Last week I read a column by Timothy Egan about books by J. D. Vance and Tara Westover, which he said were “guides to a Trumpland that is terra incognita to most Americans.” Vance grew up in southern Ohio and Westover grew up in Idaho. A couple of days later, […] Read more »
How Left Will Democrats Go in 2020?
There are fewer and fewer things that Democrats and Republicans can agree upon these days. Increasingly, however, both are coming to the conclusion that Democrats are going to nominate the most left-leaning, liberal candidate for president, giving Trump his best (maybe only) opportunity to win in 2020. … But, there’s […] Read more »
Democrats are right to be wary of Howard Schultz
The frenzy over businessman Howard Schultz’s announcement that he is considering an independent run for president is understandable. Democrats think President Donald Trump is headed for defeat in a one-on-one general election contest, and anything that changes that trajectory improves his re-election prospects. Unfortunately, few of the people who panicked […] Read more »
Democratic focus groups may have identified a hidden vulnerability for Trump
This is the week that the broad outlines of President Trump’s reelection strategy are coming into focus. Trump will continue pushing forward with his reactionary xenophobic nationalist agenda on immigration, while executing a massive but largely phony pivot back to the pro-worker economic populism he immediately abandoned upon taking office. […] Read more »
Only 58% of Americans oppose blackface
The roiling blackface scandal in Virginia continues. It not only includes Gov. Ralph Northam (D) but now also Attorney General Mark Herring (D), who says he dressed in blackface at a college party. The scandal has put renewed focus on how this racist depiction of African Americans has endured well […] Read more »
Trump Is Walling Off the GOP
The most misleading line in Donald Trump’s State of the Union address this week might have also been the most revealing about how he is reconfiguring the Republican Party and reshaping America’s electoral alignment. “Legal immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways,” he declared at one […] Read more »