I’m going to confess an unpopular opinion (among liberals at least) and say that as much as I enjoy The Daily Show, Jon Stewart is usually not that good an interviewer when it comes to political figures. He’s about two-thirds of a good interviewer-there are always some good questions, but he usually misses opportunities to […]
Media
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Can Moral Mondays Produce Victorious Tuesdays?
North Carolina’s protest movement has galvanized the state’s progressives, but couldn’t stop 2014’s Republican tide. Its leaders say they’re only just beginning.
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Terrorists Will Never Limit Our Free Speech, But Government Can
“Lone wolf” nutjobs and small bands of extremists can’t threaten our values, but our own institutions can.
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Charlie Hebdo, the Democratic Bargain, and the Limits of Solidarity
Every free society makes a bargain when it comes to free speech. The bargain says that we believe that it’s so essential to human flourishing that everyone be able to say what they want that we’re willing to tolerate speech we despise. Every society draws borders around that right-here in America, which may have the […]
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A Simple Question for the NYPD
View image | gettyimages.com I haven’t done any kind of systematic survey, but most of the coverage (particularly broadcast coverage) I’ve seen about the conflict between New York mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD (or portions thereof) has been maddeningly he said/she said, just noting quickly that the two sides are angry with each […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
How to Be a Walking ‘Confirmation Bias’ (Role Model: Mia Love)
It’s easy to write off Mia Love and Allen West but these very visible blacks hurt the quest for equality.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Uniquely Awful Role of Sheldon Adelson in the Israeli Election
In America he’s the biggest mega-donor. In Israel, he’s the only one.
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Carnage at The New Republic and Prospects for the Liberal Press
In today’s economy, newspapers and magazines run losses and the typical owner is more like a hobbyist—bored with just making money and attracted to the cachet and power that being a publisher brings. Â
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Cosby and Ferguson: Why Addressing Gender Violence and Racial Violence Is Not Either/Or Option
Why would you believe the accounts given by eyewitnesses to Michael Brown’s slaying, but not believe the testimony of many women who say they were raped in the same way by the same man?
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
The Next Cool Thing: Great Writing From the Middle of America
Marking its first year in publication, Belt Magazine, with its focus on the industrial Midwest, is the nation’s new literary darling.
