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Eric Levitz

Features Writer, Intelligencer
@EricLevitz

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

  1. vision 2020
    Can Bernie Sanders Make Joe Biden’s Anti-Labor Trade Record Matter?Sanders sees Biden’s support for NAFTA and TPP as his fatal flaw, undermining the front-runner’s pro-union branding and supposed electability.
  2. jobs report
    Unemployment Rate Hits 50-Year Low – Yet Wage Growth Stays TepidMany economists said we couldn’t have unemployment below 5 percent without runaway inflation. Now, it’s at 3.6 — and price growth is still too low.
  3. satire
    Why I — a Bland White Guy You’ve Never Heard Of — Am Running for PresidentVoters deserve a candidate who isn’t afraid to tell hard truths — truths like “I am only doing this to get on TV and sell books.”
  4. vision 2020
    2021 Could Be a Nightmare For Democrats — Even If Trump LosesIf you want a picture of the future, imagine a GOP-controlled Senate stamping on a human face – forever.
  5. infrastructure week
    The New ‘Infrastructure Deal’ Is Why We Can’t Have Nice ThingsThe bipartisan negotiations over infrastructure illustrate three of the biggest problems with American politics today.
  6. vision 2020
    The Case for Thinking Joe Biden Can’t Be StoppedBiden’s lead in the polls is growing. His Establishment rivals are fading. And a news cycle about how he’s a handsy creeper didn’t even bruise him.
  7. rod rosenstein
    Rod Rosenstein Thanks Trump for His ‘Courtesy’ in Resignation Letter“I am grateful to you … for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations,” the deputy attorney general wrote.
  8. white supremacists
    The GOP’s White-Supremacy Blame GameIntelligencer staffers discuss the Republican Party’s failure to connect its divisive rhetoric with extremist violence.
  9. vision 2020
    Beto O’Rourke’s Climate Change Plan Is Blandly InoffensiveThe candidate has created a policy in his own image — likable, vague, and inadequate to the task it has set for itself.
  10. vision 2020
    The Democrats’ Best Economic Message for 2020 Isn’t a MysteryIt’s the populism, stupid.
  11. satire
    As 2020 Race Heats Up, Navy Admits We May Be Surrounded by AliensNavy pilots keep encountering unidentified, hyperadvanced aircraft. And that isn’t the only fascinating story that got buried by Trump’s antics.
  12. vision 2020
    Biden Boasts Strong Support From Unions, Union BustersBiden’s campaign launch will take him to a union hall — and a high-dollar fundraiser hosted by a union-busting lawyer and lobbyist for Comcast.
  13. vision 2020
    Joe Biden Launches Campaign With Promise to Be Kind, Rewind to 2016Biden’s launch video promises to bring voters back to a simpler time, when America’s racism was subtle, and its national myths a bit more plausible.
  14. census
    Trump Just Confirmed His Administration Is Lying in Census CaseThe White House says it needs to ask Census respondents about their citizenship to enforce the Voting Rights Act. Trump just told a different story.
  15. vision 2020
    The Biggest Threat to Our Democracy in 2020 Will Be Trump, Not RussiaDHS officials say Russia plans on “aggravating social and racial tensions” and “undermining trust” in democracy next year. Trump plans to do the same.
  16. bernie sanders
    Bernie Sanders: ‘Democratic Socialist’ Is Just a Synonym for New Deal LiberalSanders said Monday night that being a “democratic socialist” just means believing in FDR’s Second Bill of Rights.
  17. media
    Pro-Trump Sinclair Broadcast Group Poised for National Expansion by 2020The conservative local news giant is hiring national news anchors and bidding on regional sports stations. That could be bad news for Democrats.
  18. vision 2020
    Medicare for All Should Hurt (Some) Hospitals and DoctorsAchieving health-care justice in the U.S. will require taking on price-gouging hospitals and overpaid specialists.
  19. vision 2020
    Democrats Should Court the Economically Anxious Trump Voters Who Don’t ExistIt is the political scientist’s job to accurately describe the marginal Trump voter’s motives. The politician’s job is to change them.
  20. impeachment
    Should Democrats Impeach President Trump?Intelligencer staffers debate whether it would be principled or foolish to impeach the president with the election on the horizon.
  21. impeachment
    If Impeaching Trump Is Pointless, Then Bipartisanship Is WorthlessIf the GOP can’t put the rule of law above loyalty to Trump, then bipartisanship is a worthless ideal, and many congressional norms are obsolete.
  22. mueller time
    Mueller Report Confirms Trump Runs the White House Like It’s the MafiaTrump repeatedly instructed his underlings to mislead authorities, and informed the White House counsel that “lawyers don’t take notes.”
  23. mueller time
    William Barr: Trump’s Obstruction Was Legal Because He Was Sincerely ParanoidTrump believed the Russia investigation was a “witch hunt.” Therefore, his attempts to undermine it weren’t obstruction of justice, Barr explains.
  24. vision 2020
    The Fed Has Good News for Our Economy — and Trump’s CampaignThe central bank has decided to stop sacrificing economic growth to fears of phantom inflation. That could spur wage growth — and Trump’s reelection.
  25. yemen
    Trump Vetoes Resolution to End U.S. Support for Saudi War (Crimes) in YemenTrump likes to complain about U.S. involvement in pointless wars in the Middle East. But he (apparently) likes helping the Saudis starve Yemen more.
  26. bernie sanders
    Should Establishment Democrats Fear Bernie Sanders?Intelligencer staffers discuss the Vermont senator’s uneasy relationship with party insiders, and whether he’s any less electable than his rivals.
  27. vision 2020
    Bernie Sanders Is the Howard Schultz of the LeftThere’s one independent 2020 candidate trying to unite red and blue America around bipartisan, common sense solutions. And it isn’t the coffee man.
  28. president trump
    Trump Wants America to Stop Enforcing Its Immigration LawsThe White House’s attempts to nullify asylum rights prove that its opposition to illegal immigration has nothing to do with respect for the law.
  29. president trump
    Trump’s Sanctuary-Cities Threat Is His Latest Bid to Govern by SabotagePromising to inflict harm on innocent Americans — until a coequal branch of government acts as his pawn — is Trump’s favorite negotiating tactic.
  30. trump tax cuts
    Tax Refunds Are Down by $6 Billion. That’s a Threat to Trump — and the Economy.Millions of Americans were expecting big rebates that never came. That could put a dent in the economy, and Trump’s reelection hopes.
  31. social media
    For Democrats, Twitter Is Not Real Life. But It Could Be.Liberals on social media are not representative of the Democratic electorate. But the activists and elites who set partisan agendas never are.
  32. vision 2020
    Joe Biden May Be Less Electable Than He LooksWhen voters are presented with negative information about both Biden and Trump, the Democrat’s advantage disappears, according to a new poll.
  33. israel elections
    Searching for a Ray of Hope After Netanyahu’s WinIntelligencer writers discuss whether Israeli politics need to get worse before they get better.
  34. irs
    Bipartisan Bill Would Ban IRS From Making Tax-Filing Free and EasyThe IRS has the data and technology to pre-fill your tax forms for you. But that would make TurboTax less profitable. So Congress won’t allow it.
  35. stephen miller
    If You Are Defending Stephen Miller, You Are an Ally of Anti-SemitismMiller’s white-nationalist politics are far more dangerous for American Jews than anything Ilhan Omar has ever tweeted.
  36. mar-a-lago
    Did the Secret Service Catch a Chinese Spy in Mar-a-Lago?Yujing Zhang was caught sneaking into the president’s club carrying four phones, a laptop, and a thumb drive full of malware.
  37. immigration
    Is Trump’s Homeland Security Purge a Political Mistake?An obsession with appearing tough on immigration may be practically and politically short-sighted.
  38. medicare for all
    Your Insurance Is Getting Disrupted — With or Without Medicare for AllRising health-care costs are making it increasingly impossible for employers to provide their workers with quality, stable coverage.
  39. vision 2020
    Is the Biden Appeal About to Fade?Amid allegations of inappropriate touching, he remains the Democratic poll leader. Intelligencer staffers discuss how solid his advantage really is.
  40. voter suppression
    Iowa GOP Moves Forward With Plan to Disenfranchise College StudentsUnder the proposed law, graduating college students would be asked if they plan to remain in Iowa, then struck from the voting rolls if they say no.
  41. vision 2020
    The Best Argument for Bernie Sanders Is His Democratic GlobalismSanders is already building alliances with progressive forces the world over. Elizabeth Warren should start doing the same.
  42. the democrats
    Senate Democrat Apologizes for Putting Too Little Trust in Mitch McConnellMichael Bennet suggests that McConnell’s conscience would have stopped him from nuking the filibuster, if only Democrats hadn’t done so first.
  43. the democrats
    Democrats May Have Just Lost Wisconsin for a DecadeLiberals needed to win last night’s State Supreme Court election to prevent the GOP from passing new gerrymanders and voter-suppression laws in 2020.
  44. vision 2020
    Is Biden’s ‘Handsiness’ Disqualifying? Wrong Question.The Democrats would not be morally obliged to disown Biden if he won their nomination. So he’s “qualified” to run. He just shouldn’t.
  45. immigration
    This Is the Immigration Policy Liberals WantJulián Castro is the first 2020 candidate to offer a clear alternative to both Trump’s immigration agenda — and Barack Obama’s.
  46. violence against women act
    NRA Rallies to Preserve the Gun Rights of Convicted Stalkers, Abusive BoyfriendsThe new Violence Against Women Act would prohibit abusive partners or stalkers from owning firearms. The NRA calls that tyranny.
  47. u.s. mexico border
    White House Insists That Trump Really Is Dumb Enough to Close the BorderJust because Trump’s latest anti-migrant proposals would be self-defeating and economically devastating doesn’t mean he won’t go through with them.
  48. regulation
    Boeing Crashes Highlight the High Costs of Cheap GovernmentFrom regulatory agencies to state legislatures, America’s failure to adequately fund its governing institutions clears the way for corporate capture.
  49. brexit
    May’s Brexit Deal Is Dead (Again). Here’s What That Means.The chances of Britain remaining in the E.U. are higher than they’ve been in years. So are the chances of a no-deal Brexit.
  50. trade
    Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 Puts Big Pharma First, America SecondTrump says lowering pharmaceutical prices is a priority. But his trade deal would bar Congress from curtailing patent monopolies on biologic drugs.
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