Category Archives: Politics

Education and Focus

Posted on Monday 14 October 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Education is now the best predictor for how someone will vote; Why Trump’s supporters don’t believe his threats (they’re focused only on their particular concerns); How Trump wants to lie in real-time without being fact-checked; Paul Krugman suggests that Trump’s … Continue reading →

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The Enemy Within

Posted on Sunday 13 October 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Trump is ready to use the military against his “enemies from within”; What one immigrant thinks when he hears Trump speak; How Republicans are sure there will be cheating, and migrants will vote. Counter: why not let the whole world … Continue reading →

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Assault on and Rejection of Reality

Posted on Friday 11 October 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Charlie Warzel in The Atlantic on how things are much worse than a misinformation crisis; Meteorologists notice that ignorance is becoming socially acceptable — but this has always been true, as C.P. Snow noted; The Republican conspiracy theory that children … Continue reading →

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The Christian Authoritarian Agenda

Posted on Thursday 10 October 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Long before Project 2025, Christian conservatives have had an agenda to impose their values on everyone; How some conservatives will call any evidence about the good economy fake news; How MAGA disinformation can be deadly, but Trump’s followers would rather … Continue reading →

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Consensus Reality Is Disappearing Before Our Eyes

Posted on Wednesday 9 October 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

No matter how dissociated from reality something a politician says is, there are people who will believe it. People who think everything (such as Hurricanes) must happen for a reason are debating between God’s wrath and Deep State weather control; … Continue reading →

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Have There Always Been Crazies?

Posted on Monday 7 October 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How is it the Republican party is increasingly dominated by cranks and crackpots? Ideas from Robert Reich and Heather Cox Richardson, and examples from the debates, and about Hurricane Helene. NYT is finally paying attention to Trump’s mental decline; JD … Continue reading →

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The Myths Americans Live By

Posted on Saturday 5 October 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A person’s history affects how he views the world; so too does a nation’s history affects its perceived position in the world, and its place in history. And every nation, or at least most nations, think it is very special, … Continue reading →

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Chemophobia

Posted on Monday 30 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking Silent Spring led to fixing the environment, but also led to an irrational fear of “chemicals” and then the anti-vax movement; Short items about Vance and Wallnau, Trump’s threats of a violent purge of society, how … Continue reading →

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Changing Minds

Posted on Sunday 29 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Today’s theme: a couple items that illustrate when and how people have changed their minds. Erwin Chemerinsky, and Malcolm Gladwell. First, another piece about the new book by Erwin Chemerinsky (last discussed on 31 Aug), this time a review by … Continue reading →

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The Real Trump Mystery, and My Explanation

Posted on Friday 27 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Thomas B. Edsall on The Real Trump Mystery, and how base human nature explains this; Fareed Zakaria on how Trump’s economic ideas would stunt growth and spur inflation; Because Trump doesn’t understand money; Short items about Roseanne Barr accusing Democrats … Continue reading →

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