From my new Upshot column: Why is Donald Trump leading the polls in the G.O.P. presidential race? One explanation is his celebrity and the media attention he attracts. But he has also exploited our vulnerability to pleasing fictions about presidential power. We like to pretend that presidents exert vast control over the country, commanding not

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From my new Upshot column: Is Joe Biden running for president? Effectively yes, even though he is not yet a declared candidate. Buzz has grown about a potential Biden candidacy this week after The Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that he was considering entering the race, in part because of urging from his son Beau,

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