OTB 2003 Revisited

A blast from the past.

“Why do Liberals Hate Orban?” is not the Right Question

The right questions are: 1) why do some some on the right like him, and 2) should this concern us all?

Douthat Misses the Point on Hungary

Hungary is part of a broader global trend, but the real issue isn’t Hungary, it is the Americans who praise Hungary.

Red Lights on the Dashboard

Some recent news items that add to concern about American democracy.

France Increases Vaccinations

And so general discussion of vaccine passports and requirements in the US.

Democratic Erosion in Brazil

Part of a disturbing trend.

Trump, the Rule of Law, and Normalization

Even incredibly abnormal Presidents are Presidents.

Senator Joe Manchin Is A Stupid Ape

We’re all apes. And some are willfully stupid about their public duties.

President Joe Biden takes notes doing a G7 Leaders’ Virtual Meeting Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in the White House Situation Room. President Joe Biden takes notes doing a G7 Leaders’ Virtual Meeting Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in the White House Situation Room.

Biden Declares Armenian Genocide a Genocide

The President has overturned decades of US foreign policy and alienated a NATO ally for, well, reasons.

Arguing Against Democracy

National Review’s Kevin D. Williamson advocates for less democracy in America.

List Of School Shootings In The United States By Death Toll

Our current forms of collective action on guns have failed us.

On Coups, Insurrections, and Security Theater

Reflections on the events of 6 January two months later.

WASHINGTON,DC-DEC12: Proud Boys during a rally for Donald Trump in Washington, DC, December 12, 2020. WASHINGTON,DC-DEC12: Proud Boys during a rally for Donald Trump in Washington, DC, December 12, 2020.

The Pendulum Is Broken, Not Swinging

Historical precedents fall apart when we’re in a truly unprecedented time.

Burma Military Coup Ousts Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi and her top officials are under house arrest.

The end of the line

We’ve shouldn’t be surprised we’ve arrived at this destination.

The High Cost Of Authoritarianism

We spend so much time fighting over who should be in power that we don’t get anything important done.

Two Parties, Not Two Countries

We’ve just had an election, not psychoanalysis.

Majority Rule, Plurality Rule, and Minority Rule

Definitions are fun, right?

President Donald J. Trump disembarks Marine One at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, and is escorted to Air Force One by U.S. Air Force personnel. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour) President Donald J. Trump disembarks Marine One at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, and is escorted to Air Force One by U.S. Air Force personnel. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)

Trump On ‘Peaceful Transition’

Whether the delusions of a madman or a deliberate scheme to poison the waters, there’s cause for concern.

Let’s Drop The “Proto” Already

American fascism is on parade, right now.

The Mundanity of Authoritarianism

Some recommended reading.

Deutschland siegt an allen fronten! Deutschland siegt an allen fronten!

The Abyss Stares Back

The Republican Party is now the mirror image of the totalitarian propagandists it used to hate.

Latin America and Covid-19

The pandemic is having serious effects in the region, and they will persist for some time.

A Post-Trump Republican Party

What would a reborn GOP look like and who would vote for it?

Stupidity Was The Other Plague We Mismanaged

Having failed to prevent or contain it, aggressive stupidity is now washing over us.

Federal Agents Using Strong-Arm Tactics in America’s Cities

Portland may be a preview of what’s to come.

Trump and the F-word

Not that one. The other one.

President Trump Departs for Florida President Donald J. Trump salutes as he boards Marine One on the South Lawn of White House en route to Joint Base Andrews Md. Saturday, May 30, 2020, for his trip to Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) President Trump Departs for Florida President Donald J. Trump salutes as he boards Marine One on the South Lawn of White House en route to Joint Base Andrews Md. Saturday, May 30, 2020, for his trip to Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

Trump Threatens Troops to ‘Dominate’ and ‘Put Down’ Movement

The President of the United States is on the precipice of fascism.

Dictatorships and the Democrats

Bloomberg waffles on China while Sanders has a soft spot for Castro.

South Carolina Debate Was Terrible

CBS did a lousy job.

Private Talk and Character

Dennis Prager makes me feel like we are living in the Upside Down.

This is What Support for Authoritarianism Looks Like

Rich Lowry puts preferred outcomes over constitutional process.

Hong Kong Protests Close Airport, Risk Confrontation With Military

Protests in Hong Kong have been going on for nine weeks now, but they are reaching a point where the patience of the leaders in Beijing is being tested.

On Foreign Policy, Biden Is The Anti-Trump

Joe Biden delivered his first major foreign policy address of the campaign. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than what we have right now.

high-resolution photo of acceptance, alphabet, bisexual, blur, close up, colorful, culture, equality, focus, gay, gay pride, gay wallpaper, gender, gender identity, hands, holding, individuality, lesbian, letters, lgbt, lgbt wallpaper, lgbtq, LGBTQIA, pride month, queer, rainbow colors, transgender high-resolution photo of acceptance, alphabet, bisexual, blur, close up, colorful, culture, equality, focus, gay, gay pride, gay wallpaper, gender, gender identity, hands, holding, individuality, lesbian, letters, lgbt, lgbt wallpaper, lgbtq, LGBTQIA, pride month, queer, rainbow colors, transgender

Should the LGB Separate from the T?

A leading same-sex marriage advocate is pushing back on the trans movement.

Pete Buttigieg Lays Out An Encouraging Foreign Policy Platform

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg laid out his foreign policy platform in a speech this week. It’s certainly an improvement over the current President.

Despite Donald Trump, America’s Institutions Are Prevailing

It’s been a rough two years under Trump, but America’s institutions are surviving.

No, Trump is Not ‘Authoritarian’

The President is an ignoramus and a blowhard and a petulant child but he’s operating within the Constitutional limits of his office.

The Basic Democratic Problem in Wisconsin

Current attempts to take power away from the state executive branch illustrates a lot of what I have been writing about for years.

More on Questioning Electoral Outcomes

Yes, there can be real problems with election activities, but that does not excuse POTUS’ lies about fraud.

The Dangers of Attacks on Legitimate Voting Processes

Trump, Scott, and their allies are not doing America any favors.

In The Khashoggi Crisis, Trump’s Greed And Moral Cowardice Are On Full Display

President Trump is choosing money and moral cowardice over human life in his response to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Targeted In Apparent Assassination Attempt

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro survived an apparent, albeit amateurish, assassination attempt yesterday in what could be a sign of underlying instability in Venezuela.

“A Republic, not a Democracy” Redux

The Strzok hearing provides a return to this timeworn favorite.

On the Appropriation of National Symbols

Trump’s withdrawal of his invitation to the Philadelphia Eagles is just another example of his populistic nationalism. (And it isn’t healthy).

Alan Dershowitz Hasn’t Changed

While longtime supporters have turned on the legendary attorney over his support of Donald Trump, he’s been astonishingly consistent.

So Trump Is Getting His Military Parade

There won’t be any tanks, but it looks like President Trump will get his military parade.

Smug Liberals, Conservative Trolls, and Jake Tapper

Two seemingly contradictory essays out today highlight the exhausting political conversation environment.

Xi Jinping Solidifies His Hold On Power In China

China’s Xi Jinping solidified his hold on power well into the next decade over the weekend.