Eighteen Years of Blogging

Some reflections

POTUS Should Be Just A Job

The distance in accountability between the highest and the lowest must be shortened.

A New Conservative Party?

Some marginal Republican formers are thinking about maybe doing somethingoranother.

More on the Evolution of US Party Politics

Specifically: the former confederacy and Democratic dominance.

The Filibuster Needs to Go

It is not a tool to foster compromise. It is tool of obstruction, plain and simple.

Our Political Reality

Voting ourselves out of this mess is not so easy

The Pendulum Is Broken, Not Swinging

Historical precedents fall apart when we’re in a truly unprecedented time.

Burma Military Coup Ousts Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi and her top officials are under house arrest.

Speaking of Reform

Let me point you to a reform proposal.

The Centrality of Nominations

American political parties are controlled by the primaries.

Biden’s Culture War Aggression?!

The hidden wokeness of our new Critical Theory-loving President.

Biden’s Christianity, Lincoln, and the Truth of Who We Are

Biden’s America is a place and idea in which the trappings of empire or glory are ephemera in comparison with perennial human relationships—families; friendships; communities; schools; neighbors; partners.

Freedom, Security, and Insurrection

The aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riots runs into the First Amendment,

Will the GOP Fracture?

Will there be in-fighting? Yes. A break-up? No.

Trump Impeached Once More with Feeling

The 45th President will go down in infamy, setting a record that’s unlikely to be broken.

Liz Cheney’s Statement on Impeachment

The #3 Republican in the House will vote to impeach.

Bill Belichick Refuses Presidential Medal of Freedom

The New England Patriots coach lived up to the team nickname.

The Insurrection May Not Be Over

There are multiple ongoing plots and reasonable fear of infiltration of security forces.

Capitol Riot Could Have Been Much Worse

The live coverage of Wednesday’s assault on American democracy underplayed its seriousness.

Trump Deserves to be Impeached, Plain and Simple

As we assess Trump’s role in all of this, it is important to think through what he did (and did not) do.

The Terrorist In The Mirror

There’s a word for people who use outrageous violence to terrorize.

The Choose Your Own Adventure Presidency

Trump’s lack of fealty to truth and reality gives supporters an out (if they choose it).

Why Was Capitol Security Inadequate?

A large, well-trained police force was unprepared for a foreseeable crisis.

Ousting Trump Early Incredibly Unlikely

The President of the United States is a national security threat. Can we get rid of him now?

Congress Certifies Biden Win

It’s finally officially official.

The end of the line

We’ve shouldn’t be surprised we’ve arrived at this destination.

Trump Mob Storms Capitol

The predictable, indeed inevitable, has happened.

41,549,808

A startling number than may understate the problem.

Expect at Least Three Objections Tomorrow

AZ, GA, and Pa are on the table.

Trump and His Party Doing Permanent Damage to America

The President who promised to “Make America Great Again” has made her a laughingstock. And worse.

Former SecDefs Sign off on an Extraordinary Message

On the op/ed page of WaPo, the 10 living former U.S. secretaries of defense say things that shouldn’t have to be said.

The Pence Gambit

The absurd notion that the President of Senate is the arbiter and judge of the electoral vote.

The Pending Electoral Vote Challenge

It will be symbolic, but the symbol will be an anti-democratic one.

[Voter Fraud Graphic] [Voter Fraud Graphic]

Two Crazy Aspects of Trump’s Fraud Allegations

Granted, there are more than two. But from a political science/political history POV, these two stick out in my mind.

Press Coverage and Team Trump’s Coup Talk

Or, more accurately, the lack thereof.

Flynn Suggests a Coup

For those wondering what a textbook coup would look like.

The Arab Spring at 10

Tunisia is freer but poorer than it was before Mohamed Bouazizi’s desperate act.

(Many?)(Most?) Republicans Acknowledge Biden WIn

Too little, too late.

Representative Mitchell Disaffiliates with the GOP

One member of the Grand Old Party has had it.

Electoral College Votes for Biden

Biden wins again.

The Next Attempt to Subvert

January 6th, when the electoral votes are counted.

A GOP Break-Away isn’t Coming

There won’t be a Lincoln Party. It isn’t sustainable.

Republican Recovery

Further musings on the future of the Grand Old Party.

President Donald J. Trump greets guests on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, prior to boarding Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md. to begin his trip to Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Nevada. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) President Donald J. Trump greets guests on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, prior to boarding Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md. to begin his trip to Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Nevada. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

The Republicans are Going Nowhere

The party is unlikely to suffer consequences for its anti-democracy actions.

Trump’s Election Interference Continues

The phone tour continues.

Reforming the EC is not the Same as Overturning it

Wherein I respond to a ridiculous comparison.

Party of Grievance

Not of governance.

The Court Failures Continue to Mount

Almost 50 losses in four weeks,. Impressive.