Erik Loomis

Erik Loomis is the Editorial Board's obituarist. An associate professor of history at the University of Rhode Island, he's the author most recently of A History of America in Ten Strikes (New Press). He blogs at Lawyers, Guns and Money. Find him @ErikLoomis.

The ballad of Buckley’s blowhard

March 28, 2024 / Comments Off on The ballad of Buckley’s blowhard

Holy Joe Lieberman has died, writes Erik Loomis.

Jiang Zemin, who opened China to markets and corruption, is dead

November 30, 2022 / Comments Off on Jiang Zemin, who opened China to markets and corruption, is dead

Most believed he’d be, at best, a transitional figure.

Ken Starr, janus-faced moral hack, is finally dead

September 14, 2022 / Comments Off on Ken Starr, janus-faced moral hack, is finally dead

In short, Starr’s feelings about sexual crime depended entirely on whether he liked the person who committed it. 

Mikhail Gorbachev, 91, is dead

August 30, 2022 / Comments Off on Mikhail Gorbachev, 91, is dead

The former Soviet premier became a sort of hero in the west. But he became that hero precisely because he was a massive failure. 

He’s finally gone, but Mexico is still a mess 

July 11, 2022 / Comments Off on He’s finally gone, but Mexico is still a mess 

Each Mexican president since World War II deserves some level of blame. Few deserve more than Luis Echeverría Alvarez.

Orrin Hatch, champion of revanchist values and father of judicial extremism, is dead

April 24, 2022 /

For all his work in making the nation worse, Donald Trump presented Hatch with the Presidential Medal of Freedom that year. 

The mean old man of the GOP is dead

December 6, 2021 /

Bob Dole 1923-2021.

His life made the world worse

October 18, 2021 /

Colin Powell, 1937-2021.

At his best and most useful

August 6, 2021 / Comments Off on At his best and most useful

Richard Trumka (1949-2021)

Finally, the beast is dead

July 1, 2021 / Comments Off on Finally, the beast is dead

Erik Loomis writes Donald Rumsfeld’s obituary.