Just as my first substantive post was about to be saved, the power went out (I’m guessing due to a delayed tree-fall attributable to the big Pacific storm over the weekend). So I’m now struggling to make do with a very slow personal I-phone Hot Spot and a balky laptop. Please bear with me, dear Animals.

Ed Kilgore

Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.