To win in 2018, focus on specifics
07/11/2017
A debate’s broken out among Democrats about the right strategy for 2018. Honestly, it’s the wrong debate. One side argues we should be focused on President Trump’s failures—a target-rich environment.…
Aversion to difference
06/28/2017
Last week, I examined two of the three strands of conservative thinking — aversion to government and aversion to change — which Donald Trump melded together in his successful effort to capture…
Varieties of Trumpism
06/21/2017
It’s possible the Trump presidency will implode while congressional Republicans fan the flames of public outrage by their handling of healthcare, the budget and taxes. Midterm Democratic victories may only…
GOP fails to compromise
06/13/2017
Otto von Bismarck never said, “Politics is the art of compromise.” His actual statement conveyed a similar, but not identical, sentiment: “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable…
Trump’s crisis of legitimacy
05/23/2017
Donald Trump loves being treated like a king and he suffers terrible insecurities about the legitimacy of his election. The former was evident is his response to Saudi Arabia; the latter…
Holding the base
05/16/2017
An oft repeated talking point holds that Donald Trump’s supporters remain firm in backing the president. It’s neither as true, nor as electorally important, as it sounds. In November, Trump garnered…
How low can you go?
05/09/2017
Just how unpopular is the Republican healthcare plan? It’s more unpopular than any major piece of legislation in the last 30 years. That means it is more unpopular than ClintonCare,…
Trump honors a serial killer
05/02/2017
Some Democrats have trouble imagining a president worse than Donald Trump. There are a number. And Donald Trump just announced his backing for one, extending a White House invitation to a…
Time for GOP panic?
04/26/2017
Donald Trump signed a contract with me and then violated it — and I think it’s going to cost him. The president affixed his signature to a “Contract With The…
Partisanship: A powerful drug
04/11/2017
Partisanship is an increasingly powerful, mind-altering drug. It affects not only our perception of what is right and wrong, but also of what is real. Four years ago, I reported…