GOP Behavior

Ezra Klein has some thought on the Republican Party.

China Trade Wars the New Normal

The elite consensus that free trade would bring them around is gone.

Liz Cheney Walloped in Primary

The Trumper consolidation of their control of the GOP continues.

United States Less Democratic Than it Used to Be

Multiple indicators point to a decline in the representativeness of the American system.

Return of the Technocrats? Or Sinking in the Swamp?

Policy wonks are seeing a refreshing return to the normal order. Some believe that’s a bad thing.

A Post-Trump Republican Party

What would a reborn GOP look like and who would vote for it?

Americans Disagree With Trump On Trade

New polling shows that the American public does not support the President and his trade war.

Jeff Sessions Enters Alabama Senate Race With Obsequious Trump Praise

Jeff Sessions entered the race for the GOP nomination for Senate in Alabama by heaping obsequious and pathetic praise on a man who had spent two years insulting him publicly and privately

Fearful Of Trump, Republicans Refuse To Answer A Simple Question

Fear of Donald Trump and his minions is making it hard for Republicans to answer a simple question.

The US Nomination Process: Candidate over Party

In the US, the candidate defines the party, not the other way around.

Canceling Primaries?

Four state GOPs appear poised to cancel their primaries/caucuses.

Poll Shows Solid Support For Free Trade, Opposition To Trump’s Tariffs

A new poll shows solid support for free trade and opposition to the President’s tariffs, suggesting strongly that Trump is losing the public relations battle on this issue.

Boris Johnson Wins Tory Leadership Fight, Will Become Next British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson won the fight for the leadership of Great Britain’s Conservative Party and will soon become the next British Prime Minister. That was the easy part.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Residency Requirement For Liquor Sales License

The Supreme Court issued a significant ruling on Monday that could make it easier to buy and sell alcoholic beverages across state lines.

Donald Trump Shrugging Donald Trump Shrugging

Trump’s Art of the Threat

The latest is about deportations

World Economic Leaders Worry About Impact Of Trump’s Misguided Trade War

President Trump’s tariffs are having a noticeable, and negative, impact on global economies. The President doesn’t seem to care.

Trump’s Mexico Tariffs And Republican ‘Profiles In Courage’

The GOP Senators standing up against the President’s tariffs on Mexico are being called courageous. I’m wondering what took them so long to stand up.

The Political Reality Of Impeachment

While the drumbeat for impeachment of the President continues on the left, political reality suggests caution.

Trump Placing Tariffs On All Trade With Mexico

Last night, President Trump announced a new round of tariffs against Mexico for reasons that have nothing to do with trade itself.

EU Elections Show Continued Voter Frustrations

The transatlantic rejection of elite consensus that began with Brexit continues.

The True Cost of Trade Wars

The cost of Trump’s trade policies are well beyond the cost of soy beans.

Progressives In The Democratic Party May Have Misread The Signals For 2020

Based on the early stages of the campaign for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination, it appears as though the party’s progressive wing has misread the signals being sent by the party’s voters.

Backing Trump, The Right Sells Out On Trade And Tariffs

As it has in so many other areas, the right has sacrificed it’s previously held beliefs on international trade to feckless obedience toward President Trump.

Some Democrats Still Upset About Biden’s Vote In Favor Of Iraq War AUMF

A new poll indicates that at least some Democrats continue to hold Biden’s 2002 vote in favor of the Iraq War.

Trump’s 10,000 Lies

The President has hit a dubious milestone barely two years into his administration.

Politics on Twitter vs IRL

The 2020 debate on Twitter does not represent ordinary Americans. Does that matter?

Trade Deficit Hits Record Levels Despite Trump’s Tariffs

Notwithstanding President Trump’s tariffs, America’s trade deficit hit a record level last year.

Bill Weld Prepares For Primary Challenge To Trump

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is preparing for a primary challenge against Donald Trump. He won’t win, but he could still have an impact.

Trade Isolation and the Lack of Winning

The TPP is about to go into effect without the US.

Bush Funeral Inevitably About Trump

Honoring the 41st President cast a poor light on the 45th.

Sherrod Brown 2020?

Sherrod Brown pulled off the only statewide Democratic victory in Ohio on November 6th. Because of that, he’s being looked at as a potential 2020 candidate for President.

Trump, Nationalism, And The Lessons Of World War One

One hundred years after the end of World War One, the forces that led to it are waking up from a long slumber.

Angela Merkel To Step Aside As Chancellor At End Of Current Term

Angela Merkel announced yesterday that she would step aside as Chancellor at the end of her current term. What that means for the short and long term future of Germany and Europe is unclear.

Trump’s Trade War With China Is Helping China

President Trump’s trade war with China is leading car manufacturers to shift production from the U.S. to China.

Federal Budget Deficit Heads Back Up Under Republican Rule

Nearly two years into Republican control of Washington, the budget deficit is headed back up.

Trump’s Trade Chickens Coming Home To Roost

After nearly a year, Trump’s trade policies are having their inevitable negative impact inside the United States.

Trade Negotiations Are Over, But The Damage To U.S.-Canadian Relations Is Done

President Trump got his revised version of NAFTA, but Canadians are less positive about the United States than they have been in at least twenty years.

Meet The New NAFTA, Pretty Much The Same As The Old NAFTA

Thanks to a last-minute agreement, the United States and Canada reached an agreement for a revised version of NAFTA. It’s a got a new name, but it’s basically NAFTA 2.0.

Donald Trump Still Hates Canada

President Trump is once again threatening to lower the tariff hammer on one of America’s most reliable allies and biggest trading partners.

Trump’s Trade War Making China Great Again

Donald Trump’s trade war is helping China expand its diplomatic influence.

Trump Set To Expand His Trade War With China

President Trump is set to expand his ill-advised, economically ignorant, trade war with China.

We are not Seeing a Soft Coup in the Trump Admininstration

As problematic as some of what we know about the internal workings of the White House may be, it isn’t a coup.

Trump’s New NAFTA Is Much Less Than Meets The Eye

President Trump’s much-hyped replacement for NAFTA doesn’t really amount to much and won’t amount to anything unless he can get Canada, and the U.S. Congress, on board.

Gary Johnson Enters Senate Race In New Mexico

Gary Johnson was a successful two-term Governor in New Mexico. Now he’s making a bid to represent the Land of Enchantment in the U.S. Senate.

Laura Ingraham’s Response to Her Disturbing Diatribe

Laura Ingraham has responded to the deluge of criticism to her foolish and disturbing commentary. This response is also disturbing. Her attempt to walk back the racist tone of her monologue falls flat. Her statement trying to make her views more clear reveal more of her limited thinking on this matter and in general.

Get Ready For An Expansion Of Trump’s Economically Ignorant Trade War With China

President Trump appears to be ready to expand his ignorant, counterproductive trade war with China.

Koch Political Network Distancing Itself From Trump’s Republican Party

A powerful political network is distancing itself from the Trump-dominated Republican Party.

President Trump Apparently Does Not Like Alcoa

The natural intuition of the aluminum tariff is that it would help Alcoa, the largest manufacturer of aluminum in the U.S. But apparently these things are a bit more complicated that one’s intuition would indicate.

Parsing a Key Phrase from the Trump-EU Press Conference

Trade deals take more than an afternoon chat.

We’re Losing Donald Trump’s Trade War

Donald Trump’s trade war continues to have negative consequences for American consumers and businesses.