National
Newt Gingrich, Grits & Deep South Super Tuesday
Notes from an Alabama Rally Super Tuesday may be over, but the Republican primary is still open and heating up in Mississippi and Alabama — two states holding their primaries this week. This “Deep South Super Tuesday” of sorts is…
Hydrofracking Picking Up Steam
Lots of Energy But Will It Leave Cracks in the Environment? In her magnum opus Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand describes Ellis Wyatt, an oil tycoon who had discovered how to produce oil from shale. She writes: “It was as if…
Yellow Journalism of the 21st Century
From the courtroom to the campaign trail, media sensationalism is disguised as non-biased reporting.
It’s Still the Economy, Stupid
At the Republican Iowa caucus in January, vendors sold buttons featuring a variety of slogans. “Give Me Liberty, Not Debt,” read some. “Legalize the Constitution,” demanded others. The clashing slogans were more than just a memorabilia mash-up; they spoke, as…
Wisconsin Recall Election Reflects National Fights
A rookie governor, voter outrage and a clash between workers and union-busting billionaires have transformed placid, historically progressive Wisconsin into one of the fiercest American political battlefields in decades. Last month, those seeking to oust Republican governor Scott Walker –…
The Splintering of the Evangelical Vote
On the TLC reality television program “19 Kids and Counting,” Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar chronicle their lives raising nineteen children on a sprawling Arkansas ranch. The Duggars adhere to a fundamentalist evangelical movement known as Quiverfull, which implores…
Rethinking the Primary System
The presidential nomination process is a haphazard mess of primaries and caucuses that developed over years of tinkering and reform. Spread over a period of months, between states differing vastly in size, location, and demographics, the primary system forces candidates…