Reconciliation: How the Democrats Can Run the Table
Congressional Democrats will take office in January with the broadest mandate since the post-Watergate midterms in 1974—twice the popular-vote margin the Contract-with-America Republicans won in 1994. The work begins with dismantling most of what Donald Trump and his corrupt, incompetent administration have done over the past two years. Much of what Trump wrought came through his One Big Beautiful (sic)… Continue reading
The Government Shutdown Is the First Skirmish in the Battle…
The political stalemate that has closed down much of the federal government for two weeks has emotionally stressed and financially strapped 750,000 federal workers furloughed to date, and another 650,000 working without pay, as has the firing of another 300,000 federal employees so far this year. In time, it will also damage thousands of companies and employees that depend on…Continue reading
The Lies Behind Trump’s D.C. Troop Surge
This week, Donald Trump claimed the authority to deploy the country’s military to the streets of Washington, D.C. to help fight crime. Yet, hard data show it’s not about crime in the nation’s capital. Instead, the evidence points to other, more troubling reasons and aspirations, especially the president’s personal sense of entitlement to power, MAGA’s approach to partisan politics, and…Continue reading
The U.S. Economy Is Stumbling Badly, Regardless of What the…
Everyone who has ever used a dating app knows the disappointment when an online picture doesn't match reality. Sometimes, economic reports suffer from a similar gap. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported that the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at a 3 percent annual rate in the second quarter. That sounds like good news, but the…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