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Eric Levitz

Features Writer, Intelligencer
@EricLevitz

Eric Levitz is a features writer for Intelligencer. He covers politics and economics.

  1. bernie sanders
    Why Does Bernie Sanders Cling to ‘Socialism’?Intelligencer staffers discuss the pros and cons of being associated with a still-polarizing term.
  2. social security
    Social Security Isn’t Going Broke. Older Americans Are.Cutting benefits won’t make it easier for America to support its growing elderly population. Expanding immigration and raising taxes would.
  3. trump administration
    Federal Watchdog Says Kellyanne Conway Should Be Fired for Violating Hatch ActConway constantly advocates for the GOP while speaking in her official capacity, which is illegal. Regulators say that’s unacceptable.
  4. vision 2020
    Joe Manchin Is the Worst, But We’ll Miss Him When He’s GoneIf Manchin follows through on his retirement threat, Democrats will have a hard time taking back the Senate in 2020 — or the foreseeable future.
  5. socialism
    Bernie Sanders Is Right — We’re All ‘Socialists’ NowThe government will always intervene in markets. The real debate is about whose interests it should serve when it does so.
  6. vision 2020
    Elizabeth Warren Edges Past Sanders in New 2020 PollsSanders still leads in the polling averages. But he also appears to have a lower ceiling of potential support than the Massachusetts senator.
  7. vision 2020
    Class Divides Republicans – But Not Democrats – on Economic IssuesA new study suggests Democrats have much to gain – and little to lose – by campaigning on a progressive economic message in 2020.
  8. pentagon budget
    Trump: U.S. Defense Spending Is Too High — But Must Not Be CutThe president shared his coherent, carefully considered thoughts on the Pentagon budget with CNBC Monday morning.
  9. polls
    America’s Political Mood Is Now the ‘Most Liberal Ever Recorded’But the electorate’s liberal mood may be less significant than the leftward shift in the economic consensus among policy wonks.
  10. vision 2020
    Should Democrats Hold a Climate-Change Debate?Intelligencer staffers discuss whether the DNC dropped the ball by ruling one out.
  11. vision 2020
    If Trump Were Smart, He’d Raise the Minimum Wage Before 2020Hiking the wage floor to $10 would earn Trump media praise and “populist” bona fides — without actually hurting the GOP donor class.
  12. tariffs
    Trump’s Mexico Tariffs Might Actually WorkMexico is reportedly on the cusp of making major concessions to prevent Trump’s duties from going into effect.
  13. conservatism
    Tucker Carlson’s Praise for Elizabeth Warren Should Scare DemocratsIf the GOP turns left on economics, it could dominate America’s politics. And the obstacles to such a pivot are starting to fall.
  14. vision 2020
    Warren’s ‘Economic Patriotism’ Plan Beats Trump at His Own GameThe senator has a plausible, eco-friendly plan for reviving American manufacturing and shrinking the trade deficit.
  15. vision 2020
    Joe Biden’s Climate Plan Proves He’s a Weather VaneBiden is more of an opportunist than an ideological centrist. But the left can’t count on the wind always blowing in its direction.
  16. liberalism
    Jordan Peterson’s Meeting With Orbán Was Hypocritical — But in CharacterThe “classic liberal” has long been too obsessed with fighting the activists on campus to worry about abetting the right-wing authoritarians in power.
  17. tariffs
    Trump’s Plan to Seal the Border by Putting Tariffs on Mexico Will BackfireThe move threatens approval of Trump’s new NAFTA, jeopardizes the economic expansion, and could actually make Mexico less cooperative on immigration.
  18. electoral college
    Nevada Governor Vetoes National Popular Vote Bill for Some Stupid ReasonThe bill “could diminish the role of smaller states like Nevada in national electoral contests,” the governor said, stupidly.
  19. the economy
    The Bond Market Gazes Into the Future, Only Sees PainA top recession indicator is flashing red. And while the U.S. economy remains strong, there’s reason to think this isn’t a false alarm.
  20. vision 2020
    Why Millennials’ Political Awakening Could Bury Trump in 2020All generations vote at higher rates as they age. But 2018 turnout data suggests that Trump has accelerated this process for millennials and Gen Z.
  21. the media
    Robert Mueller’s Statement Was a Game-Changer (Because the Media Hates Reading)Mueller said nothing new. But his remarks changed the politics of impeachment, anyway — because virtually no one read his 400-page report.
  22. vision 2020
    In Appeal to Moderates, Bernie Calls for Worker-Ownership of Means of ProductionSanders’s new plan for increasing labor’s share of profits is both more socialist – and more popular – than some of his more conventional policies.
  23. climate change
    Trump Thwarts GOP Plot to Pretend His Climate Agenda Isn’t IdioticRepublicans have realized that denying climate science is unpopular and unnecessary. But Trump insists on putting the party’s dumbest face forward.
  24. tax returns
    Judge Approves Subpoena of Trump’s Records With Deutsche Bank, Capital OneThe Trump family argued that House Democrats had no legitimate purpose for seeking the president’s financial records. A federal judge disagreed.
  25. vision 2020
    Moderate Democrats’ Delusions of ‘Prudence’ Will Kill Us AllSome centrists believe that their complacency about our democratic and ecological crises makes them “prudent.” It makes them anything but.
  26. satire
    As Trump Sics Raptors on House, Pelosi Warns Impeachment Would Be a DistractionPelosi shares her members’ concerns about Trump’s dino clones, but says impeachment would distract from their message on Gym Membership Tax Credits.
  27. immigration
    Kris Kobach to Trump: I Can’t Be an Effective Adviser Without 24/7 Jet AccessThe GOP’s “populist” anti-immigration guru told the White House he won’t serve his country unless he’s given an on-call plane, other perks.
  28. war crimes
    Why Trump Loves War CriminalsIntelligencer staffers discuss the president’s reported intention to pardon soldiers who committed atrocities.
  29. irs
    The IRS Basically Put the Superrich on the Honor System Last YearIn 2018, the audit rate for Americans who earn more than $10 million fell by more than half to 6.66 percent.
  30. corruption
    EPA Science Said Trump’s Coal Rule Would Kill 1,400. So the EPA Ditched Science.Trump’s coal policy had an estimated death toll so high his administration couldn’t defend it. So the EPA is engineering a lower estimate.
  31. immigration
    Trump: E-Verify Would Make It Too Hard to Hire Undocumented WorkersTrump admits he’s fine with undocumented workers “taking” American jobs — he just wants those workers to have no rights and live in constant fear.
  32. markets
    Trump’s Huawei Ban Is a Bigger Deal Than His Trade WarIf great-power rivalry renders high-tech trade between the U.S. and China impossible, globalization as we’ve known it will end.
  33. trump tax cuts
    Trump Accidentally Raised Taxes on the Children of Dead VeteransAn ill-considered provision in Trump’s signature law hiked taxes on survivor benefits and low-income students’ college scholarships.
  34. abortion rights
    The Assault on Abortion Rights Is Tyranny of the MinorityMost GOP voters want Roe v. Wade upheld. And banning abortion in all circumstances is opposed by a majority of voters in every U.S. state.
  35. jared kushner
    Jared Kushner Has Crafted a Lose-Lose Compromise on ImmigrationThe man who was supposed to unite the Israelis and Palestinians behind a peace plan can’t even unite Republicans on immigration.
  36. roe v. wade
    The GOP’s Assault on Abortion Rights Is Tyranny of the MinorityMost GOP voters want Roe v. Wade upheld. And banning abortion in all circumstances is opposed by a majority of voters in every U.S. state.
  37. vision 2020
    Elizabeth Warren Unveils Plan for Cleaner, Greener War MachineWarren’s new climate plan focuses on greening the Pentagon. That’s a smart as a legislative tactic, but slightly off-brand as a campaign pledge.
  38. open letter
    Open Letter to Trump: Give Peace (and/or Trump Tower Tehran) a ChanceThere are better ways to deal with Iran than war, Mr. President. Trading sanctions relief for personal financial favors, for example.
  39. vision 2020
    Democrats: Trump’s GOP Is a Threat to Democracy – So We Better Play NicePelosi and Biden argue that the GOP is breaking our democracy – and therefore, Democrats must not impeach Trump or give up on bipartisanship.
  40. foreign interests
    White House Reviews Plans for Needless War With IranIf Tehran violates the nuclear agreement that the U.S. already withdrew from, America is prepared to confront Iran militarily with 120,000 troops.
  41. president trump
    Trump Calls for John Kerry’s Prosecution Under the Logan ActTrump suggested Thursday that he had asked the DOJ to prosecute Kerry for meeting with Iranian officials, but “my people don’t want to do anything.”
  42. president trump
    The President’s ‘Jokes’ About Shooting Migrants Are No Laughing MatterTrump describes migrants as invaders, and suggests that shooting them would be “very effective.” But migrants have no power, so the GOP laughs it off.
  43. trump tax returns
    New York Moves Toward Giving Congress Trump’s State Tax ReturnsNew York’s Senate passed a bill that would allow congressional committees to access Trump’s home-state tax records.
  44. vision 2020
    Obama-to-Trump Voters Are Cooling on the PresidentA new study finds only 66 percent of Obama-to-Trump voters approve of the president. Which means that Trump’s 2020 odds may be worse than they look.
  45. trump tax returns
    Trump: The Real Scandal in My Taxes Are the Loopholes (That I Refused to Close)Trump says the enormous losses on his tax returns merely reflect the outrageous loopholes that his tax bill expanded.
  46. vision 2020
    Democrats Are Ignoring Their Party’s Strongest Issue for 2020Making it easier for corporations to poison children is unpopular. Trump has done so anyway. Democrats should make that a bigger issue.
  47. war crimes
    Trump Pardons Former Soldier Who Murdered Naked Iraqi PrisonerMichael Behenna drove a detainee into the desert, stripped him naked, then shot him dead. He was already on parole before the pardon.
  48. foreign interests
    Voters Want an ‘America First’ Foreign Policy (Just Not Trump’s)A majority wants to prioritize domestic spending over the military budget, and their own economic security over spreading democracy.
  49. climate change
    Humanity Is About to Kill 1 Million Species in an Epic Murder-SuicideA new U.N. report finds that civilization is on the cusp of killing off the organisms that keep our soil fertile, seafood plentiful, and air clean.
  50. gerrymandering
    Federal Court Strikes Down GOP Gerrymander in OhioThe judges ruled that the maps were so severely biased in the GOP’s favor they violated the constitutional rights of Democratic voters.
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