Notes from the Middleground

Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-CT) speaks to reporters following a Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol Building on June 16, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Upgrade to paid to play voiceover (L-R) U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) greet the crowd after El-Sayed spoke at The People V. The Powerful rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images) I suspect some of my subscribers will roll their eyes when they see I’ve written a post in the summer of 2026 devoted to wokeness.

Upgrade to paid to play voiceover This might seem like an unusually frivolous post from incorrigibly high-minded me. But hey, it’s mid-August; if I lived in Europe, I’d be off all month. I also remain deep into book-writing, and am now being forced by the calendar to devote time and attention I really don’t have to preparing for the fall semester.

DETROIT, MICH. - AUG. 7: Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a unity rally at Renaissance High School. (Photo by Dieu-Nalio Chery/For The Washington Post via Getty Images) I’m starting to get a little worried. About what, you ask? That’s a necessary question! There’s so much worth fretting about, including the 57-or-so reckless and unwise things the Trump administration and the president himself are doing at any given moment.

Upgrade to paid to play voiceover Photo illustration of weight loss injection pens on a weight scale showing 176 pounds (which just so happens to be extremely close to my current weight). (Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) I hope my headline isn’t misunderstood. Thankfully, no one in my family has died.

Upgrade to paid to play voiceover U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) on July 31, 2026 in Camp David, Maryland. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) On the right rail of the home page of “Notes from the Middleground,” you’ll find a list of my Most Popular posts. In the current #2 slot is something I published just under a year ago, on August 29, 2025.

Upgrade to paid to play voiceover The New York Times building is seen on May 06, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) You already know this about me: I don’t like change. Well, that’s not really true. I moved into Center City Philadelphia a little over a year ago after living in the suburbs for nearly two decades and I’m thrilled by the change. But note: I chose to move. It wasn’t forced on me.

Upgrade to paid to play voiceover U.S. Vice President JD Vance (L) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend the primetime address by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Saul Loeb/Pool - Getty Images) This is a post with two goals, sharply at odds with one another.

Upgrade to paid to play voiceover A portrait of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, 1887. (Photo by ullstein bild via Getty Images) I hope my subscribers will forgive a second post that jumps off from Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey. My previous post was a 2,000-word review of the film. But this one is far more about its reception by the culture—and in particular by the cultural right as it expresses itself online (and especially on Twitter/X). That might sound narrow, and in a way it is.

Upgrade to paid to play voiceover PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 08: (L-R) John Leguizamo, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan attend Universal Pictures "The Odyssey" Paris Premiere at Le Grand Rex on July 08, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images for Universal Pictures) In the 2023 post I wrote about Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, I began by explaining my ambivalent judgment of his work as a filmmaker.