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Category Archives: Columns
Trump’s McCarthyism Charge is Deeply Ironic – CNN
“Study the late Joseph McCarthy, because we are now in period with Mueller and his gang that make Joseph McCarthy look like a baby!” President Donald Trump tweeted from the final days of his golfing vacation at Bedminster, New Jersey. … Continue reading
Trump, the Saudis, and America’s Disastrous ‘Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend’ Strategy – CNN
“He’s a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.” President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is said to have been talking about Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. It was 1939, and you can imagine him, cigarette and martini in … Continue reading
Independent Voters are Trump’s Judge and Jury – CNN
It’s the best of times and the worst of times for independent voters and candidates. With Washington bitterly polarized, the need to break out of the divisive duopoly of Republican and Democrat has never been clearer — especially for those … Continue reading
A ‘New York Values’ Walking Tour for Ted Cruz
It’s easy to slag off big cities when you’re running for the red state nomination. It’s an urban vs. rural rivalry that goes back to Hamilton and Jefferson. But Ted Cruz misfired big time when he tried to get cheers … Continue reading
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The Best Columns of the Year – The Daily Beast
I’m a fan of the American art form once known as the newspaper column. That’s why I co-edited two Deadline Artists anthologies with my friends Errol Louis and Jesse Angelo—to honor and archive the best of the past. But the … Continue reading
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo – And You Should Too – The Daily Beast
The massacre of cartoonists at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo is a crystallizing moment. The shock brings clarity—a reminder that evil exists and free speech, no matter who might it offend, is a bedrock value of liberal democracy. An attack … Continue reading
Fidel Castro Finally Dies, But His Apologists Live On
Cuba’s communist dictator is finally dead. Good riddance. His apologists live on but they will look foolish in the rearview mirror of history. When a five-decades-long dictator dies, it is customary to hear analysts offer up the following kind of … Continue reading
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How to Stop a Second Insurrection
One year after the US Capitol attack on January 6, the chief plotters of the attempted coup still have not been brought to justice. And just as truth must proceed reconciliation, legal accountability and legislative remedies must be imposed to … Continue reading
How The Daily Beast Will Stand Up to President Donald Trump
We will be the loyal opposition. We will not deny his legitimacy. But we will oppose his worst policies and hold him to account. In 1960, after John F. Kennedy narrowly defeated Richard Nixon, staunch Hollywood conservative John Wayne declared, … Continue reading
Jim Harrison Can Make You a Better Animal – The Daily Beast
Arguably America’s greatest living author—and certainly our earthiest—lives half the year in Livingston, Montana. It’s a town grounded in the early 20th-century West, with neon signs on brick buildings and mountains in the background, all crowned by a former train … Continue reading
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Tagged Book and Movie Reviews, Music, The Daily Beast
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Why Speaker Johnson says America is not a democracy – CNN
It might surprise you to learn that the new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has said ”we don’t live in a democracy.” Merriam-Webster’s definition of democracy is “government by the people; especially rule of the majority.” That’s the way … Continue reading
Moe Tucker Interview: Velvet Underground Drummer Embraces Tea Party
A few weeks ago, the British music press freaked out when they found a clip of one ‘Maureen Tucker’ being interviewed at a Tea Party rally in Georgia. Could this be the same Moe Tucker who played drums alongside Lou … Continue reading
Why evangelicals should care about Trump’s lies (and other sins) – CNN
In a season of campaign schwag, a baseball cap caught my eye. Beneath an American flag were the words “Make Lying Wrong Again.” It framed the stakes of the election in a simple way. Does lying matter anymore? Honesty has … Continue reading
Our Murrow Moment
The time for hand-wringing and hysteria is over. The Trump presidency promises a civic stress test. In a time of principled fights, citizens and journalists need to respond with fearlessness rooted in fairness. “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty…We … Continue reading
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Is there room for a religious left? – CNN
President Joe Biden’s private audience with Pope Francis on Friday at the Vatican was a moment to reconsider the role that faith plays in American politics – and whether it can be depolarized going forward. For decades, faith has been … Continue reading
From Wall Street to the Street: A Cabdriver’s Tale – CNN.com
Jack Alvo drives the streets of the New York City six days a week — the 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift. He never imagined he’d be a cabdriver at his age. After all, a decade ago, he was pulling … Continue reading
Scenes From Cleveland’s Republican Trumpocalypse
The Daily Beast editor-in-chief reports from Cleveland, where Donald Trump’s coronation feels more like a funeral. As one seasoned operative said: “I’ve got to go on TV and defend the indefensible.” CLEVELAND — You have to remind yourself that none … Continue reading
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How an ‘insurance policy’ draft was transformed into the poetry of ‘I Have a Dream’
In the pantheon of the greatest American speeches, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech stands alongside the best of Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Kennedy and Reagan — the only non-president to reach such rarified air. … Continue reading
Shutdown Crisis: We Need a Hostage Negotiator
With Washington held hostage by the far-right, the shutdown crisis is stuck in stalemate. John Avlon talks to a former FBI hostage negotiator about how to break the deadlock. Yes, it’s come to this. With the government shutdown entering its … Continue reading
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What George Washington Knew About Vladimir Putin’s Political Hack – The Daily Beast
The Founding Fathers reflected on how foreign influences try to erode republican government. We should, too. The idea that a foreign power might try to impact an American election sounds like a chapter ripped from a dystopian novel. It’s not. … Continue reading