From the Left
/Politics
To Debate or Not to Debate? That is the Dilemma
It’s now official. The votes are in. The delegates are assigned. It’s the rematch nobody wanted: Republican Donald Trump, again, for the Republican Party; and Joe Biden, again, for the Democratic Party. The race is on.
And Donald Trump can’t wait to debate Joe Biden. On Truth Social this week, he challenged Biden to debate him “ANYTIME,...Read more
Bill Press: Blame Robert Hur – but blame the media, too
Maybe we need a new law: Ban the Justice Department from meddling in presidential politics!
That law should have been passed in 2016, when FBI Director James Comey blew up the presidential election – twice! – with his ridiculous investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. First, on July 5, when clearing Clinton of any legal wrongdoing, ...Read more
Hello. Time to Get Real. It’s Biden vs. Trump
What a non-event! This year’s Super Tuesday was the most boring ever. Despite all the efforts of TV networks to make March 5 a night of “breaking news,” it was more exciting watching the Discovery Channel.
Forget all the hype. When it was over, Super Tuesday could be summed up in three short sentences: There were only two candidates. Both...Read more
The Supreme Surrender to Donald Trump
In case you still had any faith in the Supreme Court. In case you thought the Supreme Court, even under Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, was capable of deciding the law fairly and objectively. FUHGEDDABOUTIT!
There is no justification for the Supreme Court’s decision to consider Donald Trump’s absurd claim that, as former president, he ...Read more
Hang Vladimir Putin Around Donald Trump's Neck
Before I’m accused of plagiarism, I want to admit: I stole that line and the very last line in this column from Bill Kristol, former editor of The Weekly Standard, now editor of The Bulwark newsletter. Because they’re so good, so true, and so sum up the politics of the moment.
After all, it’s already official. The primaries aren’t over,...Read more
New York CD 3: Big Lessons for Both Parties
First, this declaimer. For years, I’ve cautioned against exaggerating the importance of any one special election. For the most part, they’re one and done, I argued. Don’t try to draw any wider lessons. And I still, generally, hold that view.
But this one is different. On Tuesday, Feb. 13, Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election in Long...Read more
Breaking News: No Person is Above the Law!
Under the 14th Amendment, is Donald Trump, architect of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, eligible to run for president again? That weighty question is now before the Supreme Court.
We don’t know what the court will do. But we know what they should do: Read the Constitution, then follow the advice of conservative former federal Judge J. ...Read more
Is Taylor Coming? Save Me a Seat!
Like me, you may not be a sports fan. Like me, you’d probably rather go bowling than watch any NFL game. But believe me, there’s no way I’ll miss this year’s Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Because it promises to be a spectacle like the world’s never seen before.
Haven’t you heard? Taylor Swift...Read more
The Rematch Nobody Wanted is Here: Good for Biden!
Political campaigns are usually fun. Fun to watch, fun to talk about, fun to take part in. As a volunteer, press secretary, campaign manager, and candidate, I often found myself agreeing with H.L. Mencken’s wicked observation: “A national political campaign is better than the best circus you ever heard of, with a mass baptism and a couple of...Read more
Don’t Blame Just Trump; Blame His Enablers
The 2024 Republican presidential primary was over before it started. Literally. CNN and AP both declared Donald Trump the winner of the Iowa caucuses before the first votes in Iowa were cast.
Forget about Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis, the only other two candidates left standing, barely. Absent a heart attack, Donald Trump will be the GOP ...Read more
The Only Republican Candidate Who Made Any Sense
Whatever you think of Chris Christie, you have to admit: We’re all better off because he decided to run for president his year. And he’s the only Republican, out of an initial field of 11 candidates, you can say that about.
Not that Christie’s the perfect politician. He was a bully as governor of New Jersey. He clumsily tried to shut down...Read more
Haley’s Comet: Nothing But a (Brief) Flash in the Sky
Politics is fun to watch and fun to talk about. But politics can also be cruel, especially to front-runners.
We’ve seen several presidential high-fliers crash back to earth after just one verbal blunder. Remember Teddy Kennedy in 1979, fumbling his response to Roger Mudd’s question: “Why do you want to be president?” Or Michael Dukakis ...Read more