This is politics in plain English for normal people and the common good.

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‘He’s so insecure’

You hear it all the time. “He acts that way because he’s insecure.” Take guns, for instance. He bought a gun because he feels insecure. He acted out because he feels insecure. He did terrible things to others because he feels insecure. So if he felt more secure, he wouldn’t do that? I’ve always felt…

Our credulous news media

This morning’s news was a former Trump aide saying the Republicans should pick another candidate for the 2020 election. Jonathan Swan reported his phone interview with Anthony Scaramucci. “We are now in the early episodes of ‘Chernobyl’ on HBO, where the reactor is melting down and the apparatchiks are trying to figure out whether to…

The moment we break faith

I can’t stop thinking about this poem by James Baldwin. So much of liberal democracy entails trust in each other, in our willingness to contract and covenant with each other, and in our obligations to respect and honor each other for our collective benefit. To have a democracy, we must have faith. When we break…

The stuff of conspiracy theory

My friend Arthur Goldwag once said the problem with conspiracy theories is that sometimes real conspiracies occur, and when they do, they can give credence to all conspiracy theories. Well, today the AP confirmed that Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself in a federal prison. He was found dead this morning. Epstein had already once attempted suicide….