The Illusionists

From a rather interesting 1977 essay by Jeane Kirkpatrick in Commentary:
Research has established that the party regular is attached to politics by social as well as ideological incentives (and sometimes also by material incentives) and that such attachment encourages the virtues of the good team member: cooperation, perseverence, loyalty, service, and the will to win. [...]

Books for the Season

An excursion to two outlets of Half-Priced Books in San Antonio, Texas (my redoubt for the Christmas season) netted me the following:
The Anti-Federalists, by Jackson Turner Main. Reading it now.
The Florence King Reader, by Florence King. Will make a monarchist of you, if you aren’t already one.
A Matter of Opinion, by Victor Navasky. I’ve been [...]

Yale, YAL, and Andrew Jackson Redivivus

A few recent events:  On Tuesday of last week I delivered a talk in support of resolution “America Is Not Exceptional” at the Yale Political Union. I baited the audience as best I could, eliciting many hisses (which was a delight) while still prevailing — the resolution passed 32-27. It was an honor and a [...]