The Editors

JUST POSTED ON TAP ONLINE: CULTURE CLASH. The clash of civilizations theory isn’t, in fact, all bogus, says Addie Stan; but the conclusions the right has drawn from it are the reverse of what’s really called for. –The Editors

FROM THE SEPTEMBER PRINT ISSUE: THE REAL RUDY. Rudy Giuliani became “America’s Mayor” five years ago today with a show of strong leadership while New York was attacked. But the credibility regarding terrorism and security that Giuliani garnered for himself that day doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. In this piece from the September print issue […]

JUST POSTED ON TAP ONLINE: DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY. Pierce channels Clio, Muse of History, delivering a stern warning to the folks in the Bush administration and over at ABC who keep making a mess of the past. Do you have any appreciation for the kind of trouble this causes up here? That scene […]

JUST POSTED ON TAP ONLINE: DEBATING THE MIDDLE. Today’s David Brooks column that Ezra discusses below referenced Monday’s TAP Online piece by Steve Rose, but Brooks didn’t mention that Rose’s article is part of an ongoing debate we’re hosting about the fate of the middle class and the appropriate political message for middle-income Americans. Here’s […]

JUST POSTED ON TAP ONLINE: STILL NOT THE ONE. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to vote on John Bolton‘s renomination as U.N. ambassador tomorrow. Mark “Fast Leon” Goldberg games out the votes in the Senate and argues that Bolton is facing an uphill battle. –The Editors

JUST POSTED ON TAP ONLINE: THE COST OF HIGH COSTS. Harvard scholar David Cutler has made waves arguing that high health-care costs in the U.S. have actually been advantageous and provided real bang for the buck in terms of health outcomes. As Maggie Mahar puts it today, “If only it were true.” Alas, it ain’t. […]

JUST POSTED ON TAP ONLINE: DON’T LOOK BACK. Matt weighs in on some of the issues being hashed out in this week’s Rose–Mishel debate, and argues that the question in dispute is the wrong question to be debating. Third Wayish prescriptions are lame even if the centrist analysis of middle-class prosperity is roughly accurate, and […]

JUST POSTED ON TAP ONLINE: THE BUSY SEASON. After five years during which Congress has abetted the president’s power-grabs in the name of fighting terrorism, recent court decisions have forced the legislative branch finally to take action — for better or worse. Jonathan Hafetz offers a primer on the issues, including surveillance and detainee policy, […]

LABOR DAY SPECIAL. Tapped will be closed for Labor Day — but have no fear, there’s still TAP Online content you can enjoy today at the barbeque. Today we’re kicking off a debate that tackles two related questions — just how is the middle class actually faring in the contemporary economy, and how should Democrats […]