Antidotes to the Madness

Like a children's clown who proves to be a convicted pedophile, a news channel that turns out to be poisonous propaganda can leave anyone looking for answers. With this in mind, I've been collecting some articles for a relative who has been exposed to Fox News for years, and who has been eager, as Trump's unfitness overwhelms us, to get a better sense of how we got here. These pieces—should you, too, be looking to encourage anyone in your life to stand on the right side of history—cut through the disinformation and lay out the stakes of the coming election.

Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, two eminent political scientists, on the crucial asymmetric polarization of our two parties. (2016)

Jonathan Rauch and Benjamin Wittes, two nonpartisan analysts, on the same topic. (2018)

Christopher Browning, a Holocaust historian, on our endangered democracy. A standout essay from the last few years. (2018)

My reflection on Fox News, for which I drew from my own heartbreak over a family fractured by lies and an interview with a seriously pissed-off Reagan economist. (2016)

Andrew Sullivan, a conservative, on the absurd state of affairs. (2019)

Max Boot, a former adviser to Mitt Romney, on the state of the party to which he dedicated his life. (2019)

Max Boot, on why he'll support any Democratic nominee for president. (2019)

Peter Wehner, who served in three Republican administrations, embodying what it means to put country before party. (2019)

David Wallace-Wells, with a crucial piece on climate. (2017)

David Wallace-Wells, with an equally essential piece spelling out why we must vote with the environment foremost in mind. (2019)

Eric Beinhocker, a former McKinsey executive and now an economist at Oxford, with a piece that should be read by every American. (2019)

Alan Weisman, reviewing two of 2019's most important books, David Wallace-Wells's "The Uninhabitable Earth" and Bill McKibben's "Falter." (2019)

Jane Mayer, on the unspeakable corruption behind climate denialism. (2019)

Joe Walsh, among the growing number of Republicans urging the president's defeat. (2019)

Anthony Scaramucci, another example. (2019)

Jennifer Rubin, a vital conservative voice in journalism today. (2019)

Mark Galli, who, in his final act as editor of Christianity Today, channels the values of Christ. (2019)

Stuart Stevens, who worked for five Republican presidential campaigns and models the courage that this moment demands. (2020)

Nicole Hemmer, on how the right-wing media complex is strangling our democracy to death. (2020)

Ezra Klein, on the asymmetric polarization of our parties and the imperative of democratic reform. (2020)

For further reading, Jonathan Chait is unsurpassed for his political insights.