Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, and a Changed SenatePlus: What You Missed This Week From The Bulwark
Happy Saturday! Overtime is for everyone. If you’re a Bulwark+ member: thank you. If you’re not, there’s no better time to subscribe to Bulwark+ than today. If you like today’s issue, you can share this newsletter with someone you think would value it. 
Democrats tend to defend the institutions that Trump is tearing apart, but Pete Buttigieg says the party should be focusing on the bigger, deeper structural problems the country is facing and the need for political reform. The kind of radical institutional changes he’d like to see include: expanding SCOTUS and the House of Representatives, statehood for Washington, D.C., and directly electing the president by popular vote. Plus, Pete gets candid about the “most fucked-up thing” that’s ever happened to his family, the big opportunity for Dems in Iowa in November, and Pete’s stumping for candidates in places where Fox News reigns.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Greetings from the Big Island of Hawaii. It’s a rare vacation for me, and as I checked in, news of Lindsey Graham’s sudden passing came across the wire. One of my earliest memories of Graham was when, fresh out of college as a Senate aide, Graham barged beyond my desk with Joe Lieberman in tow to see my boss. They were, along with the late John McCain, the “three amigos.¹” For many of us who knew him or were friends with him in “the before times” it can be complicated, as Adam Kinzinger explains. Ultimately, as Charles Krauthammer observed, decline is a choice, and for the most part, Graham chose decline and then some. As I knew him, he mostly followed and rarely led. If you’re yet to read Will Saletan’s award-winning work, The Corruption of Lindsey Graham, it’s something we offer folks for free because that’s the kind of place this is. Go read it if you haven’t. (Or listen!) And do also read our friend and my former colleague Matt Labash on speaking ill of the dead. I am not a big vacation person, nor am I an island or beach person. But this has been a restorative trip. (I do enjoy golf, good food², and a clear view of the stars.) As we left Cincinnati, I picked up a copy of Ted Koppel’s 2000 book Off Camera from the airport’s free library, one of the best quirks of CVG. I haven’t been able to put it down. It’s been fascinating to read about the news media and political world as they existed a quarter century ago. Which was also the first time I visited here. Some things about our business have changed dramatically; many others haven’t changed at all. At one point, Koppel quotes H.L. Mencken:
While I've been working at odd hours, knowing we aren't those kinds of people here at The Bulwark, and seeing how hard everyone works to help make our members smarter about the world, will make leaving this island paradise quite easy. I'm eager to get back to full speed. Being here has also made me think a lot about the Haitians in Springfield who love their own island home but don't want to return to suffer or die. I don’t exactly look forward to writing more about the cruelty of the Trump administration towards these fine people, but it’s a story we absolutely must continue to cover and not look away from. Worried about smart glasses? There’s an app for that. (Wired) Father and Daughter, Political Prisoners in Cuba… At The Next Move, Jay Nordlinger writes about the cases of Félix and Saylí Navarro. Vance’s security detail ‘fed up’… with hastily arranged personal and family travel requests. (MS NOW) Tech support questions? Check out our new help center. —30— Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.
1
My then-boss, Jon Kyl, was sort of a less well known “fourth amigo” who didn’t seek the spotlight like the other three did.
2
The Paniolo BBQ Dinner is a must. Look at this view. You’re a free subscriber to The Bulwark—the largest pro-democracy news and analysis bundle on Substack. For unfettered access to all our newsletters and to access ad-free and member-only shows, become a paying subscriber.We’re going to send you a lot of content—newsletters and alerts for shows so you can read and watch on your schedule. Don’t care for so much email? You can update your personal email preferences as often as you like. To update the list of newsletters or alerts you received from The Bulwark, click here. Having trouble with something related to your account? Check out our constantly-updated FAQ, which likely has an answer for you.
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