I know that I make a practice of complaining about left-wing rhetoric a lot. It’s the reason I started writing non-academically (here and here). Even though it seems like I’m always criticizing the Left, once in a while they surprise me… While it’s still unclear whether the going flap over Obama’s “you didn’t build that” … Continue reading
Media criticism is definitely the lowest form of analysis, but sometimes it’s an urge worth indulging. There’s been a recent current of lefty commentary purporting to discover that the GOP is primarily concerned with preserving tax privileges for the wealthiest Americans. Here’s Jonathan Chait: [T]hough he has passed himself off as a deficit hawk, [Paul] … Continue reading
I know that I’ve let things slide here at home(page), but I’ve posted a review of E.J. Dionne’s new book over at the League. Here’s the link! Posts here will continue to be intermittent until a few personal and professional bottlenecks clear.
I have a new piece over at the League mulling over some of the challenges for leftists who’d like to bring their faith to the public square. Take a look HERE.
A while back I wrote this post about George Will’s willful self-confusion (a notch more intentional than self-delusion, I think) on questions of markets. In his column, he argued that progressives “crave social stasis…[while] conservatives…welcome the perpetual churning of society by dynamism.” I complained that his unalloyed appreciation for market dynamism left no room for … Continue reading
Jonah Goldberg (and many other conservatives) have cried foul at the Washington Post‘s decision to run and prominently feature their story on Mitt Romney’s high school bullying problem. In Goldberg’s eyes, it proves “that the Post and other mainstream media outlets are determined to do what they can to reelect Obama.” Goldberg (et al) were especially … Continue reading
If it caught on, this one—unlike Grover’s—might actually help solve some of our political problems. Call it “The Basic Civility Pledge.” Feel free to share!
I have a piece up at The League of Ordinary Gentlemen! Read it here.
The stunning thing, I think, about John Derbyshire’s firing is that The National Review folks could actually be bothered to care. In their public firing notice, they write, “Derb is effectively using our name to get more oxygen for views with which we’d never associate ourselves otherwise.” Huh? The magazine’s founder, you’ll recall, was a … Continue reading
I’ve always thought that the No Labels/Third Way/Americans Elect/Let’s All Get Along/Kumbaya Politics Set is preternaturally silly. Nathan Pippenger helps to explain why (at Commonweal): Of course, decrying Washington gridlock in the pages of the Washington Post takes about as much courage as decrying the Yankees in Fenway Park. But such fatuous praise for Snowe is typical … Continue reading
