Of Nancy and Newt
I’m sure I’ve begun more than one post with something to the effect that once again, Paul Krugman has hit the nail right on the head. Well, he’s done it again, this time in tribute to Nancy Pelosi, who the ...
Read MoreSo, what’s the story?
If you don’t read the New York Times, or if you read only the print newspaper, you may not be familiar with Thomas Edsall, a veteran journalist who has written several valuable books on US politics and contributes a consistently ...
Read MoreWhich way for the Democrats? (II)
The question that I raised in a post a few months ago has gotten a lot of play in the media lately, probably sparked by the surprise victory of the self-described socialist, neophyte Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, in a New York ...
Read MoreDonald and the Russia Problem
Donald Trump has repeatedly resisted the irresistible conclusion that Vladimir Putin did what he could to put Trump in the White House. Now, the summit meeting in Helsinki has forced him to be explicit: to say that he believes Putin, ...
Read MoreWillful Ideology or Defective Personality?
Donald Trump’s apparent willingness to bust up NATO and the European Union, together with his penchant for starting trade wars and his repeatedly expressed affinity with autocratic strongmen, have led a lot of commentators to bemoan the threat he poses ...
Read MoreThe president sticks it to the allies, again
In evident anticipation of the upcoming NATO summit, Donald Trump has written strongly worded letters to many of our NATO allies complaining that they don’t spend enough on defense. This is an old complaint by US presidents, of course, but ...
Read MoreTolerance, Civility and Respect in the Age of Trump
Recent events have raised questions about appropriate behavior in confronting the extraordinary ugliness of the Trump presidency. First, Samantha Bee calls Ivanka Trump a “cunt.” Then Robert DeNiro shouts “Fuck Trump” to a cheering Tony awards audience. More recently Sarah ...
Read MoreThe Mean Party
Kevin Drum has put it so succinctly and well that I will simply reproduce without further comment his post today: Donald Trump has made plain what’s long lurked barely below the surface of American politics: it’s not so much a ...
Read MoreSummit in Singapore
The Trump-Kim summit is a positive small step. Positive because it is better than the incipient crisis that the reckless behavior of these two men created only months ago. It could, possibly, lead to a more secure peace for Korea. ...
Read MoreDonald in Quebec
Donald Trump has few fixed convictions. His views on abortion rights, climate change and gun control all underwent convenient conversions when he decided to seek the Republican presidential nomination. But let’s give him credit for something—one thing he seems to ...
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