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
Here’s a new League post on whether democracies can be liberal—and whether liberalism can survive in democratic regimes: There are much more interesting questions lurking behind the (usually unprofitable) “are we/aren’t we a Christian or Protestant or WASP or plural nation?” debates: Just how much common ground does a liberal democracy need? Is there a point … 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
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
Here’s how to know what sort of leftist you are (if you are, in fact, a leftist): Ask yourself: Which one of these is “greater,” in your case? I’m tempted to use this to build categories. For example, leftists that wholeheartedly disagree with the GOP and are fully disappointed in the Democratic Party are “Social … Continue reading
Every time that a conservative lights into President Obama for heading up “the worst economy/recovery/etc since the Great Depression,” a buzzer should go off with a reminder message: Right! That’s because the New Deal and resulting regulatory apparatus that sustained the fair, prosperous American economy were still in place. We eliminated them, and now we’re … Continue reading
I was rereading John Dewey’s “Democracy is Radical” last week in preparation for a lecture, and the opening lines are haunting me: There is comparatively little difference among the groups at the left as to the social ends to be reached. There is a great deal of difference as to the means by which these … Continue reading
Great speech. Obama always gives great speeches. Hooray! But it’s not without its problems—one big one in particular. President Obama’s most powerful theme was his invocation of military solidarity as a contrast with the messiness of democratic governance. He repeatedly argued that governing Democrats and Republicans ought to be able to emulate the common sense … Continue reading
Freddie deBoer has another piece eviscerating progressivism for being uniquely comfortable with violent American imperialism: When confronting establishment progressives with the reality of our conduct and how much it has cost some of the poorest and most defenseless people on earth, the conversation never stays about our victims; it inevitably changes to those attempting to … Continue reading
The last few weeks brought a number of “Why I’m not a _____” posts from several of the web’s most prominent philosophically-sophisticated bloggers. Quick recap: • Freddie deBoer is NOT a progressive. • Will Wilkinson is NOT a “Bleeding Heart Libertarian,” a libertarian more generally, or a “liberaltarian.” • E.D. Kain (responding to W.W.) is … Continue reading
