Politics
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Are You Feeling the Optimism?
I have to say that a remarkably intimate, yet expansive, community of thought seems to be forming across television, film, and the Internet. There’s a rather quiet, yet intense, movement of thought and expression building. It focuses not so much on any particular ideology ("right" or "left"), but on a common, critical-mass thirst to dispel
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On the Erosion of Democratic Habits
I think it’s worth putting the link to Naomi’ Wolfe’s article "Fascist America, in 10 Easy Steps" here for the record. Her points are similar to one’s I’ve been making, but it’s pulled together in a useful way that I think is worth reading. I particularly liked these paragraphs: It is a mistake to think
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Credibility and Credulity
"I’m not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody that has 9 percent approval ratings." Thank you, Harry Reid, for finally stating the obvious. The attitude of the entire country now should be to afford no credibility to anything these liars say. Every time I listen to the news and hear some new
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The Decider as Master
Bush fires those who are disloyal. Those who are subservient and loyal are never fired, no matter their level of incompetence or corruption. Roughly a month ago, Chuck Schumer went on CNN’s Late Edition and called for Gonzales’ resignation and, in response, Lindsey Graham said: "I think the fact that Senator Schumer asked for him
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Corporations & the Commonweal
William Greider has an interesting piece about retired IBM exec Ralph Gomory’s ideas about multinational corporations and the public interest. Gomory is a free-trade heretic, and he supports the common-sense idea that free trade is not a simple win-win as free-trade enthusiasts insist. He has written a book entitled Global Trade and Conflicting National Interests–in
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Bacevich on the End of the Republic
I haven’t read a thing yet by Andrew Bacevich that hasn’t been right on. Please read this entire article entitled "The Semiwarriors," which does as concise and insightful a job as I know to describe how we arrived in our current predicament. He ends with these paragraphs: Democrats bemoan the failures of the Bush Administration,
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If Public Opinion Mattered
In Iraq, for instance, a firm timetable for withdrawal would be initiated at once, or very soon, in accord with the will of the overwhelming majority of Iraqis and a significant majority of Americans. Federal budget priorities would be virtually reversed. Where spending is rising, as in military supplemental bills to conduct the wars in
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Evangelical Fission?
I found Frances Fitzgerald’s piece in the New York Review interesting for trying to parse out some of the complexity that lies behind the word "evangelical." Christian right activists, most of whom are themselves evangelicals, claim credit for these votes. Further, the activists tend to speak as if they represent the evangelical community as a
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Bob Barr’s Libertarian Defection
A big part of what I’ve been trying to think through in the course of the years now I’ve been writing this blog is how ideas relate to and influence our experience of reality. Because of the severity of political crisis we’re currently undergoing, most of my posts have been about political ideas. Most people
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My Problem with Hillary (Updated)
Greenwald expresses well the underlying reasons for my negative feelings about Hillary’s candidacy : …in my view, Howard Dean’s 2004 candidacy prompted such passion and excitement not because of any specific policy plans or even views on issues which he advocated (even including Iraq). Far more important was the fact that he looked, sounded and