Enough
This week, the notes I take to write this essay were marked by a terrifying consistency: American democracy is under assault. And just as in some of the worst/best horror movies that I watched as a teenager, the calls are coming from inside the house: in this case, the White House. Let’s be crystal clear: the president of the United States has locked himself on a path in which he … Read More
The Breakdown of Politics
On the 22nd of May, 1856, Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina entered the old Senate chamber shortly after the Senate concluded its business for the day. After sitting for a moment in an empty seat on the floor of the chamber, Representative Brooks offered to a member of the Senate staff that he hoped the attractive woman sitting just outside the Senate chamber would leave. Despite such chivalrous concerns, … Read More
Stand Up and Be Counted
On Tuesday, as we learned that former Vice President Joe Biden had selected Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, I saw a Tweet from Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff. It was a picture of the moment the vice president asked Senator Harris to join him on the ticket. The picture is pretty straight forward: the vice president is in profile, holding a smartphone to his computer while … Read More