Forget Trump, it was Putin who built the ideological template for the GOP Published in CommonDreams February 20 (link to article) Despite losing the last election by seven million votes, it is conventional wisdom that Donald Trump remains the leader of the Republican Party. Partly this reflects the Republican base. The media also plays its role:…
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Worst. Negotiator. Ever.
Published in the Washington Monthly Jan. 20, 2017 ( link to article) Donald Trump’s nuclear arms gambit shows he’s a loser.
Republicans Are Revolutionaries, Not Conservatives: A Response to Thomas Schaller
Published in billmoyers.com There is much to commend in Thomas Schaller’s recent piece describing the built-in structural advantages that the Republican Party enjoys in the American electoral system. Some analysts believe this advantage derives from the systematic gerrymandering of legislative districts; others declare it a result of a voluntary demographic “sorting” of Democrats into metropolitan areas…
The ‘Anti-Knowledge’ of the Elites
Published in the consortiumnews Exclusive: It’s fairly easy to spot the “anti-knowledge” spouted by the Tea Party and the Religious Right’s favorite candidates, but a more subtle form of reality-deprived “group think” pervades America’s elites though it is rarely noted in the polite circles of the mainstream media, writes Mike Lofgren. By Mike Lofgren In a previous…
GOP and the Rise of Anti-Knowledge
Ben Carson’s rise to the top of the Republican presidential field shows that many Republicans, especially Christian fundamentalists, have decoupled from the real world — and are proud of it. The more that GOP candidates embrace “anti-knowledge” the more popular they become, as Mike Lofgren explains. By Mike Lofgren In the realm of physics, the…
The Soft Power Hoax
The Soft Power Hoax | Consortiumnews – Link to article U.S. officials love the idea of “soft power,” a concept that applies non-violent means – from propaganda to culture – to induce foreign countries to conform to Washington’s wishes. But the arrogance of the approach has alienated, rather than attracted, many people around the world. A recurrent…
Operation Rent Seeking
Washington Monthly on Political Books March/April/May 2015 Operation Rent Seeking How the war on terrorism became a business model. In present-day America’s politically polarized atmosphere, it is easy to characterize divisive issues like the war on terrorism, the Wall Street bailout, or the Affordable Care Act as symbols of a clash of ideologies. Ideology is present…