Politics & Power 484
In Search of the Real Coolidge
Our interest in historical subjects says as much about our society as about the subjects themselves. The growing interest in the life, thought and presidency of Calvin Coolidge issues from…
“Monogamish”: Marriage in the Age of Caucus Races
Berwyn, PA. While the American President is appearing on late-night television to tell the world -- and the Russians -- that a permissive attitude toward homosexual behavior is a matter…
How To Talk About Race
Hillsdale, Michigan. After the George Zimmerman verdict, President Obama talked about the need for a conversation on race in the United States. He also made the sensible observation that such…
A Human Scale Future
Hidden Springs Lane. The notion of scale should be an integral part of the conversation when we consider matters of economic and political import. Unfortunately, this is generally not the…
Independence Day Discord
As some prepare to don the stars and stripes in all tasteless manners of irony, and speak sarcastically and casually about concepts such as freedom; and as others, who opt…
Seemliness and Scale
The terms ‘seemly’ (conforming to accepted notions of propriety or good taste) and ‘unseemly’ (not proper or appropriate) describe behaviors which are not, strictly speaking, moral or immoral, legal or illegal,…
When Richard Met Barber
BURNED-OVER DISTRICT, NY---“Richard Fenno’s oeuvre is the most important contribution to congressional scholarship during recent generations,” says Yale political scientist David R. Mayhew. Contemporary political science is dominated by quantitative…
John Taylor of Caroline and Energy Policy
When Odysseus visited Hades, he spoke with many of the greatest fallen Greeks: Achilles, Agamemnon, the prophet Tiresias. He sees many others, and considers seeking out Pirithous and Theseus. “But…
A Radical Republican
We need more Richard Pettigrews in an age of Wall Street harlotry and Pax Americana war making.
America Needs Another Bush?
Accusing President Obama of “caviling over chemical weapons in Syria,” The Economist insists that events in Syria are “exposing Mr Obama’s hubris,” his “overconfidence,” and revealing his foreign policy ineptitude.…
Harassed by the IRS? Don’t be Surprised.
Hidden Springs Lane. Americans have recently learned that certain groups seeking non-profit status were subjected to, ahem, "heightened scrutiny" by the IRS. It seems that groups that used words like…
What Then Must We Do?: Worker Ownership Redux
The following is an excerpt from from Gar Alperovitz's What Then Must We Do? (Chelsea Green, 2013) and is reprinted with permission of the publisher. Learn more about the book here. By the way, and…
Telling the Truth about Immigration
Berwyn, PA. Nobody wants to. Most politicians would rather appeal to platitudes about America as a "nation of immigrants" than confront their responsibility to attend to the common good of…
The Problem of Undertheorized Agrarianism in Most Actually Argued Localism
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] That's a terrible title for this post, I know. But hopefully it'll make sense, if you actually make it to the end. First of all,…
Unsolicited Advice for the Republican Party
Hidden Springs Lane. It is clear that the GOP is in disarray. The recent CPAC conference only served to highlight that the Republicans are bereft of ideas. Railing against “big…
Mark Mitchell’s Politics of Gratitude (Theoretical and Otherwise)
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] To continue with the excellent discussion begun by R.J. Snell, Mark Mitchell's fine and thoughtful book is filled with important insights and challenges, which do…
Capital Offense
Washington, DC I’ve been spending my semester in exile in our nation’s capital. My apartment is in Arlington, on a ridge overlooking the city. From that spot I have a…
U.S. ‘Intervention’ in Syria Unlawful
Proponents of Syria “intervention” did not seem to notice any irony as Secretary of State John Kerry, on the one hand, chastened Iraq for letting Iran use its airspace to…
Our Slippery Slope into the Age of “Big Love”
Berwyn, PA. Many of us will recall the criticism Rick Santorum endured regarding this passage from a 2003 interview: And if the Supreme Court says that you have the right…
Democracy Is A Racket
War and Democracy by Paul Gottfried Arktos Media Ltd 170 pp., $21.00 In this slender volume Paul Gottfried addresses everything from the influence of ancient Greek thought on Oswald…
In Defense of President Obama’s Syria Policy
Myriad calls have been made for intervention in Syria. President Obama has been blamed with everything from “feeble paralysis most foul” to subcontracting “foreign policy to the likes of Qatar”…
Deleting the Individual: Big Data and Presidential Campaigns
The following is an excerpt from David Masciotra's new book, Against Traffic: Essays on Politics and Identity. For sale exclusively at Amazon. Looking back over the 2012 Presidential Election, it…
Filibustering the Filibuster
Washington, Connecticut. As I watched Senator Rand Paul slurp his dripping candy bar, a sinking feeling set in. This does not diminish his determined stance but one should rightly be…
Something About Which Leftists, Localists, and Libertarians (But Probably Not Philosophical Liberals) Ought to Agree
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Senator Rand Paul's filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be head of the CIA--something that he did in order to "draw attention to…