Author: nick
If we were to identify the most sacrosanct dogma of Western modernity—the one that no one questions—it would undoubtedly be representative democracy. We automatically assume that it is the best form of government that humanity has ever invented—a sort of “end of history” method of governance and the ultimate political achievement. Representative Democracy Is Not Democratic The first problem is conceptual and fatal: Representative democracy is simply not democratic. One person cannot perfectly represent another’s freedom, desires, needs, or individuality. Consider an individual representing 100,000 others, as is the case in France. By its very nature, democratic representation negates the…
Neal Katyal at Burning Man. It is unclear if Harvey AI powered the propeller on his hat. The fallout from Neal Katyal’s TED Talk continues. I have received messages from judges, Supreme Court practitioners, members of the Supreme Court press corps, law professors, law students, and more. The universal consensus is that Katyal’s performance was a complete and total embarrassment. Usually my takedowns infuriate half the crowd and enrapture the other half. But for Katyal, the verdict is unanimous. One of the more bizarre aspects of the talk is that Katyal took a shot at Judge Michael McConnell. Katyal also…
When the news of the terrible killing of eight children in Shreveport, Louisiana, first broke, I was forcibly struck by the language used by the police spokesman to describe what had happened (or, rather, what had been done) there. Of course, this was a minor consideration by comparison with the horror of the events themselves, but nevertheless it was of some interest, at least to me. After all, the way in which we use language is not an insignificant indicator of the way in which we think. The police spokesman (or, as some would have it, spokesperson, though he was…
Indirect peace talks between the U.S. and Iran ramped up this weekend, with Qatar playing an important mediating role. As the White House awaited an Iranian response to its latest peace proposal, Vice President J.D. Vance met Friday with the prime minister of Qatar, Axios reports. The prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, flew to Washington for the meeting and departed right after. While he had been expected to return to Doha, he flew to Miami, where he met the next day with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Subscribe Today …
How I Will Lead After These Tough Election Results Source link
In a 1975 essay exploring Leo Strauss’ interpretation of Machiavelli, Harvey C. Mansfield asserts that “no paragraph in The Prince and the Discourses has been understood until you have found something funny in it.” Consequently, advises Mansfield, “If you are not in more or less constant amusement when reading Machiavelli’s books, you should consider yourself bewildered.” Mansfield’s amusing observations about the philosophical importance of amusement to Machiavelli’s exploration of serious matters apply to Mansfield’s many writings, certainly his amusingly titled new book, “Where Harvard Went Wrong: Fifty Years of Commentary that Fell on Deaf Ears.” This is not, as he…
The public rage building against Mayor Mamdani over his attacks on Gotham’s wealthy business leaders is welcome – and well deserved. Source link
It isn’t unheard of for celebrity candidates to come out of nowhere and shock the political world. Spencer Pratt can win. Source link
Republicans are making it clear that government spending was never a problem – the problem was spending money on people they deemed undeserving. Source link
Which Dem Can Repair the Damage Trump Has Done? Source link