Mazie Hirono’s journey from poor immigrant to U.S. senator A review of "Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story" (M. Hirono, 2021)Review as published in the Washington Post on May 21, 2021 “Heart of Fire” traces Mazie Hirono’s journey from poor immigrant to U.S. senator. When Hirono writes about her childhood, her mother and family, their arrival in Hawaii from Japan, and the poverty, hardship, fear and struggle they faced, “Heart of Fire” is a revelatory, evocative, deeply moving book. |
Measuring the authoritarian mind-set of Trump’s followers A review of "Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers" (J. Dean and B. Altemeyer, 2020)Review as published in the Washington Post on October 2, 2020 Some of the biggest questions about President Trump involve his followers. Who are they, what do they want, and why do they support him no matter what? “Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers,” co-authored by John W. Dean and Bob Altemeyer, is an effort to answer those questions. Without his supporters, “Donald Trump would be nothing but a Twitter troll,” they assert. |
A White House correspondent confronts Trump’s tantrums and untruths A review of "Front Row at the Trump Show" (J.Karl, Dutton, 2020)Review as published in the Washington Post on April 24, 2020 Jonathan Karl is one of President Trump’s least favorite reporters, or so it would seem from recent White House briefings. In the past few weeks Trump has told Karl not to be a “cutie pie” or a “wise guy,” and called him “a third-rate reporter” who would “never make it” because Karl was asking about the availability of coronavirus testing and ventilators for hospitals. Trump’s mini-tantrums and name calling are not restricted to Karl. They have become common in the briefing room since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the advent of the president’s daily marathon briefings. Many people have argued that the television networks and cable news channels should stop carrying the briefings live because they are short on useful information and extremely long on Trump promotion. Since lockdowns have prevented the president from holding rallies, the briefings have become “The Trump Show” — which is also the title of Karl’s new book: “Front Row at the Trump Show.” |
An Obama adviser summons a volunteer army to defeat President Trump A review of "A Citizen's Guide to Beating Donald Trump" (D. Plouffe, Viking, 2020)Review as published in the Washington Post on April 3, 2020 By any measure, Barack Obama and his team ran one of the best political campaigns in modern history in 2008.... David Plouffe, the campaign’s manager in both the primary and the general elections, whom Obama has largely credited for the win, has already written the detailed story of that campaign. “The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory,” published in 2009, revealed campaign anecdotes and tactics and provided behind-the-scenes color. “A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump” is a very different book. The title pretty much says it all. This is a guidebook with step-by-step instructions for people who want to get involved in the Democratic campaign. |
Ambitious, flawed Ben Franklin on a path to greatness A review of "Young Benjamin Franklin: The Birth of Ingenuity" (N. Bunker, Knopf, 2018)Review as published in the Washington Post on November 29, 2018 Ingenuity is the central theme of Nick Bunker’s book about the first half of Franklin’s life. “Ingenuity” was Franklin’s favorite word, and in the 18th century it meant a combination of intellect, imagination, practical skills, wit and sociability — all traits Franklin possessed in abundance. In “Young Benjamin Franklin: The Birth of Ingenuity,” Bunker offers ample evidence to illustrate how Franklin developed ingenuity and how it influenced the rest of his life. Franklin’s origins, character and background, Bunker writes, serve to explain the man he would become.Anyone interested in Franklin and early America should find this book fascinating. It offers important insight into the internal struggles Franklin wrestled with as a youth and the questions he strove to answer. |
Trump's subpoena stonewall is his most dangerous outrage yet. Why even have a Congress? Published in USA Today on April 29, 2019 There are fresh affronts to democracy daily with Donald Trump in the White House. But with the news that he and members of his administration plan to flout all congressional subpoenas no matter what the subject, Trump’s disrespect for the rule of law and constitutional norms has hit a new high (or low). Click here to read the full opinion piece by Linda Killian.... | |
Linda Killian on NPR Published on November 24, 2018 Linda Killian was a guest on NPR, talking about Nancy Pelosi's bid to become the next Speaker of the House.Please click on the player on the right to listen. |
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Time for a Nancy Pelosi Farewell Victory Tour and new House leaders for Democrats
Published in USA Today on August 13, 2018
It isn't on Rolling Stone's list of 2018's biggest farewell tours, but it's time. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and Assistant Minority Leader Jim Clyburn should announce that for the next three months, they are going to travel the country and campaign like heck, raise lots of money and make sure Democrats win a majority of House seats in November — and that after the election, all of them will step down from their positions to make room for a new generation of Democratic leaders.
Paul Ryan is third casualty of GOP dysfunction in 20 years. Is major change afoot?
Published in USA Today on April 12, 2018
For the first 200 years of this nation’s history, only three House speakers resigned from office, all because they were accepting other political appointments.But in just the past 20 years, an equal number of House speakers, all of them Republicans, have decided to depart under very different circumstances.
Democracy on the Line
Published in US News on October 4, 2017
American democracy itself was on trial Tuesday at the Supreme Court. At least that's what Paul M. Smith, the Washington attorney representing challengers to Wisconsin's extremely gerrymandered legislative redistricting plan, was arguing.
From Washington to Lee to Trump
Published in US News on August 17, 2017
When President Donald Trump likened Confederate Army commander Robert E. Lee to slave holders and Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and asked if we should pull down memorials to those two men along with statues of Lee and other Confederates, he perhaps inadvertently raised an important and extremely difficult question about American history.
Politics Has Become a Blood Sport
Published in US News on May 25, 2017
I have never been physically assaulted by a politician. I have however been verbally threatened on more than one occasion by politicians who didn't like the questions I was asking or the stories I was writing. What happened in Montana Wednesday when congressional candidate Greg Gianforte threw reporter Ben Jacobs of The Guardian to the ground and punched him is unconscionable. Gianforte belongs in jail, not in the House of Representatives.
Ideological purity comes back to bite the GOP
Published in USA Today on March 31, 2017
Amid the postmortem over everything that went wrong with the Republican health reform effort, we shouldn’t overlook the role of the system that elects members of Congress.
It not only contributed to the massive failure, it is also predictive of what we will see from the Republican Congress moving forward.
The New Old Hickory
Published in US News on February 13, 2017
Donald Trump has hung a portrait of Andrew Jackson, the nation's seventh president, next to his desk in the Oval Office and members of his staff are touting the idea that the two men have a lot in common. Vice President Mike Pence has boasted of Trump's victory, "There hasn't been anything like this since Andrew Jackson." That may actually be true. There are already signs of similarities between the two men and it's a cause for significant concern.
DeVos vote bodes ill for bipartisanship
Published in USA Today on February 8, 2017
We didn’t need more evidence that this country is in for a very rough couple of years, but we got some anyway with the squeaker Senate confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. DeVos, who married into the Amway fortune, has given $200 million to Republican candidates and causes over the years. She has long been a strong advocate for school choice, including vouchers and unregulated for-profit charter schools. She has demonstrated both unfamiliarity and hostility toward public education, even calling public schools a "dead end."
Trump's focus on forgotten men masks billionaire agenda
Published in USA Today on January 20, 2017
President Trump’s short inaugural address sounded the same themes he repeated throughout his divisive campaign. While it almost certainly resonated with his supporters, it is unlikely to have reassured many of the 65.8 million voters who did not cast a ballot for him. The overall tone of the speech seemed almost angry and grim — with Trump announcing that he is taking on Capitol Hill and all of the political leaders who have preceded him as well as much of the rest of the world.
Don't Repeat the Mandate Mistake
Published in US News on November 12, 2016
The biggest myth that needs to be dispelled about this election is that Donald Trump and the Republican victory was "huge" and overwhelming. Trump did win rural areas by a commanding margin but in the swing districts and states which secured his victory the margins were not massive but actually razor thin. The Republicans do not have an overwhelming mandate to push through a far-right agenda even though early indications are that they intend to govern this way.
The House won't go blue anytime soon
Published in USA Today on November 6, 2016
The moment when Democrat Hillary Clinton could expect a landslide victory seems to have passed. But even a huge margin would not improve the odds of her party taking control of the House. That’s because the self-dealing system used by most states, in which politicians draw their own gerrymandered districts to achieve maximum political and personal advantage, really is “rigged” and violates the principle of democratic representation.
Right message, horribly wrong messenger
Published in USA Today on October 26, 2016
Donald Trump’s assertions that the election might be rigged and that he will only accept the result if he wins (a supposedly facetious remark) have roiled the news media and political waters. But his overall campaign message that the entire political system is rigged against average Americans is the reason he is still in this race despite his horrible personal behavior and outrageous statements. Even though he is a deeply flawed messenger and not up to the job of being president, his message has resonated with millions of Americans who will still be angry and seeking change after Election Day.
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More Independents Than Democrats or Republicans Published in The Wall Street Journal on April 9, 2015 A Pew Research Center survey based on more than 25,000 interviews confirms a trend years in the making: More people consider themselves politically independent than identify with the Republican or Democratic parties. |
Tweets by @lindajkillian | |
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Will the Supreme Court Tell Us Our Vote Doesn’t Really Matter? Published in The Daily Beast on March 3, 2015
When Will We See a #Millennial Congress? Published in The Daily Beast on December 26, 2014
Yes, Independent Swing Voters Are Real. And May Decide Who Wins Elections Published in The Daily Beast on November 3, 2014
The Independents Who Could Tip the Senate in November Published in The Daily Beast on October 13, 2014 Anyone who has been talking to voters around the country and watching public opinion polls knows that American voters are angry, tired of both political parties, and ready for a change. Until very recently, though, that frustration has had almost no outlet, as independent candidates for office in the past were rarely competitive and almost always dismissed by the national media as a sideshow. Not this year. Five myths about independent voters Published in The Washington Post on May 17, 2012 Perhaps the biggest myth about independents is that they are closet partisans or “leaners” who are independent in name only but regularly vote with one party. True, about half of independents do fit into this category, but the rest are truly independent; their allegiance swings from election to election. They are persuadable, not polarized partisans. Meet the One Numbers-Cruncher Who Foresees Democrats Holding the Senate Published in The Daily Beast on September 16, 2014 If the race for the Senate is as close as predictions indicate Independents could be the kingmakers and determine who is in control. Candidates in Maine, Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., Challenge Republicans and Democrats Alike Published in The Daily Beast on July 5, 2014
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If you’re angry about the polarization of American politics, then a case heard by the Supreme Court on Monday matters to you. Because if the justices decide to declare independent redistricting commissions unconstitutional, things are going to get much worse.
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Linda Killian on MSNBC with Melissa Harris-Perry Published on January 11, 2014  |
The Independents Who Could Tip the Senate in November Published in The Daily Beast on October 13, 2014
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Linda Killian with Jeffrey Brown on the PBS NewsHour Published on November 7, 2012  |
It’s Disenfranchisement When Independents Can’t Vote in Primaries Published in The Daily Beast on April 3, 2014
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Linda Killian on MSNBC's "The Cycle" September, 2012  |
The Senate’s New Taxman Won’t Be Controlled By His Own Party Published in The Daily Beast on February 18, 2014
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