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Walter Shapiro

Walter Shapiro is a staff writer at The New Republic and a lecturer in political science at Yale. He has been a columnist for USA Today and Esquire and has covered politics for Time, Newsweek, and The Washington Post. He has published two books, performed standup comedy in New York, and was a White House speechwriter for Jimmy Carter.

All Articles
June 3, 2022
The Soapbox
Biden Is Doing Everything He Can to Keep Hope Alive for Gun Legislation
The president is walking a fine line between pushing meaningful legislation and alienating Republican senators.
June 2, 2022
The Soapbox
How Much Is Biden to Blame for His Poor Approval Ratings?
Plenty has been out of his control. But the president has bungled a few things along the way.
May 26, 2022
The Soapbox
Democrats Need to Start Talking About Repealing the Second Amendment
It’d likely be a decades-long campaign, but it’s long past time to take disarming America seriously.
May 24, 2022
The Soapbox
The Dethroned King Is Losing His Midas Touch
Donald Trump’s endorsees have struggled to get a majority in GOP primaries so far this year.
April 22, 2022
The Soapbox
The U.S. Needs an Endgame in the Russia-Ukraine War
So far, Biden and the public are fully behind sending arms to fight Russia. But will the time come for a Putin-appeasing peace treaty?
April 15, 2022
The Soapbox
Dianne Feinstein Can Resign Now With Dignity, or...
A San Francisco Chronicle report on her mental state is devastating and undeniable. DiFi, don’t be the Democrats’ Strom Thurmond.
April 11, 2022
The Soapbox
The Democrats Are Not Dead Yet
Despite conventional wisdom, the party is not doomed in November’s midterm elections. The economy, Covid-19, the invasion of Ukraine, and the January 6 insurrection are all wild cards.
March 28, 2022
The Soapbox
The DNC Thankfully Wants to Change the Primary Calendar. But It Shouldn’t Leave Small States Behind.
It’s long past time for Iowa to be displaced, just so long as presidential aspirants still have to talk to voters.
March 24, 2022
The Soapbox
How My Great-Uncle Swindled Hitler Out of Precious Canadian Nickel Before WWII
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created a global nickel shortage. Here’s what happened when the Führer tried to buy extra nickel right before the last time a major war broke out in Europe.
March 21, 2022
Magazine
Hit the Rails, Amtrak Joe!
With the president’s poll numbers in the dumps, it’s time for him to remember his commuter-train roots.
March 16, 2022
The Soapbox
Volodymyr Zelenskiy Used the Power of Images to Sway Congress
The Ukrainian president again urged the U.S. to implement a no-fly zone, and called for the creation of a new alternative to the United Nations that could intercede in conflicts.
March 16, 2022
The Soapbox
Americans Remember They Like Democracy—in Other Countries, Anyway
Polls show that both Democrats and Republicans are rallying around Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion. Too bad the Capitol riot on January 6 didn’t inspire the same unity.
March 9, 2022
The Soapbox
It’s Time for Biden to Give His First Oval Office Address
The president needs to speak to the country about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in prime time.
March 2, 2022
The Soapbox
Biden Pivots Away From Ukraine in His State of the Union Speech
The president gave a normal speech during a time that is anything but typical.
March 1, 2022
The Soapbox
Predictions That Democrats Are Doomed in the Midterms Are Wildly Overstated
With war in Europe and a receding pandemic, no one knows what fall 2022 will look like.
February 22, 2022
The Soapbox
The Fragility of American and European Unity in the Face of Putin’s Aggression
Biden, like his German counterpart, is asking his country to sacrifice for the greater good of punishing Russia. Will British Prime Minister Boris Johnson do the same?
February 18, 2022
The Soapbox
A Better Parallel to the Russia-Ukraine Crisis: The Communist Takeover of China
World War II comparisons are a dime a dozen these days, but a different cataclysm of the 1940s is more instructive.
January 20, 2022
The Soapbox
Biden Finally Lets Loose, in All His Messy Glory
Largely confined to the White House due to Covid, and kept away from the press by an overprotective staff, the president broke free for almost two hours on Wednesday.
January 17, 2022
The Soapbox
It’s Foolish to Predict the Midterms Until We Know Covid’s Future
Biden’s approval rating on the virus is bleak, but Democrats’ fortunes in 2022 could quickly change if the pandemic becomes endemic.
January 6, 2022
The Soapbox
Joe Biden’s January 6 Speech Is a Turning Point For His Presidency
Biden’s forceful condemnation of Trump reminded the public that the choice is between democracy and authoritarian rule.

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