Are state lawmakers free to ignore the results of a presidential election? Continue reading
Sections
-
Recent Posts
Author Archives: Mitchell Zimmerman
No, ‘independent state legislatures’ can’t shred constitutional rights
Far-right state lawmakers say the Constitution gives them the right to stiff voters. Legal experts say that’s bogus.
The party of violence
The GOP’s gun-flaunting ads, apocalyptic messaging, and demonization of opponents are steering its followers toward bloodshed.
A MAGA “patriot” broke into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in order to kidnap her, break her kneecaps, and perhaps beat her to death with a hammer. Continue reading
GOP ads cry “crime!” but homicides are actually falling
Rather than running on their unpopular agenda, Republicans are conjuring a “crime wave” to scare voters.
If you’re trying to process all those political ads you’re seeing about crime, you’d better look at the facts. Continue reading
Anti-abortion extremism is scaring voters. It should.
Our country may be divided on the issue of abortion. But when it comes down to it, most Americans believe that it’s a pregnant person’s right to decide for themselves whether to continue a pregnancy. Continue reading
Like bad science fiction: The growing danger of anti-abortion extremism
Contraceptives banned. Miscarriages prosecuted. Pregnant people under surveillance. Is this the future Americans want?
It’s January 2026. The Republican president thanks Congress for banning all abortions and makes an enthusiastic plea for a law that would require a national registry of pregnant women, so their pregnancies could be subject to surveillance. Continue reading
How to prevent an American theocracy
Six judges shouldn’t get to overturn the will of voters and destroy our rights. Expand the Supreme Court.
Barely a month ago we lived in a world where all Americans had the right to decide for themselves whether to continue a pregnancy. For much of the country, that’s now history. Continue reading
We have a smoking gun—indict Trump
If Trump gets a “get out of jail free” card after trying to join armed rioters at the Capitol, the dangers are incalculable.
Trump White House insider and January 6 Committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson provided startling and compelling evidence that Donald Trump deliberately set out to incite an insurrection at the Capitol. Continue reading
The evidence is clear: Trump must be indicted
With democracy itself under siege, Attorney General Merrick Garland must uphold his oath to defend the Constitution.
The bipartisan congressional commission investigating the January 6 coup attempt has found strong evidence that Donald Trump is a criminal. As the hearings reveal, the former president illegally plotted to stay in office after the American people voted to boot him out. Continue reading
America needs to see the reality of assault rifle murders
Decades ago, photos of Emmett Till’s murdered body galvanized action for civil rights. Today, disturbing images could do the same for gun control.
In the days since the Uvalde shooting, media outlets have shared heartbreaking images of the small victims as they were cherished in life. As Americans, we’re forced to look into their young, innocent eyes and accept our shame that we failed to protect them. Continue reading
The GOP’s ‘pro-life’ victory will mean more dead mothers
Anti-choice states already have the highest maternal mortality and infant mortality rates. Women who choose to avoid pregnancy could instead face execution.
Under a Louisiana bill likely to become law when the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, a woman who has an abortion is guilty of first-degree murder. For this, she’ll face the death penalty or—if the prosecutor chooses leniency—life imprisonment and hard labor. Continue reading
Justice Gorsuch must resign
A “justice” who sits in defiance of the Constitution has cast the deciding vote in too many cases.
Much ink has been spilled over Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s failure to recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 election, despite his wife’s participation in efforts to overthrow it. Continue reading
How a ‘no-fly zone’ could lead to nuclear war
Launching a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine means starting an air war with Russia. The risks are incalculable.
In response to the rising brutality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some Americans say they support making Ukrainian airspace a “no-fly zone” for Russian war planes. Continue reading
GOP hostility to Ketanji Brown Jackson goes beyond hypocrisy
Republicans complain about “reverse discrimination” on the Supreme Court. Their real complaint is against constitutional democracy.
No one can seriously dispute that Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden’s nominee for the Supreme Court, is a brilliant and eminently qualified candidate. Continue reading
We need more partisanship, not less
Democrats shouldn’t compromise their solutions to pander to a GOP that is part of the problem.
Unity and bipartisanship sound wonderful. But can anyone explain how “building bridges” to today’s GOP will get anything done? Continue reading
A tale of two mobs
How the GOP abandoned democracy and became an accomplice to insurrection, and what must be done now.
In 1923, Hitler and the Nazis stormed a beer hall in Munich, Germany, from whence they planned to overthrow German democracy. The putsch failed ignominiously, and Hitler was briefly jailed. Continue reading
Q & A on the G.O.P.’s call for elder sacrifice
It’s now officially a matter of reasonable debate whether we should kill old people to avoid a recession.
The second highest office-holder of the great state of Texas, Republican Lieutenant General Dan Patrick, recently proclaimed on Fox News that lots of senior citizens would be willing—or should be, anyway—to sacrifice their lives to coronavirus in order to save the economy for their grandchildren. Continue reading
Reagan sold your future, Trump will too
White working-class voters should think twice before electing another flag-waving, immigrant-bashing, billionaire-enriching politician.
A generation ago, many white working-class Democrats bought into Ronald Reagan’s promise of a better nation. Eager for “morning in America”—and swayed by fear that advances for black people would come at their expense—they didn’t see that the shadow of a long sunset was creeping over their lives. Continue reading
The GOP won’t dump Trumpism anytime soon
Trump-backed Republicans lost some big races this year, but the leopard won’t change its spots.
Posted on November 17, 2022 by Mitchell Zimmerman
In the face of midterm election results that confounded predictions and crushed Republican hopes for a landslide victory, some in the media are suggesting that the party may finally turn away from Trump. Continue reading →