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Republicans

Thank “God” for John Boehner!

Published: The Good Men Project (April 28, 2016) I've never liked John Boehner. From the moment he weaseled his way into the House Republican leadership by virtue of his corporate connections (which, to be fair, is how most modern politicians get the job) to his penchant for maudlin emotionalism, virtually everything about the Ohioan rubbed me the wrong way. I'm still nauseous at the fact that,...

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The Trump Jokes Are On Us

Published: Salon (April 26, 2016) There is an element of the Shakespearean to the Donald Trump campaign. Comedy and tragedy are often inextricably linked in melodrama, and as Trump rambles and bloviates his way through the American presidential election process (and perhaps, one fears, to the presidency itself), an intriguing narrative arc is taking shape. It began almost exactly five years ago,...

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Clinton is stealing the Democratic primaries… and it must stop!

Published: Salon (April 11, 2016) When Joe Scarborough is absolutely right about the Democratic Party, that is a very bad sign. While discussing the Wyoming caucuses on his show “Morning Joe” today, Scarborough expressed dismay at the fact that although Bernie Sanders won by nearly 12 points, Hillary Clinton has nevertheless picked up the most delegates (11 to 7). “Why does the Democratic Party...

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Donald Trump’s secret weapon against Hillary Clinton

Published: Salon (April 5, 2016) There is one issue in which Donald Trump is much more progressive than Hillary Clinton – and, unless she learns from history and decisively changes the way Americans perceive her positions here, it may wind up costing her the presidency. I’m referring, of course, to American trade policy. Although the last president to oppose free trade was Hebert Hoover (and his...

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What it actually feels like to be targeted by Donald Trump’s neo-Nazi fan club

Published: Quartz (March 10, 2016) With 458 delegates under his belt so far (and counting), Donald Trump is now more than one-third of the way toward receiving the Republican presidential nomination. Although millions of Americans both inside and out of the Grand Old Party are reacting to this prospect with justifiable disgust, millions more find nothing wrong with a frontrunner reluctant to...

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John Kasich: Donald Trump’s Unwitting Accomplice

Published: The Huffington Post (February 10, 2016) Thanks to his surprising second place finish in the New Hampshire primary, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has emerged as the GOP establishment's savior du jour. If conventional wisdom is to be believed, the Republican Party's comparatively moderate leadership will rally behind Kasich on the basis of his strong showing and use his candidacy to thwart...

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Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, and the Love of a Good Debate

Published: The Good Men Project (February 9, 2016) I'm writing this before the final votes in New Hampshire have been cast, but I know one thing for certain - regardless of who wins, Marco Rubio will be a big loser. Back in April, I predicted that Rubio's flip-flopping on immigration reform would cost him the Republican presidential nomination. After his surprisingly strong showing at the Iowa...

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The Problematic Inevitability of Marco Rubio

Published: The Good Men Project (February 6, 2016) Last April, I wrote a piece for The Daily Dot about why Marco Rubio would never be the Republican presidential nominee. In the aftermath of the Iowa caucus, I feel compelled to retract that prediction... although not because the points I made there were entirely wrong. The problem is that, when I analyzed Rubio's candidacy ten months ago, Donald...

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The Fundamental Difference Between Sanders and Trump

Published: Alternet (January 31, 2016), Salon (January 31, 2016), The Good Men Project (January 21, 2016) As the 2016 presidential election gathers steam, it’s tempting to compare the Bernie Sanders surge among Democrats with the Donald Trump phenomenon among Republicans. After all, both candidates are marshalling support from the ideological grassroots in their respective parties (the left in...

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