Thomas Ricks: Politics, as Seen from Aristotle to Trump
The Left - “And so I remembered from college: When you’re facing a problem that seems deeply puzzling, go back to fundamentals, go to first principles. So I took Aristotle’s Politics off my shelf, my old college copy, and reread it in the context of the election of Donald Trump.” 1/7/2021
The Left - “And so I remembered from college: When you’re facing a problem that seems deeply puzzling, go back to fundamentals, go to first principles. So I took Aristotle’s Politics off my shelf, my old college copy, and reread it in the context of the election of Donald Trump.” 1/7/2021H. R. McMaster: How He Sees China, and the World
The Center - “And so I think we have to resist the tendency to try to define a new administration’s foreign policy mainly as an opposition to the administration that came before it.” 12/30/2020
The Center - “And so I think we have to resist the tendency to try to define a new administration’s foreign policy mainly as an opposition to the administration that came before it.” 12/30/2020David Gurfein: Advocating on Behalf of Accused American Service Members
The Right - “The UCMJ has some key aspects to it which do not afford military personnel the same degree of presumption of innocence that you’d see in a civilian court.” 12/30/2020
The Right - “The UCMJ has some key aspects to it which do not afford military personnel the same degree of presumption of innocence that you’d see in a civilian court.” 12/30/2020Bill Vitek: In Pursuit of Better Agriculture (and a Better Society)
The Left - “The way we farm and the way we think are connected—that’s our premise.” 12/20/2020
The Left - “The way we farm and the way we think are connected—that’s our premise.” 12/20/2020Rep.-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux: Why She Ran, and Hope for the Future
The Left - “One of the big issues was health care reform; my own parents struggled with the cost of prescription medications, using up all of their discretionary income to pay for my father’s insulin and other medications.” 12/18/2020
The Left - “One of the big issues was health care reform; my own parents struggled with the cost of prescription medications, using up all of their discretionary income to pay for my father’s insulin and other medications.” 12/18/2020Mayor Justin Elicker: Lessons from New Haven, CT
The Left - “It’s clear that so many cities are going through a lot of the same challenges that New Haven is facing right now.” 12/8/2020
The Left - “It’s clear that so many cities are going through a lot of the same challenges that New Haven is facing right now.” 12/8/2020Grant McCracken: Why We Need to Bring Back Honor
The Center - “I studied Elizabethan England as a graduate student. It was a society governed by ideas of honor, and I thought, ‘Wow. Maybe some of those ideas could be returned to usefulness.'” 12/4/2020
The Center - “I studied Elizabethan England as a graduate student. It was a society governed by ideas of honor, and I thought, ‘Wow. Maybe some of those ideas could be returned to usefulness.'” 12/4/2020Does Understanding the American Project Begin with William Penn?
The Right - “He was the first to negotiate with Native Americans as a Christian, keeping the Christian-Quaker pacifist traditions in his negotiations. He actually regarded the Native Americans as equals…” 11/27/2020
The Right - “He was the first to negotiate with Native Americans as a Christian, keeping the Christian-Quaker pacifist traditions in his negotiations. He actually regarded the Native Americans as equals…” 11/27/2020Congressman-elect Burgess Owens on Issues to Tackle in Office
The Right - “Al Davis used to say, ‘Just win, baby.’ And I tell you that’s what Americans do best. Once we wake up, once we’re engaged, once we know that our culture is at risk, we come together and start communicating. Across-party lines, Democrats and Republicans start to talk, and we rise.” 11/25/2020
The Right - “Al Davis used to say, ‘Just win, baby.’ And I tell you that’s what Americans do best. Once we wake up, once we’re engaged, once we know that our culture is at risk, we come together and start communicating. Across-party lines, Democrats and Republicans start to talk, and we rise.” 11/25/2020Is the American Economy Significantly Different than Europeans Think?
The Center - “Do you realize how strange it is that professionals can move around Europe more freely than they can in the U.S.? And that overall, Alabama has more autonomy over its regulations than France does?” 11/24/2020
The Center - “Do you realize how strange it is that professionals can move around Europe more freely than they can in the U.S.? And that overall, Alabama has more autonomy over its regulations than France does?” 11/24/2020Rep. Denver Riggleman: Reflecting on His Two Years in D.C.
The Center - “And I’ll have to say this: This was the worst job I ever had, but it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.” 10/30/2020
The Center - “And I’ll have to say this: This was the worst job I ever had, but it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.” 10/30/2020Interview: Running for Congress as a Communist
The Left - “I offer an alternative to liberal-style capitalism or conservative-style capitalism. Both are neoliberal at the end of the day.” 10/20/2020
The Left - “I offer an alternative to liberal-style capitalism or conservative-style capitalism. Both are neoliberal at the end of the day.” 10/20/2020Ethnic Diversity and Social Trust: a Discussion with Merlin Schaeffer
The Center - “Policies that try to tackle diversity problems make it always salient in people’s minds. And that can backfire, even if well-meant.” 10/17/2020
The Center - “Policies that try to tackle diversity problems make it always salient in people’s minds. And that can backfire, even if well-meant.” 10/17/2020Will Witt: What It Means to Be a Young Conservative
The Right - “How can I say I care about what I’m doing if I’m not willing to put myself in situations that might make me uncomfortable?” 9/13/2020
The Right - “How can I say I care about what I’m doing if I’m not willing to put myself in situations that might make me uncomfortable?” 9/13/2020Interview with Ruud Koopmans: Understanding Muslim Immigration to Europe
The Center - “[Historically,] Islamic societies were actually more advanced, more liberal, and more tolerant than Western societies. So, there is nothing intrinsic to Islam that explains these problems.” 9/9/2020
The Center - “[Historically,] Islamic societies were actually more advanced, more liberal, and more tolerant than Western societies. So, there is nothing intrinsic to Islam that explains these problems.” 9/9/2020Interview: Robert Orlando on His Film “Citizen Trump”
The Center - “Once the stage is the thing, ideas don’t matter as much as performance.” 8/25/2020
The Center - “Once the stage is the thing, ideas don’t matter as much as performance.” 8/25/2020Interview: Rep. Susan Wild on How Congress Can Respond to the Pandemic
The Left - “The problem is, though, we can’t rely on volunteerism, donations, and gifts for much longer because—quite frankly—most of these places are getting pretty tapped out.” 8/15/2020
The Left - “The problem is, though, we can’t rely on volunteerism, donations, and gifts for much longer because—quite frankly—most of these places are getting pretty tapped out.” 8/15/2020Psychologist Dr. Katherine Kinzler: the Role of Speech in Polarized Times
The Center - “In polarized times, think of the other person as an individual and not member of the other group.” 7/25/2020
The Center - “In polarized times, think of the other person as an individual and not member of the other group.” 7/25/2020Interview: Rep. Jody Hice on “Defund the Police” and Big Tech Censorship
The Right - “But there is no question that we’ve got some major issues, and free speech is so dependent these days on these big tech companies, so they have to be very careful that free speech is protected. And, of course, there’s a pattern now that shows otherwise…” 7/22/2020
The Right - “But there is no question that we’ve got some major issues, and free speech is so dependent these days on these big tech companies, so they have to be very careful that free speech is protected. And, of course, there’s a pattern now that shows otherwise…” 7/22/2020Lacy Johnson, Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Challenger: Her Record Speaks for Itself
The Right - “I was in poverty once, and then I became an entrepreneur. And now I am running for office…This is the greatest country in the world.” 7/18/2020
The Right - “I was in poverty once, and then I became an entrepreneur. And now I am running for office…This is the greatest country in the world.” 7/18/2020Rep. Eric Swalwell: Reflecting on the Impeachment of President Trump
The Left - “Maybe there are some lessons learned, so this never happens again.” 7/16/2020
The Left - “Maybe there are some lessons learned, so this never happens again.” 7/16/2020James Lindsay: How Critical Studies Led to Today’s Turmoil
The Center - “This is an attempt at a social, cultural, and political revolution.” 7/12/2020
The Center - “This is an attempt at a social, cultural, and political revolution.” 7/12/2020Interview with Oliver Strijbis: Swiss Lessons on Identity and National Unity
The Center - “Political ideas are too abstract. They are not enough to make people emotional about identity. Swiss identity has a cultural element.” 7/3/2020
The Center - “Political ideas are too abstract. They are not enough to make people emotional about identity. Swiss identity has a cultural element.” 7/3/2020Interview: How David Horowitz Sees 2020
The Right - “Our system in United States is set up in a way that forces us to compromise. The Founders thought the great threat to a democracy is factionalism.” 6/29/2020
The Right - “Our system in United States is set up in a way that forces us to compromise. The Founders thought the great threat to a democracy is factionalism.” 6/29/2020Bo Winegard on Events Taking Place Across Academia: “I Am Terrified”
The Center - “I have never been more depressed about the state of truth in the world.” 6/24/2020
The Center - “I have never been more depressed about the state of truth in the world.” 6/24/2020Interview: Elika Ashoori on Her Father’s Ten Year Prison Sentence in Iran
The Center - “His interrogators were telling him that we have gangs who could ‘stab your daughter or wife in London.'” 6/23/2020
The Center - “His interrogators were telling him that we have gangs who could ‘stab your daughter or wife in London.'” 6/23/2020Interview: Adrianna San Marco, Student Journalist Fired for Conservative View
The Right - “On her ouster from The Daily Orange, the student journalist says: ‘It also affects me as student because all my peers have banded together and tried to cancel me.'” 6/21/2020
The Right - “On her ouster from The Daily Orange, the student journalist says: ‘It also affects me as student because all my peers have banded together and tried to cancel me.'” 6/21/2020Interview: Curt Jaimungal, Director of “Better Left Unsaid”
The Center - “They reject ideas of the extreme, so that’s why there needs to be a delineation between what’s extreme and what’s not extreme.” 6/16/2020
The Center - “They reject ideas of the extreme, so that’s why there needs to be a delineation between what’s extreme and what’s not extreme.” 6/16/2020Interview: Spike Cohen, Libertarian Nominee for Vice President
The Right - Listen to our conversation with the candidate to hear how his platform can tackle the greatest problems facing the United States today. 6/12/2020
The Right - Listen to our conversation with the candidate to hear how his platform can tackle the greatest problems facing the United States today. 6/12/2020Interview: Johann Hari on Mental Health During the Pandemic
The Left - “There has been a huge transfer of wealth to the rich and gradual collapse of the middle class. That’s made a lot of people anxious.“ 6/11/2020
The Left - “There has been a huge transfer of wealth to the rich and gradual collapse of the middle class. That’s made a lot of people anxious.“ 6/11/2020Libertarian Presidential Nominee Jo Jorgensen on the Issues
The Right - “The police issue here now is a local issue, and we will let them work it out. If I was a president now, I would say no, we not not need to do something.” 6/8/2020
The Right - “The police issue here now is a local issue, and we will let them work it out. If I was a president now, I would say no, we not not need to do something.” 6/8/2020Why Trust Prevents Nations from Tearing Themselves Apart
The Center - “The last time a leading Danish politician was murdered was 1286. It’s not war with your foreign enemies [that matters]; it’s internally, in political stability.” 6/5/2020
The Center - “The last time a leading Danish politician was murdered was 1286. It’s not war with your foreign enemies [that matters]; it’s internally, in political stability.” 6/5/2020Leaving Washington D.C. Behind—and a More Wholesome Life
The Right - “I think people want to know the story behind things. And I think part of what they’re buying into is the story of our family on our ranch. And so it’s beautiful to be able to share that in some small way.” 5/27/2020
The Right - “I think people want to know the story behind things. And I think part of what they’re buying into is the story of our family on our ranch. And so it’s beautiful to be able to share that in some small way.” 5/27/2020Speaking with Bo Winegard: from the State of the Academy to the State of Twitter
The Center - “My sense is that most people—even people who truly abhor a lot of the stuff that I write—were supportive and were sort of horrified by the decision and by what happened.” 4/29/2020
The Center - “My sense is that most people—even people who truly abhor a lot of the stuff that I write—were supportive and were sort of horrified by the decision and by what happened.” 4/29/2020Interview: Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones on Endorsing President Trump
The Center - “And I have a choice right now: Do I vote for Joe Biden, a white guy who locked black people up? Or do I vote for President Donald Trump, a white guy who happens to be a Republican, who let black people out of jail and gave them a second chance?” 4/25/2020
The Center - “And I have a choice right now: Do I vote for Joe Biden, a white guy who locked black people up? Or do I vote for President Donald Trump, a white guy who happens to be a Republican, who let black people out of jail and gave them a second chance?” 4/25/2020