Attack ads, circa 1800: Have this year's negative political ads really "taken dirty to a whole new level"? Er, not exactly. Divisive election-season politics is again stirring fantasies about a new, sensible party, but third parties don’t catch on in the U.S. John Dean on why the tea party elections on November 2, 2010 will ultimately make no difference. Where are the peasants with pitchforks? Republicans embrace populism but fight statism, while Democrats champion statism but fear populism. It's not fascism yet; but if the Tea Party manages to get its hands on the levers of power, it will be. Barack Obama, Fabian Socialist: Who needs Molotov when we've got Alinski? How not to understand Obama: A review of The Roots of Obama’s Rage by Dinesh D’Souza. An interview with Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, authors of The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War on America. The latest issue of Perspectives on Politics includes a series of articles on the Obama Presidency. Education of a President: As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to change Washington — two years in, he may have to change his approach to his job. To James T. Kloppenberg, author of Reading Obama: Dreams, Hopes, and the American Political Tradition, the philosophy that has guided President Obama most consistently is pragmatism. Recession Election: Hendrik Hertzberg on why voters will blame Obama. The Case for Obama: The charges are familiar — he's a compromiser who hasn't stood up to the GOP or Wall Street, but a look at his record reveals something even more startling, a truly historic presidency. A look at why divided government is bad for Obama. What is the probability that Barack Obama will be re-elected? Jonathan Chait on the coming impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama (and more). Joel Hirschhorn on why Americans elect awful presidents. A review of The Discretionary President: The Promise and Peril of Executive Power by Benjamin Kleinerman. A review of "Ready to Lead on Day One: Predicting Presidential Greatness from Political Experience" by John Balz.
