Tag Archives: authoritarianism

“You’ll Miss the Overall” (Gary Krenz)

Posted on July 17, 2026 by gdkrenz

When I was in junior high and high school I was, believe it or not, quite conservative. I devoured National Review, I was a fan of William F. Buckley, even more of Garry Wills and Jeffrey Hart, and I campaigned for … Continue reading →

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The State of America (Gary Krenz)

Posted on July 4, 2026 by gdkrenz

Photo of Lincoln’s First Inauguration Well, here we are. We are sad, we are afraid, we are determined, we are hopeful, and we do not know what the future holds. But, here we are, and we have good reasons to … Continue reading →

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Two visions of citizenship

Posted on July 2, 2026 by gdkrenz

As you know, the Supreme Court has rejected Trump’s Executive Order seeking to end birthright citizenship. This is the good news. The bad news is that the decision was basically 5-1-3, or more accurately, from the standpoint of the basic constitutional principle, … Continue reading →

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Revolution and Counterrevolution

Posted on July 1, 2026 by gdkrenz

We are, of course, about to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution of 1776. I say “commemorate” rather than “celebrate” because it is not clear what sort of celebration could be called for at … Continue reading →

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The Danger and the Opportunity

Posted on June 21, 2026 by gdkrenz

We are at a cusp in American history, a moment of crisis and opportunity. Trump is increasingly out of touch with reality, now alienating even parts of his base. But the Trump machine, the GOP machine, the Fox/Sinclair media machine … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS’s Rejection of “Democratic Energy”

Posted on May 18, 2026 by gdkrenz

Jamelle Bouie is one of the most incisive and profound commentators on the sociopolitics of America, bringing historical understanding, philosophical perspicacity, and clear vision to bear on any number of topics. His newsletter from a couple of days ago on … Continue reading →

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The Right’s Demonization of Democracy (Gary Krenz)

Posted on May 10, 2026 by gdkrenz

An ongoing canard on the Right and among MAGA types is that the United States is “not a democracy but a republic.” This piece by Barbara Clark Smith of the Smithsonian Institution is a fine, concise historical review of the relationship of … Continue reading →

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Time to “Orban” Trump (Gary Krenz)

Posted on April 14, 2026 by gdkrenz

There has been much good commentary on Magyar’s decisive victory over Orban in Hungary. It will take some time to sort out various lessons, but as Anne Applebaum suggests in this piece, “Illiberalism is not Inevitable,” in The Atlantic, perhaps … Continue reading →

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Dems, Please Meet the Moment! (Barb Krenz)

Posted on April 11, 2026 by barbkrenz

In this abhorrent moment in our nation’s history, we are reminded that a crazy man can accomplish great evil…but only if he is aided and abetted by people who are malleable enough to let their own morality slip away in … Continue reading →

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My dream of Democratic strength (Gary Krenz)

Posted on April 9, 2026 by gdkrenz

Over the past five days, Donald Trump has engaged in an increasingly unhinged and evil rant on social media: Meanwhile, he continues to sow chaos with lies, innuendos, shifting positions, and on and on. Unsurprising in this is the failure … Continue reading →

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