Hi Chris. I'm curious what you think about a mandatory year of national service for all Americans. I think this might be our last best chance to remind ourselves that, no matter our differences, we belong to a single country and we owe it something. Service could include the military but would also involve conservation, education, and any area of national need. Yes, enormously complicated and, at least in the short term, expensive to implement. But I think it would do the country's soul enormous good.
I have long thought this would be great for america. I just cannot imagine a world where Republicans wouldn't scream and see this as government indoctrination.
What's the deal with Biden potentially not being on the ballot in Alabama and Ohio. First of all, Dems get a calendar!!! But secondly, is there a way out for Biden? Is this a serious threat?
How do you explain the growth in numbers in terms of people who say Trump doesn’t lie, that he was a good president, etc.? I know you wrote about it this week, but I’m hoping you can share more perspective. Who are these people who seemingly once believed Trump lied all the time, and now they don’t? That doesn’t make any sense. I get being frustrated with Biden and perhaps thinking maybe Trump won’t be as bad as people say in a second term. But how does a rational person go from this guy is a compulsive liar to I believe what he’s saying?
I might ask for clarification. Are they supporting the pro-abortion Trump or the anti-abortion Trump? (16 different positions and counting). Or the Trump who thinks interest rates should be raised, or the Trump who thinks interest rates should be kept artificially low? Are they supporting the Trump who respects women, or they supporting the Trump who has no respect for women?
Actually, since the old boy has been all over the board on every issue I can imagine, the questions can keep coming until the elevator is fixed or you are rescued.
Should we be worried that Donald J Trump just thumped Speaker Mike Johnson on the FISA bill and has now invited him to Mar a Lago..and that there will be some sort of “election integrity “ event? Are we being set up for a repeat of 2020 but this time, the Speaker of the House orchestrates major election certification mischief?
I recently read several political books, two latest by Brian Stelter, two by Tim Alberta, John Boehner 'on the house' and Ben Howe 'Immoral majority'. Could you please provide some political book titles you deem to be essential reading? (besides 'power players' of course!) You might possibly consider doing this monthly.
Thinking Liz Cheney 'oath and honor' next but that one might make me start to cry. 😭
Glad to find you on Substack! You were my favorite part of CNN, and I’ve missed your articles and videos! With two candidates who are… old, what happens in the case that one dies or becomes incapacitated after the conventions, but before the election? Can the party replace them on the ballots? Does the VP candidate automatically become the presidential candidate?
Second, do think you and your writings/opinions have ever crossed Trump’s radar? Would the inevitable nasty response bother you at all, or just further validate your work?
With OJ Simpson's death, what are your thoughts on his complete fall from celebrity status to where he wound up? How do you rate his fall compared with some other examples, such as Bill Cosby, Richard Nixon, etc. ?
[Sidebar: I hope the Trump prosecutors do a better job than the California state prosecutors did with the Simpson murder trial]
What are your feelings about "commentators" like Hugh Hewitt? And I mean that in the sense that here's a guy who is supposed to be an intellectual heavyweight, he has a platform in the WaPo, one of the major political newspapers in the country, and given the opportunity he does these uncritical "interviews" with Trump and seems to unhesitatingly and unquestioningly amplify any nonsensical lie Trump says (as you've highlighted multiple times in your substack). I know that in this day and age the line between news and opinion is wide and fuzzy, but it seems to me that if you're presenting an interview and then just being your subject's chief propogandist, it's time for serious media outlets like the Post to take a hard look at who they support.
The Rock recently unendorsed President Biden. I don't really believe celebrity endorsements effect elections. However, he went on a rant about "cancel culture," and this had me think about alternative narratives. In the silo I am in, I don't hear a ton about cancel culture or trans athletes, but in a different silo these are things that people are talking and thinking about and have a whole language about which is confusing to me.
Are these types of talking points something that people, especially Biden's camp, should attempt to answer or should they ignore them? How does one interact with a silo where specific things are incredibly important, but unknown to another section of people?
Donald Trump vows to dismantle the "deep state" if elected. Assuming that means replacing many or most of the 2.8 million or so federal employees with political appointees, could he do that without Congressional approval? I thought the laws were changed in the late 1800s to limit political appointees to just the top levels of government departments.
In today's Washington Post, columnist Meghan McArdle said that Trump's Oct. 2020 Executive Order to fire thousands of non-partisan career federal employees and replace them with Trump loyalists is another example of Trump's incompetence during his Administration. She said that in addition to President Biden rescinding Trump's EO, that OPM just released a finalized new regulation that "effectively blocks the president from involuntarily reclassifying career civil servants or stripping their job protections." She added that only 58/258 of Trump Admin. deregulatory policy changes survived court challenges. It seems the Heritage Foundation's 2025 plan to create Schedule F federal employees and pre-vet 40,000 Trumpy loyalists for federal jobs has been strangled in its crib. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/04/11/federal-bureaucracy-republicans-trump/
Given recent inflation news I'm thinking Trump's going to win. I know you've written in the past you don't expect him to become an actual dictator, but I still feel iffy about it. What do you predict will be the absolute worst thing he'll do in his second term?
If Trump wins, would you see a scenario in 2028 where he has Trump Jr run at the top of the ticket and Trump is the "Vice-president"? This would circumvent the constitutional issue of a 3rd term.
Would Trump be willing to take second place to his son (or anyone) just to get a third term? Unfortunately, I think if he wins, he would just make it so he could run again in 2028. :(
That would require a constitutional amendment, but could also see Republicans just ignoring it so we'll see what happens. I don't think we'll have to worry though, Trump is going to lose.
We talk so much about the “before times” (as Charlie Sykes used to put it at the Bulwark) with Trump that I find myself wondering, what happens if and when Trump is gone? Is there any way a center left coalition could corral Never Trump Republicans into enough of a realignment to consign the GOP to a permanent minority if they don’t get off the Trump train? Is there a Democrat who could actually pull that straddle and pitch a tent big enough that both AOC and Liz Cheney can stand inside it without throwing pies at each other? In short, what’s the endgame?
Hi Chris. I'm curious what you think about a mandatory year of national service for all Americans. I think this might be our last best chance to remind ourselves that, no matter our differences, we belong to a single country and we owe it something. Service could include the military but would also involve conservation, education, and any area of national need. Yes, enormously complicated and, at least in the short term, expensive to implement. But I think it would do the country's soul enormous good.
I have long thought this would be great for america. I just cannot imagine a world where Republicans wouldn't scream and see this as government indoctrination.
What's the deal with Biden potentially not being on the ballot in Alabama and Ohio. First of all, Dems get a calendar!!! But secondly, is there a way out for Biden? Is this a serious threat?
How do you explain the growth in numbers in terms of people who say Trump doesn’t lie, that he was a good president, etc.? I know you wrote about it this week, but I’m hoping you can share more perspective. Who are these people who seemingly once believed Trump lied all the time, and now they don’t? That doesn’t make any sense. I get being frustrated with Biden and perhaps thinking maybe Trump won’t be as bad as people say in a second term. But how does a rational person go from this guy is a compulsive liar to I believe what he’s saying?
What would you say (about politics) - if anything- if you were stuck in a broken elevator with a Trump supporter?
Eeek!
I might ask for clarification. Are they supporting the pro-abortion Trump or the anti-abortion Trump? (16 different positions and counting). Or the Trump who thinks interest rates should be raised, or the Trump who thinks interest rates should be kept artificially low? Are they supporting the Trump who respects women, or they supporting the Trump who has no respect for women?
Actually, since the old boy has been all over the board on every issue I can imagine, the questions can keep coming until the elevator is fixed or you are rescued.
...or a murder/suicide occurs!
Should we be worried that Donald J Trump just thumped Speaker Mike Johnson on the FISA bill and has now invited him to Mar a Lago..and that there will be some sort of “election integrity “ event? Are we being set up for a repeat of 2020 but this time, the Speaker of the House orchestrates major election certification mischief?
😓
Good morning Chris,
I recently read several political books, two latest by Brian Stelter, two by Tim Alberta, John Boehner 'on the house' and Ben Howe 'Immoral majority'. Could you please provide some political book titles you deem to be essential reading? (besides 'power players' of course!) You might possibly consider doing this monthly.
Thinking Liz Cheney 'oath and honor' next but that one might make me start to cry. 😭
Glad to find you on Substack! You were my favorite part of CNN, and I’ve missed your articles and videos! With two candidates who are… old, what happens in the case that one dies or becomes incapacitated after the conventions, but before the election? Can the party replace them on the ballots? Does the VP candidate automatically become the presidential candidate?
Hi Chris!
First off, thank you so much for what you do!
Second, do think you and your writings/opinions have ever crossed Trump’s radar? Would the inevitable nasty response bother you at all, or just further validate your work?
With OJ Simpson's death, what are your thoughts on his complete fall from celebrity status to where he wound up? How do you rate his fall compared with some other examples, such as Bill Cosby, Richard Nixon, etc. ?
[Sidebar: I hope the Trump prosecutors do a better job than the California state prosecutors did with the Simpson murder trial]
What are your feelings about "commentators" like Hugh Hewitt? And I mean that in the sense that here's a guy who is supposed to be an intellectual heavyweight, he has a platform in the WaPo, one of the major political newspapers in the country, and given the opportunity he does these uncritical "interviews" with Trump and seems to unhesitatingly and unquestioningly amplify any nonsensical lie Trump says (as you've highlighted multiple times in your substack). I know that in this day and age the line between news and opinion is wide and fuzzy, but it seems to me that if you're presenting an interview and then just being your subject's chief propogandist, it's time for serious media outlets like the Post to take a hard look at who they support.
Good morning, Chris. Love the newsletter!
The Rock recently unendorsed President Biden. I don't really believe celebrity endorsements effect elections. However, he went on a rant about "cancel culture," and this had me think about alternative narratives. In the silo I am in, I don't hear a ton about cancel culture or trans athletes, but in a different silo these are things that people are talking and thinking about and have a whole language about which is confusing to me.
Are these types of talking points something that people, especially Biden's camp, should attempt to answer or should they ignore them? How does one interact with a silo where specific things are incredibly important, but unknown to another section of people?
Donald Trump vows to dismantle the "deep state" if elected. Assuming that means replacing many or most of the 2.8 million or so federal employees with political appointees, could he do that without Congressional approval? I thought the laws were changed in the late 1800s to limit political appointees to just the top levels of government departments.
In today's Washington Post, columnist Meghan McArdle said that Trump's Oct. 2020 Executive Order to fire thousands of non-partisan career federal employees and replace them with Trump loyalists is another example of Trump's incompetence during his Administration. She said that in addition to President Biden rescinding Trump's EO, that OPM just released a finalized new regulation that "effectively blocks the president from involuntarily reclassifying career civil servants or stripping their job protections." She added that only 58/258 of Trump Admin. deregulatory policy changes survived court challenges. It seems the Heritage Foundation's 2025 plan to create Schedule F federal employees and pre-vet 40,000 Trumpy loyalists for federal jobs has been strangled in its crib. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/04/11/federal-bureaucracy-republicans-trump/
Given recent inflation news I'm thinking Trump's going to win. I know you've written in the past you don't expect him to become an actual dictator, but I still feel iffy about it. What do you predict will be the absolute worst thing he'll do in his second term?
The possibilities are horrifying!
If Trump wins, would you see a scenario in 2028 where he has Trump Jr run at the top of the ticket and Trump is the "Vice-president"? This would circumvent the constitutional issue of a 3rd term.
😱
This sounds like a terrible movie script. But the 2016 campaign sounds like an even worse movie script.
Would Trump be willing to take second place to his son (or anyone) just to get a third term? Unfortunately, I think if he wins, he would just make it so he could run again in 2028. :(
That would require a constitutional amendment, but could also see Republicans just ignoring it so we'll see what happens. I don't think we'll have to worry though, Trump is going to lose.
If the Republicans do vote to remove Mike Johnson as the Speaker of the House, who takes his place, and why?
I think they will just refused to elect a new speaker until November and not doing anything, even it means government shutdown.
That would be in keeping with their "do nothing" mentality, I have to admit.
MTG
What a circus THAT would be.
might even top the Barnum and Bailey one? (but minus the elephants that were discontinued)
We talk so much about the “before times” (as Charlie Sykes used to put it at the Bulwark) with Trump that I find myself wondering, what happens if and when Trump is gone? Is there any way a center left coalition could corral Never Trump Republicans into enough of a realignment to consign the GOP to a permanent minority if they don’t get off the Trump train? Is there a Democrat who could actually pull that straddle and pitch a tent big enough that both AOC and Liz Cheney can stand inside it without throwing pies at each other? In short, what’s the endgame?