Backbencher

Backbencher

Home
Archive
About
Yes, Trump Lowered Your Thanksgiving Turkey's Likely Price. No, That Isn't Good.
Trump also jacked up the price of your side dishes with steel tariffs.
 • 
Timothy Noah
The DOGE is Dead
Good riddance to it.
 • 
Timothy Noah
"Possession" Meets "Waterworld"
How the protagonist of Ian McEwan's "What We Can Know" resembles my wife, and how he does not.
 • 
Timothy Noah
Aristopopulism
Yes, it's an oxymoron. But it's also a self-styled revolutionary movement that lays waste to rule of law, separation of powers, and the canons of ethics…
 • 
Timothy Noah
The Downward Spiral of Tax Cuts for the Rich
One break leads to another, which leads to another, until revenue reaches zero.
 • 
Timothy Noah
How To Clean Up After Trump's Tariff Mess
Not to worry, Justice Barrett, we've got this.
 • 
Timothy Noah
What Would Samuel Johnson Make of the UAE-Trump Bribery Scandal?
First somebody would have to tell the good doctor about it, but news coverage of Microsoft's new venture in the United Arab Emirates didn't do that.
 • 
Timothy Noah

October 2025

It's A Problem For The Dollar That Trump Owns So Much Cybercurrency
When one declines, the other benefits.
 • 
Timothy Noah
How Abundism Eased the Path to Trump's Ballroom
When liberals delegitimize aesthetic and preservationist values, don't be surprised that conservatives will use that to defend Trump's teardown.
 • 
Timothy Noah
A Belated Appreciation of Old Tom Waits
He’s up there with Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, and close to Dylan
 • 
Thomas E. Ricks
How the Washington Post Screwed the Pooch On the Binance Pardon
President pardons guy who increased his net worth by billions. Big story? Nah.
 • 
Timothy Noah
What Year Will You Die?
Easy to calculate based on probability, but few of us ever do until it's closer than we like to think.
 • 
Timothy Noah
© 2025 Timothy Noah
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture