Opinion
Beyond McCarthy: How Diversity Shapes the GOP’s Electoral Fortunes
When public officials no longer cater to a base and relinquish their partisan appeal, they have the potential to offer valuable insight into the true needs of their party. That was exactly the case when former Speaker of the House,…
Can One Man Actually Make History? A review of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon
When I watched Napoleon, Ridley Scott’s two-and-a-half-hour epic chronicling the life of its eponymous main character, one thing stood out to me–Napoleon himself seemed rather boring. Juxtaposed alongside the epic, macabre Napoleonic Wars, the Corsican emperor was portrayed as doltish…
Armored in Ambiguity: Thoughts on President Biden’s Stance on Taiwan
President Joe Biden is not unfamiliar with gaffes. He falsely claimed he was in New York during the collapse of the World Trade Center, recently walked away from a stage with Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva without shaking…
Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and the Changing Face of the Republican Party
The Republican Party will certainly outlive Donald Trump. But will Trumpism—his movement of conservative nationalist policies, a unitary executive, and fear mongering tactics—persist? On August 23, 2023, eight Republican candidates sparred on Fox News primetime, fighting for the ear of…
Meat as Mirror
On the surface, American meat appears to be an equalizer. Nearly every American — the workers, students, the elites, and even many vegetarians — have indulged in a dirty water dog or Mc-something at least once. But first impressions are…
How the Stop Solitary Movement in Connecticut Exposes the Racist Logic of Carceral Punishment
On May 10, 2022, Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill into law intended to limit the use of solitary confinement in Connecticut. Lamont had vetoed a similar bill in 2021, but included some of the same policies in this year’s…
Notes on the Fall of Kanye West
Kanye’s music reminds me of weekends riding along Lake Shore Drive and sticky days at park district summer camp and recesses spent playing pickup basketball. It reminds me of family cookouts and wandering down Michigan Avenue and hood fireworks that…
Ronald or Donald: The Leadership Crisis Facing the Republican Party
The Grand Old Party is in disorder. The “Make America Great Again” faction of the GOP is salivating over the inevitable return of Donald Trump. However, during this two-year Trump hiatus, some members of the faction—primarily younger and middle-aged adults—are…