Washington Watch Articles From 2025
Why Mamdani Won
It was 2006 and Tim Kaine had recently won the Virginia gubernatorial election. I was at a meeting at Democratic Party headquarters with a group of party officials. One opined, “I believe that one of the lessons we should learn from Tim Kaine’s victory was that we need to talk more about our religion. Kaine did and he won. We should do it too.”
New York City’s Fascinating Mayoral Race
This week, all eyes will be on the fascinating race for mayor of New York City. One reason it’s so interesting is because New York plays such an outsized role in American life.
What Democrats Must Do
A few months after the Democrats’ bitter defeat in the 2024 elections, the party convened an Executive Committee meeting. Instead of taking a long hard look at the reasons for their poor performance, the meeting devolved into an orgy of self-congratulations.
If You Want Others to Hear You, Listen to Them First
A year ago, at the peak of the campus unrest over the war in Gaza, I was asked to address a conference on the topic “How to Conduct Civil Discourse.” I relished the opportunity to do this because the issue of how we engage in civil discourse was (and remains) both timely and necessary.
Arabs: The Weak Link in the US Civil Liberties Chain
For decades now, Arabs, in particular Palestinians, and supporters of Palestinian rights have been the weak link in the civil liberties chain. During this period, when a US president or Congress has sought to take measures curtailing a range of civil liberties, they would exploit the perception of the danger posed by Arabs to justify their actions.
Trump’s War on History and Education
Significant attention and/or concern has been generated by President Donald Trump’s early Executive Orders and actions.
The Damage Being Done
The combined efforts of President Donald Trump, Republicans in Congress, and pro-Israel groups, like the Anti-Defamation League, have declared war on the liberal ideals of freedom of speech and assembly and the very idea of the university.
Comparing Trump’s First and Second Terms
Among the significant differences between Donald Trump’s first term as president in 2017 and his return to the White House in 2025, this time around he appears more in control and better prepared. And despite the drastic measures of his first weeks in office, the opposition he is facing appears more subdued and less focused.
Don’t Scapegoat Arab Americans
There’s an insidious blame game occurring on social media. Whenever President Donald Trump takes one of his outrageous actions, Arab Americans are subjected to a flood of abusive messages.
Observations on Carter’s Funeral and Trump’s Return
This past week, Washington DC was witness to a stark study in contrasts: The solemn dignity involved in the nation’s farewell to former President Jimmy Carter and the blustery antics accompanying former President Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House.