Timothy W. Luke on the Travails of Trumpification

In his new book, The Travails of Trumpification, a series of critical essays written over the course of Donald J. Trump's presidency, Timothy W. Luke explores how the recent twists and turns in the civic life of the United States have precipitated a dangerous transformation of American political culture. Tim recently talked with Mark S. Weiner about the book and the current precarious state of U.S. politics.

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Telos 169 (Winter 2014): A Return to Politics

Telos 169 (Winter 2014) is now available for purchase in our store.

In recent years, there has been much hand-wringing over widespread apathy, not only among young generations but throughout the public. Politics, so critics have been claiming, has become a matter exclusively of media manipulation, of a manufactured consensus foisted on a malleable citizenry. This dystopian vision allegedly held not only in the United States (although perhaps especially here) but across much of the globe. Democratization movements appeared to have been crushed, whether in Iran or China, as the leadership in the West—once the premier advocate of democratic transformation—opted instead for the realpolitik of deals with rulers, no matter how unsavory, over support for popular movements, no matter how just.

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Joel Kotkin on America’s New Class System

Writing in today’s USA Today, Glenn Harlan Reynolds (aka Instapundit) reviews Joel Kotkin’s The New Class Conflict, just published by Telos Press. Order your copy in our online store.

We’ve heard a lot of election-year class warfare talk, from makers vs. takers to the 1% vs. the 99%. But Joel Kotkin’s important new book, The New Class Conflict, suggests that America’s real class problems are deeper, and more damaging, than election rhetoric.

Traditionally, America has been thought of as a place of great mobility—one where anyone can conceivably grow up to be president, regardless of background. This has never been entirely true, of course. Most of our presidents have come from reasonably well-off backgrounds, and even Barack Obama, a barrier-breaker in some ways, came from an affluent background and enjoyed an expensive private-school upbringing. But the problem Kotkin describes goes beyond shots at the White House. . . .

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Event Announcement: Panel Discussion of New York Mayoral Race

Who Should Be The Next Mayor Of New York?
Discussions on a Wide-Open Race

St. Francis College is proud to host what promises to be a lively discussion on “Who Should be the Next Mayor of New York,” featuring a selection of reporters and activists from across the political spectrum.

Who: Panelists include John Avlon (CNN), Michael Powell (New York Times), Maggie Haberman (Politico), Harry Siegel (Daily Beast), and Michael Meyers (New York Civil Rights Coalition). The panel will be moderated by St. Francis College Scholar in Residence Fred Siegel.

Where: St. Francis College, Founders Hall, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201

When: Tuesday, March 19, 7:00pm–9:00pm

The event is free and open to the public.

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Iowa Is Deceptive; Political Artistry Matters

Kiron Skinner is a Telos Editorial Associate. The following post originally appeared on the Hoover Institution’s Advancing a Free Society blog.

Success in Iowa is no guarantee of subsequent victories, but candidates and their advisers who dismiss the importance of the caucuses do so at their own peril. The first nominating contest of the presidential election year may give momentum to the victor and those candidates who perform above expectations. The caucuses also have important lessons for the candidates, whose challenge is to discern those lessons and make course corrections in time for the primaries that quickly follow.

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