General
The Unknown
A legend in politics, with a sneaky streak but a kind heart, Paddy sat down in my office – clear-eyed, practical, thinning black hair, he sees Trump’s flaws but the moment he hears Trump’s voice a kind of supernatural power grips his heart and values he’s cherished for years fly out the window. Poking him,…
Read MoreSpinning Tales
Trump growled Zelensky started the Ukraine war. John Bolton said Trump was wrong. Angry, my friend Ken told me, ‘Ukraine doesn’t matter to us.’ Ken knew Zelensky hadn’t started the war. But Trump spinning a tale didn’t matter to him. After the Soviet Union collapsed, for 30 years America was the world’s dominant power. No…
Read MoreAnything Goes…
Back when Rod Blagojevich ran for governor of Illinois, Obama endorsed him and Trump gave his campaign money. After Obama got elected president, Governor Blagojevich got caught on tape trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder. He got impeached, booted out of office. Then got indicted. Before his trial he starred on…
Read MoreThe Best Way to Steal an Election
We’ve heard a lot about stolen votes – but here’s the best way to steal an election: Redraw a congressional district, take out the voters you don’t like, put in more voters do you like. If you stuff the district with Republicans, the Republican wins. If you stuff it with Democrats, the Democrat wins. The…
Read MoreAlways Wrong
It’s a kind of mystery – will hitting Canada and Mexico with tariffs land us in the promised land or in a ditch? The Wall Street Journal, shaking its head, saw Trump’s tariffs as a bad idea. Trump whacked back, calling the Journal ‘always wrong.’ The Wall Street Journal isn’t always right but it isn’t…
Read MoreWho Pays the Price
Wiley lifted his cell phone, held it in the air in front of him, pushed a button, turned the phone toward Fred. ‘This is Trump’s new ad.’ Leaning forward, shoulders hunched, Fred watched. Rocking back, laughed. ‘That’s great.’ Parting his lips in a crooked grin, voice sharp, grating, Wiley turned to me. ‘I’m guessing in…
Read MoreGoing Too Far
Cheeks round, pudgy fingers fumbling, Ellmer took a newspaper article out of his briefcase, pushed it across the table toward me: ‘I’ll bet you disagwee with Trump on this?’ Sputtering, unable to pronounce r’s, he turned them into w’s. Sitting beside him Wiley’s lips curled in a crooked grin – at the end of the…
Read MoreA Show
Addison McDowell worked for Ted Budd, worked as a lobbyist, 31 years old ran for Congress, got Trump’s endorsement in the primary, headed to a runoff with Mark Walker. Trump offered Walker a job – Walker got out of the race. McDowell won, took the oath of office, posted on X he’d sponsored a bill…
Read MoreTwo Pieces
When the smoke cleared – after Jesse Helms’ second campaign – we’d raised more money than anyone had ever raised in a Senate election; at the start of that campaign staring at reams of new election laws, confounded, I’d called Stan Evans head of the American Conservative Union. “I’m going to need a lawyer.” Stan…
Read MoreMish-Mash
Tim Waltz posted a photo of himself standing outside in a snowstorm wearing a flannel shirt – mocking Waltz, Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita posted above the photo, Everyone knows you wear a dress Tim. Above a video of Biden walking to a car, stopping, straining to hear questions shouted by a reporter, Trump’s press…
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