A profile of Jim DeMint, the loneliest wingnut in Washington. Filibuster 2.0: A look at how 41 senators control the country without actually filibustering. While pushing the president’s agenda through a nearly dysfunctional Senate, Harry Reid is trying to keep his job. The Great Unalignment: How long can a Democratic majority last in our fast-paced, high-tech political culture? Surveying the wreckage of “Yes, We Can” promise, Todd Purdum argues that it’s still far too early to count Obama out. The failing messenger: John Lloyd on the media's role in Obama's (un)popularity. Blame cable TV: Michael Lind on how hack party consultants came to replace real liberals and conservatives in the 24/7 media universe. An interview with Thomas Frank on how conservatives can get away with blaming Obama for the past decade of conservative failures. Theda Skocpol on how the original New Deal did not happen in the first year, but a prolonged set of struggles — so the Dems must step up to majority governance after the Massachusetts Mess (and more by Todd Gitlin). From Dissent, Eric Rauchway on New Deal denialism. Kevin Mattson reviews From the New Deal to the New Right: Race and the Southern Origins of Modern Conservatism by Joseph Lowndes. A review of The Silent Majority: Suburban Politics in the Sunbelt South by Matthew Lassiter. From New Geography, Joel Kotkin on the War Against Suburbia: Political movements ignore suburbanites at their peril. Independents are not a "vast middle ground": How many damn times must this be said before this most basic of findings — first explicated at length almost 20 years ago — sinks into the heads of pundits? (and more)
