Clermont, Florida Correspondent — The clearest differences are on the scale and speed of enforcement, asylum screening at the border, and whether legal pathways come after control or instead of it. Trump treats the border as a sovereignty and enforcement problem that has to be solved first. Harris and the current administration treated it more … Continue reading Immigration and border security have ranked among the top issues throughout the campaign. What are the clearest differences between the candidates on enforcement, asylum rules, and legal pathways, and which approach is more likely to produce a stable outcome?
TRUMP
Was the Fulton County racketeering indictment a conventional use of a state RICO statute against an alleged effort to overturn a certified result, or a county prosecutor’s attempt to nationalize a political dispute the voters were already going to retry?
Gastonia, NC The word doing the work in this indictment is "enterprise," and I want to start there because I spent two days last week finding out that the word does not mean what I assumed it meant. My assumption, and I suspect most people's, was that a racketeering statute reaches organizations whose business is … Continue reading Was the Fulton County racketeering indictment a conventional use of a state RICO statute against an alleged effort to overturn a certified result, or a county prosecutor’s attempt to nationalize a political dispute the voters were already going to retry?
Should Congress reassert clearer limits on the use of emergency and national-security authorities by the executive branch?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — These authorities expanded through repeated use and broad interpretation, and Congress has the constitutional position to redraw them. Tighter definitions, shorter time limits, faster review. Leaving them vague invites continued expansion and reduces the legislature to a commentator. I'd say the obvious thing about why it doesn't happen. A member … Continue reading Should Congress reassert clearer limits on the use of emergency and national-security authorities by the executive branch?
After the first hundred days and the January 6 prosecutions, is “domestic violent extremism” now a coherent federal priority, or a label that will be applied to whichever street the current majority dislikes?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent — January 6 was ugly, illegal, and a gift to every camera in the country. Whether it was domestic terrorism depends on whether the noun means anything or just means a crowd we dislike on a day we can use. A coherent priority would have found the word in 2020. A police … Continue reading After the first hundred days and the January 6 prosecutions, is “domestic violent extremism” now a coherent federal priority, or a label that will be applied to whichever street the current majority dislikes?
Briefly, what are the three or four most important issues that the winner must address in the first year, and which candidate is better positioned to handle them?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Finish the acute phase and get a vaccine distributed, assuming one works, without leaving permanent emergency rules behind. Restore economic activity and employment. Re-establish order in the cities that had sustained unrest. Set a coherent course on China and critical supply chains. Trump's instincts on reopening, on order, and on strategic … Continue reading Briefly, what are the three or four most important issues that the winner must address in the first year, and which candidate is better positioned to handle them?
Foreign policy differences on China, Iran, Russia, and alliances have received less attention than domestic crises. Which candidate’s approach is more likely to reduce long-term strategic risk, and why?
Sydney, Australia Correspondent — I don't have a vote and I'm not going to pretend to a preference, but I can tell you how this looks from an allied capital, and it's more mixed than either campaign would like. On China the substance was correct and I'd say so plainly. The prior consensus underweighted the … Continue reading Foreign policy differences on China, Iran, Russia, and alliances have received less attention than domestic crises. Which candidate’s approach is more likely to reduce long-term strategic risk, and why?
The economy remains under severe pandemic pressure, with high unemployment in some sectors and large federal interventions. What are the most important differences in the candidates’ plans for recovery, jobs, and the long-term fiscal consequences of continued stimulus?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent — The core differences are the speed of reopening, the scale of further support, and how seriously each treats the long-term debt path, which is to say not very seriously in either case. Trump's pressure to reopen and his pre-pandemic labor market give him the stronger claim on recovery and jobs. Biden's … Continue reading The economy remains under severe pandemic pressure, with high unemployment in some sectors and large federal interventions. What are the most important differences in the candidates’ plans for recovery, jobs, and the long-term fiscal consequences of continued stimulus?
Law and order became a central issue after the unrest of 2020. What concrete differences exist between the candidates on policing, prosecution of rioters, and federal support for cities, and which approach is more likely to restore order without overreach?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — Cities that tolerated sustained disorder saw businesses and residents leave, and the businesses that left were frequently the ones that had the least ability to absorb it. The President's position has been consistent: back the police, prosecute rioters, and use federal resources when a city won't maintain order. Biden's campaign … Continue reading Law and order became a central issue after the unrest of 2020. What concrete differences exist between the candidates on policing, prosecution of rioters, and federal support for cities, and which approach is more likely to restore order without overreach?
The 2020 campaign has been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with sharp disagreements over lockdowns, school closures, masks, and vaccine timelines. How should voters weigh the candidates’ records and proposals on managing the pandemic against the broader economic and educational costs of the response?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Voters have to hold the health effects and the economic and educational damage at the same time, and most of the coverage has asked them to hold one. Prolonged closures produced learning loss and business destruction that fell hardest on people with the least margin. I've had clients close who were … Continue reading The 2020 campaign has been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with sharp disagreements over lockdowns, school closures, masks, and vaccine timelines. How should voters weigh the candidates’ records and proposals on managing the pandemic against the broader economic and educational costs of the response?
Should the impeachment process be reserved for clear criminal conduct, or is it a legitimate political tool for checking executive power?
Prescott Valley, Arizona Correspondent — The constitutional text and the early history treat impeachment as a political remedy for serious abuses of power rather than as a criminal trial. Restricting it to indictable crimes would narrow a check designed to be broader. Using it as a routine instrument for policy disagreement drains its legitimacy and … Continue reading Should the impeachment process be reserved for clear criminal conduct, or is it a legitimate political tool for checking executive power?
