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Dispatches From the Culture Wars - Incredible Trulk edition

The savior; The gangster; The conservatives' nightmare; Facing the base; Speech rights defeat; Voting rights victory

The Huge Cultural Shift That’s Helping Trump Win Evangelicals

By Stephen Prothero
March 13, 2016
Politico
The Trump candidacy is no outlier. He has not hypnotized evangelicals into forgetting the foundations of their faith. He is simply revealing the fact that their faith is now more political than theological. The white evangelicals who flock to his rallies like their parents once did to Billy Graham revivals know that he lives a life comically at odds with teachings of the Bible and the examples of the saints. But his political theology resonates powerfully with their narrative of decline and revival. Classically that narrative ran from sin in the Garden of Eden to redemption on the cross. Today it takes place in an America that has fallen from its founding glory yet will, by God’s grace and Trump’s hand, be made great again.
 

The Gangster Candidate

By Amanda Marcotte
March 17, 2016
Salon
Trump’s ease in speaking like a gangster issuing veiled threats shouldn’t be the biggest surprise. While it’s gotten lost in the shuffle of the primaries, there’s a long history of allegations against Trump that he has ties to organized crime, hiring mob-controlled companies to build properties like his Trump Plaza condos. A great deal of his history of “deal-making” that he loves to brag about involves dealing with people who have literally been charged, investigated, and convicted of organized crime.
But now that mentality — do what I want, or there will be violent consequences — is being applied to electoral politics. The abuse of protesters, the inciting language, the bullying of the press, and even putting your supporters through humiliating displays of submission? That’s some real “Goodfellas” shit, right there.
 

National Review’s Revolt Against the Masses

By Jeet Heer
March 15, 2016
New Republic
In response to Trump’s successful use of populist rhetoric (although rarely populist policies) to woo less well-to-do Republicans, some conservative intellectuals have taken the curious tack of wholesale condemnation of the working class.
National Review has been struggling mightily to convince Republicans not to nominate the real estate mogul, going so far as to publish an entire issue devoted to the cause, “Against Trump.”
 

Donald Trump’s Self-Hating Base

By Heather Digby Parton
March 9, 2016
Salon
Democrats are still the party of the working class; it’s just not all that white anymore. And that’s why the white working class rejects them. They do not want to be a member of that particular club if it’s allowing those “other” people to be in it. Nonetheless, even though they are despised by these voters, Democrats still keep pushing for policies that will make their lives better.
But these voters are instead turning to Donald Trump, who promises to deport millions and “make America great again.” Some people think that it’s not his authoritarian racism and xenophobia that draws them but rather it’s because he promises to “renegotiate trade deals.” And maybe some of them are. But they should listen to what he’s really saying.

 

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UC Regents Need a History Lesson
By David N. Myers
March 20, 2016
Jewish Journal

There has much discussion of the opening paragraphs of the “Principles against Intolerance” formulated by a working group of the University of California Regents.  Attention has focused on the working group’s statement that “Anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, and other forms of discrimination have no place at the University of California.”  All can agree on the need to condemn anti-Semitism in whatever form it appears.  But a good number of people, including committed Zionists, believe that the Regents greatly overreached by including anti-Zionism in the preamble to the Principles.  

40,000 Former Convicts in Maryland Just Got New Voting Rights. Here’s How It Happened

By Lynsi Burton
March 10, 2016
Yes
A bill passed last year in the Maryland General Assembly goes into effect today, restoring voting rights to about 40,000 ex-prisoners. Governor Larry Hogan vetoed the bill in May, but the General Assembly overrode his veto last month.
The law gives new voting rights to the formerly incarcerated, but the group still faces discriminatory housing and employment policies.
Maryland joins about 20 states that have rolled back voting restrictions in the past 20 years. But voting rights still vary widely from state to state. Three states—Florida, Indiana, and Kentucky—bar felons for life from voting, while two others—Maine and Vermont—allow them to vote while they’re in prison. The remaining states return the vote to prisoners either as soon as they’re released or upon the completion of probation or parole. Today, nearly 6 million Americans are prevented from voting because of these state laws.