Today, after watching another day of damning testimony before the House January 6th Committee, I was reminded again of this passage from Grant Wacker‘s biography of Billy Graham: The details of the low-level crime and high-level mendacity that led to […]
Donald Trump
Commentary editor: “Trump is in deep, deep, deep, deep trouble”
That’s four “deeps” from John Podhoretz, the editor of the conservative Commentary magazine. Here is a taste of his piece: The testimony this afternoon of Cassidy Hutchinson, the aide to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, cannot be dismissed. If […]
The GOP is trying to defend the most corrupt president in United States history
Historians will have the last say, but in the meantime here is a taste of Jonathan Chait’s recent piece at New York Magazine: At this point, even with the hearings in progress, it seems safe to rate this as the […]
It’s time to drain the swamp
I knew Trump’s catchphrase, “drain the swamp” would one day be good for something. Those watching the January 6th hearings are witnessing the machinations of the most corrupt president in American history and the people who stood with him and […]
Mehmet Oz backs away from the Trump brand
Donald Trump uses his endorsements of candidates to hold power within the GOP. But sometimes the candidates use Trump’s endorsement to win primaries, only to distance themselves from the former president in general elections. The latest candidate to do so […]
National Review: Trump “was unfit to be entrusted with the office”
The editors of the conservative National Review have never been big Trump fans. In 2016, the magazine opposed Trump’s candidacy. Since then, the response to Trump has been mixed. Here is today’s editorial: AsĀ has been true of so many things […]
It’s time to step up, Mike. Do it for God and country!
Today the House January 6th Select Committee portrayed former vice-president Mike Pence as the savior of the republic. We learned that Pence refused to succumb to Donald Trump’s attempts to get him to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He and […]
The Trump grift
At yesterday’s January 6th Select Committee hearing we learned that Donald Trump raised $250,000, 000 on the false belief that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by Joe Biden. In other words, Trump not only lied to his followers, but […]
Early thoughts on the first January 6th Committee hearing
I am building these comments around the live-tweeting I did last night. I am sure we will all have more to say in the coming weeks. Bill Barr began by calling the idea that Biden stole the election “bullshit”: Later, […]
What is a RINO?
At The Bulwark, William Saletan tries to define what the right wing means when they accuse someone of being “Republican in Name Only.” (Note: Someone accused me of this the other day and I am not even a registered Republican!). […]
The future of Trumpism
William Kristol believes Trumpism will be around for a long time. Here is a taste of his piece today at The Bulwark: We are now six years into the Trump era and one clearly seesāin the donor and media ecosystems, […]
“The Great Charlie Kirk,” the wizard of “Dark MAGA”
On Tuesday, North Carolinians dumped evangelical frat boy Madison Cawthorn. Yesterday he gave us more evidence as to why he wasn’t fit to serve in Congress. Perhaps some of you have already heard about the “Dark MAGA” Instagram post. In […]
The power of a Trump endorsement in Ohio
If you read one thing to get up to speed on the J.D. Vance’s win in the Ohio GOP primary for U.S. Senate, I recommend Alex Shephard’s short piece at The New Republic. A taste: In a seven-person race full […]
On “vicious political disagreement” and civic life
Here is a taste of Quinta Jurecic‘s piece at The Atlantic: Recently, pundits and journalists haveĀ tendedĀ toĀ frameĀ worriesĀ over the presence of violence in American politics as a question of whether the United States is slipping into a second civil war. There are […]
Watch Trump defend his presidency to presidential historians
Watch Princeton historian Julian Zelizer convene a meeting with Trump and other presidential historians to discuss his legacy. (HT to Rick Perlstein for bringing this to my attention). We covered this story here. Trump comes at the 14:00 minute mark. […]
Why the McCarthy anti-Trump audio won’t hurt him politically
In case you missed it, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said some negative things about his supreme commander, Donald Trump, in the immediate wake of the January 6, 2022 insurrection. To quote the New Republic e-mail blast I received yesterday, […]
The Big Lie and tribalism
Over at The Atlantic, Sarah Longwell writes: “For many of Trump’s voters, the belief that the election was stolen is not a fully formed thought. It’s more of an attitude, or a tribal pose.” Here is a taste of her […]
Trump endorses Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race
Donald Trump just endorsed Mehmet Oz’s candidacy for the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat currently held by Pat Toomey. Here is Trip Gabriel at The New York Times: Wading into a tight Republican Senate primary in Pennsylvania, former President Donald J. […]
The GOP as Trump Steaks
Tim Miller writes for the conservative online magazine The Bulwark. He was the communications director for the 2016 Jeb Bush campaign and spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. Here is a taste of his piece “The Republican Party Is Trump […]
This woman is not alone
She probably represents a small part of the population, but people like this are out there. Watch: