Essays
Judgment / July 23, 2026
You have heard the argument a hundred times. Caucuses are undemocratic. They are confusing, exclusionary, and time-consuming. They favor the most committed...
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The word "franchise" gets thrown around in politics almost exclusively in the context of voting. The "franchise" is the right to cast a ballot. Who has it...
Let me say something that will make some people uncomfortable. The single most dangerous intellectual error in American politics today is the casual...
There is a procedural device in the House of Representatives that most Americans have never heard of, yet it quietly exposes one of the deepest tensions in...
You hear it everywhere now, this phrase "cooperative federalism," and it sounds so reasonable. Washington and the states working together, pooling...
You hear it everywhere now-"democratic erosion," "threats to democracy," "backsliding." The pundits wring their hands, the academics publish their grim...
Title: The Judgment That Saved American Liberty: Why Confederation Failed The Articles of Confederation are enjoying a curious revival among certain corners...
You hear the phrase and it sounds almost noble: Let the people decide. A randomly selected group of ordinary citizens, brought together to deliberate on a...
Every four years, we go through the ritual. The speeches, the ads, the debates. Then we vote. And then we spend the next several weeks arguing over whether...
Every election cycle, some enterprising politician or pundit revives the outrage machine aimed at the revolving door. A former senator cashes in as a...