It’s hard to believe that two years have passed since the 2016 election, when America got its first reality-TV president, the Republican Party took control of both houses of Congress and a noxious cloud of discord and ill temper settled over the country. But the midterms are fast approaching, on Nov. 6, and we need to be prepared.
All this adds up to something of a litmus test for President Trump and his unconventional approach. The results could decide his fate both immediately — it’s up to Congress to decide whether to advance or impede his agenda, for instance, not to mention whether to impeach him — and in the long term, as we look ahead, however wearily, to the next presidential election.
Politics is not my usual beat, but I’ve written my share of political stories, both as a reporter in New York in the early 1990s and through many years, and several prime ministers, in London. Among the questions on my mind as I try to sort through the candidates (and the noise) in the midterms: How important are issues like immigration, gun control, tariffs and climate change? Is Russia controlling this election, too? If a state votes to legalize marijuana, is it O.K. to vote while high? And: Why does the president keep bringing up Hillary Clinton’s emails two years after she lost the last election? Will the Democrats continue to tack left at the risk of alienating moderate voters. (Are there any moderate voters left?)
I’d love to hear what you’re interested in/confused about/nauseated by. Please send your questions to dearsarah@nytimes.com, and I’ll try to answer as many as I can in the newsletter, which will begin in October and end after the election. Don’t forget to sign up.
Source : Nytimes
