Challenging Sacred Assumptions

Shortly after first arriving in Washington, D.C., I had conversations with friends in which I made this observation: Assume that they and I hold completely different views on an issue. Assume, too, that we engaged in a debate on the issue and that they pulverized me based on their superior knowledge and logic. And let’s stipulate a third assumption: I knew, deep in my bones, that I was bested. Still, the odds are that I wouldn’t revisit my opinion; instead, I would probably get angry that my case had been demolished. What this would indicate is that my positions were ones I held not primarily based on reason and empirical evidence but because of certain predilections, biases, and intuitions.

0
Shares
Google+ Print

Challenging Sacred Assumptions

Must-Reads from Magazine

Integrity Matters

Conspiracies kill credibility.

For Republicans, the Trump presidency has been one long test of faith. The truest believers in Trumpism are compelled to demonstrate their commitment to the cause by publicly defending obvious falsehoods with as much zeal as they can muster.

15
Shares
Google+ Print

Nancy Pelosi’s Crumbs Will Power the Economy

A prisoner of the narrative.

Nancy Pelosi dismissed the recently enacted tax cuts for middle-class individuals as “pathetic” and mere “crumbs.” For someone who lives in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco (the most expensive neighborhood in the United States), when not relaxing at her vineyard in the Napa Valley, the financial benefits associated with tax code reform are, to be sure, no more than rounding errors. But for the average citizen–a demographic the Democratic Party claims to represent–they are very real.

28
Shares
Google+ Print

OK, So This Is What’s Happening with All the Probes

Podcast: The FBI, Mueller, and the infamous memo.

Text-gate. FISA-gate. Mueller-gate. FBI-gate. Unmasking-gate. What’s real? What’s nutso conspiracy theory? What’s to be concerned about? What deserves a fuller investigation? We try to sort this out on the second COMMENTARY podcast of the week. Give a listen.

6
Shares
Google+ Print

The Trump Standard Won’t Outlast His Presidency

A transactional relationship.

Among the right’s moral majoritarian leadership, the ethical flexibility on display since the revelations involving Donald Trump’s alleged affair with an adult film actress is of Olympic caliber. This represents only the latest opportunity for the evangelical community’s leaders to jettison their credibility. Some leaped at the chance.

24
Shares
Google+ Print

Good News and Bad News on American Support for Israel

National security is not a partisan issue.

The Pew Research Center regularly asks Americans this question: “In the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, which side do you sympathize with more, Israel or the Palestinians?” Last year, Pew recorded a dramatic decline in support for Israel among Democrats. In 2016, 43 percent chose Israel, and 29 percent chose the Palestinians. In 2017, those numbers were 33 percent and 31 percent. The remainder chose “both,” “neither,” or “don’t know.”

13
Shares
Google+ Print