Editorial

By LEE H. HAMILTON It’s so easy, in the course of our day-to-day lives, to get caught up in the political preoccupations of the moment. What’s the Senate going to do about the filibuster? How should infrastructure money be spent? Is the country going to come out of this year as badly divided as it started? These and many other questions matter a lot — but sometimes, it’s helpful to step back and take stock of what we’ve learned over the course of our history. I’ve been thinking about this because I’ve been reading Jon Meacham’s … [Read more...] about Summing up democracy

Editor: Gun violence is an American national problem. Police usage of unnecessary deadly force is another one. Both kill innocent people. It is a problem that calls for a solution. The recent shootings by police and by citizens are not the first and, if the status quo is not changed, will surely not be the last. Gun violence makes us all feel insecure. Violence seems random. This sense of randomness makes the average citizen feel that this violence is a risk to themselves and to their loved ones. It’s a sad state of endless … [Read more...] about Time is overdue for real solutions to gun violence, effective limits on police use of deadly force

Our national unity requires police officers to be better. In a strict legal sense, the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd was about a single action by a single man. During the three-week trial, prosecutors argued that Chauvin recklessly knelt on Floyd’s neck for over 8 minutes, killing him. In an effort to create reasonable doubt, Chauvin’s defense lawyers argued that Chauvin acted reasonably and that Floyd’s health conditions, drug use and other factors caused his … [Read more...] about George Floyd, police accountability and the resounding message of the Chauvin verdict

Within hours of the guilty verdicts against former cop Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, police in Detroit shot and killed a man who had stabbed himself and was stabbing an officer. At roughly the same time, a cop in Columbus, Ohio, had to make a split-second decision when confronted with a teen girl who was attacking another girl with a knife. He shot and killed her. Both those instances highlight the challenges the nation faces as it attempts to curb police shootings. It's not all about regulating … [Read more...] about Reform must address roots of violence

Why do the Russians need to bother spreading disinformation when our own domestic sources do a much better job at it? We just went through a four-year national obsession with Kremlin disinformation. It supposedly swayed the 2016 presidential election. It was “sowing divisions” in American society. It accounted for the discovery of Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 election. Social media companies were excoriated for allegedly letting Russian disinfo poison their networks, and the American mind. There was nothing that some … [Read more...] about Woke disinformation trumps Russian trolls

The way it usually works out, organized labor is aligned with the Democrats, and big business is closely connected to the GOP. And it is true that the Dems still march in lockstep with those who are the employees, by and large. However, it’s both Republicans and Democrats who are slugging it out with the corporations. First of all, when I say “Republicans,” I mean the Trump party. When I say “ultra-conservative,” these days that means “Trump-inspired.” You never hear of ultra-conservative Democrats; their opponents describe them as … [Read more...] about Woke this way

The repeated incidents of unarmed black men being killed in confrontations with police are frustrating and a legitimate cause for anger on the part of a public that is clearly weary with such incidents. Answers have defied the outrage and demonstrations that began after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis cop almost a year ago. Where those solutions will come from is not fully clear. But it certainly won't be from reckless and inflammatory rhetoric by elected officials. At the top of the list of those … [Read more...] about Tlaib’s incitement risks more killings

So far, the defining word of the Biden era is “trillion.” The Joe Biden who portrayed himself as a moderate, old school, bipartisan dealmaker during the presidential campaign is now a distant memory. He’s been replaced by the Joe Biden who is dazzling progressives with his willingness to “go big” — in other words, spend jaw-dropping amounts that would have been unimaginable prior to the pandemic and are still shocking even now. Why has Biden embarked on a historic spending splurge with nary a whisper of bipartisan … [Read more...] about The Dollar Sign President

When we constructed the interstate system, we simply bypassed much of our country’s intricate variety. Still, in spite of losing this national character, there are those who get their kicks motoring the monotonous I-ways of America. They find a comfortable routine in the coast to coast, border to border ennui of signs for toll collection, motels, chain restaurants and gas stations. But some blotches of local personality remain, concealed in this national humdrum. For instance, one of the oddball pleasures of driving along I-95 … [Read more...] about Decoys and other fakes

By LEE H. HAMILTON As Washington turns its attention to infrastructure and other matters of policy, the Senate filibuster isn’t commanding quite the same headlines as it did a few weeks back. But that’s only because the issue is percolating behind the scenes. At some point, it will return to the limelight. And when it does, you should understand what’s at stake. Because as obscure as it seems, it actually goes to the heart of how we operate as a democracy. The key point to remember is that as the country’s population has … [Read more...] about Why Reforming the Filibuster Matters