Political Books

"Going Rouge: An American Nightmare"

Alex Koppelman — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:30:00 PDT

It seems former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's book will have a little competition, and from the moment it's released, no less. Palin's memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Story," is set to be released on Nov. 17. On the same day, a small publishing house, OR Books, will be releasing "Going Rouge: Sarah Palin -- An American Nightmare." As you might imagine, it's not going to portray the former governor in a very flattering light.

Our dumb media: Do we need to know more about Lewinsky?

Joan Walsh — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:06:00 PDT

After hailing the possibilities of blogging a book review last week -- in my first thoughts on Taylor Branch's epic "The Clinton Tapes" -- I've found a good reason not to blog, real-time, about what you're reading: You don't have to finish the book to opine about it, and thus (if you're busy) you might never finish the book.

Reading "The Clinton Tapes," thinking about Obama

Joan Walsh — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:31:00 PDT

I need a break from the rhetorical outrage beat. I was going to write about the Newsmax columnist who all but advocated a military coup to bring down Obama, then I was pondering a post about Rep. Alan Grayson's claim that the GOP health reform plan amounts to if you get sick, "die quickly." But I'm tired of overheated rhetoric right now, (plus the indefatiguable Alex Koppelman got to both stories first!) so I took refuge in Taylor Branch's new book, "The Clinton Tapes." I had planned to review it, but it's almost 700 pages, and I have a day job. If I took the time to read it and then write about the whole thing, it would be weeks before I'd get it done -- and I think the book has insights that are supremely relevant to today.

Glenn Beck is the future of literary fiction

Steve Almond — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:10:00 PDT

For lovers of great literature, as well as rational political discourse, the New York Times Bestseller List can be a depressing place to visit.

The un-American way of life

Andrew O'Hehir — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:03:00 PDT

Most adults now living were born during the Cold War, a 45-year standoff between competing political and economic systems that threatened civilization with nuclear annihilation and asked virtually every human being on earth to pick a side. One of those systems was called Communism, and it cast such a long, dark shadow across the 20th century that it's amazing to reflect how thoroughly it has vanished from the scene and how poorly its history is understood.

Body count

Charles Taylor — Fri, 22 Oct 1999 09:00:00 PDT

In 1996, as Pat Buchanan's second presidential campaign was fading fast into irrelevancy, Bill Maher delivered this coup de grbce: "Nobody's following Buchanan now except Simon Wiesenthal."

Counter-evolutionary

Mark Wallace — Thu, 19 Aug 1999 09:00:00 PDT

Why the state of Kansas is not more often recognized as a seat of 20th century American literature is a mystery to me. From Langston Hughes to Truman Capote to William Burroughs, authors have long found in its windswept towns and uncluttered reaches the perfect backdrop against which to conjure remarkable characters.

"The Stakeholder Society"

Dustin Beilke — Wed, 28 Apr 1999 09:00:00 PDT

The idea is at once simple and grand, basic and big: Upon entering college or turning 21 (whichever comes first), every American will receive $20,000 a year for four years, to dispose of as he or she sees fit. Initially the program will be funded by a "wealth tax" on the people who have derived the most benefit from the United States' increasingly skewed distribution of income and property; it will eventually be paid for by $250,000 contributions from the estates of deceased program recipients. The $80,000 will give a genuine head start to every young person, regardless of his or her parents' wealth or parenting abilities; it will also deprive future generations of the excuse that they never made anything of themselves because they lacked the money to pursue their opportunities.