An Open Letter to Representative Sean Casten
Money tells the truth when all around us are lying. Money explains why the effort you’ve poured into legislative priorities has produced so little return. And nothing will paint a more honest picture of the influence of money on our entire political system than a few rays of sunlight falling on the Trump businesses.
What’s in Trump’s Tax Returns
All we’ll see at first in the returns is the names of these shells. But once we have the names, we can start to assemble the relationships. And when that map of relationships is in the open, further inquiries into those layers of companies can fill out the rest of the picture.
Twitter Hygiene
Like weeds in a garden, bots and trolls impact Twitter to a degree not seen on Facebook, or other platforms that attempt to verify a human identity behind their accounts. No one really knows how many of Twitter’s accounts represent an individual, human user. Estimates range between 40-90%, depending on …
How the Kleptocrats Bought Washington
Until a mature challenge to liberal democracy emerged from the reeking decay of the old Soviet Union, our endemic political corruption was a like manageable infection. It’s not manageable anymore.
Link Roundup, 7/27/2019 The Grifter Edition
From Sen. Joe Manchin: The Chinese are supposedly making an investment in W. Virginia larger than the state’s GDP. Their Senator wants to know why, and can’t get a straight answer. Here’s what appears to be happening. From the Daily Beast: Rand Paul is working to protect Russia’s investment in …
Looking Back on My Resignation from the GOP
Three years ago today I submitted my resignation to my local GOP organization. I had been a precinct committeeman for the past decade in suburban Chicago, volunteering on state and local campaigns. It was fun. I enjoyed it. Republican politics in Illinois had been a breath of fresh air after …
The Devil in a Barcode
Shortly after the 2016 Election I was approached by an editor who encouraged me to submit a book proposal. He didn’t like it, but the process helped crystalize my own thoughts about the political challenges we face. In our discussions in the comments section I often find myself referencing ideas …
What Really Happened While Trump Distracted Us
Trump’s Fascist rally this week in North Carolina stirred vast public outrage, at least beyond the right wing bubble. By steering the idiotic hatred of his base toward a set of female, minority representatives, he escalated the risk of violence and managed to top his prior incitements. Meanwhile… Trump has …
Jeffrey Epstein and The Wheel
Epstein is not merely a pedophile or a pimp, but a dangerous political pioneer. Until we find the will and the methods to counter the new machine, the rest of our political engagement will be wasted. We are approaching the Dunkirk of liberal democracy.