Seth D. Michaels
Electric Literature
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Past articles by Seth D.:
"Marriage Story" Shows Us the Pitfalls of Seeing Stories Through Men's Eyes
How "Fleishman Is in Trouble" and "Fates and Furies" succeed where the movie fails → Read More
What to Read Now That "Game of Thrones" Is Over
If you've plowed through the show and the books it's based on, here are some other authors exploring similar themes → Read More
Environment and Energy Coalition to Pruitt: Maintain EPA Vehicle Emissions Standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Eight leading environmental, energy, and science organizations urged Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, on Friday to uphold auto emissions standards that would deliver a new-car fleet averaging better than 50 m.p.g. in 2025. → Read More
Why It’s Very Worrisome A GOP Congress Wants To ‘Get Things Done’
With a Republican Senate majority increasingly plausible, there’s more talk about what will actually happen in an all-GOP-run Capitol next year. What should the Republicans do? House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy suggested they will “prove they can govern.” But many more anticipate the same old standoffs between the Republicans and the president whose second term they tried and failed to… → Read More
Republicans' Deeply Cynical Move: Dismiss Voting While Making It Harder
At the ballot box, there are two different electorates — and the difference between them makes a big difference for policy outcomes. “Democrats have become increasingly reliant on precisely the groups most likely to sit out midterms, while Republicans score best among those most likely to show up,” says Ron Brownstein, writing in the Atlantic about the difference between presidential-year… → Read More
Mitch McConnell (Still) Thinks You're Stupid
There he goes again. Mitch McConnell has an almost impressive ability to utter up-is-down, black-is-white lies with a straight face. The strategy doesn’t work if somebody points out that he’s lying, but Mitch is willing to bet on it anyway. → Read More
All The Arguments For Cutting the Safety Net Have Fallen Apart
If Republicans take over both houses of Congress, there’s almost a guarantee that there will be a standoff over government spending. “We own the budget” if we win, McConnell told conservative donors this summer, and the candidates who would constitute the Republican Senate’s margin of control have a clear record of supporting cuts to the social safety net - seeking to privatize Medicare and… → Read More
The Apocalypse Caucus Is Going To Have A Lot More Company
If Republicans take over both houses of Congress this fall, some observers have said, it’s an opportunity for the GOP to “show they can govern,” and GOP leaders like Sen. John Cornyn insist that Republicans will be “responsible adults” if they win. But it’s not up to GOP leadership. It’s up to the Apocalypse Caucus. → Read More
Leaked Documents Show How The RGA Does Business
I’m shocked, shocked to find out about the extensive corporate outreach by the Republican Governor’s Association. → Read More
The Bad News Is This 'Recovery' Is Still Invisible For Ordinary People
There's some genuine good news in the new Census numbers – and some bad news that we need to pay attention to. → Read More
The September Issues: GOP Candidates Dart Leftward
Like geese flying south, Republicans stumbling leftward is a reliable sign of autumn. → Read More
Eric Cantor's Raise Is Paid For By Low-Wage Workers
If you want to know the state of the economy and politics today, the week of Labor Day of 2014, there are two numbers you need to know: $3.4 million and $15. On Wall Street, America’s mighty job creators are finally reaching out to the recently-unemployed, by creating a job for ex-Rep. Eric Cantor. He’ll be a new vice chairman for the investment firm Moelis & Co. → Read More
Erick Erickson Really Wants You To Know He Doesn't Care About Climate Change
Erick Erickson may not care about climate change, but he really, really cares that you know he doesn’t care about it. The conservative pundit reacted to a new draft U.N. report on climate change with one of his trademark world-weary rants, somewhere on the fine line between “putting his foot down” and “stomping his feet.” → Read More
There’s No Good Argument For Voting Restrictions
This again? In last week’s Kansas primaries, officials turned away a 97-year-old woman named Beth Hiller at the polling place. The reason? She didn’t have an ID with her. Thanks to a recent state law, Hiller had to get back on the shuttle and head back to her nursing home without getting to exercise her most basic right. → Read More
The Consequences Of An All-Too-Likely Republican Senate
When 2015 rolls around, will an all-Republican-controlled 114th Congress come with it? It pains me to say it, but I wouldn’t want to bet much against it. A Republican takeover of the Senate is quite likely, and the outcome would be pretty dreadful. → Read More
Here's Why Labor Board McDonald's Liability Decision Is Huge
Low-wage workers — and everyone else who has a job — got some pleasant surprises from the Obama Administration this week. On Tuesday, the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board announced that McDonald’s could be treated as a “joint employer” in labor cases. That may sound like a small administrative matter, but it’s actually a big deal — and a big win for workers at McDonald’s and… → Read More
GOP's Halbig Tantrum Is A Punitive Attack Out Of Soviet Communism
If you’re high-fiving over things getting worse for working-class families, you’re doing it wrong. But that’s exactly the position Republican operatives and pundits found themselves in this week. → Read More
Republican Governors Are Blowing Up The Laboratories Of Democracy
Louis Brandeis once described the states as the “laboratories of democracy” — places where you can experiment with different policy options to see what works. The 2010 elections gave a handful of new Republican governors the chance to use their states as laboratories. So how are they doing? → Read More
Hail To The TBA: Renaming Washington's Football Team
Yesterday morning, the U.S. Patent Office canceled the trademarks for the Washington Redskins name, on the reasonable premise that you can’t benefit from the trademarked use of a racial slur. → Read More
Eric Cantor's Legacy Is One Of Economic Destruction
It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. American politics took a Game of Thrones-worthy plot twist on Tuesday as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his primary by a 12-point margin to Dave Brat, an underfunded right-wing challenger. → Read More