David French: “This era of American politics will end, one way or the other. And when it does, historians are likely to debate whether its defining characteristic was stupidity or malice.”
“I’ve gone back and forth in my own mind, but I now realize that the two traits have almost fully merged. Malice is creating stupidity, and stupidity is creating malice.”
Save to Favorites“Speaker Mike Johnson already has to worry about a clutch of hard-line conservative ideologues inside the House Republican ranks as he tries to pass the heart of President Donald Trump’s…
Jonathan Chait: “The Democratic Party, at least in theory, is an organization dedicated to winning political power through elected office, though this might seem hard to believe on the evidence…
After four years out of power, there’s little doubt that President Trump and his allies were more prepared for his second term than they were for his first. Here are…
“Chuck Schumer’s advice for Democrats staring at a long two or more years out of power: Just wait,” Semafor reports. Said Schumer: “Trump will screw up.” “The Senate minority leader…
Paul Krugman: “When democracies die, big business and wealthy individuals often play a crucial role in their demise. They provide a would-be strongman with financial support; their control of or…
“William McKinley was one of our greatest presidents, ushering in an era of wealth and power. Manifest Destiny was a noble calling worthy of emulation. Handing over the Panama Canal…
“The Trump administration aggressively publicized the arrests of more than 8,000 immigrants by federal agents since Inauguration Day, with the promise that those detained would be part of a historic…
“Denmark is ready to allow the US to boost its presence in Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said as she seeks to curb an escalating diplomatic crisis with the…
“Agriculture Department employees have been ordered to delete landing pages discussing climate change across agency websites and document climate change references for further review,” Politico reports. NPR: “Trump administration purges…
Philip Elliot: “The anxiety across the civil service at this hour is rightly earned and has no sign of slackening. If you’re a career federal worker, you’re marking your time…
Playbook: “We are witnessing a revolutionary president tearing up legal, constitutional and now economic norms with every passing day — and to repeat, this is only week 3.” Save to…
“The main office of the US Agency for International Development in Washington was unexpectedly closed Monday and workers were emailed shortly after midnight that they should not come in,” CNN…
“Elon Musk and his cost-slashing allies are taking a hammer to the massive bureaucracy that staffs the U.S. government — and a scalpel to any senior officials who dare put…
“It is said that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” Punchbowl News reports. “President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune might…
“House Republican leaders want committees to land deeper spending cuts in their party-line bill to enact President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda, as they scramble to address a rebellion from key…
“President Donald Trump said the US would halt all future funding to South Africa because of its new land-expropriation law,” Bloomberg reports. “South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last month…
“More than 8,000 web pages across more than a dozen U.S. government websites have been taken down since Friday afternoon, as federal agencies rush to heed President Trump’s orders targeting…
Washington Post: “Trump is not closely monitoring Musk’s moves, according to people close to the president, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly….
“Tariffs will drive the cost of everything up. In other words, it will be paid for by American consumers. Why would you want to get in a fight with your…
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.