Tag: Trump

About the Trump Victory

November 6, 2024

Donald Trump will be our president for the next four years. We are living through unprecedented times. It’s hard not to see this as a huge protest vote—with several sometimes competing things being protested. The effects of globalization. Job insecurity. Alienation from others and anxiety about the future. Anxiety about rapid and continuous cultural change. Anger over elite privilege. The list goes on. I doubt if Donald Trump is going to change anything in a direction that fixes those problems. The fact that Elon Musk loves him, and Jeff Bezos is willing to play ball with him by shutting down the Washington Post editorial board says that he’s ultimately very friendly to large corporations. The stock market is going up.  … More About the Trump Victory

What led to this? A Longer View (ft. Jacques Ellul, Sheldon Wolin, Wendy Brown) Audio

January 9, 2021

In the wake of the events of the past week, most notably Trump supporters storming the Capitol Building in Washington DC on January 6, 2021, I encourage viewers to take a bit of a step back and to consider the bigger picture. If we cannot attempt to see that bigger picture using a longer view we will be doomed to repeat our mistakes. Can we look past the outrage felt by so many to ask the question “What led us to this point?” If we can, we will take the first step towards fixing the problem, rather than either making it worse or simply putting a bandaid on it. In this reading of a section of Chapter 6 of my book Ideological Possession and the Rise of the New Right, I build on the thoughts of Jacques Ellul, Sheldon Wolin, and Wendy Brown. … More What led to this? A Longer View (ft. Jacques Ellul, Sheldon Wolin, Wendy Brown) Audio

What led to this? A Longer View (ft. Jacques Ellul, Sheldon Wolin, Wendy Brown) Video

January 9, 2021

In the wake of the events of the past week, most notably Trump supporters storming the Capitol Building in Washington DC on January 6, 2021, I encourage viewers to take a bit of a step back and to consider the bigger picture. If we cannot attempt to see that bigger picture using a longer view we will be doomed to repeat our mistakes. Can we look past the outrage felt by so many to ask the question “What led us to this point?” If we can, we will take the first step towards fixing the problem, rather than either making it worse or simply putting a bandaid on it. In this reading of a section of Chapter 6 of my book Ideological Possession and the Rise of the New Right, I build on the thoughts of Jacques Ellul, Sheldon Wolin, and Wendy Brown. … More What led to this? A Longer View (ft. Jacques Ellul, Sheldon Wolin, Wendy Brown) Video

What’s Wrong–Election Crisis 2020 (Premier tomorrow at 1 pm CT)

November 6, 2020

Weaving insights from Eugene McCarraher (The Enchantments of Mammon), my interview with Chris Cutrone, and another authors I’ve covered over the last couple of years, along with my understanding of the history of political thought and rudimentary economics, I try to take the long view of the current impasse between “conservatives” and “liberals” in the US which has led to yet another very close and deeply divided presidential election, made worse by escalating resentments, tensions and paranoia. Why are we here? What’s wrong? The answer is way deeper than even “the democrats don’t get it” (although they don’t). … More What’s Wrong–Election Crisis 2020 (Premier tomorrow at 1 pm CT)

Chris Cutrone on the Death (and Life) of the Left and the Meaning of Trump (Part I-Video)

October 3, 2020

This is the first part of my recent interview of Chris Cutrone. In this part, he explains his slogan “the left is dead; long live the left,” and we get into his take on the meaning of the American Revolution. We discuss the place of the U.S. in revolutionary history, the impact we are having currently, and how that could be different. … More Chris Cutrone on the Death (and Life) of the Left and the Meaning of Trump (Part I-Video)

Should Cyrus Be Worshiped?

January 5, 2020

In chapters 3 and 4 of Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination, we are cautioned to not place faith in the false eternity of the royal imagination. Those in power will say all is well and will seek the backing of religious leaders to do so. In this episode, I examine the tendency of Americans to worship political parties and presidents from Brueggemann’s point of view, but I also offer a word of caution about Brueggemann’s approach. Is it possible to make God a public actor without what Brueggemann most fears–making God the right hand of earthly power rather than the other way around. I’ll have more to say about what’s in both chapters next week. … More Should Cyrus Be Worshiped?

Fake News is Not the Problem (Audio)

November 28, 2019

I’m setting aside After Virtue for this week to deal with the problem of “fake news.” It appears to be a real threat to democracy. Is fake news the threat we should focus on, or is fake news the result of a larger problem–our excessive gullibility. And, what causes the excessive gullibility of ideological ciphers, fan-boys, shills, tools and zealots?
… More Fake News is Not the Problem (Audio)