Essays
Judgment / September 9, 2026
I'll answer the question directly first: The United States is a republic - specifically, a constitutional, federal republic. It is not a democracy. It has...
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Ask the wrong question and you end up defending the wrong country. For years now, American politics has been framed as a contest between socialism and...
We keep misdiagnosing the disease. For years now, the word oligarchy has been thrown around as a club against rich people-tech founders, hedge fund...
The Constitution says the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint … Judges of the supreme Court."...
Two words have reshaped American liberty more than most constitutional amendments ever will. They sound rigorous. They sound like courts are protecting your...
Ask most Americans about presidential succession and you will usually get a trivia answer: the vice president, then the Speaker of the House, then the...
Let's begin with the sentence most civics classes get wrong: ancient Athens was a democracy. The Roman Republic was not. The difference between them is not...
Most Americans hear the phrase "electoral autocracy" and picture a faraway capital. They imagine a strongman in a tailored suit standing beside a row of...
Every time a federal funding lapse looms, the same question dominates the coverage: Who wins the blame game? That is exactly the wrong question. A...
Ask a well-read American what Montesquieu contributed to political thought and you will almost certainly hear the phrase separation of powers. That answer...