Global Investors Are Telling Donald Trump His Deficits and National…
Washington is unnerved these days about budget deficits and the national debt. Deficit angst comes along periodically, often as a pretext for cutting social spending. This time, however, there’s genuine cause for alarm. Outsized deficits are par for the course when the economy is in recession or reeling from a shock like the pandemic or the financial collapse; most of… Continue reading
For Once, The Deficit Hawks Are Right: Trump’s Budget Could…
President Donald Trump is charting a course that may end in the economy’s third meltdown in less than 20 years. Whatever he and his economic courtiers think they’re doing, the waves of unprecedented budget deficits now under his One Big Beautiful Bill Act and his tariff war could trigger a grave economic crisis that will recall the Financial Crisis and…Continue reading
Trump’s Perfect Storm that Could Sink the American Economy
Donald Trump has steered the American economy into a perfect storm. In the book, film, and now in real life, a rare combination of destructive forces comes together and magnifies the damage. This storm could break the U.S. economy. Trump’s tariffs are the most destructive force. Their first-order damages begin by arbitrarily driving up the prices of every product and…Continue reading
The German Political Theorist Who Explains What’s Happening in Washington
Carl Schmitt, a Third Reich jurist and philosopher, saw politics as a life-and-death battle against enemies and democracy as dispensable. By Robert J. Shapiro Americans are, of course, deeply divided today over race, gender, immigration, religion, and other differences that define us as a people and political culture. These cleavages have existed throughout American history, but in their current iterations,…Continue reading
Trump’s Campaign Pledges Are on a Collision Course with Reality
Economic reality catches up with every president, and Donald Trump is no exception. His Mar-a-Lago entourage and perhaps the president-elect are already learning that what’s promised either cannot be fulfilled or would be terrible if it was. So now they’re backpedaling on his three central campaign commitments. Trump’s number one pledge was to round up, detain, and deport 11 million…Continue reading
Kamala Harris’s Policy Agenda Kneecapped Her Chances
So, how did Kamala Harris lose to a surly opponent who had been found guilty of 34 felonies and liable for broad business fraud and sexual abuse? While she had to shoulder the burden of President Biden’s dismal performance numbers, her skills as a campaigner were clearly up to the task. She also had all the money she needed, and…Continue reading
How Donald Trump is Channeling Machiavelli
This past weekend, Donald Trump and JD Vance accused their Democratic opponents of plotting to kill Trump, implicitly threatening to prosecute them should they win. As shocking as it sounds, it was unremarkable since personal threats are a common and menacing feature of their campaign. Since Trump announced his bid for a second term, he has threatened to investigate and…Continue reading
How Harris Can Seal the Deal with Undecided Voters in…
Kamala Harris has figured out that Donald Trump’s screeds and threats have become background noise—and that responding with vision and policies is more effective than with anger. It worked remarkably well in last week’s debate, but she still has to close the deal with swing state voters who remain undecided or persuadable. To do that, she should exploit Trump’s liabilities…Continue reading
Kamala Harris Still Has Time for a Big New Idea…
In typical campaigns, presidential hopefuls and their staffs spend a year or so researching, debating, testing, and messaging new policy ideas. I know because I’ve helped develop economic policy for five Democratic presidential candidates. It can make a real difference if the campaign correctly identifies an issue that moves voters who otherwise might stay home or even support the other…Continue reading