TLP Week in Review, 7/16-7/22
Your weekly summary of what we've been up to here at The Liberal Patriot
What We’re Reading (and Watching and Listening To…)
“Stop Comparing Ukraine to World War I”: Rand Corporation military analysts Raphael S. Cohen and Gian Gentile argue in Foreign Policy that Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces “resembles the battles in the Normandy hedgerows far more than it does those in the trenches of World War I.” Just as it took Allied forces six weeks to breakout after the D-Day landings, it will take “patience and persistence” for Ukrainian forces to wear down dug-in Russian troops and achieve success on the battlefield.
“Freedom Conservatism: A Statement of Principles”: A collection of anti-authoritarian conservative luminaries issues a new declaration of principles grounded in American values of freedom, equality, the rule of law, and constitutionalism—a welcome change from what’s on offer from many partisan Republicans and the far-right these days.
“What the IPCC Actually Says About Extreme Weather”: Is it right to attribute every extreme weather event to climate change? Roger Pielke, Jr. has his doubts and on his Substack he urges us to follow the science: the UN-chartered Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change attributes increased incidence of extreme heat spells to climate change—but not a number of other extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and hurricanes.
“The United States of Dolly Parton”: An October 2020 profile of country singer Dolly Parton in the New Yorker, a clear consensus figure in the partisan world of contemporary country music whose concerts draw “together peoples across lines of race, gender, sexuality, and, miraculously, political affiliation.” “In lieu of taking a [political] stand,” author Lauren Michele Jackson writes, “Parton walks the walk, binding the country’s disparate passions with a better politics—good works and the call of homecoming.”
Taylor Swift feat. Fall Out Boy, “Electric Touch”: A previously unreleased song from Swift’s recently released re-recording of her 2010 album Speak Now that captures the mix of hope and trepidation inherent in the search for a romantic partner.
Queens of the Stone Age, “The End is Nero” tour: Coming to the U.S. soon! Desert rock legends playing riffs from their new record, In Times New Roman.
What We’ve Posted
“The Rise and Fall of Left-Wing Populism in Europe: Part one of a two-part series on the fate of populism in Europe,” by political journalist John Judis.
“The Democrats’ Agenda Has a Green Achilles' Heel: Voters Don’t Share Their Fervent Commitment to Renewables and EVs,” by TLP politics editor Ruy Teixeira.
“Dispatches from the Heartland: Don’t Bet Against America,” by former Ohio representative and Third Way visiting senior fellow Tim Ryan.
“President Herzog Comes to Washington: How to get the most out of the Israeli president's trip to DC,” by TLP editor-at-large Brian Katulis and Middle East Institute senior fellow Nimrod Goren.
“Democrats Face Some Political Vulnerabilities on Foreign Policy: Biden has a steadier hand on foreign policy than his predecessor, but this doesn’t translate into a political advantage on key national security questions,” by TLP editors Brian Katulis and Peter Juul.
“Not Your Father’s Middle Class: Being in the middle doesn’t mean what it used to,” by George Washington University professor and labor economist Stephen Rose.
Ruy’s Science-Fiction Pulp Cover of the Week
Just one more thing…
Why did 488 golden retrievers gather in Scotland on July 13, the New York Times asks? To which the only sensible reply must be, why not?
