Latest news with #ThePeacemaker
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - ‘We win, they lose' — GOP should take Reagan's approach when it comes to unions
Republicans are falling into a familiar trap. From President Trump to Vice President JD Vance to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a growing number of party leaders have come to believe that coercive labor unions are a permanent part of American politics, so the Republicans might as well forge an uneasy truce if not an outright alliance with them. To build that bridge, Hawley released his first of several promised pro-union bills in early March. The thinking seems to be: If labor unions are here to stay, why not put political expediency ahead of deeply held Republican principles like worker freedom and equal opportunity? Fifty years ago, Republicans made a similar argument about another kind of union — the Soviet variety. In the mid-1970s, Republican leaders, along with the Democratic Party and virtually the entire foreign policy establishment, assumed the Soviet Union was here to stay. Two successive Republican presidents — Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford — pursued a policy of détente with a coercive regime that rejected American principles and was actively working toward America's destruction. What other choice did they have, if the Soviet Union wasn't going anywhere anytime soon? One Republican knew better. Ronald Reagan had no interest in playing nice with the Soviet Union. I recently heard William Inboden, author of the Reagan biography 'The Peacemaker,' explain the 40th president's thinking. Like other Republicans (and like Democrats, too), Reagan believed that two forces were at play. First, the Soviet Union was a fact of life — a regime that existed whether he liked it or not. Second, the U.S. and the USSR were locked in a battle of ideas — a battle between freedom and tyranny. But what made Reagan different was that he believed the second force was more important and powerful than the first. The only reason the Soviet Union continued to exist was because liberty-loving nations didn't believe freedom could truly triumph over tyranny. But Reagan did believe in freedom's strength, which is why he marshaled America's economic and military might to pressure the Soviet Union into collapse. His philosophy was summed up in his famous saying, 'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.' His vision was widely derided as impossible, yet the Berlin Wall fell within a decade of Reagan's election to the White House. The Soviet Union was obviously a different beast from labor unions, which at their best give workers a voice. But for at least 75 years, American unions have given in to their worst instinct of coercion. Given how long they've been around, it's no wonder that a growing number of Republicans think they'll always be here, though unions represent a smaller share of the workforce with every passing year — now 9.9 percent, the lowest in recorded history. These Republicans have it backward. As Reagan showed with the Soviet Union, America doesn't have to blindly accept the eternal existence of something antithetical to our national principles. To the contrary, applying those principles — and vigorously reminding the American people of their power and truth — can ensure their victory over injustice. In the case of unions, that means fundamentally reforming the current labor model. This doesn't mean going back to the bad old days, when unions were treated as a criminal conspiracy. But it does mean ending the legal favoritism that allows unions to coerce workers, control businesses and advance their selfish interests at the expense of everyone else. The Republican goal should be to make unions earnestly compete for workers' support, with neither a monopoly in the workplace nor restrictions on workers' ability to choose the union that's best for them. When is the last time Republicans forcefully advanced such a principled vision? Even before the recent backsliding, Republican leaders rarely made the moral case against forced unionization. Sure, they broadly supported policies that would have empowered workers, and most Republicans still do. But with few exceptions, the party tip-toed around the real stakes. If union coercion is wrong, then anyone who loves freedom has a duty to fight it — without apology and without quarter. Reagan showed that a principled approach can work, and Republicans may get another opportunity sooner than they realize. Last year, a federal court ruled that the National Labor Relations Board — and by extension, the labor law that governs America's labor-union framework — is unconstitutional. This case seems destined to end up at the Supreme Court. If the justices strike down the law, will Trump and Republicans side with the unions they're trying to appease? Or will they stand with American workers against union coercion, seeking to end injustice the same way Reagan defeated the Soviet Union? Joseph G. Lehman is president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
‘We win, they lose' — GOP should take Reagan's approach when it comes to unions
Republicans are falling into a familiar trap. From President Trump to Vice President JD Vance to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a growing number of party leaders have come to believe that coercive labor unions are a permanent part of American politics, so the Republicans might as well forge an uneasy truce if not an outright alliance with them. To build that bridge, Hawley released his first of several promised pro-union bills in early March. The thinking seems to be: If labor unions are here to stay, why not put political expediency ahead of deeply held Republican principles like worker freedom and equal opportunity? Fifty years ago, Republicans made a similar argument about another kind of union — the Soviet variety. In the mid-1970s, Republican leaders, along with the Democratic Party and virtually the entire foreign policy establishment, assumed the Soviet Union was here to stay. Two successive Republican presidents — Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford — pursued a policy of détente with a coercive regime that rejected American principles and was actively working toward America's destruction. What other choice did they have, if the Soviet Union wasn't going anywhere anytime soon? One Republican knew better. Ronald Reagan had no interest in playing nice with the Soviet Union. I recently heard William Inboden, author of the Reagan biography 'The Peacemaker,' explain the 40th president's thinking. Like other Republicans (and like Democrats, too), Reagan believed that two forces were at play. First, the Soviet Union was a fact of life — a regime that existed whether he liked it or not. Second, the U.S. and the USSR were locked in a battle of ideas — a battle between freedom and tyranny. But what made Reagan different was that he believed the second force was more important and powerful than the first. The only reason the Soviet Union continued to exist was because liberty-loving nations didn't believe freedom could truly triumph over tyranny. But Reagan did believe in freedom's strength, which is why he marshaled America's economic and military might to pressure the Soviet Union into collapse. His philosophy was summed up in his famous saying, 'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.' His vision was widely derided as impossible, yet the Berlin Wall fell within a decade of Reagan's election to the White House. The Soviet Union was obviously a different beast from labor unions, which at their best give workers a voice. But for at least 75 years, American unions have given in to their worst instinct of coercion. Given how long they've been around, it's no wonder that a growing number of Republicans think they'll always be here, though unions represent a smaller share of the workforce with every passing year — now 9.9 percent, the lowest in recorded history. These Republicans have it backward. As Reagan showed with the Soviet Union, America doesn't have to blindly accept the eternal existence of something antithetical to our national principles. To the contrary, applying those principles — and vigorously reminding the American people of their power and truth — can ensure their victory over injustice. In the case of unions, that means fundamentally reforming the current labor model. This doesn't mean going back to the bad old days, when unions were treated as a criminal conspiracy. But it does mean ending the legal favoritism that allows unions to coerce workers, control businesses and advance their selfish interests at the expense of everyone else. The Republican goal should be to make unions earnestly compete for workers' support, with neither a monopoly in the workplace nor restrictions on workers' ability to choose the union that's best for them. When is the last time Republicans forcefully advanced such a principled vision? Even before the recent backsliding, Republican leaders rarely made the moral case against forced unionization. Sure, they broadly supported policies that would have empowered workers, and most Republicans still do. But with few exceptions, the party tip-toed around the real stakes. If union coercion is wrong, then anyone who loves freedom has a duty to fight it — without apology and without quarter. Reagan showed that a principled approach can work, and Republicans may get another opportunity sooner than they realize. Last year, a federal court ruled that the National Labor Relations Board — and by extension, the labor law that governs America's labor-union framework — is unconstitutional. This case seems destined to end up at the Supreme Court. If the justices strike down the law, will Trump and Republicans side with the unions they're trying to appease? Or will they stand with American workers against union coercion, seeking to end injustice the same way Reagan defeated the Soviet Union?
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Green Wave' Helmer Xu Lei Talks Chinese Film Funding And Directing His Father In The Comedy-Drama
After sweeping the Best Actor and Jury awards at China's Pingyao International Film Festival, writer-director Xu Lei's quirky comedy-drama Green Wave arrived as the opening film at the Far East Film Festival (FEFF) on Thursday in Udine, Italy. Drawing laughter from the crowd of more than 1,200 people at the film's international premiere in the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni, Xu tells Deadline that he did not intend to write a comedy at first, but humor gradually found its way into the story. More from Deadline 'Bullet Train Explosion' Director Shinji Higuchi Talks Casting Singer-Actor Tsuyoshi Kusanagi & The Film's Moral Questions Shudder Acquires Historical Horror 'Orang Ikan' Netflix APAC Film Viewership Grew 20% In 2024 - APAC Showcase 'At the beginning, it wasn't meant to be a comedy, it was just meant to be a family drama about the father and son,' says Xu. 'However, as the story evolved during the production, it gradually turned into a comedy. As a filmmaker, I always appreciate the opportunity to grow in making your own movie. You find out more about yourself while making a film.' Xu adds that it will be far more challenging to fund a film like Green Wave in China today, compared to the domestic funding landscape a few years ago. 'When I started the project and looked for investors two to three years ago, it was a good time in China's movie market. But if I had to make this movie now, I would probably not have the same outcome,' says Xu. 'It's because fighting for audiences to take the time to go inside the cinema is even more competitive now, compared to three years ago. Now they have TikTok, streaming and games. In order to lure the audiences to go inside the theater, it's not as easy as before, so investors hesitate before they give the money to make a movie.' Xu says that he has completed the screenplay for his next film, titled The Peacemaker, and is currently putting together funding for the film. The Peacemaker is set in a rural village and revolves around a person who assumes the role of a local 'godfather' for the village, helping to arbitrate for the villagers, and settling their struggles and disputes. Xu previously directed Summer Detective (2019) and co-directed Hutong Cowboy with veteran filmmaker Ning Hao. Green Wave revolves around Wei Fei, a screenwriter who lives in Beijing. His recently-widowed father, Lao Wei, who lives further away in a village, finds a seemingly antique porcelain bowl while his ancestral home is being demolished. Father and son live under the same roof again, as Lao Wei arrives in Beijing to have the bowl evaluated by experts, in the hopes of making a windfall. Xu cast his real-life father, Xu Chaoying, in the role of Lao Wei — marking the second time that his father has appeared in his films. 'When writing the script, I did not initially intend to cast my father. But through the casting process, I looked around and felt like my father would be very believable and convincing in this role, so I ended up choosing him.' It seems like a move that has paid off, with the elder Xu picking up the Best Actor prize at the Pingyao fest. Elaborating on what it was like to direct his father, Xu said: 'This is the second time working with my father, so the easiest part is that I know his capacity, how much he can perform and what he can do.' Xu said that he spent some time working with refining the accents of the actors in the film, including Wang Chuanjun (who plays the son) to match the accents of the onscreen duo, as Wang is not from the same province as Xu's family. The inspiration behind the film's plot came from a friend's story. 'I have a friend who has a disability, and his father is an antique collector. All his life, he wants to find something authentic that will make him super rich, so that he can secure financial independence for his son,' says Xu. 'My friend and I both knew that his father's collection is all fake — none of them are real antiques, but he appreciates the affection and thought behind what the father is trying to do, which is real and genuine.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Which Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies? 'Verity,' 'Reminders Of Him' & 'Regretting You' Will Join 'It Ends With Us'
