Jeff Taylor was born and raised in Spencer, Iowa. He is Professor of Political Science at Dordt College. He is author of three books: Where Did the Party Go?: William Jennings Bryan, Hubert Humphrey, and the Jeffersonian Legacy (University of Missouri Press), Politics on a Human Scale: The American Tradition of Decentralism (Lexington), and The Political World of Bob Dylan: Freedom and Justice, Power and Sin (Palgrave Macmillan). He has written for Green Horizon Quarterly, Modern Age, Chronicles, The American Conservative, FirstPrinciplesJournal.com, HuffingtonPost.com, LewRockwell.com, AntiWarLeague.com, and CounterPunch.org. He is roughly half German, a quarter English, and the rest is Irish, Scotch-Irish, and French. Jeff spent his entire life in the Midwest until moving to Alabama in 2008. He returned to his home state three years later. He has degrees from Northwestern College, University of Iowa, and University of Missouri. His research emphases are American politics, political theory, political history, and international relations. Jeff can be reached via email at wherego (at) aol.com.
Jeff Taylor
Articles by Jeff Taylor
Trump in Context
Sioux Center, Iowa. In what he represents, Donald Trump is not as unique as either his admirers or his despisers think. How do we explain the Trump phenomenon? When he…
Clinton, Kissinger, and the Democratic Tradition
Why would a self-proclaimed progressive Democrat pay honor to a Republican who exemplifies both dollar diplomacy and gunboat diplomacy?
Bob Dylan and Christian Zionism
CounterPunch has published my article on one aspect of Dylan’s foreign policy: his view of the modern state of Israel. It touches on the theology of dispensational premillennialism. Our book…
ISIS and Paris
The “Barack Obama/John McCain Brigade” strikes again—horribly. The U.S. federal government has sown creative destruction in the Middle East, and the world is reaping the whirlwind. When will the madness…
Iowa Conference on Presidential Politics
Dr. Jeff Taylor, Professor of Political Science at Dordt College, invites you to attend the Iowa Conference on Presidential Politics. It will be held October 29-31, 2015, on the campus…
The Letter to Iran and Bipartisan Hype
Sioux Center, Iowa. Most Republican members of the U.S. Senate have signed a public letter to the Iranian government warning that any agreement with President Obama that is not approved…
Common Good Politics: A Review of Nader’s Book
In his new book, Ralph Nader argues that the Left and the Right should unite against the economic and political establishment in the Center.
Elite vs. Popular
This week, in Strasbourg, there was a fine and frank denunciation of the European Union by Nigel Farage, British member of the European Parliament. Developments across the Atlantic mirror the…
Not Even on the Radar
In a small attempt to connect political theory to actual power, last week I sent messages to some GOP members of the U.S. Senate telling them about my new book,…
Politics on a Human Scale: Historiography
The language of “human scale” politics originated, at least in modern America, among the New Left and the Counterculture. More recently it has been adopted by traditional conservatives (appropriately enough).
What You Need to Know About Dwight Macdonald
Dwight Macdonald was one of the twentieth century’s great public intellectuals. American culture was Macdonald’s specialty, including government. A journalist by trade, Macdonald’s first professional job was writing for Time…
Truth on the Losing Side
Justice Scalia’s dissents in the two same-sex “marriage” cases are worth reading. The first opinion addresses the idea of judicial supremacy within the federal government—what Jefferson called “the despotism of…
A Radical Republican
We need more Richard Pettigrews in an age of Wall Street harlotry and Pax Americana war making.
What’s Wrong with the Republican Party?
An ill-fitting presidential nominee led to an election loss. A better nominee might win next time--but is winning enough?
Paul Ryan: More of the Same
When the New York Times reported that Governor Romney was facing pressure from the “Right” to name Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) as his running mate, the flagship newspaper of the…
Wisconsin Calling
Ron Paul should go to Wisconsin and make a splash.
The GOP in Limbo: How Low Can You Go?
Newt Gingrich is a master of righteous indignation although he’s far better at being indignant than being righteous. What's going on with conservative Christians?
Post-Iowa Advice for the Paul Campaign
Ron Paul didn't win Iowa but he did well. What should he do now?
Agrarian Politics: Why I Care
Interest in agrarian politics can start in childhood. As feminists used to say, "The personal is political."
Happy Birthday, Happy Warrior
May 27 is the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Hubert Horatio Humphrey. Jesse Walker has brought an interesting tribute by Rick Perlstein to my attention. It’s a perceptive analysis,…
Bottom of the Barrel
Here is your opportunity to name the worst-ever occupant of the White House.
On the Porch with Bye, Bye, Miss American Empire
I value a writer who makes me read with a dictionary. Godspeed the man with a memory.
Sausage Time Machine
Does food have a context of time and place?, or, How to make your own sausage.
The Latest and Greatest: Just Another Brick in the Wall
Computers are not The Answer to creating better students.