President Obama did not create the candidacy of Donald Trump. “Responsible” Republicans like Ross Douthat have been pushing that banal meme since the Donald first reared his ugly head back in the primaries, a falsehood that received a proper beat down from Slate’s William Saletan at the time. As Bill put it, “Obama is an…
Tag: Donald Trump
Is there a silver lining to Trump’s victory? Probably not.
Well, maybe there is, if we’re incredibly lucky. And since we’ve been so incredibly unlucky recently, aren’t we due, just maybe, for a crop of four-leaf clovers? I won’t think about all the bad things that are incredibly likely to happen under Trump, because if I do think about them I’ll start screaming, and my…
Yes, Donald Trump will deport millions of people! Yes, he’ll start a trade war with China! Yes, he’ll tear up the nuclear deal with Iran! Any more dumb questions?
The haters are in charge of immigration “reform”, Sahil Kapur reports for Bloomberg Politics. President-elect Trump has chosen for his transition team the notorious Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, author of Arizona’s “Papers, Please” law, which allows police to stop anyone they suspect of being in the U.S. illegally. Hey, no danger of racial…
Finger-Pointing in the Dark: The Rout of Neo-Liberalism
It is, appropriately enough, gray and wet in Washington, DC this morning. Brilliant sunshine would be almost more irony than one could bear. Brexit was a stunner. Compared to Donald Trump, it was a popgun. It’s become overwhelmingly clear that the real cost of the Great Recession was not the cost of fighting our way…
Election 2016: the rest is silence
I will be taking a break for the next several days as we endure the slow agony of waiting to learn if the American people want to be led by a sociopath—a question that’s never had to be answered before. I’ve groaned and moaned to the limit of my ability, and now my nerves are…
The Republican Party: Civil War or Hostile Takeover?
Over at New York Mag, Jonathan Chait has an unfortunately challenging and well-argued piece, strongly suggesting that my cozy analysis of a Republican Party sliding inexorably into ever-increasing disarray is not, you know, accurate.1 Chait sees Trump, or, rather, Trumpism, as similar to one of those Alien critters that first infects you and then sort…
Dying Elephant, Struggling Donkey: Politics for the 21st Century
As of this writing, the odds favoring Hillary Clinton’s election stand at 92%, almost enough to allow me to breathe easily. I wish it were higher, but just think how I’d feel if it were only, say, 75%! Yes, Donald Trump’s big mouth, and his tiny, groping hands, have made life much easier for Nervous…
Can’t stop the schadenfreude: Vivisecting the Republican Party
Well, if Trump wins you can laugh, but I won’t hear you because I’ll be sobbing too hard. Since I’m not too excited about a Hillary win—go here for a few dozen reasons why—it’s a lot more fun to speculate on what’s going to happen to the Republican Party post-November. For us Democrats, it’s going…
More Kudos for the K-Man
What is the deal with Charles Krauthammer? Yeah, sometimes I hate him, and sometimes I love him. Well, today I’m feeling all lovey-dovey, thanks to a column by Charles pointing out that Donald Trump’s recent threat to jail Hillary Clinton once he’s president is perhaps the worst thing he’s ever said, which, of course, is…
Is Paul Ryan Growing a Pair, or Growing a Pear?
OK, “growing a pear” does not mean anything, though, ipso facto, it does not mean “growing a pair,” and, since I am definitely not a fan of Paulie, I don’t want to start complimenting him all of a sudden. It was, after all, only a few weeks ago that Paulie was giving a glowing review…