Five Things: The Duncan & Coe History Show. Violent Rhetoric. First Children. "Because it is right." America's Next Top Contractor.

One way or another, the end is nigh.

THE DUNCAN & COE HISTORY SHOW IS FINALLY HERE!

In the teaser, we explain the delay…

Like & Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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A DEMAGOGUE’S WORDS ARE NEVER “JUST TALK”

This was my face while they played a clip of Trump fantasizing about Liz Cheney facing a firing squad. When it comes to demagogues, there's no such thing as rhetorical flourish. Let's hope Cheney, who has shown great political bravery, and her family, remain safe.

Trump's pattern of violent rhetoric isn't mere hyperbole—it's a match struck near a powder keg. They're kindling for violence, as January 6th proved.

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FIRST CHILDREN

I spoke to the New York Times’ Madison Malone Kircher about Ella Emhoff and the role of first children.

Also, a good Bush: Last weekend Barbara Bush, one of George W. Bush’s daughters, campaigned for Harris in Pennsylvania. Last week, I wrote about Bush’s silence as moral abdication.

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“BECAUSE IT IS RIGHT”

Earlier this week, I revisited President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address for a nation on the brink of transformation. While the oft-quoted "Ask not" line typically steals the spotlight, another caught my eye:

We pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

Kennedy sketches a vision of America as a grand, collaborative project, a sprawling, inclusive structure with room for all. It's a reminder that the true measure of a nation's architecture isn't the gilding on its penthouse suites, but the strength of its foundation and the integrity of its living space.

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DEMOCRACY’S NEXT TOP CONTRACTOR

This isn’t a real show—but it is a real thought exercise I used on a neighbor.

Welcome to "Democracy's Next Top Contractor," where America auditions builders for its teetering republic! The budget? Just the nation's dignity, sanity, and future - available on a pay-later plan that would make loan sharks blush.

First up, Kamala Harris. She arrives punctually, armed with a meticulously detailed blueprint, hard hat, and glowing references. Her renovation plan promises stability and code compliance. It's the architectural equivalent of sensible shoes—utterly practical, if uninspiring.

Enter Donald Trump, fashionably late and blueprint-free. "Plans are for losers," he declares, gesturing vaguely at a fever dream of gilded autocracy scrawled on a McDonald's napkin. His crew includes a conspiracy theorist and someone who thinks load-bearing walls are fake news.

Our discerning panel of judges includes voters grappling with visceral Trump and/or Harris loathing, Gaza-related skepticism, and paradoxical expectations of prosecutorial leniency.

One candidate promises to shore up democracy's foundations; the other seems keen on demolition. Choose your contractor wisely, America.

See you soonish! In the meantime, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram and my books on Bookshop, Amazon, and your local bookstore or library. If you’d like me to sign or personalize my books, purchase copies from Oblong.