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Review of Corey Robin's The Reactionary Mind (2nd edition)

The political Left today is resurgent, led by a newly galvanized Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death on Memorial Day.   Massive protests erupted across the country (perhaps because COVID-19 had canceled most people’s summer vacation plans), including Seattle, where protestors faced down police and claimed the Capitol Hill section.   Leaders at some of the country’s most prestigious universities have fallen over themselves to issue statements condemning racism and affirming that black lives matter (sometimes with capitalization).   Princeton University announced that it would rename the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs as well as Wilson College (Wilson served as president of Princeton University from 1902-10), and the American Political Science Association is considering renaming the award that bears his name (Wilson served as president of APSA from 1909-10), due to Wilson’s “ racist thinking and policies .”   NASCAR has banned the
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From "Mandate" to "A Country Divided"

A post apropos of Inauguration Day. Last month, Hendrik Hertzberg pointed out that after the 2004 election, the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal congratulated George W. Bush for "what by any measure is a decisive mandate for a second term."  This past election, the Journal's board described Obama as "eking out a second term."  In 2004, the Journal was quick to say, "Just because an election is close doesn't mean it isn't decisive."  In 2012, the Journal intoned gravely about a country "divided" and "polarized."  Apparently, when your side wins narrowly, the results are a "decisive" vindication of how right you are, but when the other side wins narrowly (but still by more than you did the last time around), it still doesn't mean you're wrong.  I especially liked how the Journal commented on how Obama was able to win re-election "even as he lost independents and won only 40% of the overall
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