The American Scene

An ongoing review of politics and culture


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October 2009
07: Total Request Taped {18} by James Poulos
07: Letterman and the Abolition of Cruelty {19} by James Poulos
September 2009
24: Glenn Beck Is Not A Pomocon {18} by James Poulos
22: Kristol's Purple Persuasion {5} by James Poulos
August 2009
25: Dignity Panel {61} by James Poulos
21: The Trouble With Geeks {13} by James Poulos
20: The American Obsolescene {5} by James Poulos
July 2009
21: Our Transatlantic Future {3} by James Poulos
June 2009
23: The Sex Vote: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut {1} by James Poulos
14: EPHRAIM'S SUMMER OF 2009, (Part 3) {0} by James Poulos
14: Public Service Announcement {6} by James Poulos
14: Borgesian Weekend {22} by James Poulos
03: Nightmares and Banalities {7} by James Poulos
01: Matt Crawford as Steampunk {10} by James Poulos
01: Ezra Dyer, Hero {2} by James Poulos
April 2009
20: Tribal Pride {0} by James Poulos
16: Taper Legged Blues {16} by James Poulos
15: Nemesis II: The Footnote {5} by James Poulos
13: My Enemy {21} by James Poulos
10: Dreck and Resurrection {3} by James Poulos
06: The Anxiety of Optimism {3} by James Poulos
05: Democratic Mores and the Hospital-Theater of the Absurd {26} by James Poulos
01: The Cultural Paradoxes of Capitalism {6} by James Poulos
March 2009
26: No Pun is Adequate {65} by James Poulos
19: No Pun Is Adequate {0} by James Poulos
18: Toothless Fairey {10} by James Poulos
17: The New Crass {2} by James Poulos
15: Europe's Problem and Ours {1} by James Poulos
13: Bottoms Up {2} by James Poulos
09: The Promising Animal {1} by James Poulos
07: News I Can Use {2} by James Poulos
06: Big Girls {4} by James Poulos
06: On Rooting {1} by James Poulos
06: The Pessimist Blogs {0} by James Poulos
05: Citizenship 3.0 {1} by James Poulos
04: Is the Freedom Agenda Dead? {1} by James Poulos
04: The Pessimist Blogs {0} by James Poulos
01: Less Bobo, More Boho {3} by James Poulos
February 2009
26: What's the Prob, Bob? {8} by James Poulos
24: Doubling Down {5} by James Poulos
23: Meat, Bone, Hope, Courage {3} by James Poulos
21: PINKPOLICESTATE.COM {1} by James Poulos
20: Obama's Propellerheads {2} by James Poulos
20: Sham Shame {2} by James Poulos
19: Splitting Axes {3} by James Poulos
19: You've Been Erased; or, Hey Christmas Tree, Hey Lightbulb {0} by James Poulos
18: The Pessimist Blogs {1} by James Poulos
17: Pampered Oakeshottean Pets? {7} by James Poulos
16: Liberaltarianism and the Sex Vote {13} by James Poulos
16: The Pessimist Blogs {1} by James Poulos
11: "Be American" {10} by James Poulos
10: The Pessimist Tweets {0} by James Poulos
October 2008
06: This Little Piggy Marked to Market {4} by James Poulos
02: Yes, But Which Experience? {5} by James Poulos
September 2008
24: What's In Our Head {3} by James Poulos
22: Skillz = Fail {3} by James Poulos
16: Back to the Past? {1} by James Poulos
09: Anthropocentric Environmentalism {3} by James Poulos
August 2008
28: Lieberman: Bush Legacy Ejector Seat? {12} by James Poulos
July 2008
27: His Hair Was Perfect {0} by James Poulos
23: Lesbos: Not Just from Lesbos {1} by James Poulos
19: Christian Libertarians, Cultural Conservatives, and the Dilemma of Political Power {8} by James Poulos
14: The Party of Culture Club {7} by James Poulos
12: The Case of the Twelve Million Dollar Shark {5} by James Poulos
11: The Social Topography of David Brooks' Work-Culture War: a Warning to Ross and Reihan {12} by James Poulos
09: Nonarbitrary Catchphrase Alert {1} by James Poulos
09: He Prowls No Longer {0} by James Poulos
09: Hate If You Must Helms' Old Gray Head, But Spare Your Country's Flag, She Said {13} by James Poulos
09: An Exercise in Pessimism {0} by James Poulos
09: Don't Boot the Russkies {5} by James Poulos
08: Thunderclass? {13} by James Poulos
07: Life After Daedalus {0} by James Poulos
06: Three Victims {0} by James Poulos
05: Ophelia, I'm Only Dancing: Lies, Damned Lies, and Metafiction {6} by James Poulos
04: Jesse Helms and the Future of Gersonism {2} by James Poulos
03: Broder's Unwise America {2} by James Poulos
03: Meta Meta Meta Meta Meta Meta Meta Meta BOOM {3} by James Poulos
01: Dionysiac Zero {1} by James Poulos
01: TAS Wall·E Symposium Entry IV: Exit Art for a Film {6} by James Poulos
June 2008
29: My Delayed Heller Reaction {9} by James Poulos
21: The Demon Barber of Main Street {4} by James Poulos
20: Gerson Plays Twister With McCain {2} by James Poulos
May 2008
20: Alarming Japanese Cinema {0} by James Poulos
20: Thank God for Matt Yglesias {1} by James Poulos
19: Uh Oh {0} by James Poulos
19: Death Metal's Formula One: Suffering + Art = Philosophy {0} by James Poulos
18: The Timeless Grandeur and Ineffable Genius of Radiohead {9} by James Poulos
17: Dud of Personality {3} by James Poulos
15: Faith in the All-Encompassing Magical Love Bubble {14} by James Poulos
09: English English: More Cheap Laughs {0} by James Poulos
07: Denver Vice {4} by James Poulos
07: Thunderbull {6} by James Poulos
06: Obama I, King of the Grup People {3} by James Poulos
06: Scarlett Fever {2} by James Poulos
03: Absurdonationalism {1} by James Poulos
02: '80s Hair {2} by James Poulos
01: Miley Roundup {0} by James Poulos
April 2008
29: Takin' it to the Tubes {0} by James Poulos
27: Hella Coachella {5} by James Poulos
26: Double Trouble {1} by James Poulos
23: Pantheism Watch {11} by James Poulos
23: Fun With Movement Conservatism {3} by James Poulos
22: Pink Police Paradox {0} by James Poulos
21: Liberal Faith, Liberal Feelings {1} by James Poulos
20: A Little Too Ironic {3} by James Poulos
20: When Good Ideas Make Bad Laws {0} by James Poulos
18: Like Medvedev, Like Putin {0} by James Poulos
18: That's Rich {2} by James Poulos
17: Hodgepodge of Banality {3} by James Poulos
17: Some Enchanted Bureaucracy {2} by James Poulos
15: Pink Police State Watch: Upward Bear Edition {0} by James Poulos
15: 30 Seconds to Mush {3} by James Poulos
14: Putting the 'Mis' in Imperial Misadventures {1} by James Poulos
11: An Alien Encounter {0} by James Poulos
11: With a Name Like Gerson, it's Got to be Spurious {2} by James Poulos
09: Nazi Kitsch's New Low {2} by James Poulos
07: Drink and Food {1} by James Poulos
07: Absolut Commodification {2} by James Poulos
06: Atheism is Just the Beginning {22} by James Poulos
03: Score One for Europe {0} by James Poulos
01: NATO: You Can Stop the Bum Rush {0} by James Poulos
01: Putting a Certain Finger in the Upright and Locked Position {2} by James Poulos
01: I'm Living a Lie: Gmail Custom Time {6} by James Poulos
March 2008
25: Mend It, Don't End It: Affirmative Action for The Penny {18} by James Poulos
25: Intellectualism, Expertise, and the Risk of Idiocy {4} by James Poulos
25: That Atavistic No-War Mentality {3} by James Poulos
24: When Is Optimism Depressing? {0} by James Poulos
24: Imitation of Cheesus {1} by James Poulos
24: Master and Slave Morality in Iraq {1} by James Poulos
22: Chinese Torture {4} by James Poulos
21: Wild Ponies {0} by James Poulos
20: White Resentment In Action {1} by James Poulos
20: El Disastre {4} by James Poulos
20: The Speech vs. The Future {2} by James Poulos
18: Organista! {1} by James Poulos
14: Fun With Hyperbole {1} by James Poulos
13: Why I Am Not A Scientist {3} by James Poulos
12: Curb Your Fine Art Enthusiasm {0} by James Poulos
12: Cammy Patrician vs. Lunchbucket Hill {1} by James Poulos
05: Do-Over in Florida and Michigan? {2} by James Poulos
05: Bush's Medvedev {4} by James Poulos
05: The Dungeon Loses Its Dragon {0} by James Poulos
02: Is A Nicholson Plug {0} by James Poulos
February 2008
29: The Black Art of Rhetoric {5} by James Poulos
28: Art + God = Math {2} by James Poulos
28: Life After Buckley {8} by James Poulos
27: It's Whitey Bulger and his Dame on the Lam! {0} by James Poulos
25: You're Pfired {1} by James Poulos
25: Voodoo Economics {0} by James Poulos
25: Falling Slowly {0} by James Poulos
23: Why Democracy? Why Citizenship? {4} by James Poulos
22: Open Season on Caucuses {0} by James Poulos
22: He's Bringing Sorrow Back. Yeah? {0} by James Poulos
21: Democracy: A Way of Politics, Not a Way of Life {4} by James Poulos
20: Chaim Witz, Ubermensch {3} by James Poulos
19: To The Barracades, Grammerians! {2} by James Poulos
18: If Ever A Crunchy Con Issue There Was {0} by James Poulos
18: Just Words {0} by James Poulos
18: Kosovo! ...Yawn {1} by James Poulos
13: You Must Be Robo-Trippin {2} by James Poulos
10: The Sage of Singapore {0} by James Poulos
10: Rights Ex Machina: Immigration Continued {1} by James Poulos
10: It's Hard Out There for a Clinton {2} by James Poulos
09: FYI {3} by James Poulos
08: Gerson's Immigration Insanity {8} by James Poulos
07: Three Big Duds, One Great Issue {1} by James Poulos
05: I Predict a Riot {0} by James Poulos
05: Equal Human Dignity for the Poolboy {1} by James Poulos
02: The Decline and Fall of John McEnroe {6} by James Poulos
02: A.O. Scott, World Heritage Site {2} by James Poulos
02: Senator, I Knew Dwight Eisenhower {0} by James Poulos
January 2008
29: Endorsements {5} by James Poulos
29: Notebook II {0} by James Poulos
28: An Alternate Theory of the Origin of Violence {0} by James Poulos
28: The Authentic Pretenders {1} by James Poulos
26: 99...I've Been Waiting So Long {1} by James Poulos
25: Gerson in Good Op-Ed Shocker {1} by James Poulos
23: Knowledge and Power on the Right: Pomo Conservatism Rightly Understood {2} by James Poulos
21: Work It {0} by James Poulos
21: Ecumenical Reform or Total Disaster? {1} by James Poulos
21: Our Mutant Lives {2} by James Poulos
18: Halfbright {0} by James Poulos
18: Smugism? {3} by James Poulos
18: Gerson vs. Thompson {0} by James Poulos
17: Is NATO Dying? {0} by James Poulos
15: Unlovable Monsters, Social Security, and the Future of Christian Love {5} by James Poulos
14: Talk to the Shoe {2} by James Poulos
12: Atheism's Slide from Optimism {3} by James Poulos
10: Zoos as Confidence Crisis {2} by James Poulos
09: The Tragedy of Ron Paul {0} by James Poulos
08: A Sense of Change {0} by James Poulos
07: Tase Me, Amadeus {3} by James Poulos
07: Re: Unilatgeoeng {0} by James Poulos
07: I'm a Car, Not a Number {2} by James Poulos
07: North Korea and the Logic of Therapy {1} by James Poulos
06: It's Not About the Benjamins {2} by James Poulos
06: Radiohead Breaks the Rules, Again {1} by James Poulos
04: Reihan's Master Plan {3} by James Poulos
04: South Carolina Decides the Election {1} by James Poulos
03: Iowa Predictions {1} by James Poulos
03: Cheap Shots? {0} by James Poulos
03: Centrism vs. Bad Orthodoxy vs. Good Orthodoxy {0} by James Poulos
02: Forced Out of Politics? {0} by James Poulos
01: More Predictions {1} by James Poulos
December 2007
31: The Best Argument for Libertarianism? {3} by James Poulos
19: We Won't Stop Darfur {6} by James Poulos
17: Fred's Bunker Mentality {0} by James Poulos
16: Cultures of Death {1} by James Poulos
15: Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! {2} by James Poulos
15: You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one {0} by James Poulos
14: Reverse Pilgrims {4} by James Poulos
13: Morlock Warriors, Eloi Citizens? {2} by James Poulos
12: Purple-Headed Warriors {9} by James Poulos
12: Revenge of the Nazis {1} by James Poulos
11: But Disgrace is Fun {0} by James Poulos
11: She's No Socrates {1} by James Poulos
11: Dept. of Bright Ideas {2} by James Poulos
11: Fascinating {2} by James Poulos
09: Head, Heart, Soul, And State {1} by James Poulos
08: Chartreuse Day {0} by James Poulos
08: Don't Shoot Me Santa {1} by James Poulos
07: One Minute Mitt {0} by James Poulos
05: Re: Chinese Meritocracy {0} by James Poulos
03: These Are a Few of My...GAAAHHH!!! {0} by James Poulos
03: Fashion Emergency, Beltway Edition {0} by James Poulos
03: Will Europe Be Okay? {2} by James Poulos
01: Sin Credits: The Future of Europe? {3} by James Poulos
November 2007
29: Friend Incest, Intimacy Porn, and Dionysiac Lite {4} by James Poulos
27: Something Fun for the Peak Oil Crowd {1} by James Poulos
26: Big Jesus, Big Business...Big Deal? {0} by James Poulos
26: Bumper Stickers by Reihan {1} by James Poulos
26: Brothers 2 The Bone? {0} by James Poulos
26: Georgia Rule {0} by James Poulos
24: Black Friday's Flaming Shroud {0} by James Poulos
19: Replies to Noah and Joe {0} by James Poulos
19: Kevin Barnes' Manifest Destiny {1} by James Poulos
18: Gerson's Therapeutic Heroism: Practical Morality in the Tutelary State {0} by James Poulos
12: Contract Killaz {0} by James Poulos
09: Millman's Crossing {1} by James Poulos
09: Pekka-Eric American? {2} by James Poulos
08: NPod, Spinozan Heretic? {0} by James Poulos
08: The Iran Crisis: Five and a Half Questions {1} by James Poulos
07: Giuliani-Robertson '08 {1} by James Poulos
06: Dumber Kids? {0} by James Poulos
05: Varieties of Petulant Boyhood {1} by James Poulos
05: Conversations with Suderman {0} by James Poulos
01: Methuselocracy! {3} by James Poulos
October 2007
30: Mukasey, One-Dunk, and Beyond {0} by James Poulos
26: This Region... {0} by James Poulos
26: Peak Dick {1} by James Poulos
26: Implosion Bookie {0} by James Poulos
24: Atheists: The New Religious Right? {5} by James Poulos
24: Life In 2D {0} by James Poulos
22: Fred Thompson's French Literature Problem {0} by James Poulos
22: Slow Hand {0} by James Poulos
22: The Republic of Bottobillia {0} by James Poulos
21: Motherless Brooklyn, Fatherless Los Angeles {4} by James Poulos
21: Killer Bods {0} by James Poulos
20: Zed's Dead, Baby {0} by James Poulos
19: Peggy Noonan {0} by James Poulos
19: Making Genocide Official {3} by James Poulos
18: Moving and Shaking {0} by James Poulos
17: Go Home, Young Man? {2} by James Poulos
17: Zombie Populism {0} by James Poulos