Congress
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This Is What Happens When An Autocrat Is Not Checked By Congress
Congress’s abdication of its constitutional responsibilities has rarely been as conspicuous as in the recent escalation toward armed conflict with Iran. The War Powers Clause was designed as a deliberate constraint, a structural safeguard meant to prevent unilateral martial adventurism by any president. Yet the latest round of strikes—undertaken without deliberation, authorization, or even meaningful… Continue reading
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Living The Imperial Presidency In 2026
Arthur Schlesinger Jr.’s The Imperial Presidency was designed to be a warning flare fired across the bow of American democracy, but revisiting it as the new year started in light of Donald Trump’s actions gives it an even sharper edge. I first read this book when living in Sturgeon Bay, during President Reagan’s second term.… Continue reading
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Senator Baldwin Correct: ICE Should Not Operate From Behind Masks
In a democratic society, government power is supposed to be exercised openly. Accountability is not a luxury that can be tossed aside when it is uncomfortable. Yet Immigration and Customs Enforcement has increasingly adopted the practice of covering agents’ faces during operations that we witness daily on newscasts or in our newspapers. ICE agents appear… Continue reading
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Nation Cannot Survive At Shallow End Of Swimming Pool
Somewhere between rereading The Imperial Presidency by Arthur Schlesinger and the daily newspapers, I have been trying to place the lessons of the past into the constant absurdity and irrationality of the present. I am not sure I am making headway in my thinking, but I want to share where I am as of today.… Continue reading
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Local Citizen Writes Cogent Letter For Impeaching Donald Trump To Senator Ron Johnson And Congressman Scott Fitzgerald
Our friend and realtor, Robin Guernsey, wrote a powerfully cogent and timely letter to her federal officials this morning, following the murder on Saturday of an American on the streets of Minneapolis. Before I get to the heart of this column, first, I need to explain the character of the woman who wrote the letter.… Continue reading
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What Must Be Done To Face Our Current Crisis In America?
While reading the newspapers today, I thought about a book I had read decades ago by Arthur Schlesinger. I read it in my 20s while in Door County, a decade after it was published. The Imperial Presidency was written following the twin debacles of Vietnam and Watergate, with an emphasis on what should be the… Continue reading
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Senate Republicans Did What Is Right (Nation Needs More Congressional Stewardship)
In yet another example of ongoing excessive overreach by the Trump White House, as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell comes under attack, the need for pushback is so obvious that even Senate Republicans have drawn a line in the sand. Failing to modulate Donald Trump’s absurd political pressure against the central bank, elected members of the… Continue reading
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Lest We Forget, January 6th And The Treasonous Coup Attempt
What the vast majority of the United States well knows is that Joe Biden solidly defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Even 6th graders know that there needs to be 270 electoral votes to win and that Biden earned 306 of them to Trump’s 232. Biden received 51.3% of the vote compared to… Continue reading
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Donald Trump Had No Legal Authority To Invade Venezuela, Proves To Be Authoritarian Thug On World Stage
The United States has crossed a stark red line that cannot be blurred by spin or cheap patriotism theater. The invasion of Venezuela—launched without congressional authorization, without even the traditional courtesy of notifying the Gang of Eight—marks a rupture in American governance so profound that future historians will struggle to explain how a republic tolerated… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 