In These Times is doing a feature issue on “The Right-Wing”, and the essay about former leftists moving rightward (Losing the Plot: The “Leftists” Who Turn Right) is getting a lot of traction. Fair enough; it’s quite good and you…
Let’s Be Clear: Both Sides Of The Civil War Were Wrong
Contrary to popular belief, neither side of the U.S. Civil War was really into “freedom”. They were both fighting for the power to control other people. This tends to get skipped over in modern discussions, since the current culture war…
Followers: The Problem With “Leadership”
Business leaders, political leaders, thought leaders; “leadership” is an aspirational word in these United States. It shouldn’t be. Sure, many of the qualities people mean by it can be good: decisiveness, confidence, charisma. These are fine things in someone trustworthy…
You Should Read This: Authoritarian Nightmare
Back in February I posted You Need To Read This: The Authoritarians, where I suggested that book as absolutely necessary to understanding politics in the U.S. today. Today, I think you should read Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers. This…
No Party This Year: The Republicans Cancelled Their Primary Election
I really don’t understand anyone who plans to vote Republican in the general election this year. Not that I particularly understand them in any year. Even a brief perusal of this blog should make it pretty obvious that I am…
You Need To Read This: The Authoritarians
You really can’t understand the world we live in until you do. Authoritarianism. Authoritarianism is something authoritarian followers and authoritarian leaders cook up between themselves. It happens when the followers submit too much to the leaders, trust them too much,…