Essays
Judgment / July 18, 2026
There is a word that sounds noble, even exhilarating, to modern ears: plebiscite. It conjures images of the people rising up, bypassing the swamp, taking...
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The phrase "democratic socialism" has become a rallying cry for a generation searching for a kinder capitalism, a fairer system, a way to have the benefits...
Every few years, some intellectual fad makes a run at the conservative movement. Usually it comes from the fringe. Lately, the temptation has been anarchy -...
You have heard the usual shouting match. A Republican president issues a travel ban, and the left screams "dictator." A Democrat cancels student debt by...
Every time a by-election is called, the political establishment treats it like a minor inconvenience. A footnote. A mid-term blip that gets a few days of...
Let me say something that will get me thrown out of most political gatherings, left or right. The ballot initiative, that sacred cow of direct democracy, is...
The phrase "states' rights" is one of the most abused pieces of political vocabulary in America. It has been used to justify segregation, nullify federal...
There is no principle in American politics more cynically exploited, more routinely caricatured, and more urgently needed than states' rights. Say those two...
Every time a president issues a controversial pardon, the same tired circus begins. Cable news explodes with moral outrage. The chattering class demands...
There is a story the legal establishment tells itself about how judges should interpret the Constitution. It goes like this: the document was written two...