celebrated Texas again leading the nation with the most Fortune 500 headquarters, growing to 55 and ranking ahead of all states on the just-released 2023 Fortune 500 list.

“Texas is the headquarters of headquarters,” Mr. Abbott noted on June 5.

RUNWAY NEWS

A major player in the aviation world has a noteworthy forecast. Here’s what Boeing has to say:

“With a resurgence in international traffic and domestic air travel back to pre-pandemic levels, Boeing has projected global demand for 42,595 new commercial jets by 2042, valued at $8 trillion,” the company said in a statement released Sunday.

Boeing also has released its 2023 Commercial Market Outlook, the company’s forecast for commercial airplanes and services, in advance of the Paris Air Show, which begins Monday.

“Asia-Pacific markets to represent more than 40% of global demand with half of that total in China,” a summary of the annual forecast said.

“South Asia’s fleet will expand more than 7% annually, the world’s fastest rate, with India accounting for more than 90% of the region’s passenger traffic. North America and Europe each will account for about 20% of global demand,” the summary noted.

There’s news of interest to passengers, as related to “low cost carriers” that use single-aisle aircraft.

“New single-aisle airplanes” will account for more than 75% of all new deliveries of aircraft — totaling more than 32,000 airplanes. Twenty years ago, the global “single aisle fleet” was 9,000 aircraft, the summary said.

AN EVENT OF NOTE

The Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society have joined forces to present an event of interest to those who are fans of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The gathering has a noteworthy title: “The People’s Justice: Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him,” and it takes place at noon Wednesday.

“Join us for a thought-provoking discussion about Justice Clarence Thomas as a man of courage, wisdom, and compassion. Three former Supreme Court litigators who argued landmark cases before the Supreme Court share their views on Thomas’ jurisprudence and the real and human side to his judicial decision-making,” the two organizations say in their invitation.

And those litigators are: Judge Amul R. Thapar of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; Randy E. Barnett, professor of constitutional law and director of the Georgetown University Center for the Constitution; Scott Bullock, president and chief counsel for the Institute for Justice; and Alan Gura, vice president for litigation, Institute for Free Speech.

Interested? Register to attend in person or virtually at Heritage.org, check under the Events section on the page.

POLL DU JOUR

• 49% of registered U.S. voters approve of how President Biden has reacted to the coronavirus pandemic.

• 44% approve of how he has handled stimulating job creation.

• 43% approve of how he has handled fighting terrorism.

• 42% approve of how he is “administering the government.”

• 40% approve of how he is handling foreign affairs.

• 39% approve of how he is handling the economy.

• 37% approve of how he is dealing with violence and crime.

• 36% approve of how he is handling inflation.

• 35% approve of how he is handling immigration issues.

SOURCE: A Harvard University Center for Political affairs poll of 2,090 registered U.S. voters conducted June 14-15.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.