Norm Ornstein

In Search of Optimism About 2026

It’s been a disastrous year in American politics. Donald Trump is going around naming everything after himself and proclaiming everything…

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Reflecting on Rob Reiner and his Legacy

Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle were tragically murdered. Their son, who has history of struggles with addition and mental…

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MAGApocalypse Now

The Republican Senate just voted against extending the Affordable Care Act. Twenty million people could lose their healthcare coverage soon,…

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MAGA is Coming Apart at the Seams

Tuesday was a surprisingly difficult victory for the Republicans in red Tennessee. The speical election’s electoral results have a lot…

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A Curmudgeon’s Guide to What to Be Thankful For

As we approach Thanksgiving in our current political climate, Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf ask – what is there to…

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How Much Worse Can It Get? (Spoiler Alert: Way Worse)

If the current political climate wasn’t bleak enough, Donald Trump is now calling for his political enemies to be executed.…

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The Cruelty Is The Point

As deeply disturbing as our current political situation is, the consequences of dysfunction in Washington on average Americans is what really…

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We Moved a Step Closer to the End of MAGA This Week

The Tuesday elections were a massive success for the Democrats and a beacon of hope for the United States. Nevertheless,…

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Crazier Craziness from Trump Lies Ahead

You may think you’ve seen crazy, but when it comes to Trump, you ain’t seen nothing yet. With SNAP benefits…

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Searching Through the Rubble of the White House for One Little Bit of Positive News

Donald Trump just tore down the East Wing of the White House. Yup, that’s right – the President of the…

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The Government’s War on Democracy is a War on You

Words matter to the Trump administration, and their willingness to accept and embrace the most vile language and discourse is…

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The Big Reason Trump and MAGA Must Be Held to Account

“When they go low, we go high” is officially dead—and David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein are here to unleash a…

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Just Wrecked Trump’s Entire Shutdown Strategy

With the government shutdown fight dragging into its second week, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene rolled a grenade into the GOP…

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Welcome to a Government Shutdown Only A Mussolini Could Love

The current government shutdown is unlike any we have seen before. President Trump is turning this into a political assault…

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“Budgets? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Budgets!”

Make no mistake – we are headed towards a government shutdown and it is a strategic move from the Trump…

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Freedom of Speech in America is on Life Support

“This is a 10,000-meter race to a full-blown police state, and they’re picking up speed.” The Trump administration is using…

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Post-9/11 We Tried to Unite, Following the Kirk Shooting it’s the Opposite

Yesterday, on September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Today, September 11th, marks the 24th anniversary of the largest terrorist…

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Remember Voting? Those Were the Good Old Days!

President Trump met with Vladimir Putin and listened to him warn against mail-in voting. Then, Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders…

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From Arby’s to Subway – a Week in Review

As if Trump’s authoritarian transgressions weren’t already blatant, the President has now deployed National Guard troops to “protect” our nation’s…

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Cartman is the New Walter Cronkite 

“Thank God for South Park.” Words Matter is back for another weekly edition of political therapy with Dr. Norm Ornstein…

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