Thomas Pynchon in his famous work, “Gravity’s Rainbow,” listed what he called “Proverbs for Paranoids.” Keep this one in mind: “If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about answers.”

Here’s the wrong question the Beltway press keeps asking to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and others: Where are you on the filibuster?

Manchin’s answers have been all over, most prominently in a Washington Post op-ed in which he wrote that: “There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster. …

Neera Tanden came first. She had to withdraw her nomination to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) because some sensitive senators were concerned about her items she posted on Twitter.

Now it’s Vanita Gupta’s turn. Their crime: mean tweets.

It seems absurd these days that otherwise accomplished public figures can have their nominations derailed by the pearl-clutching of a party that put up with or ignored Donald Trump’s tweets for years, but that’s the climate we’re in.

At a confirmation hearing, the offending tweeter is usually reduced to groveling, saying they regret their language and taking back opinions…

By the end of February, the Russian government should invite the Trumps to visit Moscow. The trip would include a meeting with Vladimir Putin, some parties with various oligarchs, perhaps a side trip to St. Petersburg to see the Winter Palace in winter. It’s magnificent.

Oh, yes. The Russians should also offer the Trumps asylum, and the Trumps should accept. Some in the Russian media are already suggesting it.

By giving them asylum, Russia would save everyone a lot of trouble. The Justice Department, the New York Attorney General, the Manhattan District Attorney and the Attorney General for the District…

The Wall Street Journal ran a story recently about how promises of broadband aren’t being fulfilled in rural areas, with details how New York State showered hundreds of millions of dollars on telecom companies with decidedly mixed results.

The Journal story came about a week after the Washington Post ran a story about how the novel corona virus is causing a “new urgency” for rural Internet access, in this case in rural Virginia, as people try to cope in their work and school without good Internet connections. The New York Times ran its story on rural broadband in May. …

In just a few weeks, TIME will name its Person of the Year. Before they do, I thought I’d put forward my own nominee. But first, a little history.

The first Man of the Year came in 1927, three years after the magazine started. Charles Lindbergh was that first honoree for his solo flight across the Atlantic. He was a true hero, who unfortunately in later years became more well known for his proto-Nazi “America First” rantings. (Sound familiar?)

A mere 11 years later, in 1938, TIME gave the award to German Chancellor Adolph Hitler and the year after to…

Welcome to the Cupcake Rebellion, brought to you by Donald Trump.

Everybody likes cupcakes. What’s not to like? The frosting, almost a separate entity, can be thick and tasty and have an unlimited array of flavors and textures. The cake itself, moist and sweet, is a delight to the senses. It tastes wonderful and makes you feel good after you eat one (or more than one), regardless whether the cupcakes come from a pack in the store, or from a gourmet shop.

The problem, however, is that cupcakes shouldn’t be the main feature of someone’s diet. Depending on cupcakes will…

I spent some time in my career as a speechwriter, so as a service to those 20 candidates who might need some help next week, here’s a draft opening statement for you.

As the first speaker in this first debate, I’d like to set the scene for tonight, and tomorrow night, and for the months to come.

I’m not going to talk about programs and plans and policies. I’m not even going to talk about why you should support me.

Instead, I’m going to talk about our country. We live in a world turned upside down. Just think about it…

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has spoken. Yes, there was evidence that President Trump obstructed justice. No, it wasn’t my job to prosecute that because Justice Department guidelines don’t allow it. A non-judicial proceeding should do that.

The non-judicial proceeding, of course, is impeachment. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been driving progressives crazy by not backing impeachment, particularly in the face of such blatant evidence. Earlier today (May 29), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) tiptoed up to the line of impeachment, but didn’t cross it.

To understand why they are so reticent, you have to understand what I call…