Some recent items related to U.S. politics that I found interesting.
They seem to me like a worthwhile organization that
IMO is getting to the heart of our political mess and
should be getting more attention
Am I missing something or is the problem that the media
is more interested in attracting viewers and listeners
with the latest crazy tweet or proposal to give something
to people for free than in actually discussing the more
boring topic of what is wrong and how to fix it?
Here's one politician working in that direction:
Andrew Gillum on why O’Rourke is running for president and he’s not
It's not about left or right: populism is a style of politics that pits 'the people' against 'the establishment'. Its rise is a warning sign that the status quo is failing.
Leftwing populists champion the people against an elite or an establishment. Theirs is a vertical politics of the bottom and middle, arrayed against the top. Rightwing populists champion the people against an elite that they accuse of favouring a third group, which can consist, for instance, of immigrants, Islamists, or African American militants. Rightwing populism is triadic: it looks upward, but also down upon an out group.
The Never Trumpers - that dwindling band of conservative intellectuals, journalists, campaign hands and elected officials who've opposed Donald Trump since the 2016 race - have earned the right to name names. They assail the president's values and impulses, and they pillory his Republican enablers for discarding their long-held, or at least long-proclaimed, conservative principles. Though they worry about Trump's impact on democratic norms and the rule of law, the Never Trumpers are especially concerned about the fate of their party and movement. Their book titles give it away: "The Corrosion of Conservatism" by Max Boot. "Everything Trump Touches Dies" by Rick Wilson. "How the Right Lost Its Mind" by Charles J. Sykes. "Conscience of a Conservative" by Jeff Flake.
Of all those vying to be the Democratic nominee for president, he is the one that impresses me the most. A long shot but see the 538 case at How Pete Buttigieg Could Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination.
But for some negative commentary on him from a Bernie Sanders supporter see,
All About Pete.
And for how he differs from other Democrats on Israel,
Pete Buttigieg is pro-Israel when Democrats are increasingly critical.