Archives: December 2025
Excerpts from Reason's vaults
Politics
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Some Say the Constitution Has Failed. This Thanksgiving, Here's Why It Hasn't.
Most countries emerged from a shared language, lineage, or ancient heritage. The United States built a state first and then had to discover what it meant to be a nation.
How Special Interests Twisted Federal Sugar Policy To Cost Consumers $2.5 Billion Every Year
Meet Dwayne O. Andreas: The man most singularly responsible for the fact that it is corn, not sugar, in most American sweets.
The Pentagon and the FBI Are Investigating 6 Legislators for Exercising Their First Amendment Rights
The Trump administration is desperately trying to criminalize a video noting that service members have no obligation to follow unlawful orders.
Why DOGE Mattered
It didn't meaningfully cut spending or reduce the size of government, but the DOGE project proved that politicians shouldn't be scared of doing those things.
Elon Musk's 'Account Based In' Feature Has Already Improved X
Foreign grifters are posting clickbait to make money from X's revenue-sharing program.
Is the Poverty Line Really $100,000?
Plus: The Adams staffer purge, therapyspeak in Tennessee's special election, and more...
Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump Prove That There Are Two Paths Toward Socialism
As fans of horseshoe theory point out, the political extremes might differ on details, but they have a lot in common.
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Trump's Habitual Charges of 'Treason' Reflect His Authoritarian Impulses
The president’s reaction to a supposedly "seditious" video illustrates his tendency to portray criticism of him as a crime.
The Ukraine-Russia Deal That Wasn't
Plus: DOGE takes new form, inside a birth cult, and more...
An Antidote to the FDR Cult
A new biography presents Franklin Roosevelt as one of the greatest scoundrels of American political history.
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Upcoming Speaking Engagements in Mexico and Israel
I will be giving multiple talks in these two countries, in December.
Mamdani Understands Something About Trump That European Leaders Don't
Trump respects outreach from opponents more than submissive flattery from friends.
What Would Bill Buckley Do?
The National Review founder's flexible approach to politics defined conservatism as we know it.
Most Americans Think Free Speech Is on the Decline, Survey Finds
"Drops in confidence across all political parties contributed to the record-levels of pessimism," writes the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
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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.
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Trump Says Legislators Committed Treason by Noting That Soldiers Are Not Obligated To Obey Unlawful Orders
The president's authoritarian response to a video posted by six members of Congress, who he says "should be arrested and put on trial," validates their concerns.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Lobstermen surveillance, semiquincentennial squabbling, and socking it to the Scotch Tape People.
Conservative Think Tanks Should Never Have Crawled Into Bed With Tucker Carlson in the First Place
Explaining the crackup on the American right
Bad Deal for Ukraine
Plus: Executiongate, in defense of tradwives, New York gun case, and more...
Is Marjorie Taylor Greene's Break With Trump the Beginning of the End for MAGA?
She's praised Nancy Pelosi, said Republicans aren't doing enough to make things affordable, and is generally making a lot of sense. That's weird, but also good.
Some Democrats Urge the Military To 'Refuse Illegal Orders.' What if the IRS, ATF, and EPA Did the Same?
Much of what the federal government does on a daily basis flouts constitutional protections and offends human decency.
Review: Frank S. Meyer's Fusionism Melded Classical Liberalism With Traditional Religion
Biographer Daniel J. Flynn uncovered long forgotten documents in the conservative thinker's former home.
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Federal Agents Can Continue To Use Riot Control Weapons in Chicago With Limited Oversight Amid Pending Appeal
The ruling comes as federal immigration agents leave Chicago for operations in Charlotte, North Carolina, and New Orleans.
There Is No Such Thing as Good Industrial Policy. But Republicans And Democrats Keep Trying.
Real industrial policy has been tried—in many countries, by governments of every ideology. It fails every time for the same reason.
Tradwives Are Feminists, Too
Tradwives are fighting the cultural stigma that still remains around being a homemaker. That makes them damn good feminists.
DOGE Effect Finally Felt
Plus: Academic standards in crisis, everything's television, and more...
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Is The Washington Post Becoming Libertarian?
The Washington Post opinion editor Adam O’Neal outlines his vision for a more classically liberal editorial voice, examines how both parties turned against free speech and free markets, and explains why the paper is ending political endorsements.
