Paul Waldman

Chances are you’re reading this on a computer or smartphone made by an American company, like Dell or HP or Apple. And chances are also that the machine was actually constructed in China. That relationship came to broader attention recently when Foxconn, a Chinese company that puts together iPhones, Sony Playstations, and Dell computers, among […]

If you watch network news, you’ve had the experience of watching as Brian, Katie, or Diane says, “Some dramatic video tonight from somewhere or other. Just watch as this cow is swept away by floodwaters, caroms off a stop sign, does a double-twisting backflip, then lands on all four hooves on the roof of an […]

One of the things that has always infuriated progressive activists about Barack Obama is his insistence on “reaching out” to Republicans, long after it becomes clear they’re not interested in working with him. But as we came to understand very quickly, reaching out, even if only in his rhetoric, is just written into Obama’s DNA. […]

Talking Points Memo is rounding up comments of conservatives who are coming out against that Florida pastor’s clever plan to commemorate September 11 by burning Qurans. What’s remarkable about this is how tepid the comments are: So far today, Haley Barbour says it’s not a “good idea.” John Boehner says it’s “unwise.” And now honorary […]

As everyone knows, this November’s election will be a disaster for Democrats. Or will it be? As Mark Blumenthal tells us, most (not all, but most) of the political scientists who presented their forecasts to the American Political Science Association’s annual meeting agreed that, according to their projections, the GOP will take the House, perhaps […]

As you probably know, California suffers under an absurdly dysfunctional political system, particularly when it comes to the budget. Because of the diabolical Proposition 13 passed in 1978, raising taxes requires a two-thirds supermajority of both houses of the legislature. A two-thirds supermajority is also required to pass every budget. And of course, no one […]

With his usual clarity, Paul Krugman explains why the current economic situation is looking a lot like 1938. It’s not a pretty picture, and what’s so bracing about Krugman’s analysis is that despite the note of hope on which he ends, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that our current political situation makes doing what’s […]

Last year, I wrote a column about how the Obama design aesthetic — including, but not limited to, the use of the Gotham font and the reassuring palette of blues the campaign used — was spreading around the world. If you’re into this kind of thing, we learn (Via kottke.org) that Scott Thomas, the design […]

If you opened up your New York Times today, you would have seen this headline on the front page: “In a Shift, Fewer Younger Voters See Themselves As Democrats.” More terrible news for the Dems! “There’s a vibe,” one college hunk says while pumping iron at the gym. “Right now it seems like Republicans just […]