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Author Archives: politicaloptic
Why the Left Excels at Political Humor and the Right Not So Much
It is almost a cliché that political humor is owned by the left. One can’t help but be bowled over by the number of liberal-leaning comedians sucking up oxygen on the airwaves. For a long while it was people like … Continue reading
Trump-Nixon Parallels: Is History Repeating Itself?
In the unfolding inquiry into the Trump campaign’s Russian connections, one can’t help but see Trump-Nixon parallels. Trump’s firing of James Comey in the middle of an ongoing investigation bears obvious similarities with Nixon’s firing of Watergate investigator Archibald Cox. Not only do we … Continue reading
Posted in political strategy, populism, Trump administration, Uncategorized
Tagged impeachment, Karl Marx, Richard Nixon, vox populi, Watergate
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Asymmetric Warfare: How Is It Working for Trump?
As two recent commentators have observed, Trump is a master of asymmetric warfare. Asymmetric warfare is a term used to describe tactics adopted by a weaker force against a stronger one, normally in a military setting. The typical example is of a guerrilla … Continue reading
Will Trump Exploit a Terrorist Attack for His Own Ends?
Because Trump’s tweets are spontaneous, they provide a useful indicator–a kind of Rohrschack Test–of his fundamental instincts. One recent tweet, reacting to the Federal Court’s blockade of his immigration executive order, was nothing less than a wake-up call for concerned Americans. Trump tweeted: “Just … Continue reading
Hillbilly Elegy: J. D. Vance’s Personal Take on White Working-Class America
J.D. Vance’s recent book, Hillbilly Elegy, puts a spotlight on the crisis of white working-class America. It is a memoir of a young man who grew up in a culture of poverty and dysfunction but who, with a little help and some grit, eventually … Continue reading
Posted in book review
Tagged Appalachia, Hillbilly Elegy, J. D. Vance, poverty, responsibility
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Some Questions for Betsy DeVos
Everyone has a right to their own opinions. This statement applies to billionaire Republican Betsy DeVos as much as any American. Nonetheless, Mrs. DeVos’s record as an aggressive lobbyist of tax-subsidized private education and her open hostility to public schools raises obvious questions about her qualifications to … Continue reading
Team of Wreckers
Donald Trump campaigned as the man who would shake up Washington. He was the anti-candidate, the enemy of political correctness, the scourge of the establishment, the “only one” who could turn things around. With hyperbole and swagger, Trump presented himself as the agent of … Continue reading
