2 Books on ‘Tyranny of the Minority’ in the U.S.

PBS News Hour: "America’s democracy is in an uncharted and fragile place, according to two Harvard government professors. In their new book, “Tyranny of the Minority,” Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt say politicians are welcoming anti-democratic extremists into their party ranks and part of the problem lies in the Constitution. Laura Barrón-López spoke with the …

Retiring Members of Congress Explain What’s Wrong and Right With the Institution

What's actually most surprising is how many say they liked their jobs and felt they accomplished a lot. The New York Times: "Even the insiders are fed up with Washington. To understand why, we put the same eight questions to House and Senate members in both parties who are on the way out, looking for …

Pay Less Attention to Polls. Instead, Follow Political Scientist Allan Lichtman’s 13 Keys to the White House

American University History Professor Allan Lichtman has accurately predicted every presidential election since 1984 with a 13-factor formula that has nothing to do with public opinion polls or his personal preferences about who would make the best president. He calls it the “Keys to the White House,” a historically based prediction system with true-false questions after reviewing …

Lies, Hyper-Partisanship, Double Standards, and Hypocrisy: Trump’s Hush-Money Trial

My Substack e-newsletter is on Donald Trump's hush-money trial, placed in historical context. Some of the same players were involved in the impeachment of Bill Clinton in the 1990s and the hush-money trial of Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), who ran for president in 2007 and early 2008. Except this time, they seem to be advocating …

Abortion Rights in the US: Where They Stand

Politico has a map, with a status report on each state as of April, 2024 in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in 2022. The 16 states where abortion is illegal could experience realignments and a resurgence of the Democratic Party. This is already happening in Kansas, which now has …

Trump Becomes First Former President On Trial, In Possibly Only Case Against Him To Conclude Before Election

Donald Trump today becomes the first former U.S. president to stand trial for fraudulently and feloniously falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Politifact offers a guide. This may be the only one of his trials to conclude and reach a verdict before the November election. …

What Is The ‘Deep State’?

If Donald Trump is elected, he promises to fire 50,000 civil servants, who he calls the "Deep State." But who are they? The NYT explains. Is There Really A Deep State? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAX--pvc71s Study Hall: "The presidency of Donald Trump was full of allegations of a “Deep State” — a secret network of corrupt government bureaucrats …

Is GOP Sabotaging Itself By Rejecting Bipartisan Immigration Reform? Election Will Decide

Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma calls overhauling U.S. immigration -- which hasn't been done since the 1980s -- a "Rubik's cube." He was the principal author of a bill to, in the words of the Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board, "tighten the legal standard for migrants claiming asylum in the U.S., while allowing an emergency …

Despite Biden’s Optimism About the 2024 Election, One Factoid Reveals Bad Odds

A Democrat has to win the US popular vote by at least three percent to ensure an electoral college victory. A Republican can lose the popular vote by nearly 6 million and still win in the electoral college.  Joe Biden won 80 million votes compared to Donald Trump's 74 million but he won the electoral …

Not A Single Vote Will Change Over Ages of Biden Or Trump

Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940 and 1944 set the standard. In my e-newsletter, I observe Joe Biden's comeback, with a strong State of the Union address, clearance of criminal behavior for withholding classified documents, and revelations that his faulty memory was greatly exaggerated by the media and manufactured a political crisis. Polls show Biden and …