Haley Nikki Haley is staying in the race for the Republican nomination, at least for now. Why? If she only cares about becoming president, this year could be her best shot even with Trump way ahead of her in the polls. Trump may be convicted or become incapacitated, and she could win the nomination as […]
There is so much to say about the Claudine Gay affair, anti-semitism at Harvard, and Harvard’s response to recent student protests that I have opted to say nothing. But over at Café Hayek, libertarian economist Donald Boudreaux asks an interesting question: How does Claudine Gay’s “my truth” differ from Kellyanne Conway’s “alternative facts”? It seems to […]
The Supreme Court needs to decide whether the 14th Amendment bars Trump from running for or serving as President again, and whether the President – and therefore Trump – enjoys broad criminal immunity for acts taken while in office. These cases highlight the intrinsically political nature of the Court itself. Many legal and political commentators […]
Mark Tushnet is a leading critic of the Supreme Court and of the way judicial review is practiced today in the United States. Following the Court’s recent decision on affirmative action, Tushnet and Aaron Belkin wrote an open letter urging President Biden to defy the Supreme Court (my bold): We urge President Biden to restrain […]
It is easy to think that those of us who favor a two-state solution are utopian dreamers. The mantle of realism seems to rest naturally on those who insist on standing tough against a Palestinian state. But this simple dichotomy has never been accurate, and the realist case for a renewed effort to achieve a […]
For the past few days I have been wondering if Netanyahu has a plan for responding to the Hamas terror killings, or if he’s just temporizing. More and more, it seems like he is just skating in front of the breaking ice. If this is right, it’s one more misdeed for which he and his […]
I do not follow the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians closely because it is complex, well outside my area of expertise, and deeply depressing. I find it depressing because I have always believed in a two-state solution, and it has long been difficult watching that goal slip ever further out of reach. After the […]
I want to use a tweet by Josh Marshall of TPM to make a broader point about strategic thinking in politics, the situation in the Republican House, and state of competition between Democrats and Republicans. Here is Mashall’s tweet: I don’t know what prompted this tweet. I assume Marshall is criticizing media coverage of some […]
I think Democrats were probably right to refuse to bail out McCarthy. The main reason is that this will likely prolong the current shitshow being staged by the House Republicans, which will help Democrats in 2024 by reminding voters just how crazy and exhausting the Republicans are. The Republicans can’t do this often enough. The […]
Does AI pose a meaningful existential threat to humanity? If an existential threat is one that can lead to mass death or human extinction, and a risk of extinction is meaningful if it is (say) at least 10% as large as the risk of a nuclear holocaust, my answer is that I have no idea. […]