Can a diplomat tell the plain truth? Today’s I deconstruct Ecuador’s statement about cutting off Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s internet access. It’s clear enough, for a diplomatic communiqué, but it’s fun to fantasize about what the diplomats actually said to Assange. Here’s a quick summary of the backstory. In 2010, prosecutors in Sweden charged Julian Assange with rape and…
More than half of last night’s debate was about character. It feels like this whole campaign has been about character. It’s time to stop wallowing in that and face the country’s real problems, the problems nobody talks about, which go way beyond who’s running and what they did 10 and 20 years ago. In any campaign, here’s what…
Donald Trump made piggish comments about women to Billy Bush, the cohost of Access Hollywood, in 2005. NBC released the video yesterday. The video makes clear that, at least in 2005, Trump considered bedding women as sort of a video game, one he plays to win with wealth and power. As Republicans began to distance themselves from…
Red Sox fans are wicked biased — anything their team does is right, anything the other team does (especially the Yankees) is terrible. This is barely acceptable for sports. It’s a terrible model for politics. But it’s the model millions of voters appear to be stuck in. I call this the “Yankees suck” school of political…
Undecided voters. Time Magazine polled a bunch after the debate. Florida is so close that undecideds might tip it, which might tip the election. Who are these people?? Who, after everything that has happened in this election season, is still making up their mind? If you’re wondering, you’ve come to the right place. After careful research, I’ve…
I try to be balanced. But I admit that I am biased in favor of candidates who are coherent. By the end of last night’s debate, there was only one of those left on the stage. Donald Trump sounded like a conspiracy nut on speed. Because I analyze writing, I won’t talk about who “looked presidential.”…
Bombs went off in New York and New Jersey. This has become an occasion for our leaders and candidates to say what they are going to do to keep us safe. The thing is, there is no way for them to keep us safe. That’s scary as hell, but it’s incontrovertibly true. Here’s what kept…
Tuesday, November 8, 2016, NEW YORK, 11:15 PM EST. Thank you. Thank you all. We showed America something, didn’t we? Didn’t we? Let’s acknowledge the hard work of our volunteers and campaign staff. And of Ivanka, and Eric, and Donald Jr. and Melania. And Mike Pence! Let’s hear it for those guys. Look. I set out in…
INDECLINE, an anarchist collective, erected fat, naked statues of Donald Trump with shriveled genitalia in five American cities yesterday. What a hoot! If you had a good laugh with this, I’m here to ruin your fun. Think along with me here for a second. Why is it reprehensible for Trump to make fun of a disabled reporter,…