How the Kleptocrats Bought Washington
Until a mature challenge to liberal democracy emerged from the reeking decay of the old Soviet Union, our endemic political corruption was a like manageable infection. It’s not manageable anymore.
Link Roundup, 7/27/2019 The Grifter Edition
From Sen. Joe Manchin: The Chinese are supposedly making an investment in W. Virginia larger than the state’s GDP. Their Senator wants to know why, and can’t get a straight answer. Here’s what appears to be happening. From the Daily Beast: Rand Paul is working to protect Russia’s investment in …
Looking Back on My Resignation from the GOP
Three years ago today I submitted my resignation to my local GOP organization. I had been a precinct committeeman for the past decade in suburban Chicago, volunteering on state and local campaigns. It was fun. I enjoyed it. Republican politics in Illinois had been a breath of fresh air after …
The Devil in a Barcode
Shortly after the 2016 Election I was approached by an editor who encouraged me to submit a book proposal. He didn’t like it, but the process helped crystalize my own thoughts about the political challenges we face. In our discussions in the comments section I often find myself referencing ideas …
What Really Happened While Trump Distracted Us
Trump’s Fascist rally this week in North Carolina stirred vast public outrage, at least beyond the right wing bubble. By steering the idiotic hatred of his base toward a set of female, minority representatives, he escalated the risk of violence and managed to top his prior incitements. Meanwhile… Trump has …
Jeffrey Epstein and The Wheel
Epstein is not merely a pedophile or a pimp, but a dangerous political pioneer. Until we find the will and the methods to counter the new machine, the rest of our political engagement will be wasted. We are approaching the Dunkirk of liberal democracy.
Nationalism Is a Good Idea That’s Past Its Prime
Nationalism worked because it let us build a far bigger mental picture of “us” than we’d ever before envisioned. It is failing now because it can’t keep pace with the power of newer social innovations, like the corporation, capable of even greater scale and reach.
Apocalypse Now: Why Republicans Are Destroying the World
Say what you will about the Heaven’s Gate cult members, but at least they were only interested in their own suicide. The evangelical death cult in its modern form is serving up their poison for everyone.
American Concentration Camps: A Review of Nazi History
Part of the problem is our ignorance. Almost everything Americans know about the Nazis is based on events in 1945, not 1933. We don’t understand where Hitler, the Nazis, and their concentration camps come from, so we can’t see parallels playing out right before our eyes.
Workers Reject Unionization Again, and Democrats Refuse to Learn
Labor unions, like political parties, are tools. Using the wrong tool makes jobs slower, and reduces odds of success. Workers are rejecting labor unions in their present form because they are the wrong tool. Instead of simply shouting at them louder, we should perhaps listen.