IdeaLog
When and how should you argue on social media?
Posted on February 12, 2020
If you never have a social media “friend” who posts something false, then you don’t have to read this column. For the rest of us, what should you do when you see lies or...
How to rebut logical fallacies in the impeachment debate
Posted on January 30, 2020
Progressives have gotten so used to hearing bald-faced lies that perhaps we have become a little less ready to recognize which rhetorical tricks are being used against us. Let us consider five of the...
How did the American economy become a disgrace?
Posted on January 15, 2020
The question is not whether the economy is operating well, or even adequately, for the most Americans. The question is, what happened over the years to make it such an abysmal failure? By failure,...
All Politics Is Local—about the PLI Conference
Posted on January 1, 2020
Except from the book by Meaghan Winter (pages 181-182) I first saw Leslie Herod at work in the summer of 2017, when she appeared on a panel at a conference sponsored by the Public Leadership Institute—a...
All Politics Is Local: Why Progressives Must Fight for the States
Posted on December 18, 2019
Except from the book by Meaghan Winter (pages 20-21) Many of the foot soldiers advocating for social change today are not explicitly working within the party structures; they are community groups, advocacy organizations, lobbying...
For average American’s it’s still the economy, stupid!
Posted on December 4, 2019
James Carville famously made economics central to Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, insisting “It’s the economy, stupid!” The mainstream media thinks that the American economy is roaring and that will help GOP campaigns. But...
What’s 2020 about? Perhaps our children.
Posted on November 20, 2019
Any political or policy campaign is fundamentally about persuading people that you, or your cause, are “on their side.” Progressive activists tend to respond that, sure, we’re going to show Americans that we are...
Ten popular measures for 2020
Posted on November 6, 2019
Progressives should decide where they stand on issues based on values, not on polls. At the same time, it is smart politics to lift up our more popular issues. The most important thing is...
The three most basic rules of politics
Posted on October 24, 2019
The purpose of political action is to change public policy. Those of us who are involved in politics and policy are familiar with the legislative and electoral processes. But, do progressives really understand what...
Why does the media repeat lies?
Posted on October 9, 2019
In 1997, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee gave a speech about truth and lies in politics. He explained that newspapers “don’t tell the truth” when they (a) don’t know the truth, (b) quote someone who is...