Helping Our Own
There are a variety of explanations for this phenomenon, which our leading political and cultural commentators continue to explore. Here is my own modest contribution to the discussion, a broad-stroke take on one aspect of how we got to where we are.
Wearing Out Your Welcome
Growing up as kids my parents gently warned us about wearing out our welcome, once we were old enough to visit friends’ houses on our own. This was not an easy concept for a young boy to comprehend, and I don’t think I fully grasped it at the time. But now it’s all I can think about, just five months into Donald Trump’s second term in the Oval Office. I believe the man is finally beginning to wear out his welcome.
The Post-Trump Republican Party
On the theory that this too shall pass, I am starting to wonder who will lead the Republican Party once Donald Trump leaves the White House.
Does America Need a Supply-Side Comeback?
Now 84 years old, Mr. Laffer has always believed lowering taxes spurs economic growth. This interview makes clear, though, that he does not think lowering taxes will ipso facto increase government revenue, which is how critics frequently mischaracterize and debunk the supply-side approach.
La Boheme
If you ever find yourself tempted to dip a toe in the water and attend a live performance, the classic La Boheme by Puccini would be a good place to start.
Glengarry Glen Ross
The current Broadway revival of David Mamet’s 1983 play Glengarry Glen Ross, which has been described as a scathing commentary on capitalism, morality, and masculinity, features three big-name performers who bring a built-in audience to the theater. But this production did not click for me, I am sorry to report.
Joaquina Kalukango
Have you ever been moved to tears by a vocalist? If you’re lucky, it happens on a regular basis. Which would make the question: when was the last time?
Pomp and Plainness
The Catholic Church just selected a new Pope, amid much pomp and circumstance. Some 133 old guys who had achieved the rank of “Cardinal” cast their votes in the Sistine Chapel, one of the world’s most intricately decorated sacred spaces, while dressed in flowing red vestments and matching caps.
Redefining Usury
Another worth-your-while entry in this overview of the incoming Leo XIV is The New Pope Might Be Somewhat Like The Old Pope, written by Daniel Gibson and published in The New York Times.
The New Pope’s True Colors
Having beaten the odds to be selected as the first Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church from the United States, the low-key, little-known Bob Prevost is now an object of the world’s attention, as we all wonder what he will do next as Pope Leo XIV.
The Coming Trumpian Pope
As 133 Cardinals from around the world gather in Rome this week for a sequestered conclave to select the new Pope, some American Catholics are hoping the next guy will be an arch-conservative disrupter in the mold of our current President.
The First Season of The Pitt
The first fifteen episodes of the medical procedural The Pitt streaming on Max remind the viewing audience of some important things: Doctors have to learn a lot of complicated stuff.
Donald “Lonesome Rhoades” Trump
Say what you will about his second presidential incarnation, but there is certainly no grass growing under Mr. Trump’s feet.
The Room Next Door
Are you in the mood for a well-crafted meditation on terminal illness, abiding friendship, the restorative beauty of nature, and the highly controversial subject of how to live and die with dignity?
On Electoral Mandates
I get that our two major political parties see things differently and have different priorities when it comes to legislation and tending to the common good. But why does the language we use to discuss these differences have to be so adversarial so much of the time?
Oh, Mary
This alternate-universe take on Mary Todd Lincoln has conquered Broadway and received rave reviews. We attended just the other night, as part of a sold-out house.
Suffs
When my wife and I visited the Big Apple this week and took in the musical Suffs right before it’s nearly year-long run came to an end, I was approaching the show with a sense of obligation.
The Joy of Proficiency
There is nothing better in this world than encountering someone who has embraced their role in life, is at peace with who they are, and is good at what they do.
Doctrinal vs. Pastoral
If you style yourself a secularist who shuns organized religion, you may not have a rooting interest in the great debate that rages within sectarian circles: whether it is better to be doctrinally pure, or pastorally sensitive.
Anora
The new film Anora is a 2024 Palme d’Or winner that my wife and a close friend of hers decided we should go see, so off we went.
Understanding the Infidels
When no one from my side of the church took communion at our nuptial mass a few weeks ago it was a stark reminder that Mother Church has lost her hold on the hearts and minds of a generation. Or maybe two.
Feeling an Idea
Last night my dream had an unusual quality that will be difficult to describe. It unfolded rather slowly. I was conscious of what was happening and remember wanting to continue, anticipating the next exchange or encounter.
Approaching Politics with Love
Death and taxes are two of life’s inevitables that we typically face only reluctantly, and usually with a sense of dread and loathing.
The Politics of Love
Being set in one’s ways is often cited as a hurdle to forging a new intimate relationship later in life. One person likes to go to bed early, the other likes to stay up a bit longer – that sort of thing. Sometimes the differences go much deeper.
Economic Clarity
Over the course of his twelve-year run as pope, Francis has made it pretty clear appeasing First World sensibilities is not his top priority. We here in the United States have not always known what to make of this, since his lack of deference can seem like disrespect at times.
Sowing Confusion?
An aged and increasingly infirm Pope Francis may not be around much longer, but it seems he can’t leave this mortal coil soon enough to suit his conservative detractors.
In Praise of Musical Embellishments
A good song needs good bones: a pretty melody and a poetic lyric. After that it only takes a talented vocalist to bring those good bones to life.
New Dumb Movies
There is apparently more money available to finance original streaming content than there are scripts worthy of being filmed.
August Politics
As for this month’s rendition of retail presidential politics, things are continuing apace. Kamala Harris is keeping things simple and sticking to the basics. Donald Trump for his part is the very definition of a one-trick pony.
Here’s Kamala!
This election just got a lot more interesting, don’t you think?
J.D. Vance Rewrites History
The speech J.D. Vance delivered at last night’s Republican National Convention demonstrated an ability to master a big moment.
Accommodating Biden’s Decline
The most charitable thing one can say about Biden is that he is dangerously close to his expiration date as an effective public official.
Biden Will Be Fine
President Biden’s performance at last Thursday night’s debate was so bad it prompted immediate calls for him to step down from the ticket, for the good of the country.
Tuesday (The Movie)
Tuesday is the latest movie to land on my list of all-time favorites. It is advertised as a meditation on mortality, so right away you know this is not going to be a summer blockbuster.
J.D. Vance’s Strange Turn to 1876
The critics’ ‘book’ on J.D. Vance is now set: He is an unprincipled climber willing to say anything to get ahead.
An Incoherent Argument Against Higher Minimum Wages
A day after the Ross Douthat – J.D. Vance interview appeared in The New York Times, Eric Boehm writing for the Reason website chimed in to question Vance’s idea of economic populism, by offering the standard libertarian defense of letting market forces determine wages.
What J.D. Vance Believes
You may recognize this as the title of a recent interview Ross Douthat published on June 13 in The New York Times, conducted with the first-term Senator from Ohio and best-selling author of Hillbilly Elegy. Then again, you may not.
The Nest
With it being so hard to find something worthwhile to watch these days, I wanted to give a shout out to a quiet little movie, The Nest.
The Authorship Question
The controversy over who really wrote the plays and poetry attributed to Shakespeare persists, even if it is not at the top of the morning news feed, or never comes up in your house.
Stephen Greenblatt’s Tyrant
Since no amount of scandal seems able to deter Donald Trump from recapturing the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in the upcoming Fall election, now might be a good time to look back and review one of the more unique analyses of his improbable first win in 2016.