Alex Dunn It has been quiet here of late. I think that a brief pause to reflect on just how long 4 years can seem has benefitted us all. Such was the perceived length of Trump’s presidency, it seems appropriate to refer to the Trump Epoch. Here in Europe, as Inauguration Day approached, we waited…
Stuart Lyle Trump says, “China,” the World Jumps Trump and the GOP have decided that having failed to act effectively to stem the coronavirus pandemic, they can draw attention away from their failure by pointing the finger at China. After all, it is clear that this evil disease originated in China. Is it all that…
Stuart Lyle A Constitutional crisis has come… and gone – but few have noticed. Americans have great confidence in their form of government. From an early age they are taught – and, of course, they come to believe – that the Constitution forms the unbreakable backbone of an exceptional democratic system, unmatched in the world.…
Stuart Lyle The denouement of a week of public testimony in the US House of Representatives Impeachment Inquiry was Adam Schiff’s closing statement. He alternated between sneering at the Republicans and getting furious with their character assassinations and stonewalling. In contrast with Devin Nunes’ obscurantist approach, Schiff quoted the Republican Ranking Member of a different…
W.J. Astore Continuing our election coverage, I thought I’d try to sum up each major candidate with a single word (excluding profanities). I encourage readers to submit your own words for each candidate in the comments section below. The Democrats Clinton: Compromised. No candidate is more beholden to special interests and the establishment than…
Chris Hedges (Courtesy of Truthdig) The increase in nihilistic violence such as school shootings and Friday’s lethal assault on a Planned Parenthood clinic, the frequent executions of poor people of color by police, and the rise of thuggish demagogues such as Donald Trump are symptoms of the collapse of our political and cultural institutions. These…
W.J. Astore A revealing question and answer came in this week’s presidential debate among the Democratic candidates. They were asked if Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who revealed illegal spying by the NSA and the U.S. government, should be considered a hero or traitor. Hillary Clinton’s answer was revealing of who she is and what she…
Michael Brenner Is Bernie Sanders halfway there? No – not to the nomination, much less the White House. What Sanders has done is to establish himself as a force in the Democratic Party’s selection process. He has done so by demonstrating two qualities that have largely disappeared from America’s political life over the past few…
Daniel N. White Two recent events in Austin, Texas are worth noting. The first was Senator Bernie Sanders’ recent appearance at a Democratic Socialists of America sponsored event held at the local IBEW hall. There was extensive promotion of the event by the local AFL-CIO and the turnout was good—close to 600 showed up. Audience…
W.J. Astore So, Republicans now control the Senate as well as the House. As we the people endure the forced march to 2016 and the next presidential election, our new political landscape is sure to produce more military escalations. The reason is as obvious as it is sad. De-escalation of military conflicts is defined, especially…
The Contrary Perspective 