Venturing Out of Echo Chambers, Seeking Viewpoint Diversity

I mourn the decline of the newspaper op-ed page and the era when good citizens felt compelled to routinely read opinions from writers who had very different perspectives than their own. Persuasion is, I fear, a lost art. People don’t know how to disagree as civilly as they used to. Assigned to make a persuasive …

Conservatism’s Origins in England

And the dilemma facing traditional American conservatives in 2024. By Bruce Charles Johnson. "Conservatism as a social and political philosophy is the creation of two great  English geniuses, Edmund Burke and Samuel Taylor Coleridge....Both the great English liberal John Stuart Mill and the great American historian Clinton Rossiter viewed Coleridge as the true founder of authentic modern conservativism." More on Substack. 

Democratic Party Explained Objectively. What Is A Democrat?

Illustrate to Educate: "In this video, we are going to take a look at the Democratic Party platform to form a clearer picture of what they believe in.The Democratic party is the oldest political party in the world and the largest in the United States in terms of membership. In this video we cover the …

Republican Party Explained Objectively. What Is A Republican?

Illustrate to Educate: "In this video, we are going to take a look at the Republican Party platform to form a clearer picture of what they believe in. The Republican party is the 2nd largest in the United States in terms of membership. In this video we cover the following topics: - Economy/Taxes - Healthcare …

History of the U.S. 2-Party System in 6 Minutes

Illustrate to Educate: "Have you ever wondered how the United States has two major political parties, Democratic and Republican? In this short video, we look at the major events that led to their formation as they are today." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ouFWxVUyc The Roots - Founding Fathers - 00:22 The Division - Democratic-Republican Party - 1:10 Slavery - …

Two High-Profile Seditious Conspiracy Convictions in 1/6/2021 Probe Along With 450 Guilty Pleas So Far

In a landmark case, the leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia has been convicted along with one of his subordinates of seditious conspiracy. In the words of the U.S. Justice Department prosecutor, they “concocted a plan for an armed rebellion to shatter a bedrock of American democracy”: the peaceful transfer of presidential power. “They …

2022 Midterm Election Results Strengthen Democracy, Defy Trump

Voters defied historical patterns by granting Democrats continued majority control of the US Senate and by dividing control of the US House extremely closely between the parties. Republicans appear poised to take the majority by just three or four seats (about a 10-seat gain). If significant legislation passes, it will probably require bipartisan support. President …

How Would You Tell America’s Story?

"Intellectuals from Jill Lepore and Michael Lind to David Brooks and Ross Douthat have pointed to the need for a new national story, or possibly a renewed one, in order to provide a communal identity incorporating an understanding of our national origins, purpose, and possible future. People need such a story and, as Lepore has …

Echoes of the Army-McCarthy Hearings in Congress’ 1/6 Riot Inquiry?

Veteran Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward on CNN immediately after the first Congressional hearing on the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol and Donald Trump's role in fomenting an insurrection declared, "this evening was historic. It was the equivalent of the Army-McCarthy hearings." In 1954, after four years of Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-WI) appealing …

Hamilton and Jefferson Hated Each Other. This Led to the Two-Party Partisan Divide

George Washington, who feared that hyper-partisanship would lead to tribalism and even civil war in America, accidently planted the seeds of the two-party system by placing Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson in his cabinet when they despised each other, almost from the day they first met. A new book by Dennis Rasmussen, author of "Fear …