Amanda Marcotte argues in Salon that Bernie Sanders “has to accept that Pope Francis is not a friend of the left.” http://www.salon.com/2016/04/14/bernie_sanders_must_accept_that_pope_francis_isnt_a_friend_to_the_left_the_pontiff_cant_be_a_true_humanitarian_with_his_anti_woman_and_anti_lgbt_views/ According to Marcotte the Pope is no humanitarian, because, among other things, he has not embraced LGBT rights, apparently a sine qua non of laying claim to humanitarianism. While Pope Francis hasn’t managed … More Pope Francis, a Friend of the Left?

A faction of Canada’s New Democratic Party presented the Leap Manifesto (https://leapmanifesto.org/en/the-leap-manifesto/) at the NDP’s convention in Edmonton Alberta. The Leap is a call to action on climate change. The writers of the Leap are obviously terrified of the devil—the one in the details. For example, the Leap calls an immediate cessation of all oil … More The Great Leap

Has Pope Francis just effectively endorsed Bernie Sanders by inviting him to the Vatican on the eve of the NY primary?  One could make a case that Pope Francis is trying to boost Sanders’ chances. The two men are on the same page, at least on issues of economic justice. Each in his own way … More Francis and Bernie

Anybody who cares about the future of the United States should start to worry that the Republicans will somehow wiggle out of nominating Donald Trump as their presidential candidate. Why should every sane person on the planet, not just angry Trump voters and savvy Democrats, hope Trump is the GOP candidate? With the rise of … More Oh please, God, let Trump win the nomination…

Is Donald Trump a fascist?  A historian friend of mine thinks Trump is a fascist only if you define fascist as simply “a political opponent.” He said this in answer to his wife’s insistence that Trump is a fascist.  It does seem preposterous to claim that Donald Trump has thought seriously enough about political philosophy … More Trump the Fascist?