Biden Knows What the Other Side Is Thinking Patience costs nothing. Letting the process play out will strengthen faith in America’s institutions.

Where are we? Waiting, as the process plays out. In a week of talking to Republican political leaders, all by nature competitive, most veterans of tough races, I haven’t found one who believes Donald Trump won. All believe that there was fraud in the vote, and that this year’s semicrazy pandemic rules made clear the […]

America Chooses Divided Government

Divided nation, divided outcome. Votes are still being counted, nothing is certain, but it looks as if Joe Biden will win the presidency, closely. The Republicans will hold the Senate, closely, and pick up some seats in the House. A moderate outcome: divided government. Or so it seems. It’s all so close. The aftermath could […]

Raucous 2016 Gives Way to Subdued 2020 Everyone has felt tested the past few years. Now the country is making a big and steely decision.

I find myself going back, as I review these years, to a crisp, dark evening in December 2016, in Manhattan, where I’d joined a visiting friend, a Catholic activist, for a drink. She had been ardently anti-Trump, was heartbroken at his election and struggling to come to terms, to find some higher meaning. “Maybe this […]

Everyone Has Gone Crazy in Washington The Pelosi interview and the interrogation of Judge Barrett, who will bring a little sanity to the capital.

Everyone’s insane now. I mean everyone in Washington. The great challenge of the era is to maintain your intellectual poise under pressure. Washington this week looked like a vast system fail. Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on CNN, let it be known she won’t countenance pushback. At issue was the stalled stimulus deal. Anchor Wolf Blitzer […]

Trump, Loyalty and ‘The Godfather’ His supporters know his flaws but worry that the Democrats will be radical and hurt the economy.

The polls seem to show Joe Biden sailing forward with a solid national lead, and some tightening in the battlegrounds. Nobody knows what’s going to happen; after 2016 only dopes are confident. I’m thinking of the larger prevailing currents that may have some impact this year. If 2020 turns out badly for the Democrats this […]

Advice an Old Biden Hand Might Give Joe, no one thinks you’re a radical socialist. No one. They’re afraid you’ll bend to crazy progressives.

FROM: Charles Smith, an ambassador from the Obama-Biden era TO: Joe Biden Boss, happy Labor Day. Hope this finds you well. We’re still in Edgartown and fully recovered from the virus. Betty had it worse than me, but right now I’m hearing the fierce thwack of the ball as she plays doubles and I’m in […]