Donald Trump has fallen on hard times. His poll numbers are sagging in key swing states. People don’t believe what he’s saying about the pandemic. He explodes at bad polling news and threatened to sue his campaign manager. Senate Republicans are starting to panic that he’s going to bring them down in November. He feels mistreated by the public, the press … Read More

Ronald Reagan has shaped American politics for 40 years. Prior to Reagan’s ascent to the presidency, the country had been transformed by over four decades of liberal policies, starting with FDR’s New Deal and culminating in Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. The modern social welfare state was established and expanded, and the reach of government expanded with it. By the end … Read More

With the 2020 election six months away, we can take our first realistic look at the Electoral College map and assess where the battlegrounds are likely to be in November. Six months is an interesting benchmark because the election is still far enough in the future to be influenced by unforeseen events but close enough for us to have a … Read More

“I can’t believe I have to say this, but please don’t drink bleach” — Joe Biden Recently, I wrote about the irony that Donald Trump, who was elected as a disruption agent, would be evaluated for a second term on his ability to handle a once-in-a-century crisis with competence and skill.  Since then, he has chosen to put his ineptitude … Read More

In an attempt to perpetuate the politics of grievance essential to Donald Trump’s political brand, right-wing groups have been orchestrating protests against Democratic governors who have implemented stay at home orders to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. These protests, which in past days have included obstructing health care workers and assembling without regard to social distancing, are irresponsible … Read More

Hillary Clinton selected Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate to boost her prospects in his home state of Virginia and to put a moderate white male on the ticket. Although Clinton was victorious in Virginia, her choice of the nondescript Kaine did nothing to unify Democrats after her long, bruising primary battle with Bernie Sanders. Joe Biden is now … Read More

Last week, I wrote about the Wisconsin primary, where the gerrymandered Republican legislature in conjunction with a conservative state supreme court conspired to force people to risk their health in order to vote in a special judicial election that the Democratic governor tried unsuccessfully to postpone. Republicans had hoped to suppress the vote in Democratic strongholds and tilt the playing … Read More

Bernie is out. This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who has paid attention to the Democratic campaign since its Super Tuesday inflection point, when in a matter of days the trajectory shifted from a probable Sanders nomination to the inevitability of Joe Biden, who had been left for roadkill after Iowa and New Hampshire. To put what happened in non-secular … Read More

On Tuesday, with much of the country sheltering at home or practicing social distancing, voters in Wisconsin went to the polls to vote in their primary. The reason is partisan. Democratic Governor Tony Evers had issued an executive order delaying in-person voting, but it was challenged by the state’s Republican legislature and the challenge was upheld along partisan lines by … Read More