Bruce Springsteen has a song on his Wrecking Ball album called “Jack of All Trades.” The entire album is a critique of big capitalism in the wake of the 2008 recession. The song has a lyric that came to my […]
Joshua Zeitz
Other controversial presidential pardons in American history
According to Joshua Zeitz, Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden was less controversial than these presidential pardons: George Washington pardoned two whiskey rebels. Andrew Johnson pardoned Confederate officers. George H.W. Bush pardoned six men convicted in the Iran […]
Political thinkers weigh-in on the ousting of Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy is no longer the Speaker of the House. What happened? Politico has gathered some experts to discuss the current state of the Republican Party. Contributors include historians Mary Frances Berry, Joanne Freeman, and Joshua Zeitz. Here is Freeman: […]
Just how unprecedented was Trump’s federal indictment?
Donald Trump is the first president or former president to face a federal indictment, but as Joshua Zeitz points out at Politico, a sitting vice-president and the president of the Confederacy faced treason charges. Here is a taste of Zeitz’s […]
In 1855-1856, the Speaker of the House was decided after 133 votes
As I write, the House is completing its eighth ballot for Speaker of the House. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic candidate, continues to get a plurality of the vote. The GOP is still divided, with most Republicans behind Kevin McCarthy and […]