The New York Times has caught a lot of grief for its “1619 Project”, which claims to explain all of American history in terms of slavery. And much of it is justified. Damon Linker, writing in The Week, gives a reasonable overview: “The New York Times surrenders to the left on race”, Damon offers praise…
Author: Alan Vanneman
Lyin’ Paulie Ryan, livin’ in Infamy, which is right next to Potomac
“A line that will live in infamy.” That’s what Mitt Romney Republican (and former Paul Ryan Republican) Tim Alberta had to say about Paulie’s paean to Bossman Donnie, thanking the Trumpster for his “exquisite presidential leadership” when Ryan stepped down from the speakership of the House of Representatives earlier this year. Tim Alberta studies the…
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: not entirely the all-out misogynistic gore-fest I had been expecting!
When Quentin Tarantino was a young man, he had dreams, as young men do. These are among the things that Quentin Tarantino dreamed: That he would kick Bruce Lee’s ass; That he would save Sharon Tate’s ass; That he would have a pitbull that would bite people on the ass (also the nuts); That he…
This just in: Stephen S. Fuller is a liar
WashPost reporter Dalton Bennett provides this item for the “Nothing to see here, folks. Move along, move along” file: A prominent Washington-area economist wrote an opinion piece welcoming the arrival of Amazon’s new headquarters in Northern Virginia at the suggestion of a company official who hoped to build public support for the project before a…
Short takes
Donald Trump not a nice person, Megan McArdle discovers Well, he isn’t. As Megan explains, following the announcement by Texas Republican Representative Will Hurd, the sole black Republican in the House, that he is retiring: All of which [Hurd’s intelligence, honesty, and decency] makes Hurd’s impending departure the perfect symbol of what has happened to…
The Corcoran Street McDonalds: From urban to urbane
Damn straight Mickey D’s gone uptown, at its once seriously downtown 17th & Corcoran location two blocks from my place. The renovation’s complete and those flowers in those pots are real, man! Once you’re inside, you can order and pay for your meal electronically and then have a seat while they bring it to you!…
Daniel Drezner and the Darkening Detritus of Doom
A few months ago, WashPost columnist Daniel Drezner blossomed forth with a series of articles on the future lying before us whose tone was so gloomy that I may start wishing I won’t live long enough to see it. His biggest “big picture” picture appeared in Reason last April, titled “Will Today’s Global Trade Wars…
Donald Trump not a good guy, Paul Ryan discovers
“Those of us around him really helped to stop him from making bad decisions. All the time. We helped him make much better decisions, which were contrary to kind of what his knee-jerk reaction was. Now I think he’s making some of these knee-jerk reactions.” Thus former House Speaker Paul Ryan on Donald Trump, in…
The four-star general with a two-star mind
Okay, that headline is more euphonious than accurate, not to say meaningful, so here’s the gist of what I’m trying to say: Politico has a story up by Eliana Johnson claiming that Donald Trump held off bombing Iran on the basis of comments on Fox News by retired four star Jack Keane, to wit: “Our…
Ponnuru doubles to left
Or right. Or center. Whatever. Supply your own metaphor. While others seem too polite to speak, my sometime pal Ramesh lays the wood to Judy Shelton, one of President Trump’s two new picks for the Federal Reserve, to wit: “Trump’s choice for the Fed Board is now disavowing some of her terrible economic ideas. It’s…