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
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
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
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.
With Elites and With the Truth, It’s Complicated Three years ago I remarked that the public was engaged in a messy divorce from the elites who run the great institutions of the industrial age. That bit of scandal is by … Continue reading
The Tipping-point of Revolt In 2016, a furious political tempest ravaged the democratic world. Popular politicians – presidents and prime ministers – were toppled from on high and hurled into oblivion. Exotic creatures, originating far from the old mainstream, were … Continue reading
The Pretense of Objectivity The ideology of news makes two moral claims: that it is complete, and that it is objective. News, in other words, provides consumers with just the right amount of information necessary to function as citizens, and … Continue reading
