archive

The tone of political discourse

An interview with C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb on the tone of political discourse and his channel's impact on government. Boring politics, please: The American political system wasn't built to handle showdowns, culture wars, crises of legitimacy, or bids for total power. From Liberty, politicians from FDR to Obama have promised to free us from “want”; S.H. Chambers wonders if even they know what they mean; and is Scripture statist, or does the Good Book support the redistributionist policies our president claims it does? From TAP, the policy-making process has become an extension of the market battlefield; and from Bear Sterns to BP, there is a reason "bailout" has become the defining word of the era. A look at 6 shocking ways conservatives helped cause the economic destruction of America. What happens when Democrats are "fighting Wall Street with one hand, unions with the other," while Republicans are fighting unions with two hands? Conservatives want to European-ize America? Supposedly, the left is in love with Europe, but have you heard of laissez-faire and the Austrian School? The circle is now complete: No, not really, but there is something in the notion of a liberal-libertarian alliance. GOP Light: How the Democrats lost their way and screwed the working poor. Democrats are on a winning streak — so why are they acting like losers? Against Despair: Michael Tomasky on how our misreading of history harms progressivism today. Bogus, misdirected and effective: The Tea Party movement is steeped in misinformation and denial — but it has a lot to teach the left. Outside a Tea Party: JoAnn Wypijewski on mongrel politics and an American mind. The hand of Drudge heavily influences what is read in the papers, viewed on television and debated in national politics — where is the liberal Drudge?