Sep 5Let them Die Poor, Lonely and Young, as Long as They Vote RepublicanIn 2005, Republican Party Chairman Ed Mehlman met with the NAACP at its annual convention, and formally apologized for the Republican Party embrace of Richard Nixon’s Southern Strategy and its efforts to amplify racial polarization as a means to gain and hold political power. One might have imagined that Mehlman…Nixon8 min readNixon8 min read
Jul 18The Illusion of 3% InflationThe desire in the country to put inflation in the rearview mirror is palpable. Last week, the Dow Jones leapt, Wall Street traders rejoiced, and interest rates tumbled, when the Consumer Price Index for June came in at 3%. It looks like, to use technical market jargon, the Goldilocks Scenario…Inflation7 min readInflation7 min read
Apr 27Is any bank small enough to fail anymore?In a blink of an eye, it was over. For a minute there, it seemed like the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank was going to consume us. Now, just a few weeks later, we have moved on. …Silicon Valley Bank7 min readSilicon Valley Bank7 min read
Oct 5, 2022The Metamorphosis of Jerome PowellFederal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell finally won his war. No, not the fight against inflation, which has been front page news for months now. That battle has certainly been on Powell’s mind; but behind the scenes, a different war has been raging for the better part of the year, this…Jerome Powell8 min readJerome Powell8 min read
Aug 23, 2022Today’s inflation is a harbinger of changes that lie ahead.Inflation is widely viewed as the number one problem facing the country — even Donald Trump’s continuing efforts to relegate American democracy to the dustbin of history takes a distant back seat — and barely a quarter of the public apparently believe that the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Democrats…Inflation8 min readInflation8 min read
Jul 6, 2022As Inflation Fades, Jerome Powell’s Biggest Problem Will Be RepublicansBored Ape Yacht Club NFT prices have been hammered. NFTs — “non-fungible tokens” — are proof of ownership of digital products, most commonly images, music or short videos, that exist on a blockchain. A blockchain is a digital ledger where digital items are stored, and — theoretically at least —…Bored Ape Yacht Club8 min readBored Ape Yacht Club8 min read
May 16, 2022Samuel Alito and the unraveling of America.Barry Goldwater and Kevin Phillips saw this moment coming decades ago. Iconic figures in the history of the modern conservative movement, they each warned of what lay in our future should conservative Christians come to dominate the Republican Party. Goldwater — famous for his proclamation that “Extremism in defense of…Samuel Alito8 min readSamuel Alito8 min read
Apr 17, 2022Inside Xi’s thinkingWhen Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stalled early on, there was a moment of optimism that things might come to a quick end. Pundits imagined that the Russian people, disgusted by what was being done in their name and angered by the sight of their children returning home in body bags…Putin7 min readPutin7 min read
Feb 28, 2022Democracy may turn out to be the winner in Putin’s war.Just a few weeks ago, it seemed inconceivable that Russia would invade Ukraine. This is the 21st century after all, and invading another sovereign country seems like such an antiquated approach to conflict resolution. And after all, what was the conflict that needed resolution? Ukraine presents no threat to Russia…Putin7 min readPutin7 min read
Jan 28, 2022Will it take Joe Manchin switching parties for Democrats to realize he is not their enemy?If Democrats have a strategy, it has not been easy to discern. It has been a year since the run-off elections in Georgia left the country with a 50–50 split in the Senate. As the 2020 election approached, the possibility that Democrats had a chance not just to flip the…Joe Manchin7 min readJoe Manchin7 min read
