Category Archives: democracy

AOC explained: A digital performer enters the political stage

Posted on April 23, 2019 by

From one perspective, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the second coming of Donald Trump.  By this I mean that she surfed the same structural forces to Congress that swept Trump into the White House.  These forces can be characterized, very roughly, as … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, influence | 1 Comment

Populism and the trauma of history

Posted on April 16, 2019 by

Populism Is a Door That Swings Both Ways Let me introduce you to Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who became president of Mexico in January of this year.  He’s a populist of the left.  I bring him up because there’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, narratives, the public | Leave a comment

The revolt of the Yellow Vests: My interview with Atlantico.fr

Posted on March 25, 2019 by

[The following is my interview with Nicolas Goetzmann, chief economics editor of Atlantico.fr, a French online publication.  It was translated into French and published Saturday, March 23.  Francophones who wish to read it can link to it here. The interview … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, geopolitics, the public | 2 Comments

Has modern government failed?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by

I want to point readers of this blog to Noah Smith’s generous review of The Revolt of the Public (ROTP), posted a couple of weeks ago.  I would characterize the piece as “critical engagement” – for an analyst, the ideal … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, the public | 3 Comments

Europe: Populism and the agony of the elites

Posted on December 18, 2018 by

Over the past month, protests have swept across France.  What began as an objection to the fuel tax became violent displays of general outrage.  These are the surface symptoms of a deeper crisis of authority in Europe’s political order.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, geopolitics, the public | 8 Comments

The schizoid presidency of Donald Trump

Posted on January 3, 2018 by

The Curious Schism Between Trump and Trump How is one to think of a president who is unfit for office in his rhetoric and presentation yet mainstream in his policies and actions? I speak, of course, of Donald Trump.  Who … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, the public | 10 Comments

Video: My presentation

Posted on December 8, 2017 by

For those who prefer image to text, here is the video of my presentation to the Hannah Arendt Center’s conference on “Crises of Democracy” at Bard College.

Posted in democracy, the public | 1 Comment