Tag Archives: politics

A Bulwark of Democracy

Posted on April 1, 2026 by hessd

I don’t often see “existential” in a political column, so the paragraph below caught my eye. The precariousness of the Democrats’ position in the coming decade hit home for me after reading “The 2026 Midterms Are Critical. But 2032 Could … Continue reading →

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“The range of respectable opinion is strikingly narrow.”

Posted on March 13, 2026 by hessd

When I first read those words, they seemed to me clearly true.  Now I have thought about them a little, and I am not so sure. When I think about the range of respectable opinions, my mind reverts to my … Continue reading →

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New Rationales

Posted on January 7, 2026 by hessd

I am a great fan of Thomas D. Edsall’s columns in the New York Times.  His columns are made up of: a) a good question, b) a collection of interesting and reliable correspondents, and c) a journalistic schema that uses … Continue reading →

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“Unnecessary Videos”

Posted on January 1, 2026 by hessd

The old Soviet joke is that there is no Tass in the Pravda and no Pravda in the Tass.  My Soviet Studies professor at Miami University, who told us that one and who spoke Russian fluently, said that Tass meant … Continue reading →

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“We” are an evangelical nation

Posted on December 28, 2025 by hessd

I would like to share today some thoughts about social and political identity under the Trump administration.  We hear the claim that “we” are “a Christian nation.”  That was prominent in the Christmas messages of the Trump administration according to … Continue reading →

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The Last Fair Election

Posted on September 10, 2025 by hessd

According to Heather Cox Richardson’s column today,  MAGA loyalist Steve Bannon recently said: “They’re petrified over at MSNBC and CNN that, hey, since we’re taking control of the cities, there’s going to be ICE officers near polling places. You’re damn … Continue reading →

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Or Else…what?

Posted on September 3, 2025 by hessd

It should not be too hard to grasp the idea that you can’t give ultimatums to people who have alternatives.  The classic formulation of this occurred in a memorable episode of the West Wing in which Leo McGarry, the President’s … Continue reading →

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The Price of They/Them

Posted on July 16, 2025 by hessd

I read in the last week the there was a distinct Democratic downturn that showed up when this political ad (in all its forms) began to be shown. When I looked it up online, they gave the full text as … Continue reading →

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Not a Slam Dunk

Posted on July 2, 2025 by hessd

I’d like to put two facts in opposition to each other. The first is that in Trump’s “budget” bill, which passed the Senate today, thanks to Vice President Vance’s vote, will have devastating effects on Trump’s core constituency. Jacob Hacker, … Continue reading →

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No more money for you, Harvard!

Posted on June 6, 2025 by hessd

On April 11, three representatives of the Trump Administration wrote a letter to the president of Harvard, laying out the new requirements Harvard would be required to meet. If you treat the letter only on the level of the language … Continue reading →

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