b. traven Donald Trump will soon leave the White House, either on his own, or escorted by authorities. As the song says, he’ll “go where the goblins go, below, below, below.” It’s time for the Republicans to quit fiddling while America burns from the last four years of Trumpism. 10,000+ daily new virus infections, an…
Daniel Mason Just look at a few of the stats for America (USA): 1) We dominate a continent which is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Oh, and throw in the added benefit of the Caribbean Sea/ Gulf of Mexico to the south. To the…
Alex Dunn I have a long-standing fascination with the extreme political polarisation that I perceive exists in the USA. As an Englishman, I am no stranger to the tribalism that pits Tory and Labour supporters against on another (let’s set aside for now the spent force that is the Liberal Democrats). These are two sides…
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…
W.J. Astore I watched last night’s Republican debate so you wouldn’t have to. Leaving aside the usual mugging by Donald Trump, the usual jousting over side issues like whether Ted Cruz is a natural born citizen, I thought I’d take an impressionistic approach to the debate. You can read the debate transcript here (if you…
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…
Tom Engelhardt (Courtesy of TomDispatch.com) Here is what’s grimly fascinating in this year’s dystopian carnival of a Republican presidential primary. When it comes to what can be said in America, all bets are off. These days, the concept of “beyond the pale” couldn’t look more wan. All of a sudden, there’s nothing, no matter how…
W.J. Astore It’s Halloween, America, which perhaps explains the gruesome results of the latest Republican presidential debate. I watched a sliver of them (terrifying!), and read as much as I could stand of the debate transcript (horrifying!). As usual, the Republicans want you to be afraid, very afraid, of the bogeyman. With respect to the…
The Contrary Perspective 