Beyond the Pod

The most useful political analysis I’ve read this year didn’t come from a campaign memo or a cable news segment.

With all the focus on the roller coaster of headlines we consume hourly, it’s easy to miss the start of something bigger.

The data, the retirements, and the timing all point in the same direction. The only real question left is the margin.

Two stories collided this week, and together they reveal something deeply unsettling — not just about Donald Trump, but about how political accountability now works.

Every election cycle has a moment when the calendar still insists there’s plenty of time left — but politics quietly disagrees.

None of what Donald Trump is doing right now is good politics — at least not when viewed through a conventional lens.

By the time the votes are counted in November 2026, the political verdict will be instant — even if the meaning isn’t.

My only certainty about the year ahead is uncertainty—at home and abroad. And the politics that will “work” won’t be the politics of restoration.

Every year around this time, many of us lean on a few tried-and-true writing crutches.

As we head into the holidays, I would like to take a moment to thank you for being part of this community, whether you tune in for the politics, the history, the media chatter — or just the La Cheeserie shoutouts — your engagement and thoughtfulness are what keep this space meaningful (and fun).

I set out to write a familiar kind of year-end column — the “what did we learn this year?” exercise.

Why Democrats Keep Picking Fights — and is this the party’s version of “own the libs”? (“Own MAGA”?)

(More than you may realize)

Wishing you and your families a wonderful holiday.

— and Why It Still Tells Us Something About 2028

(Why Trump’s economic reality check could finally break his hold on the GOP)

This week’s likely election of self-described Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as the next mayor of New York City is about to ignite a larger debate inside the Democratic Party: is this still a capitalist party, or is it preparing to embrace a new economic model — something closer to

Hate the headline or love it — I couldn’t resist.

There’s not a corner of modern life — politics, sports, entertainment, business — untouched by a quiet anxiety over artificial intelligence.

Why fighting Trump isn’t enough