Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
A BS lesson for America: “Tea Party will bring London riots to the US”
Richard Sennett (sociology professor at NYU and LSE) and Saskia Sassen (sociology professor at Columbia) have an op-ed in the New York Times this week that purports to explain the causes of the riots in London and the lessons from them for the US. It is muddle-headed, and indicative of liberal prejudices today. The article […]
Calling the Tea Party “terrorists”
As the debt ceiling negotations were heading down to the wire, the liberal criticisms of the Tea Party representatives in Congress got more heated. By the end, there was little holding back. Democrat representative Mike Doyle, in a meeting attended by Vice-President Joe Biden, referred to the Republicans as “terrorists” (Biden denied reports that he himself used […]
The real cause of the US debt crisis? Slow growth
The pantomime political debate about the debt ceiling is distracting attention from the parlous state of the productive economy. Read my spiked article in full here.
Tea Party: maybe crazy, definitely winning
In her Sunday New York Times column on the debt ceiling business, Maureen Dowd points out the many ways in which the Tea Party is succeeding: Consider what the towel-snapping Tea Party crazies have already accomplished. They’ve changed the entire discussion. They’ve neutralized the White House. They’ve whipped their leadership into submission. They’ve taken taxes and […]
Where the debt comes from
As Congress dithers over extending the debt ceiling, the New York Times has published a useful chart that indicates when the current $14.3 trillion debt originated, as well as who holds the debt. The chart shows that $6.1 trillion of the total, or about 43 percent, resulted from actions during the George W. Bush administration, the most of any […]
Debt ceiling debate: bad political theatre
Even more than the Eurozone crisis, the debt discussion in the US shines a harsh light on the dysfunctional nature of the modern political class. Read my spiked article in full here.
Debt ceiling talks: dysfunctional political class on display
There are two economic crises roiling the markets: the Eurozone rescue and the US debt ceiling negotiations. Although ostensibly economic in nature, both are essentially political crises as well. Of the two, it is more understandable why the European nations face difficulties: the Eurozone is a monetary union, not a fiscal or political union, and there are the […]
Weiner: what a rubbish sex scandal
The Anthony Weiner incident shows that politicians are now so lame that they don’t even do scandal well. Read my spiked article in full here.
Not the only Weiner
How to describe Anthony Weiner? Creepy, pathetic, cringe-inducing… but even those words seem too generous. For those outside the US who haven’t followed this story (or Americans who have been living in a cave), let me briefly provide some background. Anthony Weiner is a member of the House of Representatives for a district that covers parts […]
“Mediscare”: the US politics of fear
The debate over Medicare shows that both Republicans and Democrats now rely on panic over principle. Read my spiked article in full here.