Category: Politics & Society
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Does Donald Trump Believe God Has Authority Over Donald Trump?
Inner Monologue There is a side of Donald Trump that American Christians either don’t know about, don’t understand, or have decided to ignore. And it may be the most revealing side of him. We spend a remarkable amount of time debating whether Donald Trump is a Christian. He says he is. Millions of Christians enthusiastically…
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Why I Write So Much About Donald Trump
Some readers may wonder why I write so much about Donald Trump. The answer is simple. I find him fascinating. In my lifetime, I have never witnessed an American president so openly willing to challenge the boundaries of acceptable presidential conduct, personal decency, and political accountability. Other presidents have had their scandals. Their ethical lapses.…
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Pete Hegseth Could Face 486 Life Sentences Plus 65 Years in Prison
How a political impeachment could become a criminal investigation, and why the difference between losing a job and losing one’s freedom matters. 486 life sentences plus 65 years. That is the sort of headline that gets attention. It is also the sort of arithmetic American news organizations love when reporting the maximum theoretical punishment for…
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The Best Future Begins After Election Night
In the spring of 2027, Donald Trump resigns. We can imagine the farewell. He tells us he accomplished more in two years than anybody else could have accomplished in eight. He endorses JD Vance, wishes him tremendous success, and makes it almost to the end of the week before suggesting the man had something to…
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MAGA on the Outside, Medicaid on the Inside
“That don’t make no sense.” We thought of that line from O Brother, Where Art Thou? when South Dakota sent two Republicans to Congress and, on the same ballot, told the government to keep its hands off Obamacare. Marty Jackley won the state’s only U.S. House seat with about 64 percent of the vote. Mike…
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Your Hat Doesn’t Have to Know
A confidential public service announcement for anyone experiencing an unexpected allergic reaction to MAGA: You can vote Democratic. Just this once. As a treat. You don’t have to register a Prius, develop an opinion about oat milk, or invite a drag queen to Thanksgiving. There is no mandatory tote bag. You can keep the enormous…
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It’s Okay Not to Vote
We tell people to vote as though casting a ballot is, all by itself, an accomplishment. Doesn’t matter whether you understand the issues. Doesn’t matter whether you know anything about the candidates. Just get in there and participate. Here’s your sticker. But if we believe voting matters, shouldn’t we care what goes into the vote?…
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A Million Percent Better—for Whom?
Every election season, someone asks whether we’re better off than we were before. For the 2026 midterms, two years is a useful comparison. What has improved since 2024? What has deteriorated? What are we getting for our money, our votes, and our trust? These should be practical questions. Instead, they often become a loyalty test.…
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This Land Is Your Land — Let Americans Roam It Again
There’s a quiet irony in the phrase “land of the free.” For most Americans, the land itself is off limits.Drive across the Midwest, hike through New England, or wander the rural South, and you’ll encounter an endless procession of fences, warning signs, and locked gates. “Private Property.” “No Trespassing.” “Violators Will Be Prosecuted.” The message…
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When Hollywood Accidentally Nails Washington
For most people, movies about spies, the Pentagon, or the White House are thrilling entertainment. For those who actually work in those places, they’re often side-splitting comedies. To the trained eye, Hollywood gets things so wrong—so utterly, laughably wrong—that it’s almost a genre of parody in itself. Generals don’t scream orders like drill sergeants, CIA…
