American politics requires us to believe that politicians calculate electoral advantage while choosing committee assignments, tax credits, courthouse Continue Reading
Politics
Democracy Does Not Pick the Best Leader—It Picks the Best Liar
Democracy is often framed as a meritocratic system of governance—one in which the most capable, disciplined, and strategically minded individuals rise Continue Reading
Emperor Norton and the Republic of Absurdity
In September of 1859, a man walked into the offices of the San Francisco Bulletin and declared himself “Norton I, Emperor of the United States.” Continue Reading
The Press Put On a Cape and Forgot Its Pants
There was a time when a television journalist’s job was to tell viewers what happened, explain what could be verified, and then resist the Continue Reading
A Country That Hates Its Past Will Surrender Its Future
“I was ashamed of myself when I realized life was a costume party, and I attended with my real face.” The line is widely attributed to Franz Kafka, Continue Reading
Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes: The Permanent Logic of Human Conflict
“Bellum omnium contra omnes.” The phrase is most commonly translated from Latin as “the war of all against all.” It originates from the political Continue Reading
Citizenship Shouldn’t Need a Ouija Board
There’s a special little circus tent in American politics where adults in tailored jackets pretend that asking whether a voter is legally eligible to Continue Reading
The Bullets Are Flying in One Direction
Before the bullets fly, the story dies. That’s the part nobody wants to discuss because it’s less dramatic than a mugshot, less clickable than a Continue Reading
Why Are So Many People Suddenly Obsessed With the USS Liberty Incident (Again)?
Every few months, it, seems, the USS Liberty incident makes the rounds online again. Someone discovers it for the first time. Someone else insists Continue Reading
Halos for the Useless
The modern educated class has built itself a religion for people who’d never survive a real one. It has all the thrilling features of old-time faith, Continue Reading
The Nice People Setting the House on Fire
The most dangerous people in public life are not the obvious crooks. At least a crook has the decency to enjoy the money. No, the real menace is the Continue Reading
The Polling Sausage Machine Still Gets Invited to Dinner
The modern political poll is no longer a thermometer. It’s a sausage machine wearing a lab coat, grinding assumptions, incentives, and audience Continue Reading