Trump dominates the news, and Democrats are losing
200,000 deaths from Covid-19 Tweet from Brian Klaas @brianklaas Thursday update New covid-19 deaths, yesterday: Spain: 239 Italy: 12 Japan: 10 Canada: 5 UK: 20…
U.S. Congress
Biden’s mistakes with Latinos may cost him the election
See, 1) Sean Sullivan, “Latino groups warn that Biden’s sluggish outreach to their voters could hurt in November,” Washington Post, September 13, 2020 (10:18 p.m….
What do Trump and the election have to do with international law, politics, and security?
You cannot make plans for additions to your house while there is a bulldozer outside, with its engines revving, actively engaged in tearing down your…
Democrats fold in stimulus negotiations with McConnell
The newspapers bring a new chapter every day in the ongoing saga of the Democrats’ failure to negotiate federal stimulus payments for the unemployed. Today,…
Democrats abandon the unemployed
See Eli Rosenberg and Heather Long, “Congress left town and let jobless benefits lapse; Unemployed Americans say they won’t forget it; About 28 million people…
Raw Power: Only a threat of immediate impeachment can constrain Trump
Democrats live in a world where rational analysis, legal and Constitutional norms and procedures, and pure decency determine–or should determine–the outcome of political struggles. Yet…
In Belarus, Lukashenko appears to resume repression
For background, see “The democratic flame ignites in Belarus (Updated), The Trenchant Observer, August 14, 2020 (updated August 17). RUSSIA AND BELARUS On the eve…
Biden’s VP Choice Could Win or Lose the Election
Update: August 11, 2020 See Alexandra Petri, “Team Biden wishes it had known something was slightly wrong with every woman before promising a female,” Washington…
Trump’s creeping coup d’état: Democrats must get ready to impeach again (Part II)
See, Trump’s creeping coup d’état: Democrats must get ready to impeach again (Part I), The Trenchant Observer, July 25, 2020. Part II Impeachment All through…
Trump’s creeping coup d’état: Democrats must get ready to impeach again (Part I)
Trump’s creeping coup d’état: Democrats must get ready to impeach again (Part I) “The American catastrophe seems to get worse every day, but the events…
REPRISE: Rehearsal for a coup d’état? Violence in American cities and “the chaos president” (Updated July 17, 2020)
Updated July 17, 2020 Today we republish an article first published on May 31 and revised on June 2, 2020, on the issue of whether…
Should Trump be impeached and removed from office NOW if it would save 100,000 lives? 200,000?
Trump’s Failure to Protect the American People from the Coronoavirus Donald Trump has failed and continues to fail to protect the American people from the…
The Elephant in the Room: Russia’s Role in the Demonstrations
The Elephant in the Room: Russia’s Role in the Demonstations One of the great unknowns is the extent to which Russia may have stoked racial…
Rehearsal for a coup d’état? Violence in American cities and “the chaos president”
Update: See Ryan O’Connell, “Come November, a U.S. coup d’etat? Could Donald Trump call out the U.S. Army again, after losing the November election?. Salon,…
China abandons international law, and prospects for world leadership
No nation which defies the United Nations Charter and International Law can lead the world. China by it actions in the South China Sea and…
After witness retaliation, Democrats should open impeachment inquiry on obstruction of justice
The House Democrats did an outstanding job prosecuting their impeachment case in the Senate. Unfortunately, their inquiry and articles of impeachment were too narrowly drawn,…
Trump strengthens Praetorian Guard defense against investigation of illegal foreign campaign contributions
President Donald Trump, just after or coincident with his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, doubled down on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, strengthening his Praetorian…
After Trump’s Senate acquittal, the urgent need to reaffirm core values and the Rule of Law
After the sham impeachment trial of Donald Trump, in which Republican Senators voted to not allow new witnesses or evidence, where do advocates of the…
Trump, the impeachment trial, and hope for the future
The House Managers have put on a good case in the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump. An eloquent case. Unfortunately, the Republican party has…
House Democrats can resume impeachment inquiry into obstruction of justice
Trump is a man of cunning media intelligence, the fruit of a lifetime of obsession and immersion. That he knows little else is disappointing, but after the 2016 campaign should not come as a surprise.
He is at the same time a master of the greatest Nazi, Soviet, and Russian propaganda techniques, and a highly skillful and engaging TV performer.
He is indeed a world historical figure, with incredible power to shape national values, the ability of Americans to appreciate the truth, and their capacity to adopt policies based on science and ascertainable facts. With his successful defiance of the Constitution and Congressional oversight, he has acquired unprecedented power, in the U.S. at least, to affect the course of both domestic and world events.