Author's posts

Obama, John Rawls, and a Defense of the Unreasonable

Cross-posted from ProgressiveHistorians

 If you want to understand President Obama’s soul, read his books.  But if you want to understand his beliefs, read John Rawls.  The Harvard academic, who died in 2002, was the most important philosopher of liberalism in the twentieth century, mostly because, in so many ways, Rawls’ ideas describe the world we live in.  That has never been more true than today, when our President has, consciously or unconsciously, exalted Rawlsian ideas to the position of the greatest possible good.

Care to hear more about this explanatory model that is so central to Obama’s thought, whether he acknowledges the influence or not?  Read on.

What “60 Minutes” Didn’t Tell You About Wilmington, Ohio

Tonight, the TV newsmagazine “60 Minutes” did a story on the economic crisis facing Wilmington, Ohio, a town of 12,000 people nearly all of whom are being laid off by freight corporation DHL.  If you missed the heartrending segment, you can watch it here:

Here’s what Scott Pelley of “60 Minutes” didn’t tell you: there’s a promising local effort to help the people of Wilmington — and there are a few things you can do to help their plan become a reality without getting up from your computer.