The Edgy Optimist

The Edgy Optimist

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Well, that happened...
It is hardly a surprise that Trump won the election or that the Republicans gained control of the Senate. It is a surprise that as of this writing it…
 • Zachary Karabell
Hyperbolic Hyperbole
While I don’t plan on spending the next four years writing about Trump, Trump, Trump, for the moment, it does seem culturally relevant, to say the…
 • Zachary Karabell
A Realignment
We are a week out from the U.S. presidential election. No, it was not a notably large victory for Trump. The popular vote count is not complete, and…
 • Zachary Karabell
Launching The Edgy Optimist
A bit more than a decade ago, I launched a column for The Atlantic and Reuters and then Slate. It was called “The Edgy Optimist.” The goal was to take a…
 • Zachary Karabell
Season Premier
So here we are, the beginning of the second Trump administration in the United States, January 20, 2025. In a rather subdued inaugural address, Trump…
 • Zachary Karabell
"I'm Mad as Hell..."
That’s right. Surprised? The Edgy Optimist? Mad as hell? Let me tell you why.
 • Zachary Karabell
It’s a Constitutional Contest, Not A Crisis
This week in Trumplandia, the hue and cry of “Constitutional crisis” got significantly louder. I touched on this in last week’s column, but it deserves…
 • Zachary Karabell
DeepTrump
Don’t bury the lead, they say. Well, here it is: the United States has prided itself on being an open society and has claimed that the success of its…
 • Zachary Karabell
On Not Jumping to Conclusions
Okay.
 • Zachary Karabell
Doubt
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had an increasing number of conversations with people who are more convinced than ever that the United States is on the…
 • Zachary Karabell
The End of Apathy
Judging from all recent polls, the presidential election contest in the United States remains tight. For sure, Kamala Harris has made substantial gains…
 • Zachary Karabell
There's a Whole World Out There
One of the great advantages of traveling through the world is to get some perspective. I’m just back from Kazakhstan and Doha, where I gave some talks…
 • Zachary Karabell
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