James Talarico is deploying his Christian faith in his bid for the Senate. But he’s winning because Texans have been pummeled by inflation and corruption.

A choice between Talarico or Trump

Do Democrats finally have an opening to win their first statewide Texas election in thirty years?

And how do we get ourselves out of this mess?

In what might as well be science fiction, one voter imagines a good-faith Senate hearing on rules and how to use them.

Dave Denison was the first editor of CommonWealth magazine and oversaw the publication of its first issue 30 years ago, in the spring of 1996. Although much has changed about the country, the state, and...

More Riffing about Reading

In the Trump era, we are often asked ”how bad can it get?” Look no further than Henry Kissinger.

And some thoughts about the HOF game

Past results are not a guarantee of future returns.

Let’s set Substack’s “Nazi problem” aside for a moment. What if the bigger issue is being stranded on a collapsing platform... with a bunch of Nazis?...

How long can bowling endure the vulture capitalists buying up alleys around the country?

How long can bowling endure the vulture capitalists buying up alleys around the country?

The Observer's crusading founding editor—a profilific author and agitator who helped animate the spirit of a true Texas liberalism—has died at 95.

Blessed are the cheesemakers