Bylines

Lawrence B. Glickman

L: Current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; R: Former Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins.

The Overlooked Origins of the War on Bud Light and Other “Woke” Companies

Starbucks and Anheuser-Busch are the latest corporate targets of tactics honed by segregationists post–Brown v. Board.
Brazilla Carroll Reece, Joseph McCarthy and Harry S. Truman with democratic donkeys in word bubbles.

The Real Origins of the “Democrat Party” Troll

We can’t blame Joe McCarthy for this one. (Though he was a fan.)
Donald Trump
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Trump’s Call to Suspend the Constitution Betrays the Lawlessness of Law and Order

Trump champions “law and order” while calling for the Constitution’s suspension. But there’s no tension between the two.
Photograph of Joe Biden speaking at a podium with a sign for vaccines.gov in the background.

In Praise of One-Size-Fits-All

Critiques of vaccine mandates continue a neoliberal tradition of idolizing private choice at the expense of the public good.
A turkey dinner on a table, with the Rockwell painting Freedom from Want, also featuring a turkey dinner, hanging on the wall.

How the American Right Claimed Thanksgiving for Its Own

Pass the free enterprise, please.
Picture of Tucker Carlson on Fox News.

3 Tropes of White Victimhood

Leading conservative pundits today are pounding themes that were popular among opponents of Reconstruction.

How Did the GOP Become the Party of Ideas?

If Trump was the end of the “party of ideas,” the rise of Reagan was its start. But what were those “ideas” in the first place, and were they really as new as people said?
Donald Trump
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Even After Their Fearmongering Proves Wrong, Republicans Keep at It. Here’s Why.

For close to a century, conservatives have seen all government programs as the road to socialism.

Stop Worrying About Protecting ‘Taxpayers.’ That Isn’t the Government’s Job.

Republicans are replacing the public good with a far narrower definition of it.

How White Backlash Controls American Progress

Backlash dynamics are one of the defining patterns of the country’s history.
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Why President Trump Used Lynching as a Metaphor

The long history of politicians claiming to be victims of lynching and racial violence.
Barry Goldwater with his finger to his lips sushing the audience.
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How Never-Trump Republicans Went Extinct

Shared enemies and ideology matter more than Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric.
Franklin Roosevelt on the campaign trail.
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The Left is Pushing Democrats to Embrace Their Greatest President. It’s a Good Thing.

Democrats should proudly trumpet the New Deal — and extend it.

The Racist Politics of the English Language

How we went from “racist” to “racially tinged.”
Man holding a Veterans for Trump sign at a rally.

Forgotten Men

The long road from FDR to Trump.
Cartoon silhouettes of elongated business people in suits

Business as Usual: The Long History of Corporate Personhood

The mass defection of CEOs of some of the nation’s most powerful corporations from President Trump’s now-defunct Manufacturing Jobs Initiative.