Trump and the Art of Demagoguery
One thing you have to say about Donald Trump: he is a brilliant demagogue,* perhaps the most effective demagogue, on a national level, we have ever seen in this country. I’ve been scratching my head, and haven’t been able to ...
Read MoreFallacies of False Equivalence
I’ve written before of the tendency of our mainstream media to engage in false equivalence—the compulsion to demonstrate impartiality and objectivity by saying “both sides are to blame,” when, demonstrably, the blame really lies far more on one side than ...
Read MoreTalking About Abortion
Katha Pollitt begins her op-ed. column today with an excellent question: “Why does the pro-choice movement so often find itself in a defensive crouch?” She is reacting to the apology issued by the president of Planned Parenthood for the PP ...
Read More“Occupation” as Euphemism
In an unusual NY Times op-ed, Palestinian activist Nasser Nawaja describes the ordeal of his West Bank village, Susiya, under threat of Israeli demolition. The homes of some 340 Palestinians are slated to be destroyed on the grounds that they ...
Read MoreThe Iran Deal
Yesterday’s front-page headlines in New York’s two leading newspapers provided an interesting contrast. The NY Times, in one of its rare full-banner headlines, proclaimed WORLD LEADERS STRIKE AGREEMENT WITH IRAN TO CURB NUCLEAR ABILITY AND LIFT SANCTIONS. The World Street ...
Read MoreThe Greek Drama
A just solution to the disaster enveloping Greece would involve a massive write-down of Greek debt. That is not going to happen, so in the upcoming referendum the Greek people are faced with a choice between two horrible alternatives. A ...
Read MoreObamacare and the Court
The US Supreme Court is a supremely political institution, and no case illustrates that reality better than the just decided King vs. Burwell. Strictly on its merits, KvB should never have gone to the Court, because the plaintiffs’ case against ...
Read MoreCharleston, etc.
So, the Confederate flag will probably come down from the South Carolina state capitol grounds, as it should. I have no patience with those who assert that the flag is a legitimate symbol of the South’s heritage. Yes, it is ...
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