Tag Archives: politics

New Rationales

Posted on January 7, 2026 by hessd

I am a great fan of Thomas D. Edsall’s columns in the New York Times.  His columns are made up of: a) a good question, b) a collection of interesting and reliable correspondents, and c) a journalistic schema that uses … Continue reading →

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“Unnecessary Videos”

Posted on January 1, 2026 by hessd

The old Soviet joke is that there is no Tass in the Pravda and no Pravda in the Tass.  My Soviet Studies professor at Miami University, who told us that one and who spoke Russian fluently, said that Tass meant … Continue reading →

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“We” are an evangelical nation

Posted on December 28, 2025 by hessd

I would like to share today some thoughts about social and political identity under the Trump administration.  We hear the claim that “we” are “a Christian nation.”  That was prominent in the Christmas messages of the Trump administration according to … Continue reading →

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The Last Fair Election

Posted on September 10, 2025 by hessd

According to Heather Cox Richardson’s column today,  MAGA loyalist Steve Bannon recently said: “They’re petrified over at MSNBC and CNN that, hey, since we’re taking control of the cities, there’s going to be ICE officers near polling places. You’re damn … Continue reading →

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Or Else…what?

Posted on September 3, 2025 by hessd

It should not be too hard to grasp the idea that you can’t give ultimatums to people who have alternatives.  The classic formulation of this occurred in a memorable episode of the West Wing in which Leo McGarry, the President’s … Continue reading →

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The Price of They/Them

Posted on July 16, 2025 by hessd

I read in the last week the there was a distinct Democratic downturn that showed up when this political ad (in all its forms) began to be shown. When I looked it up online, they gave the full text as … Continue reading →

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Not a Slam Dunk

Posted on July 2, 2025 by hessd

I’d like to put two facts in opposition to each other. The first is that in Trump’s “budget” bill, which passed the Senate today, thanks to Vice President Vance’s vote, will have devastating effects on Trump’s core constituency. Jacob Hacker, … Continue reading →

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No more money for you, Harvard!

Posted on June 6, 2025 by hessd

On April 11, three representatives of the Trump Administration wrote a letter to the president of Harvard, laying out the new requirements Harvard would be required to meet. If you treat the letter only on the level of the language … Continue reading →

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An American Government of One Branch

Posted on June 1, 2025 by hessd

Let’s begin with just what to call this part of the Project 2025 Report (hereafter the Report) of the Heritage Foundation, a well-known conservative think tank.  The Report calls it “The Executive Office of the President of the United States.”  … Continue reading →

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What are school boards for?

Posted on August 30, 2022 by hessd

If you look at an ordinary school district, you see the professional providers organized in the expected way. That’s what the “professional” part provides. The teachers are the subject matter experts and the de facto social workers. The administrators organize … Continue reading →

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