Category Archives: Politics

Subhumans, Deference, Bluster

Posted on Tuesday 6 August 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

JD Vance blurbs a book that says progressives are subhuman; Trump is hostile toward women and non-white people who are not sufficiently deferential to he who is destined to rule; Trump blusters about bitcoin, about which he has no idea. … Continue reading →

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Today’s Examples of Tribal Antics

Posted on Monday 5 August 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Sometimes the antics of the tribalists are on the front page of the New York Times, two days in a row. Though that shouldn’t be surprising, given that they’re half the population. Today’s topics: Trump’s latest attacks against Harris; How … Continue reading →

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How Name Calling, Unfortunately, Seems to Work

Posted on Thursday 1 August 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Preoccupied today with Larry matters. The estate sale finished last weekend, and went well, according to the sellers. But now the sellers of Larry’s house are charging *me* for things I kept, as if I stole things they think I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Morality, Politics | Comments Off on How Name Calling, Unfortunately, Seems to Work

Nostalgia, Weird Ideas, Joy vs Grimness, Prayers

Posted on Tuesday 30 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Tom Nichols on how nostalgia for the past tells us lies; More on JD Vance’s tribal morality and short-term thinking; Robert Reich on Kamala’s joy and Donald’s grimness; And the meaning of why Trump rallies open with Christian prayers. —— … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal history, Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Nostalgia, Weird Ideas, Joy vs Grimness, Prayers

Today’s Post About How Politics Illustrates Human Nature, For Better or Worse, Mostly Worse

Posted on Monday 29 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How Republicans cheer mass deportation; How JD Vance’s comments reflect conservative values that prioritize children over adults; Two pieces about how Republican values have been abandoned their traditional core values, in the service of a tyrant; Items about the deliberate … Continue reading →

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Tribal Human Nature Fights Back

Posted on Friday 26 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Thomas L. Friedman asks Trump and Vance: What is wrong with you people? Republican attacks against Kamala Harris as being childless reveal base tribal motivations for how society ought to be run; And who’s brainwashing whom? Do children ‘belong’ to … Continue reading →

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Life carries on and on and on and on

Posted on Tuesday 23 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Heather Cox Richardson taking a future historian’s perspective on recent political events; The irony of Republicans accusing Democrats of staging a coup; Paul Krugman on how Republican accusation of immigrants taking away “black jobs” is wrong in so many ways; … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Politics | Comments Off on Life carries on and on and on and on

Far, Far Better Thing?

Posted on Monday 22 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

So this is the week that President Joe Biden, under fire by everyone since his lame debate performance last month (which I wrote about here), stepped down from his candidacy for a second term as president. This is virtually unprecedented … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, progress | Comments Off on Far, Far Better Thing?

Subjective Worlds

Posted on Sunday 21 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

First of all, I updated yesterday’s post to include the initial list of falsehoods in Trump’s RNC acceptance speech as compiled by CNN, and read off on TV by its fact-checker in the minutes after the speech ended. For today, … Continue reading →

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Never Mind Policy or Principles, Conservatives Need Only Stories

Posted on Thursday 18 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Politics and the Narrative Drive converge in items today. Robert Reich about how the GOP is courting unions; How J.D. Vance emphasizes his personal story rather than conservative principles; How Republicans cling to the myth of migrant crime; And how … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Narrative, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Never Mind Policy or Principles, Conservatives Need Only Stories