On a recent episode of The New Abnormal podcast, Robin Marty, the communications director for the West Alabama Women’s Center, had a wonderful turn of phrase. Democrats, she said, “are a stupidly polite party.” She added: “We believe in decorum, we believe in following the rules, we believe in justice…

How the VP can lead the “culture wars” fight This summer will be all hands on deck for Democrats to protect abortion rights. For Vice President Harris, however, she has more work cut out for her. You have to admit that she has seen her public image dropping. She has…

So here we are at this moment of a new presidential Administration. We have a 70-ish year old white guy running the country, with all that entails. He’s been around a while, but we still can be surprised by him. Close behind is a woman whose name begins with K…

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)…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…