Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2545

September 14, 2010

The Manufactured Misfit? Ctd

A reader writes:

Paglia's criticism that Lady Gaga is nothing more than a manufactured misfit echoes a similar complaint she has leveled against Obama in the past, for "trying to act more casual and folksy to appeal to working-class white voters" - a demographic she is forever claiming to speak for (namely by nattering on in her essays about her exposure to the urban proletariat during her childhood in Philadelphia). So, Gaga - and, presumably, Obama - are to be condemned as "manufactured...

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Published on September 14, 2010 14:50

America's Guilty Pleasure

Reality TV, of course:

In a recent poll by TiVo,
television viewers said they were growing tired of reality shows, with
40 percent calling reality the most overdone genre of programming. [... But:] 15 of the top 20 highest-rated programs among that younger adult group were reality or unscripted shows.





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TiVo - Reality television - United States - Television program - Television

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Published on September 14, 2010 14:32

The Case For Modesty In Afghanistan, Ctd

Justin Logan, who participated in the Afghanistan Study Group report, defends his work:

I cannot find evidence that either Foust or Exum recognizes strategicthought. Both appear to believe that they are engaging in it by pickingnits with various aspects of the report's analysis, but none of theircritiques of the smaller claims does anything to knock down thereport's conclusion: that America has limited interests in Afghanistan;that those interests are actually reasonably easy to achieve; and...

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Published on September 14, 2010 14:15

Hiker Released

A glimmer of good news from Iran:

Iran freed Sarah Shourd, 32, after a $500,000 bail was paid to
her freedom [following a year-long imprisonment:]. However, the case that has deepened strains between
U.S. and Iran was still far from resolved. ...

"I want to really offer my thanks to everyone in the world, all ofthe governments, all of the people, that have been involved, andespecially, particularly want to address President Ahmadinejad and allof the Iranian officials, the religious...

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Published on September 14, 2010 13:58

Merely A Copy, Ctd

A reader writes:

As chair of a religious studies department, I can speak with a little authority on this topic. I think Hertzberg's rather romantic statement - like Frances Widdowson's more cynical statement on Canada's national broadcaster this weekend (she called the Qur'an a book just like any other book) - fails to recognize the uniqueness of the Qur'an, theologically speaking.  It is scripture par excellence - the literal word of God (not necessarily subject exclusively to literal...

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Published on September 14, 2010 13:41

An Electoral Pact?

Bagehot keeps tabs on Nick Boles, "founder of the modernisers' favourite think tank, Policy Exchange, and now a freshly-minted Conservative MP":

[T:]here are big hitters in both coalition parties who think that the eraof one party rule in Britain may well be over, at least for the Tories.It is fair to say that an awful lot of MPs and certainly party membersaccept nothing of the sort. They would probably accuse Mr Boles ofbeing an outrageous opportunist, seizing his chance to steer...

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Published on September 14, 2010 13:03

Beyond Winning The Round

Matt Yglesias ponders intellectual honesty. This prompts Noah Millman to make a distinction between pundits who make arguments that they think are true and pundits who make arguments according to political affiliation. Julian Sanchez illustrates the difference:

Back when I debated for NYU, I was always honest: I would not knowingly assert factual falsehoods. But I was often intellectually dishonest,because my job in those particular contests was not to engage in animpartial search for...

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Published on September 14, 2010 12:42

Dissents Of The Day

A reader writes:

I saw this story yesterday, and I'm surprised at the uproar (well, not surprised at all in many ways).

1. People act as though Obama himself signed this ban. Highly unlikely. The FBI was the investigating office, and presumably they deal with a lot of abusive/complaining e-mail.

2. Nobody outside the loop - least of all The Sun! - knows exactly what was in the email, and what specific phrases were used. I am not sure why the kid has not published it, unless he was forbidden to...

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Published on September 14, 2010 12:30

Entitlements, From Scratch

Andrew Briggs, a long-time conservative critic of Social Security, continues to advocate for reform:

[P:]olicy makers need to think beyond merely filling Social Security'smulti-trillion-dollar shortfalls, and particularly beyond doing somerely by sticking the bill to high earners. Rather, they shouldconsider reform as if they were designing a system from scratch: if so,how would they decide to spread the burdens and benefits of a nationalpension program over citizens of various earnings...

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Published on September 14, 2010 12:12

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