The Supreme Court has stirred controversy with two procedural orders. They revealed much about the state of our political world. In one case, the Court decided to suspend a Louisiana law that requires doctors performing abortions to be admitted to practice at a hospital. The law could have the effect of eliminating all but one […]
If you follow any major sport, you probably know about weekly power rankings. Teams are rated on their recent performance, and their standing may change from week to week. The ranking supposedly reveals the ultimate winner. Power rankings have now come to the presidential campaign. Washington Post pundits plan to rank weekly all potential candidates, […]
Here’s a good story that should have had a sequel. About 100 days after he suddenly found himself president of the United States, Harry S Truman had to fill his first vacancy on the Supreme Court. In 1945, the Court was composed of seven Democratic appointees and one Republican. Himself a Democrat, Truman naturally wanted […]
There’s bad news and good news about the political understandings that make our system of government work. The biggest piece of bad news has been the shutdown of much of the federal government because of a battle over President Trump’s proposal to build the Wall. While there’s more than enough finger pointing about responsibility for […]
Chief Justice John Roberts says federal judges are not political. They are nonpartisan umpires of disputes under the law. Or, in fact, do federal judges create law for partisan reasons, when they should limit their judgments to simply following the law? The answer is a firm “maybe.” Conservatives want judges to uphold the existing law […]
Incoming Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the former presidential candidate, has issued a sharp criticism of President Trump. “A president should demonstrate the essential qualities of honesty and integrity,” he wrote, “and elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect.” Romney concluded that the “president has not risen to the mantle of the […]
When the president speaks on national television, the American people expect an explanation of an important action or an attempt to rally them in the face of a major threat. Usually, no response is made by a leader of the opposing party. Only when the president lays out his program to Congress in the State […]
President Trump and British Prime Minister May have something in common. They consider themselves adept at what Trump has famously called “the art of the deal.” Relying on their self-confidence, each has made a promise they could not keep. They lacked the skill to pull off promises that were, in fact, impossible to keep. They […]
The biggest problem facing the U.S. is not immigration, health care or a trade war. It is uncertainty. The inability of business leaders, pension fund managers, foreign government heads, Congress and individuals to count on usual practices and policies has created deep worries. The stock market is not a reliable measure of all these concerns, […]
“Elections have consequences, Mr. President.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer reminded President Trump of that fact when they met to discuss border security. He warned the president that politics in Washington will change as control of the House passes to the Democrats and his party’s Senate minority can stop many bills there. Trump had enjoyed […]
