In the context of Pres. Obama’s recent speech calling for an end to the ‘war on terror,’ may I suggest that we end another long-running war — and consider starting some others? A friend shared this article with a key quote: But federal research shows that the average sentence for a first time, non-violent drug…
Defining Moderation
A New FBI Director
In case you hadn’t heard, the current FBI director will complete his service in early September. President Obama will soon nominated James Comey to serve as the director. Comey is a lifelong Republican and former Justice Department official during Bush II’s administration, a fact that has gotten some attention. Most famously, Comey was the acting…
How Should Government Promote Stable Families?
While the achievement of marriage equality will be a tremendous step, it comes at a time when an extended recession has drawn attention to the economic fragility of contemporary families. When two parents are required to support a child (or when only one is available), the consequences of unemployment or underemployment can be devastating for…
On The West Wing and the Republican Party of Today
Lately I have been watching a lot of The West Wing, the Emmy winning Aaron Sorkin political drama that ran from 1999 to 2006. At the time, it was criticized for representing a liberal fantasy thatrelying too often on simply “doing the right thing” and making a good speech as the answer to political problems….
Has the President Read This Blog?
Ok, yes, I know that’s unlikely, especially considering my dearth of posts lately. But after listening to his speech tonight (while proctoring a final exam for my students), I noticed this first part of James Fallows’ assessment: 1) Citizen Obama. The most interesting “new”-ish approach in the speech was the theme that ran through the final one-third…
John Roberts: A Moderate Chief Justice
In my pre-ACA ruling posts, I was critical of Chief Justice Roberts but also still holding out hope that he’d find a way to thread the needle. Now I’m ready to congratulate him on a job well done. Here are what I regard as the highlights of the ACA ruling: A sound principle of judicial…
Judicial Activism
As a follow up to my last piece and the blog entry by James Fallows, I’d like to address the balance between ideology and deference in the Supreme Court. Fallows is upset that justices who claimed a fealty to precedent are now going “out of their way … to decree new law contrary to what…
Institutional Norms and Moderate Politics
James Fallows today touched on one of the foundations of political moderation as I’m defining the term here. That is a commitment to institutional norms that supersedes (or at least compliments) other values. Say, for instance, you’re a conservative Republican U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. Most of the time, fine, act like a Republican and vote with your…
Fairness in Tax Policy
We’ve begun to discuss the specifics of tax policy in a few of the comment threads, so I thought I’d bring that discussion here. I’ll do my best to keep the explanation simple, but if you’re not into tax policy I understand. Jacob and I started with a discussion of what constitutes “fairness” in…
Taxation and Slavery
In his recent comment,* Jacob made several references to slavery, both historical and metaphorical. I’d like to unpack them a bit since they reflect the foundation of some of our differences. In his first reference, Jacob references the historic institution of slavery. He suggests that “the majority of Americans were better off as a result…