The Wrong Fight: Why Democrats Keep Debating Who They Are Instead of What Things Cost

A democratic socialist who wants city-owned grocery stores in every borough. A moderate who just posted the largest raw vote margin in Virginia gubernatorial history. A Navy helicopter pilot who froze utility rates as her first official act in office. Three candidates. Three wildly different ideological starting points. One identical

The Parking Spot: How Federalism Became America's Oldest Political Weapon

Nobody defends a parking spot on principle. You defend it because your car is there.

The Hangman: Erosion of American Democracy

In 2016, a new force entered our political landscape. A force unmoored from principles, norms, and the rule of law itself.

The Lie of the Strong Man

The strongman always arrives at the same moment: when patience runs out and faith in rules runs thin.

American Empire: Spheres of Influence

What Donald Trump is saying in this moment is that legitimacy and international law do not matter. Only power does.

The Rage Machine

Anger feels righteous. It's viral. It wins elections. But it's also burning us out and turning neighbors into enemies.

The Medium Place: If AI Doesn't Kill Us All

AGI might not kill us, but it probably won’t save us either. The more likely future is a dreadfully average world that’s neither hell nor utopia; just a comfortable cage run by a new aristocracy.

"Unaligned" is now "For the Republic"

Hey everyone, As a quick housekeeping note, Unaligned has rebranded! Unaligned → For the Republic As of today, this publication will be rebranding from “Unaligned” to “For the Republic.” When I first launched Unaligned, my focus was on not being “captured” by partisanship and on speaking for the “exhausted majority” that’

The Enshittification of Everything

The ad economy ate the internet. Then they came for work, culture, and your own sanity.

The Hydra Chokes: Inside MAGA's Stalemate and Self-Inflicted Decay

Some big problems are grinding Trump’s second term into stalemate.

0.2%

"Taher and his wife watched their baby take his final breath. Their other children began to scream." - AP News

The Tyrant's Two Heads: A Civil War for America's Authoritarian Future

Two rival faiths are fighting to rule America. One worships technology; the other God. Both dream of dominion. And between them stands a kleptocrat willing to sell the republic to whichever pays best.