Steven Spielberg’s new film about the publishing of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 has two themes. The first is in the main plot of the film: journalism as a crucial safeguard against official secrecy and abuse of power. The second, which is barely touched on, is the corruption of journalists who protect powerful people and interests due to friendships or political bias.
Has there been a political turn at the Washington Post?
Interesting things are happening at the Washington Post. 1. The Volokh Conspiracy has moved to the Post’s website. 2. Libertarian reporter/blogger Radley Balko has moved to the Post. 3. Ezra Klein, an influential progressive columnist/blogger is leaving the Post. Together, these represent a significant change in the Post’s website from progressivism towards libertarianism. It is true that the Post, although a clearly liberal newspaper, has included conservative voices among its columnists, such as George Will and Charles Krauthammer. But this appears to be a move towards libertarians on the web. The most obvious explanation for the change is that Jeff Bezos is changing the direction of…
Our Polarized States: Two Cheers
The Washington Post’s Dan Balz is a well-informed observer of (among other things) political polarization among states. One of his earlier pieces is here along with a few comments by yours truly. Yesterday’s Post has another long-front page Balz article on the subject, along with a companion piece on Texas and California –mega-states that have adopted very different social models.
Resistance Yes, Nullification No
This week, I’m drumming my ConLaw students through the nullification debates. Also, the local newspaperman decided that the Greves are probably entitled to some paper(s), though not necessarily the one(s) they ordered. Though probably unrelated, the events invite reflection. Trust me: there’s a point.
Will on DeMuth
The one and only George Will has a Washington Post column today on the one and only Chris DeMuth’s speech on “Executive Government and Bankrupt Government,” delivered at GMU’s Transatlantic Law Forum this past February. I’ve blogged and linked to the talk here. Go read if you haven’t already. You now have it on Mr. Will’s authority that this is big—the deepest, most sober reflection on the state of our politics you’ll find. In the printed Post, George Will’s column appears underneath a rare E.J. Dionne column that’s not only not inane or infuriating but right on, and moving. The Boston…
The Constitution of Affluence: An Update
Today’s Washington Post covers a Sentier Research report on median household incomes in the United States. Predictably, the number dropped during the last recession. A bit less predictably but more distressingly, it has continued to drop since. Here’s the trendline as shown by Sentier (indexed to January 2000): In 2012 dollars, median household income was $55,470 in January 2000; bottomed at $49,538 in August 2011; and has since recovered a bit ($50,964 in June 2012). Note of caution: these are pre-tax dollars. If you account for several rounds of tax cuts, the numbers would probably look a bit better—to the extent that…
High-Speed “Federalism” Goes Off the Rails
The Washington Post reports that federal-state plans for a high-speed train connecting San Francisco with Los Angles and points in-between may never come off the ground. In the face of public resistance, the state may have to decline some $3.5 billion in federal “stimulus” funds dedicated to an initial segment of the line, connecting the thriving metropolises of Bakersfield and Merced. We may be witnessing an outbreak of fiscal and institutional sanity.
