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HOOVER DIGEST RESEARCH + OPINION ON PUBLIC POLICY SUMMER 2019 NO.3 THE HOOVER INSTITUTION • STANFORD UNIVERSITY The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace was established at Stanford University in 1919 by Herbert Hoover, a member of Stanford’s pioneer graduating class of 1895 and the thirty-first president of the United States. Created as a library and repository of documents, the Institution approaches its centennial with a dual identity: an active public policy research center and an internationally recognized library and archives. The Institution’s overarching goals are to: » Understand the causes and consequences of economic, political, and social change » Analyze the effects of government actions and public policies » Use reasoned argument and intellectual rigor to generate ideas that nurture the formation of public policy and benefit society Herbert Hoover’s 1959 statement to the Board of Trustees of Stanford University continues to guide and define the Institution’s mission in the twenty-first century: This Institution supports the Constitution of the United States, its Bill of Rights, and its method of representative government. Both our social and economic sys- tems are based on private enterprise, from which springs initiative and ingenuity. Ours is a system where the Federal Government should undertake no govern- mental, social, or economic action, except where local government, or the people, cannot undertake it for themselves. The overall mission of this Institution is, from its records, to recall the voice of experience against the making of war, and by the study of these records and their publication to recall man’s endeavors to make and preserve peace, and to sustain for America the safeguards of the American way of life. This Institution is not, and must not be, a mere library. But with these purposes as its goal, the Institution itself must constantly and dynamically point the road to peace, to personal freedom, and to the safeguards of the American system. By collecting knowledge and generating ideas, the Hoover Institution seeks to improve the hu- man condition with ideas that promote opportunity and prosperity, limit government intrusion into the lives of individuals, and secure and safeguard peace for all. The Hoover Institution is supported by donations from individuals, foundations, corporations, and partnerships. If you are interested in supporting the research programs of the Hoover Institution or the Hoover Library and Archives, please contact the Office of Development, telephone 650.725.6715 or fax 650.723.1952. Gifts to the Hoover Institution are tax deductible under applicable rules. The Hoover Institution is part of Stanford University’s tax-exempt status as a Section 501(c)(3) “public charity.” Confirming documentation is available upon request. HOOVER DIGEST RESEARCH + OPINION ON PUBLIC POLICY SUMMER 2019 • HOOVERDIGEST.ORG THE HOOVER INSTITUTION STANFORD UNIVERSITY HOOVER DIGEST RESEARCH + OPINION ON PUBLIC POLICY SUMMER 2019 • HOOVERDIGEST.ORG The Hoover Digest explores politics, economics, and history, guided by the HOOVER scholars and researchers of the Hoover Institution, the public policy research DIGEST center at Stanford University. The opinions expressed in the Hoover Digest are those of the authors and PETER ROBINSON Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, or their supporters. As a journal for the work of the scholars and CHARLES LINDSEY researchers affiliated with the Hoover Institution, the Hoover Digest does not Managing Editor accept unsolicited manuscripts. BARBARA ARELLANO The Hoover Digest (ISSN 1088-5161) is published quarterly by the Hoover Senior Publications Manager, Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, Stanford University, Stanford CA Hoover Institution Press 94305-6003. Periodicals Postage Paid at Palo Alto CA and additional mailing offices. HOOVER POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Hoover Digest, Hoover Press, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305-6003. INSTITUTION © 2019 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University JOEL C. PETERSON Chair, Board of Overseers CONTACT INFORMATION SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Comments and suggestions: $30 a year to US and Canada PAUL LEWIS “LEW” DAVIES III MARY MYERS KAUPPILA [email protected] (international rates higher). Vice Chairs, Board of Overseers (650) 723-1471 http://hvr.co/subscribe THOMAS W. GILLIGAN Reprints: Phone: (877) 705-1878 Tad and Dianne Taube Director [email protected] (toll free in US, Canada) (650) 498-7880 or (773) 753-3347 (international) ERIC WAKIN Deputy Director, Write: Hoover Digest, Robert H. Malott Director Subscription Fulfillment, of Library & Archives PO Box 37005, Chicago, IL 60637 ASSOCIATE ON THE COVER DIRECTORS This fierce bear, which guards the reading CHRISTOPHER S. DAUER room of the Hoover Archives, reminds visi- DENISE ELSON tors of a link between California and Russia, MICHAEL FRANC where the sculpture was made. Artist Nikolai JOSHUA RAUH Ivanovich Lieberich (1828–83) was accompa- COLIN STEWART nying Czar Alexander II on a royal hunt when ERYN WITCHER TILLMAN the monarch shot the bear, providing a model (Bechtel Director of Public Affairs) for this celebrated and widely reproduced ASSISTANT work of art. The metal sculpture is a personal DIRECTORS keepsake of Herbert Hoover, who treasured his time among the copper and iron mines SHANA FARLEY MARY GINGELL of Russia in the early twentieth century. See JEFFREY M. JONES story, page 190. [Photo by Rachel Moltz] SARA MYERS CHARNETTE RICHARD KAREN WEISS VISIT HOOVER INSTITUTION ONLINE | www.hoover.org FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA DOWNLOAD OUR APP TWITTER @HooverInst Stay up to date on the latest FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/HooverInstStanford analysis, commentary, and news YOUTUBE www.youtube.com/HooverInstitution from the Hoover Institution. ITUNES itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/hoover-institution Find daily articles, op-eds, blogs, INSTAGRAM https://instagram.com/hooverinstitution audio, and video in one app. Summer 2019 HOOVER DIGEST POLITICS 9 The Case for Trump Donald Trump has written a new narrative about the presidency—casting himself as hero, writes Hoover historian Victor Davis Hanson. Now the question is how this story ends. By Michael Doran 16 The Politics of Pessimism The so-called Green New Deal tells a tale of doom and gloom—not of the vibrant, growing America we actually live in. By David Davenport 19 On, Wisconsin! Democrats hope that picking their presidential nominee in Milwaukee will boost their chances in the Midwest. Convention magic, however, is fickle. By Bill Whalen THE ECONOMY 23 Three Pillars of Wisdom To restrain both rulers and reckless populists, Hoover economist Raghuram Rajan argues in his new book, we must restore strong local communities. By Edward Glaeser HOOVER DIGEST • Summer 2019 3 29 A Heavy, Quite Visible Hand Manipulated wages, housing shortages, rents set by government diktat—distortions abound. The market is a much better mechanism than government for matching supply and demand. By Richard A. Epstein 34 Debt and Taxes Despite rising budget deficits, few in Washington propose fiscal prudence. Instead, there are unconscionable proposals for vast new spending programs. By David R. Henderson AMERICAN VALUES 40 Checked and Unbalanced The Constitution blends political ideas into a harmonious whole. Modern partisan warfare, on the other hand, sharpens differences and dulls the harmony, and democracy suffers. By Peter Berkowitz IMMIGRATION 46 Tides of Humanity Millions of people seek better lives by crossing borders, but many of those new lands are ill-prepared to receive them— or hostile toward them. But there are ways to deal with the demographic flood intelligently and humanely. By Larry Diamond 4 HOOVER DIGEST • Summer 2019 EDUCATION 53 Is Reform Even Possible? It’s easy to get discouraged about the many stubborn obstacles to better schools. Thoughts on giving the system the jolt it needs. By Chester E. Finn Jr. and David Steiner 60 What a Reformer Believes Improving education isn’t just one long policy battle. Reformers of all stripes can claim common ground and even— sometimes—common sense. By Michael J. Petrilli LAW 65 Law and Border Can the president declare a national emergency to build his border wall? Stanford law professor and Hoover fellow Michael W. McConnell guides us across uncharted legal terrain. By Sharon Driscoll THE ENVIRONMENT 71 Future Shocked Silly nature myths and anti-capitalist posturing are neither new nor green nor a deal. By Bruce S. Thornton RACE AND RELIGION 78 The GOP Needs Asian Voters Conservatives need to show some regard for the desires of Asian-Americans—including their desires for liberty and justice for all. By Avik Roy and John Yoo HOOVER DIGEST • Summer 2019 5 88 Progress and the Moral High Ground The culture war has left America’s minority groups where they started: held up as victims, held back from advancement. Conservatives can help them help themselves. By Shelby Steele 92 The Once and Future Anti-Semitism Hoover fellow Russell A. Berman examines the modern motives reviving an ancient hatred. By Clifton B. Parker CHINA 97 “China Will Reclaim Its Greatness” China expert Elizabeth C. Economy analyzes a “third revolution” and a second coming: that of Mao Zedong, in the form of Xi Jinping. By Andy Fitch 107 Tempted by Technology Huawei’s new wireless networks may drive a wedge between the United States and its close ally Britain. Is shiny new tech worth the risk of opening a door to Chinese spies? By Michael R. Auslin 111 Telecom Buyer, Beware All telecom technology, not just Huawei’s, presents security risks. And all of those risks are potentially manageable. By Herbert Lin 6 HOOVER DIGEST • Summer 2019 KOREA 116 Kim Already Has What He Wants Since peaceful change would threaten his very survival, Kim Jong Un is prepared to hold the world at gunpoint indefinitely. By Paul R. Gregory CALIFORNIA 122 Capital Punishment’s Dead End? California’s politicians no longer even pretend to support the death penalty. Who does support it? California’s voters.