I normally don't use this website to stake out positions on political issues. I've noted before that I lack conviction on pretty much all issues because I can't help but subject myself to both sides so much that they both sound reasonable -- or, just as often, unreasonable. That's not to say I'm devoid of… Continue reading A Constitution Day Defense of the Constitution
Part I here One of the great things about sports is that it allows countries to compete against each other without resorting to annoying things like killing and maiming. (Well, usually.) The quadrennial World Cup is the highest profile example of the soccer pitch becoming a proxy battlefield to help exercise old demons. Today, the 2022 World… Continue reading Historical Disputes Between Opponents in the 2022 World Cup’s Round of 16 (Part II)
(Author's note: today is PPFA's 500th post! Thanks for reading a few along the way. Among them was a World Cup "Round of 16" post four years ago. Here's another.) One of the great things about sports is that it allows countries to compete against each other without resorting to annoying things like killing and… Continue reading Historical Disputes Between Opponents in the 2022 World Cup’s Round of 16 (Part I)
It took me two posts last week to make a Four Weeks Out prediction for who wins the Senate at next month's midterm elections. One may ask, "Who cares? Why does it matter who controls the Senate?" Well, with control of the Senate comes so much more -- the party of the Senate Majority Leader,… Continue reading Who Will Be the Next Senate Pro Tem? (And Other Fun Senate Pro Tem Questions)
I'm an amateur writer, a mediocre historian, a bothersome pundit, a lousy podcaster, and a tenured, periodically effective high school history teacher who works neither in Florida nor Texas. Does anyone else like this exist? If not, there might not be anyone who's as barely qualified, considerably eager, and hopefully free to tackle the reputationally… Continue reading PPFA Does CRT, Part I: What IS Critical Race Theory?
Against all odds, you're back. Despite the last six parts of this series, you're here for the seventh. I'm humbled. As your reward, today I really will tell you How Our Parties Switched. For those that arrived here as a result of a googling accident, let's recap my last two posts. Parts I through III… Continue reading How Our Parties Switched: Part VII (Conclusion)
Parts I through III of "How Our Parties Switched" was all about context. I unpacked the historical meanings of "liberal" and "conservative." We took a look at the political tendencies of the British-American colonists up through the American Revolution and Articles of Confederation period, each a victory for liberals who wanted to change traditional systems… Continue reading How Our Parties Switched, Parts IV-VI
(It's a long one today. Perhaps you're prefer podcast form? Available at Apple and Spotify) I'd like to describe you the geographic base and general ideology of an American political party, and see if you can guess which one I'm talking about. This party is stronger in the north than in the south. It's more… Continue reading How Our Parties Switched, Parts I-III
(Quick note: on Friday, my podcast presented an April Fools Challenge. The answer to that challenge will be at the bottom of today's post. If you haven't listened to it yet, there's still time! Just click on that link.) Four years ago, I ran my original "The Presidential Line of Succession" post during the early… Continue reading The Presidential Line of Succession (2022)
Happy Friday, Happy April, and Happy April Fools' Day! I just dropped the latest episode of the Presidential Politics for America's podcast. In it, I dust off an old gimmick and convert it into a podcast episode. I summarize five absurd historical events... but only four of them are true. Your challenge is to pick… Continue reading New PPFA Podcast Episode: An April Fools Challenge!
Presidential Politics for America 