“A disconnect ensues: Even as the American public has indeed polarized, our elected representatives have fled to the extremes to an even greater degree.”
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Author: Thomas Koenig
The Great American Disconnect
Andrew Sullivan Invites Us All Out Onto the Limb
“That commitment to truth seeking made Sullivan one of the earliest advocates for gay marriage and one of the most potent and consistent critics of ‘wokeness’ today.”
The Political Import of Jonathan Rauch’s “The Constitution of Knowledge”
“Rauch takes as his subject how we know what we know in public life, and what the greatest contemporary threats to our shared public knowledge are.”
Why We Should Love Democracy, with a Few Caveats
“But even if we should accept and defend democracy as an ideal, we should not make the mistake of forgetting that anti-democratic—or, at least, non-democratic—procedures and institutions are necessary for sustaining a liberal democratic society like our own.”
The Eviction Ban: A Case Study in Congressional Dysfunction
“Our members of Congress—no matter how extreme their ideological predilections—have a duty to quit using the institution as a performative stage and begin working within it to actually forge policy solutions to our most pressing issues.”
Liberal Democracy Lives on the Page, Not the Screen
“Here, I would like to reflect on the optimal mechanisms for sustaining the rational mindset that undergirds liberal democracy.”
Patriotism: The Supreme Political Virtue
“Here, Smith steps in, and he admirably makes a case to both the Left and the Right that patriotism is a worthy political virtue in need of resuscitation here in the United States.”
Review: Chris Bail’s “Breaking the Social Media Prism”
“To explain why the echo chamber corrective flopped, Bail puts forth an alternative theory of how today’s social media is helping drive polarization and mutual contempt between partisans.”
To Prevent Politics and Reality from Breaking Up, Keep It Local
“Therefore, if we want to ward off a divorce between our political narratives and reality, perhaps the best thing we can do is bring political affairs as close as possible to our lived, everyday realities.”
George W. Bush’s “Out of Many, One”: A Message of Gratitude
“And at a time when so many, on both the Left and Right, seem intent on tearing everything down, President Bush reminds us how much we have.”
Review: John Boehner’s “On the House”
“On the House does not provide a clear answer, but, if one reads carefully, one might find that Boehner’s short-term pessimism and long-term optimism are both warranted.”
Review: Jamal Greene’s “How Rights Went Wrong”
“Greene uses abortion jurisprudence as a real-world example of how American law’s approach to rights has gone wrong—and has helped split us up into warring tribes competing for a zero-sum rights pie.”
Everybody’s Getting the Filibuster—and the Senate—All Wrong
“But let us be clear: It is not fair to claim that the filibuster is a ‘relic of Jim Crow,’ either.”
Age Quod Agis
“From Saint Ignatius, this short phrase’s message is straightforward yet powerful: Do what you are doing.”
Is Joe Biden the Future of Liberalism? Let’s Hope So
“Will the Democrats prove captive to cultural grievance, identity politics, anti-racism, and the like? Or will they throw their lot in with Biden-style moderates…”