An Antidote to the FDR Cult
A new biography presents Franklin Roosevelt as one of the greatest scoundrels of American political history.
Presidential History
The Democratic Party Is Offering a False Choice Between Socialism and Technocracy
By looking to the past, Democrats could chart a pro-freedom blueprint for their party’s future.
The Art of the Presidential Health Cover-Up
Since long before Biden and Trump, presidents have been going to great lengths to keep their medical problems from the public.
What the Japanese Internment Case Teaches About Judicial Deference to Presidential Power
Long-ago debates about executive authority are not as distant as they might initially seem.
How 'National Security' Came Unmoored From Americans' Actual Security
The turning point was the New Deal.
Have Presidents Grown Too Powerful To Be Removed From Office?
Joe Biden showed that the 25th Amendment doesn't work. Donald Trump showed that impeachment is broken too.
What Happens When Presidents Defy Court Orders?
“The Executive will lose much from a public perception of its lawlessness and all of its attendant contagions.”
Why the Wilson Center Had To Go
The taxpayer-funded think tank cloaked elite impunity and American interventionism in the language of liberalism.
Trump Is Wrong About McKinley's Tariff Legacy
Did the 25th president really make America "very rich through tariffs"? William McKinley might have told you otherwise.
Trump's Use of the Alien Enemies Act Violates Madison's View of Presidential Power
Alleged criminal aliens may face legal punishment. But only after receiving due process of law.
Trump's Attack on the Courts Channels the Worst of Theodore Roosevelt
An unconstitutional act is still unconstitutional even if lots of people support it.
Preserve the Mercy of Pardon Power, Even If Presidents Misuse It
While overturning sentences through courts can take years, a grant of clemency is instantaneous.
The New Captain America Film Has Important Lessons for Trump and Biden Stans
In Captain America: Brave New World, a power-hungry president makes reckless choices and withholds vital information—but even he looks competent compared to Biden and Trump.
Trump's Role Model McKinley Tariffed His Way to Imperialism
Reviving the Monroe Doctrine and 19th century Republican adventurism is not a shortcut to peace.
We Could Use a Man Like Grover Cleveland Again
The last president to serve two non-consecutive terms stood against imperialism. Donald Trump could learn from his example.
Review: The Radicals Who Tried To Kill Gerald Ford
The Rip Current podcast is a good reminder that political division and even violence are not new in America.
Final Farewells
Plus: What Biden regrets, Trump supports visas for skilled workers (or does he?), a major Amtrak screwup, and more...
RIP Jimmy Carter, the 'Passionless' President
The libertarian case for the late Jimmy Carter.
The Meese Revolution: The Making of a Constitutional Moment (2024)
by Steven Gow Calabresi and Gary Lawson.
Trump vs. Cleveland: A Tale of Two Tariff Strategies
Grover Cleveland fought high tariffs as a “communism of pelf.” Trump embraces them as an economic cornerstone.
The Presidential We
How U.S. presidents habitually use—and abuse—pronouns to deceive.
Looking at Reagan Through the Lens of Trump
Max Boot's biography of Ronald Reagan is deeply researched and informative, but it sometimes stumbles when it tries to use the past to make sense of the present.
Biden's Out. Harris Is In. Everyone Else Is Screwed.
Plus: A listener asks the editors if employers should be held responsible for the speech and actions of employees outside of the workplace.
Biden's Race-Ending Debate Performance Was So Bad That It Eclipsed Trump's Flagrant Falsehoods
Voters should not dismiss the former president's utter disregard for the truth as a personal quirk or standard political practice.
Fellow Democrats Force Joe Biden Out of His Reelection Bid
After facing weeks of falling poll numbers and pressure from fellow Democrats and liberal donors, Biden ended his reelection campaign. He subsequently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
A Bonus Reason Roundtable. Live From Boston!
Plus: Who are the editors' favorite vice presidents of all time?
David Beito: Was FDR a Tyrant?
David Beito discusses his new book The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance.
How To Be the President's Kid
From Alice Roosevelt to Hunter Biden, we've never been sure how to reconcile American democracy with American dynasties.
The Best of Reason: Culture Warrior in Chief
The modern presidency is a divider, not a uniter. It has become far too powerful to be anything else.
Culture Warrior in Chief
The modern presidency is a divider, not a uniter. It has become far too powerful to be anything else.
How FDR Emasculated the Black Press in World War II
Instead of indulging in politically risky sedition prosecutions of the black press, the government relied on indirect methods of behind-the-scenes manipulation and intimidation.
Third Party Candidates Shouldn't Get Their Hopes Up
If Joe Manchin or Larry Hogan thinks he’ll be elected on a No Labels ticket, he’ll be sorely disappointed.
When the Left and Right Came Together To Applaud Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
A Republican, a Communist, and a Catholic conservative walk onto a movie set...
Clark Neily: Regardless of Guilt, Trump Won't Go to Jail
The constitutional lawyer and criminal justice reformer talks about our two-tier punishment system and deep-seated corruption at the Justice Department.
Biden's Experience Doesn't Mean He Can Plan an Economy
No amount of experience can solve the "knowledge problem."
Free Immigration Is a Core American Value
Just consider the policies that the Founding Fathers embraced.
Presidents' Day Is a Good Reminder To Treat the Presidency With Skepticism
While the office was created with "modest authority and limited responsibilities," the modern president has increasingly unchecked power and authority.
Biden May Dream of 6 More Years, but His Three Closest Comps Never Got There
What we can learn from the State of the Union addresses by Jimmy Carter in 1979, Richard Nixon in 1971, and JFK in 1963
The Political Lies That Really Matter
From George Santos to Joe Biden, résumé padding is unacceptable. But it's all the lies about legislation we can't afford.
It's Way Past Time To Release the Rest of the JFK Assassination Files
Joe Biden just declassified another batch, but the government is still keeping some under wraps.
What the FBI's Mar-a-Lago Warrant Does—and Doesn't—Mean
Even if a warrant wasn’t the DOJ’s only option, its choice to go this route doesn’t signal—let alone prove—anything about the future of the probe.
How the U.S. Paid for the Civil War
Lincoln's wartime governance had dire, and longstanding, economic consequences.
The Queen Is Dead. Anarchy in the U.K.?
Plus: The editors respond to a question about the Forward Party.
