SCOTUS Denies Fast Track of Trump Immunity Claim

They’ve punted to the DC Circuit.

New York Gerrymander May Be Back

A never-ending saga of politicians choosing their voters.

Feds Allowed to Talk About Israel-Hamas War!

Sorry, Senator Rubio.

The free high-resolution photo of water, fence, neighborhood, green, color, fencing, blue, neighbour, neighbor, picket fences , taken with an Canon EOS 5D 03/04 2017 The picture taken with 50.0mm, f/1.4s, 1/8000s, ISO 320 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. The free high-resolution photo of water, fence, neighborhood, green, color, fencing, blue, neighbour, neighbor, picket fences , taken with an Canon EOS 5D 03/04 2017 The picture taken with 50.0mm, f/1.4s, 1/8000s, ISO 320 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0.

Americans No Longer Believe in the American Dream

Most no longer believe it’s possible to get ahead through hard work.

Geert Wilders ‘Wins’ Dutch Elections

The trend toward hard-right parties continues.

Kari Lake Inevitable Republican Nominee

The Arizona gubernatorial loser is back to lose the Senate.

President Joe Biden meets with leaders of his federal emergency preparedness and response team, cabinet and staff members for a briefing on hurricane, wildfire and extreme weather preparedness, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. President Joe Biden meets with leaders of his federal emergency preparedness and response team, cabinet and staff members for a briefing on hurricane, wildfire and extreme weather preparedness, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

Why Doesn’t Biden Get More Credit?

Some people say there’s a reporter to blame.

Politics as Sport

The game is the game.

Deutschland Unter Alles

Germany’s economy is among the worst in the OECD.

Romney’s Indictment of His Party

Calling out a large chunk of the GOP.

Could Trump Really Be President Again?

It’s not nearly as far-fetched as most of us would like to believe.

But What About Trump?

Must every topic be viewed through that lens?

Grumpy Uncle Joe?

Say it ain’t so!

Doug Burgum Trying to Buy His Way Into the Debates

The North Dakota governor really, really wants to be on TV.

Is This Time Different?

America survived a civil war and the turmoil of the 1960s. Can we rebound again?

Meanwhile, Across the Pond…

Ends up that some mature democracies believe in letting legitimate legal proceedings to, well, proceed.

Corporations and Pride Month

Damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Sometimes both.

Unrest in Pakistan

Corruption charges against the former premier have sparked rioting.

Trump, Hamilton, and the Electoral College

Don’t blame the primary author of The Federalist for our current mess.

Tucker Carlson’s Depressing Realization

The fired propagandist has had an epiphany about bullshit.

Unrepresentative Democracy and Child Labor

We’re getting weird policies almost nobody is asking for.

Weak Parties (Yet Again)

A clear example from North Carolina.

On the Number of Parties 4: The Oddity of Two, Part 3 (Thinking About Just Two)

A post about thinking in a comparative way.

The Weakness of US Parties Illustrated Yet Again

The primary calendar debate shows, yet again, that parties don’t fully control candidate selection.

Primaries and Party Evolution

Open access to party labels has consequences.

NY Congressman-Elect George Santos (AP Photo/John Locher) NY Congressman-Elect George Santos (AP Photo/John Locher)

A consequence of shrinking newsrooms

How an apparent serial fabulist got elected to Congress

Kyrsten Sinema Leaving Democratic Party

Because of course she is.

Trump’s Rhetoric and the GOP’s Test

Spoiler alert: the GOP has already failed this test multiple times.

Red and Blue States Aren’t Permanent

The margins for 2024 are likely to be slim. But that hides a larger story.

Leadership Battles in the GOP

Losing has a way of creating intraparty strife.

Making Sense of the Election

Parsing the results thus far.

Democratic Ratfucking Worked

Boosting weak candidates in the Republican primaries paid off.

2022 Won’t Be Another 1866

Hope is not a COA.

The Emerging Democratic Majority at 20

How well has the famous thesis fared?

CNN’s Centrist Gambit

What does objectivity mean in the Trump era?

Nonhierarchical Parties and the Problems of Candidate Selection

American parties are coordination problems with shared branding.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a Medal of Valor ceremony, Monday, May 16, 2022, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a Medal of Valor ceremony, Monday, May 16, 2022, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

The News is Bad for Biden

The nature of American political reporting distorts our perception of reality.

The Absurdity of the Hunter Biden Story

He met with people. And, get this, with his father!

64 Percent of Democrats Want Biden Replaced in 2024

With record-low poll numbers, the grass roots wants someone new on the ticket next time.

Fixing the Primary Problem

Could Alaska point the way to a solution?

On Perceptions and Crime

Some thoughts.

More Primary Examples: the PA GOP Governor’s Race

An ongoing series of observations.

Podcast Recommendation (Plus: More on US Democracy)

Ezra Klein discusses the dynamics of American conservatism in historical perspective. Plus, he helps illustrate a key problem that we have in thinking about American politics (IMHO).

On American Parties

More on primaries with a foray into Madison and the general politics of power-seekers and incentives.

Another Example of Primaries in Action

The Ohio GOP Senate contest.

An Extreme Example of the Problem with Primaries

Nobody is keeping the gate.

The Road to Here (and the Rocky Road Ahead)

The role of American political institutions.

New York’s Gerrymandering Disarmament

When doing the right thing is the wrong thing.

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A Lament and The Reality of Politics

A illustration from the Senate race in Georgia.