The Bitter Origins of the Fight Over Big Government, by Kim Phillips-Fein
“Today, liberal nostalgia for Roosevelt comes easily. The country is mired in crises lacking obvious resolutions; the move toward greater equality that began to unfold during the 1930s has been largely undone. How much easier the situation would be if there were a standard-bearer in the Democratic Party, someone with an inspiring vision to move the country forward! But Roosevelt did not create the New Deal alone; it was the product of a generation of struggle and upheaval, of political unrest and agitation that extended well beyond Washington, D.C.”
Understanding Assassination, by Keri Philips (Rear Vision transcript)
“One thing I think that they found in exploring the history of assassination, particularly with regards to America, was there was a kind of trajectory in the sense that the assassinations got more and more senseless.”
The “Achilles Heel” of Ten Presidents: What Harms Their Historical Reputation, by Ronald Feinman
A good list of mostly human rights abuses by mostly awful presidents. James Madison seems oddly placed here; surely the burning of the White House by the British, while humiliating, isn’t really that bad?
The rise and fall of American hegemony from Wilson to Trump , by Joseph S. Nye, Jr
“The terms ‘liberal international order’ or ‘Pax Americana’ have become obsolete as descriptions of the US place in the world, but the need for the largest countries to provide public goods remains. An open international order covers political–military affairs; economic relations; ecological relations; and human rights, whether directly or indirectly. It remains to be seen to what degree these depend on one another, and what will remain as the 1945 package is unpacked. As for Wilson’s legacy—1918 is long gone. Promotion of democracy can be a source of soft power, but only if the means are modest. Overreaching intervention to promote democracy has in the past provoked a counterproductive reaction. The neo-conservative strand of Wilsonianism is not likely to succeed. Crusades for liberal values would not be supported at home or abroad.”
