Iâve written about the Luigi Mangione case before. But this post isnât really about him. And it certainly isnât about taking the side of Luigi or the CEO who was killed. This is something different. This is about what this case says about us. Let me start with something that shouldnât even have to beContinue reading “Luigi Is a Test”
Tag Archives: American Politics
The Populist Costume: How Luigi Mangione and Donald Trump Wear the Same Disguise
There is a peculiar kind of American theater that plays out whenever a rich person convinces enough people that they are, in fact, one of the little guys, and nowhere has that theater been performed with more success in the last decade than in the cases of Donald Trump and Luigi Mangione. On the surfaceContinue reading “The Populist Costume: How Luigi Mangione and Donald Trump Wear the Same Disguise”
Believing the Accuser Should Not Depend on Which Team They’re Accusing
I have been thinking about this for a while now, and I want to lay it out carefully, because I think it is one of the more uncomfortable truths in American politics, the truth that we, as a country, have developed a habit of treating accusations against politicians as credible or not credible based almostContinue reading “Believing the Accuser Should Not Depend on Which Team They’re Accusing”
The Difference Between Political Theater and Political Reality in New York
There is a massive difference between what politicians say during campaigns and what they would actually do once they are sitting in office with the full weight of government institutions, diplomatic pressure, federal agencies, media scrutiny, police unions, donors, courts, foreign governments, and financial markets all staring directly at them. That difference is exactly whyContinue reading “The Difference Between Political Theater and Political Reality in New York”
Stop the “what if Obama” whataboutism
Both Sides Are Using Democratic Politicians As Whataboutism Punching Bags And It Needs To Stop There is a particular kind of argument that has become so common in American political discourse that most people do not even notice it anymore. It hides in plain sight. It shows up in comment sections, in dinner table arguments,Continue reading “Stop the “what if Obama” whataboutism”
Why I Believe MAGA Will Eventually Turn on ICE
One prediction I have about American politics is that eventually a significant portion of the MAGA movement is going to turn on ICE. Not all of them, of course. Political movements are rarely unanimous about anything. But I think there will come a moment when many of the same people who today defend ICE, praiseContinue reading “Why I Believe MAGA Will Eventually Turn on ICE”
We Cannot Call for Violence. Even Now. Especially Now.
Last night, shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. President Trump was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents. Vice President JD Vance and members of the Cabinet were evacuated. A law enforcement officer was struck, saved only by his bulletproof vest. A suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen,Continue reading “We Cannot Call for Violence. Even Now. Especially Now.”
Trump, FISA, and the Endless Cycle of Power: Why We Must Oppose Surveillance No Matter Who Is in Charge
There is a pattern in American politics that repeats so often it should no longer surprise anyone, yet it still manages to disappoint millions every time it happens. Politicians campaign as outsiders. They campaign as reformers. They campaign as the people who will finally challenge the machine, expose corruption, defend liberty, and dismantle the abusesContinue reading “Trump, FISA, and the Endless Cycle of Power: Why We Must Oppose Surveillance No Matter Who Is in Charge”
The SAVE Act and the Politics of Making Voting Harder: If You Build Barriers, Then Everyone Should Have to Climb Them
There is something deeply frustratingâalmost surrealâabout watching lawmakers in a country that constantly brands itself as the worldâs leading democracy actively flirt with policies that make voting harder, more complicated, and more exclusionary. The SAVE Act, framed by its supporters as a measure to âsecureâ elections, feels less like a genuine attempt to protect democracyContinue reading “The SAVE Act and the Politics of Making Voting Harder: If You Build Barriers, Then Everyone Should Have to Climb Them”
The Pro-Immigrant Case for Being Anti-Immigration (Right Now)
There is a statement that, at first glance, sounds completely contradictoryâespecially coming from someone on the political left. It almost sounds like a slogan designed to provoke confusion. Yet the more I have thought about it, the more convinced I have become that it is actually one of the most logically consistent positions someone whoContinue reading “The Pro-Immigrant Case for Being Anti-Immigration (Right Now)”