Category Archives: Politics

An Analogy

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Timothy Burke

I mentioned this analogy in my Twitter feed and was asked to explain it in a bit more detail: that Obama’s Presidency is increasingly resembling James Buchanan’s Presidency. Buchanan was the 15th President, holding office just before Abraham Lincoln and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 8 Comments

A Bedtime Story

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Timothy Burke

My own Congressman has a heart-warming analogy on his website about why a Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget is our most important national priority right now. Yes, he’s one of those who is against raising the debt ceiling, even … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 3 Comments

A Crude and Simplifying Metaphor

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Timothy Burke

Russell Arben Fox replies in comments to my rant on the politics of good-enough with a very appropriate challenge: isn’t that project itself something that calls for extraordinarily difficult and challenging kinds of tactical and strategic work, mobilizing and mass … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 3 Comments

Towards an Opt-Out Button in Left-Liberal Debates

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Timothy Burke

I’ve recently had a couple of interesting exchanges with valued folks about formal electoral politics and their connection to the question of what progressive politics ought to be in the United States. In terms of the debt ceiling issue in … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic Life, Politics | 7 Comments

Reform or Schadenfreude? Reading the Fall of the House of Murdoch

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Timothy Burke

Of all the distressing things about this global moment, the most distressing of all is the seeming resignation of national, local and world publics about the parade of woes confronting them. I’m not offering this as the stereotypical complaint of … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 4 Comments

To a Medical Center in Fresno

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Timothy Burke

My trip to California took a bit of a downward turn a bit more than a week ago when I began to develop a fever and associated symptoms (headache, dizziness, fatigue, sleeplessness) while in the southern Sierra Nevada. After a … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

A Word for the Experts

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Timothy Burke

I frequently use this blog to talk about the limits and problems of academic expertise, so it’s about time that I give some attention to its continuing value and strength. The New York Times recently profiled David Barton, an amateur … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Politics | 2 Comments

The Non-Science That Explains What’s Wrong with Science Explaining Non-Belief in Science

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Timothy Burke

I’ve found Chris Mooney’s past work on the politics of science and on scientific literacy interesting, but there is something that gently grates on me in his Mother Jones essay published last week. In the essay, Mooney reviews arguments from … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Politics, Popular Culture | Comments Off

Two Cups Short of a Full Service

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Timothy Burke

Jon Krakauer’s lengthy take-down of Greg Mortenson adds a lot of detail and bite to the expose aired on 60 Minutes this past week. Reading across a lot of message boards, I think it’s fair to say that a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 5 Comments

Burning Down the House

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Timothy Burke

Why ask for William Cronon’s email? Certainly it’s to intimidate him, and indirectly, his colleagues. I think that’s only the beginning. In the end, it’s a declaration by the organizations filing the requests in Wisconsin, Michigan and wherever else they … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Politics | 6 Comments