Hey! Hi! Sorry it’s been so long! I’ve written two posts on the Democratic National Convention for The League of Ordinary Gentlemen! C’mon and click and read and enjoy! The first covers Michelle Obama’s speech—and conservatives’ obsession with painting her husband as un-American. Here’s the link, and here’s an excerpt: Yes, the First Lady did a … Continue reading
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
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.
Michael Kazin is always brilliant, but he’s even more amazing when he’s echoing stuff I’ve recently written: But the meaning of liberalism gradually changed. The quarter-century of growth and low unemployment that followed the Second World War understandably muted appeals for class justice on the left. Liberals focused on gaining rights for minority groups and … Continue reading
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
A few readers emailed to ask my thoughts on Obama’s announcement that he now supports same-sex marriage. Briefly, then, here’s what I think: 1) The LONG version: I think that it’s certainly a calculated political move—and it’s certainly “cynical.” It may, as many are predicting, hurt him with various blue-collar independent voters who were suspicious of … Continue reading
My recent essay on the Left’s “Wonk” problem prompted responses from Andrew Sullivan and Rod Dreher. Take a look! I’m working on a related piece that answers some of the questions raised by various commenters…but it may be days or weeks before I have time to finish it. Stay tuned.
I have a piece up at The League of Ordinary Gentlemen! Read it here.
Recent science-ignorant bills in Tennessee (and Oklahoma) got me reflecting on progressivism’s science problems. On the surface, it’s hard to see that they have one: at least since the early 20th Century, progressives have enthusiastically embraced science as a political tool. When scientific observations reveal human-caused threats to the environment or potential avenues of new … Continue reading
George Will’s Post column today is an exercise in loose logic: Today’s primary political and cultural conflict is…between people, mislabeled “progressives,” who crave social stasis, and those, paradoxically called conservatives, who welcome the perpetual churning of society by dynamism. Theodore Roosevelt, America’s first progressive president, thought it was government’s duty to “look ahead and plan out … Continue reading
