For the 22 minutes of the Democratic primary debate in Houston that I could stomach last night (I read transcripts this morning): I expect nothing to change in the poll numbers. Debates like these are completely pointless. Harris going after Trump in her opening statement was good theatre– her team seems pretty good at that. […]

Several years ago my hometown newspaper ran a series on race in Lima, Ohio. That during a continuous political and cultural moment where so many of my family and friends were posting defenses for a variety of openly racist policies and politicians not one mentioned– even disparagingly– an earnest examination of the subject locally bothered […]

Progressive Democratic policy promoters have been working overtime during this primary season to flood the field with ideas. The latest one making the rounds in stump speeches and media appearances is the YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) movement. The Atlantic has the details: The four candidates are demonstrating how much traction the YIMBY movement—the […]

Bernie Sanders recently announced a campaign policy to cancel all outstanding student loan debt. I often think Sanders proposals are unimaginative and unattainable. This one is actually pretty feasible, which makes the response to it by conservatives and more moderate liberals all the more absurd. The common ground in these flanking criticisms is “why should […]

Nate Silver has some startling news for us: Bulletpoint No. 1: Actually, maybe the moderate Democrats are more popular with swing voters Bulletpoint No. 2: High-information voters love Elizabeth Warren — and not Bernie Sanders Silver’s points here all match up with common sense. Who is surprised that moderates are more popular with less partisan […]

Few things moderate my politics more than bad faith arguments and policy positions that ignore the messy reality of economic conditions, political viability, and democracy. Perhaps no single outlet does more to keep me a center-left moderate than the Jacobin. A recent piece entitled “A Defeat for Frackers” is a great example of this. My […]

Fossil fuels also produce an enormous amount of energy at a fairly low cost—that’s why we use them in the first place. We depend on them because rich countries, such as the United States, have failed to invest in any other arrangement. But the fossil-fuel companies that have plotted and lobbied and coddled to prevent […]

Late last summer, I sold the 1850 brick Italianate row house I had renovated over the last five years and purchased a massive 1910 late Victorian home. My “new” home has been well cared for over the years. The original windows are still intact throughout (and were re-roped at some point in the last five years or […]