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Category Archives: political strategy
Red States Face Political Rumblings in Wake of Teacher Strikes
This spring, Republican governors and legislatures across the country faced major backlash from teachers protesting the neglect and defunding of public education. Work stoppages, teacher marches, and other demonstrations of populist anger appeared in the reddest of red states, notably … Continue reading
Posted in education, political strategy, populism, progressivism
Tagged 2018 mid-term elections, 2018 primaries, Amy McGrath, Arizona, Doug Ducey, Jonathan Shell, Kentucky, left-wing populism, Oklahoma, red states, Republicans, Richard Ojeda, Robert Karnes, teacher strikes, West Virginia
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How Democracies Die
How Democracies Die (2018), a book by two Harvard political scientists, is a sober view of liberal democracy’s vulnerability in today’s world. The book has achieved attention for focusing on the troubling political forces now at work in the United … Continue reading
The Trump-Republican Tax Cut: What Were They Thinking?
As a mental exercise, let’s ask the following question: what if Trump and the Republicans, instead of tilting their tax-cut legislation heavily towards corporations and the rich, had come up with a bill that truly favored white middle class voters, … Continue reading
Creative Destruction, or Just Destruction?
The Trump administration’s efforts to disrupt the political world in recent months should be no surprise to anyone. After all, Trump promised to be disrupter-in-chief if elected and to “shake things up.” His supporters on the right were happy to … 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
On Approaching the Coming Trump Administration
It’s been a rough few weeks for democrats and progressives in the wake of a shocking electoral loss. It has not been easy to absorb. Part of the reason is that we on the left have been a bit too smug … Continue reading
Posted in political strategy, privatization
Tagged Betsy Devos, contradictions, Donald Trump, Medicare, Thomas Price, voter backlash, vouchers
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Is Tim Kaine a Progressive?
As a progressive democrat, I was disappointed when Hillary chose Tim Kaine, a politician known as a centrist, for her running mate. Hillary, it seems to me, missed out on a chance to show her progressive good faith and to appeal to a critical … Continue reading
The Email Controversy
Whoever could have predicted that an issue as technical and nerdy as Clinton’s email system would become so controversial? The scandal has dominated her candidacy and sucked much of the oxygen out of issues that cry out to be discussed in the … Continue reading
Lessons to be Drawn from Denver Debate
Democratic supporters of President Obama were looking for a forceful case for his reelection at Wednesday’s debate. Instead they saw the president withdrawn and in rambling mode, woefully unprepared to answer his opponent’s programmed assault. Having spent weeks rehearsing his lines, Romney overwhelmed Obama … Continue reading
Posted in framing, political rhetoric, political strategy
Tagged Obama, presidential debate, Romney
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Political Optic 