From David Brooks’ recent NY Times column: Trump voters are a coalition of the dispossessed. They have suffered lost jobs, lost wages, lost dreams. The American system is not working for them, so naturally they are looking for something else. … Continue reading →
Like “Islamophobia,” the word “xenophobia” is a way to pathologize a logical reaction to a phenomenon and give it a label that makes it appear to be irrational and emotion-based. This whole really loooong article manages to do it in … Continue reading →
I can’t remember any campaign in my lifetime in which any candidate has questioned another candidate’s religious sincerity. I’m old enough to remember that JFK’s Catholicism was an issue for some people, but Nixon certainly never mentioned it. Same of … Continue reading →
Crows are very smart birds, although they’ve long been thought to be harbingers of bad news: A crow’s brain is the size of a human thumb, huge relative to its body, putting their intelligence on par with primates and allowing … Continue reading →
The GOP won control of the Senate in the 2014 election. This meant that the party controlled both houses of Congress for the first time since the earlier years of the Bush administration, when they also had the presidency. But … Continue reading →
I’d like to take up the following comment from “junior”: Obama’s rise to power was already predicted in at least some circles well before he announced his candidacy. Supposedly, even as early as his assumption of his US Senate seat, … Continue reading →
In Belgium, naturally, in the Brussels district known as Molenbeek: Salah Abdeslam was shot in the leg by police commandos following a four-month international manhunt and has been arrested in the district of Molenbeek in the Belgian capital. The country’s … Continue reading →
It’s pretty good for me right now. Of course, I don’t want to jinx the blog by saying that. But it’s pretty much back to normal for me—for now. Let me know if things get bad again. I don’t really … Continue reading →
It’s rather a “pigs fly” moment: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has thrown his support to Ted Cruz, calling him “the best alternative” to Donald Trump. According to an invitation obtained by POLITICO, Graham will headline a fundraiser for Cruz … Continue reading →
Since this is from Vox, take it with a grain of salt and ignore the message about the “xenophobia” of the right. It nevertheless says something I’ve noticed, which is that candidates of the so-called “right” or even so-called “far … Continue reading →
Here’s William Jacobson on the subject of Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland. It’s a canny move by Obama, and an expected one—to nominate a “moderate” and to dare the GOP to oppose him. How the GOP reacts depends on their bet … Continue reading →
Earlier today on a thread about Trump, a commenter asked me how many people I thought I had persuaded to change their minds. Now, that’s an interesting question, whether the commenter meant it as a taunt or not. Maybe the … Continue reading →