Mutually Assured Democracy
The Democratic Party either adopts a doctrine of deterrence or accepts the death of the republic.
Latest
How America Learned to Wage War Without Permission
The moral hazard posed by a government no longer constrained by our Constitution is a grave threat. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, 2026 212-219. Seven votes. That's the margin by which the House declined to assert its constitutional war powers. In a mostly party-line vote, almost every Republican voted to
The Workaround Presidency: Constitutional Arbitrage
We're witnessing the emergence of a decorative judiciary. A constitutional Potemkin village.
The Racket Never Dies
Ninety-one years ago today, on February 17th, 1935, Smedley Butler took to WCAU radio in Philadelphia and told the American public what Congress wouldn’t.
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’
dystopia
The Enshittification of Everything
The ad economy ate the internet. Then they came for work, culture, and your own sanity.
politics
The Hydra Chokes: Inside MAGA's Stalemate and Self-Inflicted Decay
Some big problems are grinding Trump’s second term into stalemate.
politics
0.2%
"Taher and his wife watched their baby take his final breath. Their other children began to scream." - AP News
dystopia
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.
politics
The Party of Reagan is Dead
Big government conservatives? Small government liberals? The rise and fall of GOP ideals in the "Age of Trump"
ai
Blue-Skied Dystopia
Surveillance, Algorithms, and Why Everything Feels Wrong Despite Looking Fine
self
Becoming.
On masks, choice, and the price of honesty.
coalition
Exploring Abundance
Stop fighting over slices. Start baking more pie.
center-right
King of the Hill: Culture War
The right now holds the cultural crown, but their aggressive agenda is focused on foes the median voter thinks are already beaten. The crown confers power, but it also paints a large target.
liberal
Flash Point
Cooler heads or a darker road: the choice is arriving. We can step off this path. But we have to choose it on purpose.
liberal
Why I'm Launching For the Republic
Most Americans aren’t extremists; they’re exhausted. For the Republic is my plan to move power from the outrage economy to a real majority that solves problems.