Politics & Power 485
Ten Theses on Our Populist Moment
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Tomorrow, with the California Democratic primary, the populist developments that so many have observed in this electoral cycle will definitively change. Either Sanders will prevail…
Just War Doctrine Doesn’t Need an Update
According to a “first of its kind” Vatican conference co-hosted by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the international Catholic peace organization Pax Christi there is no such thing…
The leaders we deserve
I'm heading back to the United States this month to spend some time with my family, and I'm headed back to an America whipped up into a political frenzy. Europeans…
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?
The Deep and Discomforting Point of Populism (and Socialism, and Certain Sorts of Conservatism Too)
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Over the weekend, a friend of mine shared an article which had joined in the Hillary Clinton-Bernie Sanders fight, a fight which may come to…
The Art of the Deal, and the Writing on the Wall
The Republican candidates for president would have us believe that they are strong, manly men who would stand up to Putin, destroy daesh, contain Iran, and generally “restore” America’s power…
Soil and Sacrament in Certain Kinds of Cities
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] This past weekend here in Wichita, I participated in the Eighth Day Institute's symposium, Soil and Sacrament: The World as Gift; Rod Dreher has a…
Branding Disaster
Earlier this year, after the Charlie Hebdo shootings, I reflected on the conversations that may or may not ensue from the changing of a facebook profile picture. As my facebook…
The Philanthropic Revolution
West Chester, PA [Editor's Note: Late last month, American Philanthropic hosted a launch party for Jeremy Beer's new book The Philanthropic Revolution. Jeremy is one of the founders of FPR,…
Wichita and the Dilemma of Mid-Sized Cities
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] There's been some depressing news here in Wichita, Kansas, of late. Not the sort of depressing news that one might typically fear to hear when…
Sanders, Corbyn, and the Radical Politics of Anachronism
Last month, the Washington Examiner upbraided two Democratic contenders for the Presidency, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley, for wanting to "turn back the clock." It seems like a rather strange…
The Good City and the Good Citizen
Plato wasn’t the first to recognize the connection that exists between morality and community, though he was the first to give it philosophical expression. In the Republic, Plato saw psychological…
Bernie Sanders: Front Porch Socialist?
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] This October, Front Porch Republic will host its annual conference in Geneseo, NY, just a short day's drive from Burlington, Vermont, the home current presidential…
Just Another Naked King
What hath Athens to do with Main Street? Why should an economic crisis in a small European nation shake up the world? And can this possibly add up to freedom?…
The Silly Season is Here Again
Elections are here, but manure-spreading is nothing new.
Harriet Tubman, in a Child’s Eye
BURNED-OVER DISTRICT, NY - I’m overjoyed that the phiz of that bastard Alexander Hamilton, the father of corporate capitalism, will be removed from the $10 bill he has for so…
A Presidential Proposal Worthy of the Porch
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] The blogger, pundit, screenwriter, and all-around mensch Noah Millman has come up with a brilliant idea--Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont, and Jim Webb, former…
The Socialist Party and the Old Right
A slightly edited version of this talk was delivered at a forum at the National Press Club on April 9, 2015, entitled "American Socialism Reconsidered," on the occasion of Jack Ross's…
Why Cities Ought to, Sometimes, Challenge Their States
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] On next Tuesday’s ballot here in Wichita, KS, voters will be able to, whether they realize it or not, directly contribute to an ongoing struggle…
The Lure of Unreason
It is a pedestrian fact of logic that one may not consistently argue to a correct conclusion from an incorrect premise. There are exceptions to this fact, as in the…
Was 1964 the Most Important Year — Ever?
Ask an American of even above-average intelligence what happened in 1964, and the predictable answer would be “Beatlemania” (although the politically sensitive conservative might cite the stirring defeat of Barry…
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…
Group Decisionmaking and Individual Responsibility
Part of the pushback against the notion that groups can make decisions comes from the fear that we already use groups to absolve ourselves of individual responsibility. James Buchanan made…
Huckabee’s Shifting Shades of Green
As he began making the early “exploratory” rounds, a smiling Mike Huckabee recently reminded Martha Raddatz on ABC’s political Sunday show This Week that in 2008 he had run a…
