Posted inDonald Trump National politics

Trump wants snipers on top of his Triumphal Arch. Chef José Andrés shows how this would look.

Today Trump, who seems to be auditioning for a post-presidential career as a satirical writer for The Onion, said that he wants the Triumphal Arch he seeks to build in Washington D.C. to have some special features. The New York Times describes them. President Trump said on Sunday his planned 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington would be built to host “large numbers of drones,” snipers and ammunition, as the administration appeared prepared to justify another construction project by citing national security. Mr. Trump said the arch would be “a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, to house, store, and have the…
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Posted in2026 election National politics

Nate Silver’s midterm election model looks good for Dems both nationally and in Oregon

It's September. Time to start taking seriously projections for how the November 3 midterm election will turn out. My favorite prognosticator is Nate Silver, who runs the Silver Bulletin that I subscribe to, political junkie that I am. Silver is analyzing every race for the House, Senate, and Governor, along with the probability of each party controlling the House and Senate. Naturally Silver's model will be frequently updated between now and November 3, so what I've shared below is just a snapshot as of September 2. This is a description of the basic methodology used by Silver's FLIPR model: Forecast…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

Why Trump’s vote by mail executive order is both unconstitutional and a horrible idea

Trump thinks he's a king. Thankfully, he's just a lousy president. Kings can issue edicts that their subjects must obey. Presidents can't. Especially when an edict is unconstitutional. Like Trump's newest fantasy -- that through an executive order he issued in March 2026, the postal service won't deliver a ballot unless the voter is on a list generated by the federal government of people who are eligible to vote in federal elections. The Supreme Court likely will decide whether this scheme is constitutional. That should take about ten seconds. All the justices need to do is remind themselves of what…
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Posted inInternational issues National politics

Democratic Socialists of America — bad. Social democracies like Sweden and Denmark — good.

I have no idea why any reasonable citizen of our country would want to be a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Take a look at their program. It isn't a holdover from some bygone day. It was developed between April and June 2026, just a few months ago. It's full of crazy ideas. Like... end capitalism draft a new Constitution abolish the presidency and supreme court do away with the Defense Department create a democratic socialist republic Unfortunately, the most extreme positions of the Democratic Socialists of America give Trump and other Republicans a broad brush to paint DSA…
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Posted inData centers National politics

Data centers are uniting the country. In opposition to data centers.

The United States is so politically divided, it's wonderful that Democrats, Republicans, and independents have come together on one important national issue: dislike of data centers. This image illustrated a Comment by Benjamin Wallace-Wells in The New Yorker's "The Talk of the Town" feature in the August 17, 2026 issue: Reading the Data. The digital version is titled, A.I. is Now a Major Election Issue. With the sub-heading, As Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s newly elected Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, put it, “People really effing hate data centers.” I'll share a PDF file if that link doesn't work for non-subscribers. A.I.…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

Patriotism means seeing the United States as it is — both flawed and fabulous

I don't have an American flag. I'll stand for the Pledge of Allegiance but I don't say the words. For me the Fourth of July means our dog is going to be scared by fireworks, nothing more. I'm proud to have never served in the military, having gotten a high lottery number in Vietnam War days. Yet I consider myself patriotic. Not because I think the United States is the best country in the world. Because I love our country in spite of its many flaws. Which I'm confident is how non-Americans view their own countries: they love India, Brazil,…
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Posted in2028 election Donald Trump National politics

Supreme Court just gave Trump more power. Also the next Democratic president.

No one ever could accuse Trump of being a genius at predicting the long term outcome of his actions. Trump acts, or rather reacts, emotionally in the heat of the moment on the basis of gut feelings, not on any sort of deep analytical understanding. So it isn't surprising that Trump is glorying in a victory given to him by the Supreme Court today, as described in a BBC story. Nearly 100 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt did not have unchecked power to replace commissioners on regulatory agencies set up by Congress…
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Posted in2026 election National politics

Democratic Socialists of America do well in New York primaries. Great news for Democratic Party.

I'm a firm believer in the Big Tent approach to Democratic Party politics. We need to include all sorts of people under the party banner. Including those who don't pass the sort of purity test that some Democrats demand of their politicians. Opposed to abortion? Welcome to the Big Tent. Love your assault rifle? Welcome to the Big Tent. Support Israel? Welcome to the Big Tent. Big fan of billionaires? Welcome to the Big Tent. Favor more drilling for oil and gas? Welcome to the Big Tent. Those are examples of how people with some right-wing leanings can find a…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

UFC bouts at White House were entertaining, even as setting was beyond disturbing

Yesterday I belatedly realized that the highly controversial UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) bouts at the White House were being shown on Paramount+ at no extra cost, and we had a Paramount+ subscription. So I fired up our Apple TV at 5 pm Oregon time, 8 pm Washington DC time, because I was curious to see the spectacle that had caused so much justified uproar among progressives like me. It did seem outrageous that the UFC folks could basically rent the White House grounds for MMA (mixed martial arts) fights in an especially built octagon that was plastered with ads for…
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Posted in2026 election National politics

Graham Platner’s Maine primary victory is a win for flawed people — which is everyone

Today the voters of Maine made Graham Platner the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat currently occupied by Republican Susan Collins. With 71% of the vote in, the New York Times shows Platner ahead of Janet Mills, the governor of Maine, 72% to 20%. Sure doesn't look like Maine Democrats have lost faith in Platner, even after reports surfaced that he had behaved badly with several girlfriends, and had exchanged sexual text messages with some other women at the beginning of his marriage. Nineteen polls were taken between July 2025 and June 2026 of the Democratic primary between Platner and…
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Posted in2026 election 2028 election National politics

Democrats need to make “Won’t Get Fooled Again” their political theme song

This morning I woke up to news that the Virginia Supreme Court had ruled that the redistricting referendum recently approved by the state's voters by a 52-48 margin had been overturned by the court -- causing Virginia's congressional map to revert to a 6-5 likely Democratic majority rather than the 10-1 likely majority under the redistricting proposal. A song title popped into my head. "Won't Get Fooled Again." That was a 1971 song by the Who. The title perfectly encapsulated how I feel about well-meaning Democratic efforts to do the when they go low, we go high thing. Several blue…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

Gavin Newsom must be the 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. I’m a big fan.

Every time I see Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, I get excited about him running for president in 2028 as the Democratic nominee. There's no other potential Democratic candidate who makes me feel that way. Kamala Harris? Been there and done that. Gretchen Whitmer? She's vanished in the Michigan wilderness. Josh Shapiro? Too calculating and unnatural. Cory Booker? Holier than thou attitude that turns me off. Mark Kelly? Nice guy who lacks charisma. By contrast, Gavin Newsom is appealingly real. He comes across as genuine, a rare quality in a politician of his stature. I just watched a recording…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

I have no sympathy for Trump, given his vicious threats against his political enemies

When I heard that a gunman had been subdued at the White House Correspondents Dinner last night, I hoped that no one had been killed or seriously injured. After I learned that everybody attending the dinner was fine, I didn't seek out any more news about the attack, largely because I couldn't care less about how Trump or other administration officials were reacting to it. Predictably, today I heard pleas to "turn down the political rhetoric." Fine, good advice. If Donald Trump would only take it. Trump has done more to create a climate for political violence than anyone else…
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Posted in2026 election National politics

Democrats now lead in redistricting battle. Take that, Republicans!

Revenge is sweet. That's how it felt to me last night as I rejoiced when Virginia voters approved a redistricting plan that is expected to result in a 10-1 Democratic majority in the state's 11 congressional districts, up from a 6-5 majority under the current plan. Is this fair in a purple state where the electorate narrowly favors Democrats? No. But Republicans have been happily gerrymandering in states that they control for decades, rejecting Democratic pleas to institute a national requirement for independent redistricting commissions to redraw congressional maps every ten years after a census. So after Trump demanded that…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics Uncategorized

Photos and videos of 2026 Salem No Kings rally

Yesterday I attended the first No Kings rally of 2026 at the capitol mall here in Salem. Per usual, the signs were music to my Trump-hating ears. My wife got there before me, but I ran into Laurel and her sign before entering the crowd of attendees, who totaled about 5,000. Salem Mayor Julie Hoy got called out for her Trumpian MAGA love. This sign laid out the situation clearly. There was a No Kings dinosaur. And the iconic blow-up frog. Nice blend of Iran war and Epstein files. This woman was on crutches. "I run better than the government."…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

I just watched Trump give the longest State of the Union speech ever. I deserve a freaking medal.

It took a lot of strength and determination. I wanted to give up numerous times. But I persevered -- watching every damn minute of what turned out to be the longest State of the Union speech in our nation's history, 1 hour and 47 minutes. That broke the previous record, also set by Trump, which I think was 1 hour and 39 minutes. So I deserve a medal, especially since I was forced to sit through countless (almost) lies by Trump, along with his usual insults directed at Democrats like me. Commentators had been wondering which Trump would show up…
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Posted in2026 election Donald Trump National politics

Tariff decision by Supreme Court could have helped GOP in midterms, but Trump is doubling down on tariff tax

When I checked my iPhone for the latest news upon waking this morning, my mood instantly brightened. Yay! The Supreme Court has ruled that most of Trump's tariffs were illegal. And not by a narrow 5-4 margin, by a 6-3 margin, so three Trump-appointed justices ruled against him. Up until now the Supreme Court has mostly been allowing Trump to pursue his authoritarian dreams with minimal pushback. But this was a big rejection of unfettered presidential power. Even three conservative Supreme Court justices realized that the Constitution gives Congress the power of taxation, and tariffs are a tax paid by…
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Posted inNational politics

Washington Post cuts a third of its staff. I’ve cancelled my subscription.

After Trump was elected president in 2016, one of the first things I did was sign up for digital subscriptions with the New York Times and Washington Post. I wanted to support high quality independent journalism that would serve as a factual counterweight to Trump's incessant lies. The Times has continued to do that. Under the pathetic so-called "leadership" of owner Jeff Bezos, the Amazon billionaire, the Post hasn't. In late 2024 I cancelled my subscription to the Post after the newspaper withdrew an endorsement of Kamala Harris after the editorial supporting her had been written and was ready to…
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Posted inNational politics Salem Police Department

Salem woman (a citizen) injured by ICE in traffic stop. There’s a GoFundMe for her.

I learned about outrageous behavior by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents here in Salem from a January 31 Salem Reporter story by Madeleine Moore, "U.S. citizen injured by federal agents who demanded to see 'papers,' union says." Excerpt: A woman who’s a U.S. citizen needed medical help Thursday, Jan. 29, after federal agents pulled her from her car after demanding to see her “papers,” one of the state’s largest unions said Saturday. Service Employees International Union Local 503 said the woman, a union member, was driving to run errands when four agents stopped her on a Salem street. The…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

Trump administration is blatantly lying about the murder of Alex Pretti by federal agents

Lies, lies, and more lies. We're all accustomed to being subjected to this by Trump and his cronies. They hate truth. They love lies. But when they lie about the murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal agents, this is especially despicable, because those lies attack the honor of a wonderful man who did absolutely nothing to deserve being shot ten times. Pretti's parents are appropriately outraged. In "The Trump Administration is Lying to Our Faces. Congress Must Act," the New York Times editorial board describes some of the lies being spread by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and…
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