Attention to the Unseen

The New York Times reports: About two weeks ago, Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, an embattled Republican, approached the senior leadership of his campaign with an idea. Mr. Marshall, an obstetrician facing re-election, wanted to film an ad responding to all of the attacks he was taking on medical debts. Back when he was a full-time doctor, Mr. Marshall filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients, seeking payments of their debts, and at least 81 were arrested when the patients…

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Anne Applebaum writes: At a dinner in Athens in March, Kimberly Guilfoyle, then the U.S. ambassador to Greece, made a statement that elegantly combined arrogance with menace. According to The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, Guilfoyle referred to the troubles of Romania’s governing coalition and, with Greek politicians in the room, took credit for its impending collapse: “We can do that to any country we want,” she said. “We can do that here.” Guilfoyle was subsequently disgraced for…

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The Guardian reports: Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has vowed to see through a contested overhaul of the country’s constitutional court, declaring that “in certain matters, there can be no compromise”. In a prime-time television address on Saturday night, Tusk was defiant, despite overnight protests that saw riot police drafted to protect the court’s building, saying the shake-up was vital to restore a tribunal crippled by years of political disputes. Paralysed for more than a decade, the court sat at…

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Jeremy Allen writes: Some moments in politics are bigger than politics, and good leaders know that. Sometimes you have to put personal feelings aside, recognizing the stakes, and understanding that the people you’re supposed to represent have bigger problems than your bruised political ego. Congresswoman Haley Stevens appears to be struggling with that assignment. With Election Day approaching, Stevens has reignited a fight with Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, the candidate who defeated her in August’s Democratic primary. Instead…

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  As the United States approaches the midterm elections, a new wave of progressive candidates is challenging the Democratic establishment, campaigning on affordability, medicare for all, and opposition to big money in politics. But with divisions deepening over capitalism, US foreign policy and support for Israel, can the Democratic Party embrace its growing left wing? And even if progressives win elections, can they deliver meaningful change for working-class Americans? This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill speaks with former US…

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The Intercept reports: In the words of the biggest name in the outside elections-spending game, “Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics.” This midterms cycle, however, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s strategy seems to suggest the opposite. Contrary to its signature slogan, AIPAC’s name has become anathema to voters across the political spectrum repulsed by Israel’s genocide in Gaza and frustrated by Washington’s outpouring of military aid for a foreign government while domestic costs soar. So it’s going…

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