The problem with Democrats’ plan to tax the rich
If Democrats want the wealthy to pay more taxes, tax where their money actually comes from.
Eric Black Ink
Eric Black Ink is a column by veteran journalist Eric Black covering national and state politics, policy, government and history.
On Trumpism and ‘tribalism’
Thomas Friedman digs into a metaphor.
Are Republicans going to claim fraud in every election they lose from now on?
On Monday, Larry Elder, a right-wing talk radio host running to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom if the incumbent is recalled, announced not only that he had lost and Newsom would remain governor, but that Newsom’s victory — which hadn’t yet occurred — was the result of fraud.
Is Washington getting serious about filibuster reform?
A recent report from the Brookings Institution outlines seven ideas for reform, while a challenge from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer puts Sen. Joe Manchin on the spot for his continued support of the filibuster.
Maybe the withdrawal from Afghanistan could have been better, but the U.S. is far from a ‘pitiful, helpless giant’
Critics of Biden’s exit from Afghanistan are reviving a phrase from a Nixon speech used to justify sending U.S. troops to Cambodia — which didn’t end well.
‘The First’: Sandra Day O’Connor’s story is catnip for a history nerd
The film will remind you that although she was nominated to the Supreme Court by conservative hero Ronald Reagan and squired to her confirmation hearings by Barry Goldwater, she ended up delivering the key swing vote on a great many cases.
Texas abortion law proceeds: It’s going to be a mess and a hullabaloo
This new Supreme Court ruling might be, probably is, the biggest blow since 1973 to the Roe v Wade regime.
Pew survey shows an alarming decline in Americans’ trust in news media, especially among Republicans
Among Republican respondents, the portion of those who expressed “some” or “a lot of” trust in information reported by national news organizations fell from 70 percent in 2016 to 35 percent in 2021.
Historian Richard J. Evans on the differences between fascism and 21st century populism
His take strikes me as smart, but perhaps a bit too strict and, by dwelling on the differences, glosses over the similarities between Trumpism and fascism.
Life expectancy: Atul Gawande explores the differences that make Costa Rica’s higher than ours
Costa Rica checks in with a life expectancy of 80.94 years, almost two years higher than the U.S. figure.
Biden’s approval rating slumps
On Thursday morning, Biden’s FiveThirtyEight.com approval/disapproval average stood at 49.1 percent approval.
Rick Scott’s 25th Amendment tweet was juvenile, pointless and despicable
Those who obsess on such things often include Scott on the list of Republicans who are thinking of launching a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
Marc Ash on Afghanistan: Bush was warned it would end this way
A Soviet Afghanistan debacle had ended a little more than a decade earlier. “And then we did the exact same thing. Breathtaking,” he writes.
Pew survey on race shows a nation alarmingly divided
Among Democrats, 73 percent favored doing more to overcome racism. Among Republicans, 21 percent favored some level of effort to overcome racial bias.
Mary Trump offers powerful insights on her uncle and the dangers of the Second Big Lie
Her New Republic piece’s subhead says: “Now, he and his GOP enablers are peddling the Second Big Lie: that Jan. 6 was just legitimate protest. It’s the crucial ingredient in convincing America to return them — and him — to power.”
On timing, technology and the weirdness of the English language
I kinda cracked up at these examples of some of the things that make it so hard for non-natives to learn English, assembled by linguist and author Aria Okrent.
Columnist Perry Bacon Jr. explains why we’re often wrong about how politics works
His Washington Post column is headlined, “Why ‘moderation’ doesn’t guarantee electoral success for Biden and the Democrats.”
How the filibuster was used 51 years ago to keep the Electoral College
A popular-vote constitutional amendment died on the Senate floor in September 1970, killed off by a filibuster led by three Southern senators.
Trump fundraising is endless. But for what?
It’s fairly clear that “Save America” and Donald J. Trump are synonymous, but what is the purpose of their mutual existence?
Stefanik surely knows more than her ‘Socialist healthcare schemes’ tweet suggests
Perhaps she just thinks if she puts the word “socialist” into a sentence, her audience loses all power of rational thought. And, who knows, maybe she’s right.
