This is politics in plain English for normal people and the common good.
Subscribe to the free list
Latest Articles
Two maps explain everything about America’s unequal response to the coronavirus pandemic
The above one is from the Times. All the red parts show people who continue to travel despite the pandemic. The not-red parts show people who are sheltering in place. The below map is from Colin Woodard’s American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. The red parts of the…
What ‘Polarized’ Means in a Pandemic
Pay attention to who’s doing what to whom.
Why can’t kids vote?
It’s not as crazy as it sounds. The voting age has always been more or less arbitrary. It was 21 before it was 18, the age an American can be drafted into fighting a war. The argument that grown ups are more rational, and therefore more capable and responsible, is pretty much defeated by the…
The Killer Paranoia of Jared Kushner
Incompetent? Yes. Arrogant? My god! But there’s more.
Kids Should Vote
It’s not as crazy as it sounds. The voting age has always been more or less arbitrary. It was 21 before it was 18, the age an American can be drafted into fighting a war. The argument that grown ups are more rational, and therefore more capable and responsible, is pretty much defeated by the…
The GOP’s Separatist Movement Exposed
The rich get richer. The rest get whatever’s coming to them.
Trump’s Tone Is a Fetish of the Occult
Why can’t reporters believe their own eyes?
Trump’s Acquittal Is Making the Pandemic Worse
He was tried for putting his interests above the nation’s. Why stop now?
Trump’s Treason Is Killing Us
Need help during a pandemic? First, kiss the ring.
Hope makes room for the impossible
I’m told my writing can be bleak. I suppose that’s true. That’s not my intent, though. My intent is to talk about politics and the political past plainly so we can take future action. Most often, we the people misunderstand our politics, and take the wrong action. American history shows us taking one step forward,…