Michael McKenna

Trump-obsessed Democrats against self-rule and democracy

On the first night of the Democratic National Convention, speakers mentioned the word "Trump" 147 times. They mentioned "inflation" - the issue identified by voters as their most important issue - three times.

August 21, 2024

Trump should take Reagan’s lead and release his inner optimist

Now that former President Donald Trump has started to lean into the policy differences between himself and Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 presidential campaign is starting to look like 1980.

August 17, 2024

The week Trump finally started focusing on policy

There has been a rising sense of concern among some supporters of former President Donald Trump about the need for him and his campaign to engage more energetically on issues that voters care about.

August 14, 2024

Replacing Biden with Harris has changed campaign’s direction, but not its fundamentals

If you are one of those unfortunate souls who are over-invested in the current presidential campaign, it is probably difficult to accept that the race so far is about where it has been for the last eight months.

August 11, 2024

No, this is not the most important election of your lifetime

Every election cycle, some jokers try to sell the public on the idea that this is the most important election in history to boost television ratings or (now) clicks. Every cycle, they turn out to be wrong.

August 7, 2024

Tight polls suggest presidential race is more about Trump’s flaws than Trump’s policies

This is your biennial reminder that you should take all survey results from here to Election Day with a grain of salt, always keeping in mind that those who paid for the survey research have a vested interest in the outcome.

August 2, 2024

Most people know raising children is more important than raising cats

There is so much grist for the mill this week that figuring out where to focus is a challenge.

July 31, 2024

Is it time for Trump to assemble a transition team?

In April 2012, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who was running for president, announced that he was starting up a "readiness team," headed by former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt and Chris Liddell.

July 27, 2024

Do we want to win AI race, or achieve a net-zero carbon footprint?

There are moments when events conspire to clarify that a page has been turned, something fundamental has changed and events and people are no longer likely to flow in the same direction.

July 24, 2024

Powerful stories from ordinary Americans were best part of dull GOP convention

Now that the Republicans are done with their national convention, it seems timely to make a few observations.

July 19, 2024

The speech that Trump should give

My fellow Americans, for the third time in my life, I am honored to accept the nomination of the Republican Party to be the next president of the United States.

July 17, 2024

Congressional Democrats running a coup against sitting president and threatening justices

Since Biden's performance in the first presidential debate, congressional Democrats have been talking about how best to force an elected president either from office, or as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party.

July 13, 2024

What might go wrong in Supreme Court overturning Chevron v. NRDC

Wendell Arthur Garrity Jr. is not a household name in the United States, although he was a federal judge for a good portion of his life.

July 10, 2024

The only thing Americans don’t seem to want more of is government

This Independence Day, as I watched fireworks on the very edge of the continent, my son read aloud the Declaration of Independence.

July 7, 2024

We have a failed government; we are not a failed state

In last Thursday's debate, former President Donald Trump described the United States as a "failed state" and a "Third World nation." That's unfortunate and -- happily for its citizens -- inaccurate.

July 3, 2024

Replacing Biden would be complicated, almost certainly not worth it

In the wake of President Biden's somewhat uneven, disjointed and lethargic performance in Thursday's debate, there has been a cascade of calls to replace him as the Democratic nominee for president.

June 29, 2024

Becoming Venezuela

Some time ago, I asked a friend what the financial crisis that would eventually submerge the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency would look like. Would it be a failed bond auction or a run on gold?

June 26, 2024

How dependent on China do we want to be?

Environmental activists will need to decide very soon whether they are more concerned about the United States becoming dependent for energy on the communist regime in China.

June 23, 2024

Tax reform is just part of a larger puzzle

As I stated in my last column, no matter which party wins this year's presidential and congressional elections, most of Washington will be dedicated to tax legislation, federal spending, and how to deal with the debt ceiling.

June 19, 2024

Hey Congressional Budget Office, tax cuts are good for the economy

Pretty much all of 2025 in Washington will be dedicated to tax legislation, federal spending and deciding what to do about the debt ceiling.

June 16, 2024