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A chunk of the American intelligentsia is permanently convinced that the American people are waiting for a genuinely left-populist message before turning out in large numbers to transform the American political system, and that if the Democrats in particular would just embrace left economic ideas, they could become the dominant party for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for these elites, voters continue to think it is more important to pursue pro-growth policies for the economy than to reduce inequality.
The extravagance of climate change conferences seems to grow even as their likelihood of success shrinks. There are two things driving the deadlock: First, the United States under President Obama's ineffective leadership has drifted even further into a "selfish hegemon" role. Second, the sheer weight of U.S. international influence has forced a set of principles into the negotiations that essentially amount to a poison pill preventing any agreement.
Trying to take money out of politics is a mug’s game. What we really need is a way to encourage more of the 99 percent to donate to politicians like the 1 percent.
Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) has gone on to meet “our common fate.”
Alvin Plantinga: “It seems to me that many naturalists, people who are super-atheists, try to co-opt science and say it supports naturalism. I think it’s a complete mistake and ought to be pointed out.”
Does hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for shale natural gas cause earthquakes? The data is still uncertain. But since when has lack of data gotten in the way of a good green scare?
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Books
Declinism's Fifth Wave
Waves of declinist sentiment have continually rippled through the American consciousness. Tom Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum's That Used to Be Us shows us why today’s declinists may have hit the mark closer than ever before, but, like all good prophets, they also show us a path out of perdition.
Books
Essaying Epstein
Some say the essay belongs at the "kid's table" of literary genres. Undaunted, master essayist Joseph Epstein has deftly deployed the form to explore humanity—from its virtues (ambition, friendship) to its vices (envy, snobbery, and gossip). Whatever his subject, Epstein's good-natured humor marks a distinctive mode of cultural self-reflection.
Books
Sky King
Martin Van Creveld thinks that airpower is in irreversible decline, even though many remain unshaken in their faith in its capacity to win wars on the cheap. The Age of Airpower is a lively history of warfare, but ultimately misguided. Even as Pentagon budgets fall prey to the new mood of austerity prevailing in Washington, airpower still has an important role to play.
Music
Elvis Lives!
When talented performers become cultural icons, their music often becomes subsumed in the cult of personality. We tend, for example, to think of Elvis as a revered symbol or the butt of jokes about outlandish jumpsuits and blue-haired old ladies. It's high time someone help us get past Elvis-as-kitsch and answer the real question about him: Was he any good?
Retroview
Francis Parkman's Indian Problem
Francis Parkman’s vivid books on France and Britain’s travails in North America have surprising relevance to two overarching conflicts in political discourse today: government regulation of the economy, and responses to terrorism.
