Political Theatre category archive
Experiments Fail, Even Noble Ones 0
Writing at The Roanoke Times, Pete Hamilton is not optimistic. A snippet:
Today it appears that Franklin’s cynicism might well be justified; that Hamilton’s optimism may have been premature; and that Lincoln’s bright vision of our national origins could possibly be approaching an inglorious conclusion. Could the American experiment in democracy be doomed to the same fate of those “petty republics” of ancient Greece and Rome?
Follow the link for the rest.
One Thing Is Not Like the Other Thing 0
In a fitting post for the Fourth of July, Gina Barreca muses on difference between patriotism and nationalism.
Here’s a bit; follow the link for the rest. It will be worth your while.
Patriotism is about a desire for progress, not a yearning for repetition. It’s about wanting to be better, not just longing for an idea of what we think we once were. While it should be rooted in a knowledge of history, patriotism is more than a sentimental reverence for an idealized and nostalgic vision of what most people never possessed.
Road Hogs 0
Mike considers the irony of Donald Trump’s ride against Harley-Davidson. Warning: Language, and lots of it.
A Civil Tongue Meets the Bully’s Pulpit 0
As Republicans and their dupes, symps, and fellow travelers clutch their pearls and fall upon their fainting couches, stunned that someone politely asked Sara Huckabee Sanders to dine elsewhere, Connie Schultz points out what the pearl-clutchers omit to say. A snippet:
Civility requires mutual respect. The Red Hen employees apparently understood this. If someone spends her days making clear her disregard for you and her willingness to harm you by parroting her boss’ bigotry, no one should expect you to act as if it doesn’t matter when she’s not talking into a microphone.
Ifs, Ands, and Buttheads 0
Jeremy Sherman offers a list of 15 “qualities of buttheads.” Check it out and see whether it reminds you of anyone in the news. Here’s three of them (emphasis in the original):
Reality is my slave: Since I’m the most realistic, I’ve earned the power to control reality. What I say is true is true. I can make it true through my absolute confidence.
Uber-umpmanship: In debate, I’m not only the final judge of all reality but of what’s admissible in debate. I’m the umpire in every debate I enter, and I’ll always rule in my favor. What you do is unfair. What I do is not only fair but righteous.
“The Face of the Nation” 0
Shorter Frank Harris, III: It’s not a pretty face.
It Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means 0
Mark Godwin, the author of “Godwin’s Law,” explains that it does not mean that you can’t (or shouldn’t) call someone a “Nazi” if, indeed, he or she is acting, well, like an actual “Nazi.”
Trumpling Reagan’s “Shining City on a Hill” 0
Amy Fried explains how that city no longer shines nor sits on a hill, but has plunged into the valley of darkness.
