Daybook
Daybook posts are a Wolves and sheep Extra feature. If you are an Extra member, the excerpts below will take you to the Wolves and Sheep Patreon site where you can read all of the Daybook posts.
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7/28/2023 Daybook
History repeats itself stupidly
Paging Rose Mary Woods.
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7/24/2023 Daybook
On generations
Millennials and Gen Z, your time is now.
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7/21/2023 Daybook
Your entree will be out shortly
Justice is served.
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7/17/2023 Daybook
A way too early look at 2024
It’s never too early to consider the fundamentals.
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7/14/2023 Daybook
This looks normal
Well not really, but it’s exactly what we expected.
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7/10/2023 Daybook
Playing not to lose versus playing to win big
It’s time to start playing for keeps.
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6/30/2023 Daybook
A huge win for democracy
This could have been very bad.
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6/26/2023 Daybook
More on the abortion trap
It could be the key to saving democracy.
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6/23/2023 Daybook
Clash of realities
The two realities of American politics were on display this week.
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6/19/2023 Daybook
Backwards
Winning campaigns understand that yesterday’s gone.
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6/16/2023 Daybook
The scope will broaden
It’s more than just one man.
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6/12/2023 Daybook
Pressure is building
In Congress and the campaign, reality gets in the way.
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6/9/2023 Daybook
Indictment, Volume II
This time it’s federal.
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6/5/2023 Daybook
Leaving the Beltway
Time to come home.
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6/2/2023 Daybook
Update from Washington: Looks like we’re getting a commission
That tells us a lot.
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5/28/2023 Daybook
Update from Washington: Deal or no deal
It appears the radicals have lost.
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5/26/2023 Daybook
Update from Washington: Process vs. substance
Do the details even matter?
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5/21/2023 Daybook
Update from Washington: It all feels so normal
But it shouldn’t.
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5/19/2023 Daybook
Update from Washington: No one knows what happens next
What, me worry?
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5/15/2023 Daybook
CNN
It may take prosecutors for journalists to get it right.
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5/12/2023 Daybook
Still the whole ballgame
Pressure for Court reform is not going away.
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5/10/2023 Daybook
Special accountability edition
Reports from Manhattan and Long Island.
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5/8/2023 Daybook
When it happens, it happens fast
That’s what rot does.
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5/1/2023 Daybook
It’s morning again in America . . . kind of
Biden channels the last transformational president.
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4/28/2023 Daybook
The race no one seems to want
An unwelcome rematch from a party that can’t move on.
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4/24/2023 Daybook
The case for Joe Biden
He’s still the bridge to an unfinished future.
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4/21/2023 Daybook
Abe Fortas and Clarence Thomas
What’s happening is not unprecedented.
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4/17/2023 Daybook
The abortion trap
There’s no way out.
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4/3/2023 Daybook
They still don’t understand
They really don’t.
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3/30/2023 Daybook
3/27/2023 Daybook
Constructive losing
It can be the first step toward renewal.
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3/24/2023 Daybook
3/20/2023 Daybook
3/17/2023 Daybook
The Biden paradox
Biden has been a historically effective president, but voters aren’t feeling it.
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3/13/2023 Daybook
Be prepared
Everything will look different.
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3/6/2023 Daybook
Retribution
Stop me if you’ve heard this one.
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2/23/2023 Daybook
More tea leaves
This time from a peer.
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2/20/2023 Daybook
2/17/2023 Daybook
The Trump trap
How can you be a better choice when the real thing is still hanging around?
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2/13/2023 Daybook
Invisible revolution
An unlikely populist spearheads a potential realignment.
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2/10/2023 Daybook
A strategic tour de force
How Biden made the most of his moment on stage.
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2/6/2023 Daybook
The state of a different union
Joe Biden addresses a country that’s in a different place than it was a year ago.
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1/30/2023 Daybook
Pushback
Real journalism emerged on Meet the Press, even if it was for the wrong reason.
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1/27/2023 Daybook
Imminent
Something is happening in Georgia.
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1/23/2023 Daybook
1/20/2023 Daybook
Your debt ceiling primer
A user’s guide to financial Armageddon.
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1/16/2023 Daybook
There is no conservative party
And it matters when default is on the line.
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1/13/2023 Daybook
The insurrection continues
There are ominous undertones to House Republicans’ comically bad performance.
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1/9/2023 Daybook
Pathetic
The seeds have been planted.
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1/2/2023 Daybook
The drama begins
Complaining is easy. Governing is hard.
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12/26/2022 Daybook
Where we’re going
Reflections on the year ahead.
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12/19/2022 Daybook
Where we are
It’s been quite a year.
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12/16/2022 Daybook
A little more math
The House could be heading into chaos.
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12/12/2022 Daybook
Criminal referrals
The January 6 Committee ponders its conclusion.
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12/5/2022 Daybook
A little math
The outcome is counterintuitive but the numbers add up.
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12/2/2022 Daybook
Actually, it’s encouraging
The fallout continues.
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11/28/2022 Daybook
Same play, different outcome
It worked in ’94 and ’10 but failed miserably in ’22.
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11/21/2022 Daybook
Pressure
The midterms produced the second-best scenario for protecting democracy.
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11/18/2022 Daybook
Say it with me: he’s never going away
Republicans bought Donald Trump in 2016. They own him forever.
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11/14/2022 Daybook
Democracy required this outcome
A note of hope and a note of caution.
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11/11/2022 Daybook
Right in front of them
They should know better.
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11/9/2022 Daybook
It turns out Americans like democracy
Sleep deprived thoughts on a historic election.
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11/7/2022 Daybook
Which election will we get?
In a year that is confounding predictions, here are three election scenarios.
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10/31/2022 Daybook
Young people
The future offers hope.
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10/28/2022 Daybook
Disconnect
The election and the story of the election are different things.
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10/24/2022 Daybook
Chaos ahead?
You thought the election was going to resolve anything?
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10/21/2022 Daybook
The day the narrative changed
Democrats are losing the polling narrative but are holding their own in the early vote.
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10/17/2022 Daybook
Where things stand
With three weeks to go, the election could still tip either way.
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10/14/2022 Daybook
Is abortion fading as an issue?
Spoiler alert: not really.
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10/10/2022 Daybook
Does anything matter?
Not when privilege is at stake.
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10/3/2022 Daybook
Early voting
We will soon have a sense of how the electorate is shaping up.
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9/30/2022 Daybook
9/26/2022 Daybook
Where things stand
Our first comprehensive look at the fall campaign.
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9/23/2022 Daybook
So many witch hunts
Walls are closing in.
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9/19/2022 Daybook
A milestone in the culture wars
We may look back on this moment as pivotal.
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9/16/2022 Daybook
Having the issue
You have to rethink your politics when you catch the car.
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9/12/2022 Daybook
Inside the Beltway, progress is slow
DC insiders have been slow to grasp the dynamics of this election.
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9/5/2022 Daybook
Biden sets the narrative
In an important address, the president finally goes there.
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9/1/2022 Daybook
Then and now
Three months that made big a difference.
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8/25/2022 Daybook
Democrats can hold the House
And Washington is starting to notice.
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8/22/2022 Daybook
I’ll say it again: he is never going away
You can’t just wish away a parasite.
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8/19/2022 Daybook
“Now the real work begins”
Liz Cheney embarks on her mission.
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8/15/2022 Daybook
Why?
That seems to be the most pressing question.
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8/11/2022 Daybook
Thank you for visiting Mar-a-Lago!
Don’t forget to take your classified documents!
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8/8/2022 Daybook
Build Back—Finally
Against all odds.
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8/1/2022 Daybook
The story is changing
Official Washington is slowly realizing that a Republican win this November is not a done deal.
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7/29/2022 Daybook
Build Back Suddenly
Well that was unexpected.
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7/25/2022 Daybook
What happens if it’s close?
Republicans themselves might block the insurrectionists.
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7/22/2022 Daybook
Renewed for fall
The summer’s best miniseries is coming back for a second season.
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7/18/2022 Daybook
It sure doesn’t look like a wave
The 2022 state of play at mid-summer.
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7/15/2022 Daybook
The Republican Party’s pending Donald Trump problem
Republicans should have insisted on a prenup.
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7/11/2022 Daybook
The “Great Disconnect”
Can we please stop pretending things are normal?
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7/5/2022 Daybook
Fallout
No one is ever ready for an earthquake.
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7/1/2022 Daybook
Temperature’s rising
I feel like I need a vacation. And I just returned from one.
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6/28/2022 Daybook
Tipping point
This is what minority rule feels like.
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6/17/2022 Daybook
The hearings are working
The January 6 committee continues to deliver.
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6/13/2022 Daybook
Exceeding expectations
The January 6 committee delivers.
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6/6/2022 Daybook
Disconnect
Is the country ready to vote against its own interests?
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6/3/2022 Daybook
Minority rule
Once again, the system is failing us.
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5/31/2022 Daybook
Hope despite darkness.
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5/24/2022 Daybook
Things also look different from below.
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5/21/2022 Daybook
Things often look different up close.
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5/18/2022 Daybook
5/15/2022 Daybook
On the accuracy of conventional wisdom
It always works this way. Until it doesn’t.
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5/13/2022 Daybook
Remember when people honored subpoenas?
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5/9/2022 Daybook
Politics of the unprecedented
Having the issue.
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5/2/2022 Daybook
Truth in humor
If it wasn’t so serious . . .
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4/29/2022 Daybook
4/25/2022 Daybook
I don’t recall
And she thinks Biden is forgetful?
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4/22/2022 Daybook
It’s kind of hard to explain
Prelude to the hearings.
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4/18/2022 Daybook
Transitions
The next two months will tell us a lot.
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4/15/2022 Daybook
Not debatable
No regard for democracy.
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4/11/2022 Daybook
Is the story just too big?
Too big to cover?
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4/4/2022 Daybook
Reality check
The performance is over. Now let’s vote.
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4/1/2022 Daybook
Democrats aren’t the only party in trouble
On the other hand . . .
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3/28/2022 Daybook
Things are not where they need to be
A lot remains undone on the democracy checklist.
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3/25/2022 Daybook
3/21/2022 Daybook
A return to division
Cue the outrage.
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3/17/2022 Daybook
More than a reset
Suddenly, fighting over masks seems really small.
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3/14/2022 Daybook
In other news
A lot is happening while no one is looking.
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3/7/2022 Daybook
A lot to take in
We’ll talk about it on Thursday.
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2/21/2022 Daybook
State of the Union
Up next: the big reset.
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2/18/2022 Daybook
It’s starting
November begins in February.
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2/14/2022 Daybook
An interesting development
What say you, Rudy?
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2/11/2022 Daybook
Legitimate Political Discourse
Republicans face an impossible choice.
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2/7/2022 Daybook
Better late than never
Challenging narratives.
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1/31/2022 Daybook
Vengeance tour
Once again, in broad daylight.
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1/28/2022 Daybook
1/24/2022 Daybook
What makes 2022 different?
Welcome to the midterm political cycle.
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1/21/2022 Daybook
1/17/2022 Daybook
Talking
There is an untapped path to filibuster reform.
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1/14/2022 Daybook
Seditious conspiracy
One step forward. One step sideways.
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1/10/2022 Daybook
1/3/2022 Daybook
Picking up where they left off
This is it for BBB and voting rights.
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12/20/2021 Daybook
Build Back Never?
Failure may not be an option. But it is the default.
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12/17/2021 Daybook
12/13/2021 Daybook
It’s going to be the biggest story of our time
Get ready. We’re going to have to confront it.
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12/10/2021 Daybook
Momentum
Some things moved quickly this week.
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12/6/2021 Daybook
More on our broken politics
What’s a little dysfunction among friends?
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11/29/2021 Daybook
11/22/2021 Daybook
Thanksgiving break
More calm before another storm.
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11/19/2021 Daybook
Just don’t bet against Pelosi
Worth waiting for.
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11/15/2021 Daybook
Garland finally acts
Contemptuous toward Congress.
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11/12/2021 Daybook
Out of hand
When voting to repair bridges is a capital offense.
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11/8/2021 Daybook
Victory Lap
It was the worst of weeks. It was the best of weeks.
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11/1/2021 Daybook
The light at the end
Finally? Maybe?
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10/29/2021 Daybook
Half the distance
We’re not quite there yet.
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10/25/2021 Daybook
No word yet
Is a breakthrough in sight?
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10/22/2021 Daybook
10/18/2021 Daybook
Interpreting the silence
There’s good news and bad news. And it’s the same news.
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10/15/2021 Daybook
Criminal contempt
Wheels are turning.
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10/11/2021 Daybook
Crisis delayed but not defused
Dysfunction on display.
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10/3/2021 Daybook
Adventures in lazy journalism
Let’s get it right.
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10/1/2021 Daybook
Infrastructure week
I warned you it would be ugly.
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9/27/2021 Daybook
Intensity
It’s a pivotal week in congress.
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9/24/2021 Daybook
Sure it looks ugly
Things are moving.
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9/20/2021 Daybook
9/17/2021 Daybook
Trump card
What California taught us.
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9/13/2021 Daybook
9/6/2021 Daybook
A little extortion
What’s a little extortion among friends?
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9/3/2021 Daybook
Biden’s domestic bet
We are pulling ourselves apart at an accelerated rate.
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8/30/2021 Daybook
A little perspective
Is Biden’s presidency over? Not quite yet.
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8/27/2021 Daybook
Busy Day
One of the all-time greats makes it look easy.
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8/23/2021 Daybook
A new product
Just an old-fashioned feeding frenzy.
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8/12/2021 Daybook
Up all night
An all-nighter brings progress, but the real test is still ahead.
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8/9/2021 Daybook
A little context
Is it a historic accomplishment to just do your job?
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8/3/2021 Daybook
Now the hard part
It took incredible effort to shape a bipartisan infrastructure agreement. But that was easy.
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7/30/2021 Daybook
Something has changed
I should go away more often.
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7/22/2021 Daybook
Of course they did
How real is that bipartisan commitment?
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7/19/2021 Daybook
More on that new governing paradigm
Shades of the Civil War.
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7/16/2021 Daybook
Multitasking
Congress walks and chews gum at the same time.
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7/12/2021 Daybook
Here we go
Apart from determining the future of the republic, it looks like another sleepy summer in the Senate.
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7/6/2021 Daybook
Reflections on Independence Day
Are we on the way to calm horizons or are we in the eye of the storm?
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7/2/2021 Daybook
About that investigation
Will they regret saying no?
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6/28/2021 Daybook
Partisan Blowback
Pigs aren’t flying after all.
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6/25/2021 Daybook
Are pigs flying?
Republican obstruction and bipartisanship? Here’s why after a busy week not much has changed in Washington.
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6/21/2021 Daybook
Looking back
A healthy political party would never think of doing this.
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6/18/2021 Daybook
Movement
What looked speculative on Monday became conventional wisdom by Friday.
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6/14/2021 Daybook
Following the money
Nancy Pelosi sounds surprisingly upbeat about the potential for Joe Manchin to change his mind on voting rights legislation. Could her optimism have something to do with this?
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6/11/2021 Daybook
Who could have seen this coming?
You can’t negotiate with someone who already has what they want.
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6/7/2021 Daybook
Parallel realities
Washington is experiencing a surreal moment, caught between conducting business as usual and a looming existential threat.
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6/4/2021 Daybook
Tea leaf
The first special election of the Biden era was notable for what didn’t happen.
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6/1/2021 Daybook
Assumptions
Republicans will retake Congress next year . . . unless they don’t.
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6/1/2021 Daybook
Assumptions
Republicans will retake Congress next year . . . unless they don’t.
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5/28/2021 Daybook
Irreconcilable differences
One word captures the state of the Republican Party four months into the Biden presidency.
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5/24/2021 Daybook
The urgency paradox
Democrats know they have to move quickly and decisively to avoid losing the window to act on Biden’s ambitious agenda. There’s only one thing standing in their way.
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5/21/2021 Daybook
The bipartisanship fallacy
We shouldn’t expect Republicans and Democrats to come together around anything if they can’t come together around this one thing. And they can’t.
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5/17/2021 Daybook
Commission watch
Is it possible to investigate something that one side sees as an attempt to violently overthrow the government and the other side sees as a tourist event? The reality gap that divides the two parties will be put to the test this week as Congress nears a vote on one of the most important issues of our day.
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5/14/2021 Daybook
Words or actions?
In the wake of Liz Cheney’s ouster from congressional leadership, a group of high-profile former Republican officials said now is the time to free their party from Trump’s influence. Together, there is one thing they can do to make this happen. But will they?
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5/10/2021 Daybook
More purge politics
With Congress returning to Washington this week, the political world will be consumed by the power struggle in the Republican House caucus, where Liz Cheney is poised to be ousted from the number three leadership spot. As political dramas go, this one has zero suspense. The challenge to Cheney’s leadership has been brewing for months and everyone in Washington expects it to end with Cheney being replaced by upstate New York congresswoman and Trump opponent-turned-acolyte Elise Stefanik. What makes this gripping political theater is the fact that it is happening to a legacy figure in the conservative movement and what it says about the present and future state of the Republican Party.
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5/7/2021 Daybook
Group identity
In the coming weeks you will see a lot of stories about how the White House is open to bipartisan compromise with Republicans on the massive infrastructure legislation working its way through Congress and how West Virginia’s Joe Manchin is confident he can work in good faith across the aisle. But several events this week point to why these efforts rest somewhere between bad theater and wishful thinking. If we connect the dots across what’s happening this week in Arizona, on the Hill and in Florida, we see Republicans telegraphing that they are animated not by policy objectives or ideology but by nurturing and defending a shared identity built around a worldview unsupported by external reality. No longer a conventional political party, Republicans are turning into a faith group united by the false belief that massive fraud by voters of color illegitimately removed Donald Trump from power, a wrong that has to be righted at any cost.
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5/3/2021 Daybook
Mitt
There was an incident over the weekend in which Mitt Romney was booed at a state convention of Utah Republicans for having twice voted to convict Donald Trump at his impeachment trials (and – reality check – impeachment may seem like ancient history, but the most recent trial ended less than three months ago). If you’re looking for a measure of the health of the post-Trump Republican Party, you can stop here.
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4/29/2021 Daybook
Biden’s ordinary extraordinary speech
Joe Biden’s speech to a socially distanced joint session of Congress Wednesday night lacked some of the pomp and grandeur we normally associate with such events, but Biden made the largely empty room work to his advantage. Speaking softly enough to make viewers want to lean in to their screens, modulating his voice for emphasis, Biden delivered his remarks in the casual cadence of a friend or neighbor in what felt like a 21st century Fireside Chat.
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4/16/2021 Daybook
It’s been quiet . . . but . . .
The Biden administration launched with a flurry of activity, culminating in passage of the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package. For several weeks we had wave upon wave of executive orders and cabinet nominations, and while Biden intentionally toned things way down he remained a presence in the news. Then things seemed to get quiet.
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