The Daily Signal - #354: What It's Like in France, Amid Heated Protests Over Green Tax

Episode Date: December 4, 2018

Alexandre Pesey has been to some of the "yellow jacket" protests going on in France right now over a fuel tax designed to promote green energy policies. Pesey, director and co-founder of the Institut de Formation Politique (the Institute of Political Formation), a nonprofit that trains young people in France, joins us to discuss what's really going on in France--and whether it means the country could be moving to the right. Plus: Apple CEO Tim Cook says companies must live by their values, but does that have concerning implications for conservative speech online?We also cover these stories:--The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the GOP’s House fundraising arm, was hacked beginning in April of this year -- and four senior aides had their email accounts surveilled for months.--Voter fraud may have occurred in a House race in North Carolina, between Republican Mark Harris and Democrat Dan McCready.--Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that unless Russia changes is actions, the U.S. will end compliance with the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Force nuclear treaty in 60 days:The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at [e-mail]. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At Desjardin, we speak business. We speak equipment modernization. We're fluent in data digitization and expansion into foreign markets. And we can talk all day about streamlining manufacturing processes. Because at Desjardin business, we speak the same language you do. Business. So join the more than 400,000 Canadian entrepreneurs who already count on us. And contact Desjardin today.

We'd love to talk, business. This is the Daily Signal podcast for Wednesday, December 5th. I'm Kate Trinco. And I'm Daniel Davis. Violent protests continue to rage in Paris as thousands of French citizens march against President Macron's fuel tax. Today we'll talk to French native Alexander Posse about what he's witnessed at the protests. Plus, the CEO of Apple says that so-called hate speech has no place on digital platforms. We'll discuss that.

But first, we'll cover a few of the top headlines. Today is the funeral for President George H.W. Bush at the Washington National Cathedral. On Tuesday, the Daily Signals, Ginny Montalbano, spoke to people around the Capitol, where Bush's body lay at rest in the rotunda to allow Americans to pay their respects. George H.W. Bush contributed a great deal to this country. And it was a great patriot, naval officer, hero, served this country in so many different capacities. we just want to take this effort to come down here and pay our respects. What is President Bush's legacy to you and your family?

Well, you know, first of all, he loved God. He loved his family. He loved this nation. And having served this nation with a man of decency and dignity, I think that combination for me and a dad, dignity, decency, and a dad. I think those combinations were wonderful. And so I have so much respect for him. I'm so glad to be here.

Well, the news is only now emerging that the Republican Party suffered a major data breach leading up to the 2018 midterms. Politico reports that the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the GOP's House fundraising arm, was hacked beginning in April of this year, and four senior aides had their email accounts surveilled for months. Committee officials say they withheld that information out of fear that publicity would make it harder for them to track down the culprit. They say they believe the hacker was a foreign agent. Vote fraud may have occurred in a House race in North Carolina, between Republican Mark Harris, and Democrat Dan McCready.

While Harris leans McCready by 900 plus votes in the final tally, the State Board of Elections isn't certifying the results because, according to various reports, there are concerns that there were improprieties associated with mail-in ballots and concerns that non-voters or non-family members may have collected and mailed in the ballots, as well as potentially filled them out and or have destroyed them. Now an investigation is ongoing. Incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said, per the Washington Post,

if there is what appears to be a very substantial question on the integrity of the election, clearly we would oppose Mr. Harris being seated until that is resolved. Well, private attorney Michael Avanotti has announced that after long in public consideration, he won't be running for president in 2020, saying that his family has asked him not to. Avinati came to national attention by representing porn star Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit involving President Trump. He also represented Julie Swetnik, a woman who accused Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault during his Supreme Court confirmation process. She then walked that claim back. More recently, Avanotti has been accused by a woman of domestic abuse and faces a misdemeanor charge.

He denies that charge. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday from Brussels that unless Breastles, that unless Russia changes its actions, the United States will end compliance with the 1987 Intermediate-Ranged Nuclear Force Treaty in 60 days. But whatever successes this treaty helped produce, today we must confront Russian cheating on its arms control obligations.

On at least 30 occasions since 2013, extending to the highest levels of leadership, we have raised Russia's noncompliance and stressed that a failure to return to compliance would have consequences. Russia's reply has been consistent, deny any wrongdoing, demand more information, and issue baseless counter-accusations. In light of these facts, the United States today declares it has found Russia in material

breach of the treaty and will suspend our obligations as a remedy effective in 60 days unless Russia returns to full and verifiable compliance. Beyond Russia's actions, there is also the fact that countries like China aren't subject to the treaty. Pompeo also said, per the Washington Post, that, quote, there is no reason the United States should continue to cede this crucial military advantage to revisionist powers like China. Well, the Trump administration has denied any direct evidence that the Saudi crown prince ordered the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but Republican members of Congress disagree.

After sitting through a CIA intelligence briefing, top Republicans seem pretty sure that the crown prince is guilty. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said, quote, I have zero question in my mind that the Crown Prince, MBS, ordered the killing, monitored the killing, knew exactly what was happening, planned it in advance. If he was in front of a jury, he would be convicted in 30 minutes, guilty, end quote. And here's what South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham had to say. I went into the briefing believing it was virtually impossible for an operation like this to be carried out. without the Crown Prince's knowledge. I left the briefing with high confidence

that my initial assessment of the situation is correct. So here's my takeaway, that Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally and the relationship is worth saving, but not at all cost. We'll do more damage to our standing in the world and our national security by ignoring MBS,

than dealing with him. Well, despite all the concerns over the increasing secularization of Christmas, Disneyland held a candlelight ceremony this weekend that featured actor Chris Pratt reading from the Bible. There were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night, and behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

and they were greatly afraid. But then the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ, the Lord. And this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. Pratt also spoke about how having a son himself had made him think of God's love for his children and wished attendees a Merry Christmas.

Well, up next we'll talk to a French native about the protest in Paris. Do conversations about the Supreme Court leave you scratching your head? Then subscribe to Scotus 101, a podcast breaking down the cases, personalities, and gossip at the Supreme Court. Well, joining us now to discuss the protest situation in Paris is Alexander Preci. He's the director and co-founder of the, I'll say this in French, Institute de Formation Politique, which is the Institute of Political Formation. It's a non-profit that trains young people in France. Alexander, thanks for making the time for us.

Thank you for having me on your show. So tell us exactly, Alexander, what sparked these protests in France? They seem massive. What exactly is it? Yeah, it starts with the introduction of a new tax on the United States. gas by the government in order, they said, to protect the environment. So you have to know that the gallon in France is already $6 and 60% of the amount are taxes. France is most taxes country in the OECD, if not the first is always second.

And so you can imagine that French people are fed up with taxes and that was a tax too much. People say that's enough. That's how it started. Now I understand you were actually present at some of these protests. Yes, I am myself what we call here a yellow vest or a jillet-jone from the first day. And so the first day it was a movement coming from the bays everywhere in France. So I went at the place where I leave. And I went even with three of my kids to tell you how safe,

civilized, polite it was. And then I went back every weekend. And last Saturday I was in Paris where most of the violence occurred. And I stayed four hours there. So it was a demonstration by the Gillesjeune. but then you had two movements that came in. You had first a group of anarchists, of Antifa or Black Buck. People were very organized, very well equipped, even better than the police, what the police said.

I saw them very organized to break every shop, especially banks, cars. And then you have a second group. who is mostly called, they are called the Suburbian. It's people coming from the suburbs of the inner city. And usually they come anytime there is a demonstration or a big gathering to steal things or rob people. I saw them, for example, threatened people in his shop and say, you have to give me 100 euro and I'll protect your shop.

So you have the gilletjeune, the yellow vest, demonstrating. Some were angry the way they were treated by the government and so start to be more aggressive. But the violent that you saw the people who broke the car, burned the car, broke the shop are different groups that went in the movement. Is this a, is opposition to this tax something that you think most French people would share? If you follow the polls, they say that close to 80% of French people are supporting the jillélezone, the yellow vest. And so among the population, the opposition of the tax is very high, for sure. Now, Macron has announced, I believe it's a six-month delay on the tax.

Do you think that's going to settle the issue for now, or do you anticipate people will still be upset? I still, this government is very far from understanding what's happening. and I don't think it will be sufficient. I think people will be still there on Saturday. You'll see other demonstration may be bigger because they are not asking for suspending the tax. They are skin for no more tax, even less taxes. So I think they may be even, some may be even more annoyed

by this government who is now actually beating all the record of unpopularity. Well, you know, you say that they feel overtaxed. Do you think this is something that could move the French people to want just smaller, less government overall? It's a big challenge because what we are seeing now, it's how the leftists are trying to get and taking over the movement with the support of many media. In saying these French people are not fighting against tax. They want more fair taxes. So they want more taxes on the rich. And so you have some so-called yellow vest who weren't invited by the media to say that, to say,

we want a wealth tax, we want a fair tax, not that they want less tax. So that's a risk is that the movement is taking over by the left. But I think this movement is even deeper than the opposition of the tax. Because if you look sociologically who are these people, it's mostly the hardworking people, mostly the white people who are never in the media, never taken into account by intellectual or politician. We call them the invisible. You know, they don't belong to a minority. They don't say they suffer discrimination. So they're never invited on the table.

And here it's people like who say, it's done. I'm tired to say I have to pay more taxes for the environment. I have to open border to welcome more immigrants. But in both cases, 80% of French people are against more taxes and are against more immigration. And I think it's these people who start to come out. So if the French have already been very highly taxed before, why do you think that this was the thing that got people this upset? Because I think it's this construction between the people, the gap between the establishment and the, the people. The vote in the last presidential election, if you look, 40% of the vote went to

entire establishment party. So Macron won because he arrived first in the first round and then was against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. But he was not like a massive support of him. It was more like he win against another candidate. So why it came now. Now, I think it's because it's just accumulated and Macron since he arrived, he increased a tax called the CSG and then he creates another one and it doesn't decrease public expenditures. So you have this conjunction of the kind of conservative anti-tax and what is broader, an anti-establishment movement who are saying to this Paris elite who live in the rich inner city, who are safe, like hear us, we are done with what you're doing and you need to dramatically change the situation.

Well, it's really remarkable because Macron has been really the face of a global green agenda, climate agenda. Do you think that this could be the beginning of the end of his agenda? I think, yeah. I think he now lost any credibility. I think the gap is so huge. that I don't think he can reconnect. If you look at the poll, it's surprising. Even with the violence that you saw that everybody was sad about, I was there. It was terrible to see how they broke cars, burn, wrote on the historical places.

Even with that, a vast majority of people still support it because I think it's really a unification against East policy. and I think now he has not many solutions than I think get rid of his prime minister in these weeks to come or to dissolve the National Assembly is that to call for re-election of the Congress where he would lose a majority but maybe for him it would be a strategic way to have a chance to be re-elected as a presidential race but I think now he's beating all the record in the poll of unpeparallity is worse in the poll than President Hollande, the former social socialization. President who was said to be the worst in our history.

So it's to tell you how low he went. From how high his name was Jupiter, and he called himself Jupiter, like a god, and how down he fell in a few weeks. So you, of course, you've been to the Heritage Foundation, you've worked with conservatives in the United States. Do you think this is possibly the beginning of a political change in France and have more openness toward conservatism or do you think it's just limited to over this fuel tax? The conservative in France are a big number, a lot of people. But they were not politically

able to win election, to have leaders to represent their movement. We didn't have a Ronald Reagan. we don't have Donald Trump. We don't have a leader that is able to carry this movement. And that's the main difficulty we have today. Because events against Macron, there is not a space coming out. Even among the yellow vest, which is very similar, I think, to the Tea Party movement. It's really coming from the base. You don't see figures coming out, not yet, at least.

So yes, I think it's a big chance for us if we're well organized and we start to succeed to have leaders who represent this movement to see France turn into a conservative side. It's up to us to do this good job or it's going to be the Marxist who may enjoy these cows. Well, certainly high stakes and it looks ripe for change. Alexander, thank you so much for making the time and for calling in. This has been very insightful. Thank you very much. And I'm glad to answer the question of heritage, a really an institution I follow and like for yours. Thank you very much.

Liberals have pretty much cornered the market on 101-style podcasts that break down tough policy issues in the news. Until now. Did you know that every week, Heritage Explains intermingles personal stories, news clips, and facts from heritage experts to help explain some of today's hardest issues from a concern. perspective. Look for Heritage Explains on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, talked more like a preacher than a CEO in remarks Monday at the Anti-Defamation League. I'm going to play a long clip here because I really think this is an interesting viewpoint. So here's what Cook had to say. Perhaps most importantly, it drives us not

to be bystanders as hate tries to make its headquarters in the digital world. At Apple, we believe that technology needs to have a clear point of view on this challenge. There is no time to get tied up in knots. That's why we only have one message for those who seek to push hate, division, and violence. You have no place on our platforms. You have no home here. From the earliest days of iTunes to Apple Music Today, we have always prohibited music with a message of white supremacy.

Why? Because it's the right thing to do. And as we showed this year, we won't give a platform to violent conspiracy theorists on the App Store. Why? Because it's the right thing to do. because it's the right thing to do. My friends, if we can't be clear on moral questions like these, then we've got big problems. At Apple, we are not afraid to say that our values drive our curation decisions.

And why should we be? Doing what's right, creating experiences free from violence and hate, experiences that empower creativity and new ideas is what our customers want us to do. I believe the most sacred thing that each of us is given is our judgment, our morality, our own innate desire to separate right from wrong.

Choosing to set that responsibility aside at a moment of trial is a sin. So there's a lot to unpack there. I will note, of course, that with tech companies, this is a little bit complicated. They're currently regulated, not as publishers, but as I'm not quite sure the technical term is, but basically places that are a platform for speech,

not places that decide what speech goes up. And obviously, the more they get involved in making these speech decisions, the more potential legal implications there are for them. But that aside, and while I certainly may not agree with all of Cook's moral decisions. I kind of appreciated that he at least brought up values and discussed morality in a more serious way than we often hear from business leaders. What did you think, Daniel? Yeah, you know, I do think that there's a lot to admire in his

clear and motivation that came across there and the desire to do the right thing and the idea that companies and businesses should not exist within a moral vacuum. I think, I, I, I, think that's all great. The problem, you know, the where it gets complex is when they start applying that, because in America we have a lot more disagreements now within our culture about right and wrong than I think we used to have. I guess you could point to a number of controversies in the past where there was also disagreement over things like slavery and civil rights and things like that. But today, when I think of how we define hate, I think a lot of folks on the left will define hate as a form of violence, which if you say hate, if you say that hate is a form of violence.

You mean like hateful words. Hateful words. And if you define certain positions, certain views as hateful that are not hateful, you can start to exclude people from mainstream platforms. And I think that's a main concern that conservatives, and I would have. Yeah, absolutely. And I think there is a lot of concern about whether certain terms, you know, especially in the LGBT issues, will be seen as bigoted and hateful that are neither. You know, one can easily imagine a situation where if you refuse to say that trans people are the sex they now identify as, that's seen as violent language. So that's very much, I think, a cause for concern.

But I also think that, you know, we love capitalism. But capitalism really only works when it's attached to morality. You know, capitalism without some moral breaks can go some really dark places. And I think it's good that Cook is at least having the debate. We should absolutely discuss what really constitutes hate speech and what morals, businesses should care about. But I don't know. At least he's bringing it up.

But I think you're right. We are divided. I saw the site Tumblr, which I don't even know how to describe it. A blogging site? Something. Anyway, it hosts content. And they decided to ban porn. and that decision has actually led to a bunch of think pieces about why they shouldn't ban porn

because people think that porn is fine to consume and why should they do that. So, yeah, there is wide disagreement on what kind of speech should be allowed. Well, and I will say it's always better to have this conversation in the context of the private sector rather than the government deciding what is hate speech and what isn't. So there's always the, you know, in the free market, there's always the upside of, you know, if Apple goes too far, then, you know, stakeholders and consumers will decide, you know, we're actually going to support a different company because that's more in line with our values. So there is that built-in corrective, although I guess some would probably say Apple's become a pseudo-monopoly.

And so I don't think they are. But they, I mean, there's always that possibility of another competitor emerging. So that's good. It's better than yesterday's conversation we had about. Michigan lawmakers trying to dictate boys and girls toys. Although I should know, I might have misspoke during that podcast. I was reading after that I believe even if the resolution passed, it wouldn't mandate. It would just push companies to not offering the gender toys by gender.

But still. Yeah. But it is, I think, an important point that you make that we don't want, we shouldn't want businesses to be like just amoral, you know, operate without a moral. compass at all. In fact, that'd be kind of scary and disastrous. The question is, what are those values? What is right and wrong? And how can we as a society tolerate each other as much as possible when we disagree about what's right and wrong? And that's really the heart of it. And I wish that Tim Cook and others would actually address that. Like, what if we, you know, what about these massive disagreements we have?

Right. And I think it would be interesting, you know, is Apple meeting with conservatives? You know, my understanding is Facebook and some of the other social media platforms have met with conservatives. So they're at least aware of the arguments of why certain things, you know, aren't hate speech or something. I'd be curious if Apple's making similar outreach or, you know, at least trying to understand both sides before making some of these content decisions. Yeah. The only other thing I would add is that I think they, I really hope that we don't have platforms splintering and people going off into different. because you want society to have as much interaction with the rest of society as possible so that like we're not all into the like just kind of our own silo our own bubbles so you know

just moderation apple moderation we're going to leave it there for today thanks so much for listening to the daily signal podcast brought to you from the robert h bruce radio studio at the hereditch foundation please be sure to subscribe on iTunes which yes apple owns google play or sound cloud and please leave us a review or a rating on iTunes to give us any feedback. We'll see you again tomorrow. You've been listening to The Daily Signal podcast, executive produced by Kate Trinko and Daniel Davis, sound design by Michael Gooden, Lauren Evans, and Thalia Rampersad. For more information, visitdailysignal.com. Americans have almost entirely forgotten their history. That's right, and if we want to keep our republic, this needs to change. I'm Jared Stepman. And I'm Fred Lucas. We host the Right Side of History,

A podcast dedicated to restoring informed patriotism and busting the negative narratives about America's past. Hollywood, the media, and academia have failed a generation. We're here to set the record straight on the ideas and people who've made this country great. Subscribe to the right side of history on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher Today.