Essays Archive - Page 67 of 131

The Unfinished Project of Defeating Donald Trump

Reflections on the elections in the United States

November 6, 2020 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

I have voiced my judgment over the past four years, and I have facilitated and organized others’ opinions, reports and analyses of Trumpism and global authoritarian trends here at the Democracy Seminar. Yet, a week ago, I exercised the real power of my vote. It was gratifying. And I didn’t only vote ...

The Unfinished Project of Defeating Donald Trump

Activism

A Halloween Uprising and Poland’s General Strike Over Abortion

A new generation of women rises up against an unholy – and sexist – alliance of church and state

November 6, 2020 • by Elzbieta Matynia

Poland’s Halloween has always been a solemn national holiday with pagan roots called All Souls Day, known long ago as Forefathers’ Eve, and immediately followed on November 1 by All Saints Day. Normally, it’s a contemplative period of reconnecting with those who are not with us anymore, whether grandparents, veterans, or ...

A Halloween Uprising and Poland’s General Strike Over Abortion

Democracy

Will Trump’s Coup Succeed?

How to steal an election in plain view

November 5, 2020 • by Timothy Kuhner

May posterity never forget the first time in history—November 4, 2020—when an American president admitted to a conspiracy to invalidate millions of lawfully cast ballots in order to retain the presidency. Noting that the election had not yet been called in his favor, despite his lead in several key states, Donald ...

Democracy

How Trump Has Politicized the Executive Branch

“Retail” politicization of the state may be worse than “wholesale”

November 5, 2020 • by Sidney Tarrow

During a press conference a week before the 2020 elections, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe warned that Iran was sending intimidating emails to Americans in order to “damage President Trump.” Ratcliffe underplayed Russia’s actions, adding, “although we have not seen the same actions from Russia, we are aware ...

How Trump Has Politicized the Executive Branch

Democracy

Measuring the Health of Our Democracy

As Trump spins his conspiracist narrative, Biden prepares to assume the presidency and the GOP holds him at arm’s length

November 5, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Counting continues in the 2020 presidential race. There is a lot I’d like to say about what this election looks like, but I will wait until it's final. Remember: the fact that polling officials are taking time to count the ballots is a good thing, not a bad one. And ...

Democracy

Confessions of a Poll Worker

When I volunteered to work on Election Day, my melting pot neighborhood taught me about the complexity of Trump’s America

November 5, 2020 • by Mitchell Abidor

It’s not the least of the paradoxes of the Trump era that this wannabe authoritarian did more than any decent man to lead Americans to assume their civic duties. Trump’s attacks on the electoral process led 52,000 New Yorkers to sign up for work at the polls, 18,000 more than in ...

Democracy

We Will Be Lucky if Biden Actually Becomes the President-Elect

But this election is not over, and even the best case scenario is pretty dismal

November 4, 2020 • by Jeffrey C. Isaac

I have never thought this would be easy. I always knew that this was not a normal election, and that it would be deeply contentious during and after “Election Day.” The day before Election Day, i.e., two days ago, I published a piece articulating what I have been saying for some ...

We Will Be Lucky if Biden Actually Becomes the President-Elect

Democracy

Biden Is Waiting, Trump Is Plotting and the Votes Are Still Being Counted

The “blue wave” didn’t happen, but a messy, prolonged “blue shift” probably will

November 4, 2020 • by John Stoehr

I had a bad night, too. This morning was better. I had a good cry. That always helps. Then I thought about things. That also helps. It remains to be seen whether Joe Biden wins, but one thing seems certain: fascism will be with us for a long time to come. Perhaps ...

Biden Is Waiting, Trump Is Plotting and the Votes Are Still Being Counted

Literature

Poetry to Vote By

Reading Ilya Kaminsky’s Deaf Republic on the eve of the election

November 3, 2020 • by Evangeline Riddiford Graham

How many of us are brave enough for art? At the bakery down the block, polling shows Trump surging ahead. Each purchase of an election-themed cookie—Biden or Trump, with red, white, and blue sprinkles—is tallied by the bakers as a vote in favor for the relevant candidate. “Our forecast is never ...

Activism

When It Comes to Racial Justice, Why Is It Wrong to Demand the “Impossible”?

Because when white comfort matters most, Black lives are not a priority

November 3, 2020 • by Kristopher Burrell

On a recent episode of The Open Mind, Alexander Heffner asked his guest, activist minister and scholar Nyle Fort, about the connections between the Covid-19 pandemic and the reemergence of social justice protests across America. Referencing Arundhati Roy’s recent essay “The Pandemic is a Portal,” Fort meditated on the potential ...

When It Comes to Racial Justice, Why Is It Wrong to Demand the “Impossible”?

Democracy

Feel Better, Defeat Trump!

Some practical tips for putting your election emotions to good work

November 2, 2020 • by Leo Casey

Many of us are finding ourselves quite apprehensive, even fearful, because of what is happening with the 2020 elections and in American political life. There is value, I want to argue, in taking a moment to analyze those feelings, the role they play in the elections and what we can ...

Migration

Historical Analogies and Separated Families

November 2, 2020 • by Daniella Doron

The history of Jewish familial separation is not only a story of Nazi occupied Europe, but also one of the United States. American efforts to facilitate the exit of Jewish children out of Nazi Germany were set in motion soon after the Nazi’s ascension to power in April 1933 and ...

Essays

The Unfinished Project of Defeating Donald Trump

Reflections on the elections in the United States

A Halloween Uprising and Poland’s General Strike Over Abortion

A new generation of women rises up against an unholy – and sexist – alliance of church and state

Will Trump’s Coup Succeed?

How to steal an election in plain view

How Trump Has Politicized the Executive Branch

“Retail” politicization of the state may be worse than “wholesale”

Measuring the Health of Our Democracy

As Trump spins his conspiracist narrative, Biden prepares to assume the presidency and the GOP holds him at arm’s length

Confessions of a Poll Worker

When I volunteered to work on Election Day, my melting pot neighborhood taught me about the complexity of Trump’s America

We Will Be Lucky if Biden Actually Becomes the President-Elect

But this election is not over, and even the best case scenario is pretty dismal

Biden Is Waiting, Trump Is Plotting and the Votes Are Still Being Counted

The “blue wave” didn’t happen, but a messy, prolonged “blue shift” probably will

Poetry to Vote By

Reading Ilya Kaminsky’s Deaf Republic on the eve of the election

When It Comes to Racial Justice, Why Is It Wrong to Demand the “Impossible”?

Because when white comfort matters most, Black lives are not a priority

Feel Better, Defeat Trump!

Some practical tips for putting your election emotions to good work

Historical Analogies and Separated Families

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