The Press and Bernie Sanders

Eric Boehlert Media Matters
As the Vermont liberal spreads his income equality campaign message, the press corps seems unsure of how to cover him. In the month since he announced his bid, Sanders' coverage seems to pale in comparison to comparable Republican candidates who face an arduous task of obtaining their party's nomination. The reluctance is ironic. The press for months called for a challenger to Hillary Clinton. Now she has one and the press can barely feign interest?

The World of Soccer Must Be Rebuilt From the Ground Up

David Goldblatt The Guardian
Criminal investigations are welcome, but they must result in democratic reform at both Fifa and regional and national football associations. It is time for the politics of Fifa to be extended beyond the eternal insiders of the dysfunctional football family, the royal houses of the Gulf, and the stooges of authoritarian regimes and commercial interests that pass for representatives of the world’s football nations.

Stiller & Meara on Computer Dating

It's 1967, and computer matchups have just taken all the messiness out of meeting the right person. Stiller and Meara were there to mark this cultural seachange. (In memory of Anne Meara, 1929-2015.) 

Democalypse 2016: Bernie Sanders

We've all become so accustomed to stage driven, focus group candidates that authenticity comes across as lunacy. Then there's Bernie, who honestly represents his political beliefs rather than playing a cynical political game.

Friday Nite Videos -- May 29, 2015

Portside
Amy Schumer - Bill Cosby in the Court of Public Opinion. Movie: We Are Many. Democalypse 2016: Bernie Sanders. Stiller & Meara on Computer Dating. Margaret Atwood - First Writer for Future Library.

How Long Have We Really Been `One Nation Under God'?

Molly Worthen The Nation
With its numerous religious awakenings and repeated instances of religiosity as political theater, it's easy to forget US civic life is secular. Author Kevin Kruse argues that the effort to ground political rights in spiritual authority and not in democratic discussion and decision-making originated with a coterie of corporate heads, right-wing politicians, reactionary pastors and cultural icons as a bulwark against progressive politics and New Deal legislation.