North America Archives - Page 17 of 21

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Andrew Yang’s Unexpected Appeal

As we approach the Iowa Caucuses, it’s useful to remember that Democratic politics is about reinventing government — and it always has been

January 31, 2020 • by Claire Potter

Andrew Yang fits nowhere in this framework, but he does point to what all these Democratic candidates have in common: to one degree or another, they all believe that politics is a conversation about how, not whether, democratic government will be renewed. For the limits of this idea, see an essay by Ian Zuckerman ...

North America

Impeachment as National Renewal

Can non-democratic institutions be repurposed for democracy?

January 28, 2020 • by Ian Zuckerman and Daniel Kato

All of these authors recognize that these comparisons have limitations. The 1868 impeachment of Johnson failed to remove him from office -- just as, in all likelihood, Trump will remain president after his impeachment. But the deeper problem is that these celebrations of the political potential of impeachment elide its ...

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John Bolton Speaks

Avoiding new evidence of Trump’s crimes, the President’s lawyers continue to hammer the Bidens

January 28, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Republicans have insisted that there is no direct evidence that Trump himself ordered the hold, and that, therefore, there is no evidence that the president had abused his power, as the first article of impeachment charges. The leaks from Bolton’s book, cheekily named The Room Where It Happened (this is ...

North America

Making the Truth Matter

Justice in the impeachment proceedings may require Democrats to play the long game

January 24, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

So ended Impeachment manager Adam Schiff’s closing argument yesterday in the Senate trial of Donald Trump. Within minutes, #RightMatters was trending on Twitter. Schiff (D-CA) leads a group of Democratic House managers who are shining in this moment as they weave televised testimony before the House, available documents, and public television interviews into ...

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Yesterday’s Impeachment News? Fact versus Fox

In the absence of evidence or an argument, the GOP floods the zone

January 22, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

But for Trump and his enablers, this trial is not about the truth; it never has been. It is about dominance and power. Forcing someone to accept what they know to be untrue reinforces the dominance of the person telling the lies. Perpetrators will start with small, seemingly unimportant lies and ...

Yesterday’s Impeachment News? Fact versus Fox

North America

All the President’s Lawyers

Mitch McConnell’s desire to reign in the impeachment spectacle clashes with Donald Trump’s love for a political circus

January 18, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Ever since it became clear that the House would vote to impeach Donald Trump, the White House and Senate Republican leaders have struggled over the Senate trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not want the Senate to devolve into the circus that the House did. There, GOP representatives worked ...

North America

It Matters That Warren is a Woman

But It’s Not All That Matters

January 17, 2020 • by Jeffrey C. Isaac

Here is Cooper’s takeaway: "Wanting a woman to rise to the top of an almost all-male pack is not a position that needs defending. What should be defended is the uncritical desire to elect yet another man to a position that 45 men and zero women have held." I agree that ...

North America

The Warren-Sanders Squabble is Foolish

The real issues in this campaign have nothing to do with who said what in 2018

January 15, 2020 • by Jeffrey C. Isaac

Warren's electability argument might be right. Or it might not be right. Again, we will see how things unfold . . . . At the same time, I think the latest brouhahas about Sanders and his “dissing” of Warren are kind of absurd. First it was claimed that he was "going ...

North America

Impeachment and Rousseau’s General Will

Insight from the Past on the Politics of the Present

January 15, 2020 • by David Lay Williams

The article encapsulates many of the debates leading up to the president’s impeachment -- that it is grossly inappropriate for presidents (but presumably any government officials) to prioritize their own personal or private interests above the national interest. In impeaching Trump on this count the House emphasizes that while a ...

North America

The Lincoln Project Should Be Cautiously Welcomed

Republican anti-Trumpists are allies in the defense of democracy, but they have an agenda of their own

January 14, 2020 • by Jeffrey C. Isaac

Indeed, a number of initiatives have been undertaken by Republicans -- some Never-Trumpers since 2016, some more recent converts -- to challenge Trumpist authoritarianism. Another is Bill Kristol’s "Defending Democracy Together.” Here is the organization’s mission statement: today, the Republican Party finds itself entertaining some of the same unsettling nativist and ...

The Lincoln Project Should Be Cautiously Welcomed

North America

What’s at Stake as the House Transmits Articles of Impeachment

Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have a lot to worry about — and they aren’t holding all the cards

January 13, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

First of all, all the different players have different interests, and there is also a wildcard. While those of us on the outside are freaking out about a president who seems completely out of control, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who are masters ...

North America

Andrew Yang’s Unexpected Appeal

As we approach the Iowa Caucuses, it’s useful to remember that Democratic politics is about reinventing government — and it always has been

Impeachment as National Renewal

Can non-democratic institutions be repurposed for democracy?

John Bolton Speaks

Avoiding new evidence of Trump’s crimes, the President’s lawyers continue to hammer the Bidens

Making the Truth Matter

Justice in the impeachment proceedings may require Democrats to play the long game

Yesterday’s Impeachment News? Fact versus Fox

In the absence of evidence or an argument, the GOP floods the zone

All the President’s Lawyers

Mitch McConnell’s desire to reign in the impeachment spectacle clashes with Donald Trump’s love for a political circus

It Matters That Warren is a Woman

But It’s Not All That Matters

The Warren-Sanders Squabble is Foolish

The real issues in this campaign have nothing to do with who said what in 2018

Impeachment and Rousseau’s General Will

Insight from the Past on the Politics of the Present

The Lincoln Project Should Be Cautiously Welcomed

Republican anti-Trumpists are allies in the defense of democracy, but they have an agenda of their own

What’s at Stake as the House Transmits Articles of Impeachment

Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have a lot to worry about — and they aren’t holding all the cards

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As we approach the Iowa Caucuses, it’s useful to remember that Democratic politics is about reinventing government — and it always has been

Can non-democratic institutions be repurposed for democracy?

Avoiding new evidence of Trump’s crimes, the President’s lawyers continue to hammer the Bidens

Justice in the impeachment proceedings may require Democrats to play the long game

In the absence of evidence or an argument, the GOP floods the zone

(After this post, I mean)

Mitch McConnell’s desire to reign in the impeachment spectacle clashes with Donald Trump’s love for a political circus

But It’s Not All That Matters

The real issues in this campaign have nothing to do with who said what in 2018

Insight from the Past on the Politics of the Present

Republican anti-Trumpists are allies in the defense of democracy, but they have an agenda of their own

Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have a lot to worry about — and they aren’t holding all the cards

Newsletter

Connect With Us