NC Policy Watch with Fitzsimon & Schofield » Radical Right Reality Check

Taking back the debate

Rob Schofield — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:37:10 +0000

Why progressives are often out-shouted by a noisy minority and what can be done about it One of the big news stories in North Carolina this week concerned an incident that actually occurred more than a month ago. It involved the sad and scary story of a family (a mother and her three minor children along with a church friend) whose car was pulled over late at night on Interstate 85 in Alamance County. The reaction it has provoked should provide an important lesson to progressives on the state of the current public debate in our state and nation.

April Fools comes three months late

Rob Schofield — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:28:50 +0000

More bizarre claims about the environment from the far right

For those who frequent the world of political websites and blogs, one of the best and most insightful places on the Internet is the outrageous news website parody known as The Onion. If you haven't checked it out, you really ought to.

Mistaking the avoidance of responsibility for “freedom”

Rob Schofield — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:33:27 +0000

According to a National Public Radio tribute, the recently deceased film director Sydney Pollack was fond of the following statement that he included in more than one of his many successful films: "You think that not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth." He used it to skewer the CIA and other serial prevaricators. If Pollack had lived and was now directing the movie exposé of the modern American political right, he might well have used a somewhat similar line to shine a light on their increasingly shrill "think tanks" and pundits. It would go something like this: "You think that increasing your own wealth and comfort and ignoring everyone else is the same thing as freedom."

Reviving the “Old Deal”

Rob Schofield — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:09:45 +0000

The far right offers up its anti-poverty program

We Americans are notorious for our short attention spans and memories. So perhaps it's understandable, if not excusable, that many people delude themselves into believing that the "good ol' days" were somehow always superior to the modern era. Progressives, for instance, need to be careful at times not to get too carried away in deriding modern technology and consumerism lest we forget that the world of bumpy two-lane roads, non-wrinkle free clothes and two or three dreary TV stations wasn't always as much fun as some like to think.

The far right denies that there’s an affordable housing shortage

Rob Schofield — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:27:58 +0000

Consider the following basic difference between modern progressives and the market fundamentalist right. For most progressives, the world is a complex and imperfect place in which humans struggle to address the problems that confront them - both individually and collectively. In this worldview, society makes use of public and private structures (government and the market) as part of an ongoing effort to build a better, freer, healthier, and fairer world.