Against Strategy: The Moral Stands We Need Today
Today's hollow strategizing leaves politicians endlessly calculating the precise polling impact of every statement while refusing to defend basic democratic principles.
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Kristi Noem Made A Lynching Postcard
The American tradition of celebrating racial terror.
Neon Liberalism #21: A New Reconstruction?
Samantha and guest Jamelle Bouie talk the present crisis, the many ages of the American Constitution, and how we might set about rebuilding what MAGA is breaking. A New Reconstruction?Podcast Episode · Neon Liberalism · 03/29/2025 · 1h 1mApple Podcasts Neon Liberalism can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on
Forming an Opposition Media Bloc in the Network Era
Media is a crucial tool for building solidarity among opposition to authoritarian rule.
Existential Liberalism: James Baldwin and the Problem of Freedom
The burden of freedom has always been heavy, and Baldwin forces us to confront whether we are willing to bear it.
Half the Answer #4: Youths and Technology
Trent and Caitlin ask Clinical Psychologist Dr. Melissa Fisher Paoni about problem technology use among children and teens, how to help them stay safe without crossing the line into over-surveillance or excessive restriction, and why one-size-fits-all policies are often insufficient. Youths and TechnologyPodcast Episode · Half the Answer · 03/26/2025
Je me Souviens!
There will be a reckoning.
Neon Liberalism #20: The Sulla Fantasy
Samantha and guest Bret Devereaux talk the fall of the Roman Republic, Elon Musk's obsession with the dictator Sulla, and what it takes to make constitutional change stick. The Sulla FantasyPodcast Episode · Neon Liberalism · 03/25/2025 · 1h 16mApple Podcasts Neon Liberalism can be heard on Spotify, on
Trump, Hegseth, and the Fallacies of the Unitary Executive
Accountability in theory, impunity and incompetence in practice.
Neon Liberalism #19: Liberal...Socialism?
Samantha and fellow Liberal Currents editor Paul Crider talk to Matt McManus, author of The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism, about a forgotten political tradition, the intellectual fallout of the Russian Revolution, and what this all means for how we think about the contemporary dangers of oligarchy and reaction. Liberal.
The Origins of Right-Wing Populism
The intellectual history of this seemingly contradictory political tendency.
Why Liberals Must Confront Carl Schmitt and the Logic of Trumpism
Schmitt's ideas help explain—and thus help us counter—the radical right's assault on American constitutional democracy.
It's Time for a Democratic Tea Party
Enough is enough. We need leaders capable of resisting the rising tide of fascism.
Do Trans Women Belong In Sports?
The question of trans women in sports has little to do with the cultural practice of sport itself. Rather, it’s merely a convenient way of normalizing transphobia.
American Conservatism's Home Grown Defenses of Apartheid
A long and ugly history.
Roadmap to American Reconstruction
A roadmap for retaking power and laying the foundations for American Reconstruction.
The Current Administration Is Anything But Realist
On the basic incoherence of foreign policy under Trump and Vance.
The Third Face of Power in the Age of Trump
Democrats must lead public opinion rather than merely following it.
If Reinhold Niebuhr Could Speak to Us Today, What Would He Say?
Democratic values must be actively cultivated and defended, or they will be captured and deformed.
Democracy Means No One Is Irreplaceable
It would not be undemocratic to remove Eric Adams.
Can We Trust Government Statistics Under Trump?
What statistical forgery in other regimes can tell us about what to expect.
O Canada
For all the well-meaning stereotypes about Canadian Nice, the truth of the country is one of a flawed, disputatious pluralistic work-in-progress that can emerge as a beacon for the democratic world.
The Government’s New Crackdown on Race in Education
The Trump Administration's first big salvo against the achievements of the Civil Rights Era.
What Do You Think Money Is?
Yes, Elon Musk wants more power.