The Senate leader doesn’t just betray his own party, he’s also terrible at leading it. In Trump’s second term, facing a full-on authoritarian attack on America’s democracy and constitutional structure, Schumer is simply incapable of mounting a determined resistance.
Republicans
Posted inPolitics
California Democrats Win Redistricting Measure, Prove That Resistance Works
The win, combined with several mid-cycle surprises, has weakened Trump’s shield against accountability for his unpopular reign, although the Supreme Court really holds the key to whether we’ll have something approaching legitimate elections next year.
Posted inPolitics
Trump Lost the Politics of the Shutdown
On a political level, Democrats have succeeded in painting Republicans as mean and unfeeling stewards of American decline. But Trump may win on policy nonetheless, as a gang of Democrats prepares to squander their leverage based on a vague assurance.
Posted inPolitics
The Republican Plot to Turn Pennsylvania Into Hungary
Judicial retention elections are normally pretty sleepy, but the Pennsylvania Republican Party, led by right-wing megadonor Jeff Yass, who is also the richest person in the state, is conducting an all-out effort to get rid of three Democrats on the state Supreme Court.
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
Trump Is Illegally Withholding Food From Needy Families
The White House claims it cannot fund food stamp benefits for November. But not only is there a contingency fund meant to be used in this exact fashion, but it’s illegal for the Trump administration to refuse to do so.
Posted inTAP
The Democrats’ Shutdown Challenge: How Long Must the Hurt Continue?
The problem the Democrats face in the current standoff is how to weigh these distinct forms of pain: immediate to a known universe of political allies; or long-term to a broader universe of, most importantly, swing voters.
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
The Health Insurance Cost Crisis Is Now Upon Us
The price hikes won’t happen until January 1, but open enrollment begins on November 1, ten days from now—and the average exchange beneficiary will see their premium costs more than double.
Posted inPolitics
The New Republican Voice of Sanity Is … Marjorie Taylor Greene?
Greene has emerged as something of a Republican voice of reason, at least by the standards of MAGA in 2025, perhaps the lowest bar imaginable. That might be useful for Democrats.
Posted inPolitics
After First Missed Paycheck, Federal Workers Call for Solidarity
With no end to the government shutdown in sight, federal workers are drawing down their savings accounts and retirement plans, and getting help from family members, food pantries, credit unions, and a variety of other sources.
Posted inNewsletters
The Racist Roots, and Racist Present, of Today’s Republican Party
The MAGA movement—both the Trump administration and the institutional Republican Party—is embracing as its central ideology not the democratic and egalitarian credos laid out in the Declaration of Independence, but the white racism of 1619 Virginia.
