What’s ‘Political Dysfunction’?

I know it when I see it.

Counting the Right Votes

White Christian nationalism and the fight for control of America.

Who The Hell is Dean Phillips?

It’s quite the week for politicians with generic names nobody has ever heard of.

Should The Press Pick a Side?

The mainstream media isn’t and shouldn’t become a counterpart to the right-wing infotainment complex.

Is This Time Different?

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

Kyrsten Sinema Mixes Pleasure and Business

Running for office or just running?

It’s Good to Be Clarence Thomas

The questionable ethics of living a lavish lifestyle based on high office.

Bernard Kalb, 1922-2023

The longtime journalist is gone at 100.

Congress to Make Trump’s Taxes Public

House Democrats are releasing them because they can.

Trump Committed Four Crimes, Say January 6 Committee

The ball is now in Merrick Garland’s court.

The Tip O’Neill Era and Why Governing was Easier

A reminder of how things (specifically the party system as a whole) have changed.

Impeachment in a System of Checks and Balances

What should be the bar? Can it ever be reached?

Trump Comics

An odd phenomenon.

The January 6 Hearings Are Over. Now What?

The investigation produced mounds of evidence. Will it matter?

Can Reporters Have Friends?

A new book raises fundamental questions about how far journalistic objectivity should extend.

Bernard Shaw, 1940-2022

CNN’s original anchorman is gone at 82.

FBI Raids Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Home

The former President and his supporters are crying “weaponization of the justice system.”

Being Known by the Company you Keep

Meeting with people who are essentially couplotters should be disqualifying.

January 6 and the Collusion Trap

What is the right measure of success for the Committee investigating the Capitol riot?

The USA at 246

The Nation is unusually divided and melancholy on its birthday.

January 6 Committee Public Hearings: Day 1

The laying out of the case begins.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on lowering the cost for American families Friday, April 22, 2022, at Green River College in Auburn, Washington. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) President Joe Biden delivers remarks on lowering the cost for American families Friday, April 22, 2022, at Green River College in Auburn, Washington. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Biden Less Popular Than Worst President Ever

He’s underwater and not going to take it anymore.

Time for a New Generation to Lead?

The Silents and Boomers have been in charge too long.

Supreme Court Overturning Roe (Probably)

POLITICO has obtained what purports to be the 1st draft of the opinion.

More Details On 7 Hours “Missing” From 1/6 White House Phone Logs

They’re not missing and that points to a systemic issue

Permanent Daylight Saving Time?

We may be on the verge half a century after our last experiment.

[Top Secret Clip Art] [Top Secret Clip Art]

Trump Had Classified Docs at Mar-a-Lago

Because of course he did.

Of Laws and Men

Our system lacks accountability.

The Phony-Tough and Crazy-Brave

Violence, masculinity, and American politics.

DC Circuit Delays Trump Paper Release

The matter of Executive Privilege and former Presidents is settled law.

Mort Sahl, 1927-2021

The first modern stand-up comedian has died at 94.

Tom T. Hall, 1936-2021

The legendary country music singer-songwriter known as “The Storyteller” is gone at 85.

President Donald J. Trump participates in a FOX News Channel virtual town hall entitled America Together: Returning to Work, with co-moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum live from the Lincoln Memorial Sunday, May 3, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) President Donald J. Trump participates in a FOX News Channel virtual town hall entitled America Together: Returning to Work, with co-moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum live from the Lincoln Memorial Sunday, May 3, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

The Fox News Effect?

Republicans are more partisan—and distrustful of government—than Democrats.

Walter Mondale, 1928-2021

Jimmy Carter’s Vice President and the 1984 Democratic nominee has died at 93.

G. Gordon Liddy, 1930-2021

The Watergate conspirator, author, and talk show host was 90.

Eighteen Years of Blogging

Some reflections

George Shultz, 1920-2021

The longtime public servant has died, aged 100.

Partisan Control in the Congress

Some political history,

The GOP Isn’t Dead. It’s Resting.

The GOP, alas, is not going anywhere.

Wonder Woman 1984

A very low-spoilers review.

Republican Recovery

Further musings on the future of the Grand Old Party.

The Flynn Pardon

Perhaps the most normal thing President Trump has done.

President-Elect Biden’s Victory Speech

“Now this campaign is over, what is the will of the people? What is our mandate?”

Joe Biden the 46th President of the United States

All the major outlets are finally acknowledging the obvious.

President Trump at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies President Donald J. Trump listens to a reporter’s question during a press conference Monday, July 27, 2020, at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, N.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) President Trump at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies President Donald J. Trump listens to a reporter’s question during a press conference Monday, July 27, 2020, at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, N.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Trump Knew COVID Was Far More Dangerous Than He Was Telling the Public

The President admits that he intentionally downplayed the threat posed by the epidemic.

A Post-Trump Republican Party

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

Person Woman Man Camera TV

We can’t punish every politician with a mental problem, but some are clearly unfit for office.

Trump Commutes Roger Stone’s Sentence

A shocking and yet completely unsurprising development.

SCOTUS: Trump Not Above Law, Must Release Taxes

A mixed ruling: New York wins, Congress loses–but no release before the election.

Why Republicans like the Filibuster

It creates a veto gate that they are almost guaranteed to control when they need it.