Author Archives: David S. Meyer

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About David S. Meyer

Author and professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine

Occupy and the 2012 elections

Posted on November 23, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Unlike the Tea Party, the Occupy movement wasn’t visibly invested in the elections.  Occupy groups didn’t endorse candidates, even candidates who came out of the Occupations.  Occupy groups didn’t raise money for the elections, didn’t form PACs, much less SuperPacs, … Continue reading →

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Workers of the world (at least Europe) unite

Posted on November 14, 2012 by David S. Meyer

For Marx and Engels, “workers of the world unite” was invective.  Today it’s descriptive.  Across Europe, but particularly in countries implementing harsh austerity regimes, workers are taking to the streets, sometimes landing in violent clashes with police. The global financial … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party and the 2012 elections: part III

Posted on November 14, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Tea Party groups supported Republican nominee Mitt Romney and many Congressional candidates.   They lost the presidency.  They made no new gains in Congress; some Tea Partiers lost their seats, and some–like Minnesota’s Michele Bachmann, barely held on.  It wasn’t a … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party and the 2012 elections, part II

Posted on November 13, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Tea Partiers are frustrated about the Republican defeat in the 2012 election, and angry at politicians and pundits who blame them.  All their energy, effort, and anger produced contentious campaigns, but also the reelection of President Obama and Democratic gains … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party and the 2012 election, part I.

Posted on November 12, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Post-mortems on the 2012 election are everywhere on the right right now, in all kinds of different forms: Analysts wonder why the internal polls that left conservatives confident of the outcome up until Tuesday night and Karl Rove’s televised meltdown … Continue reading →

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The Activists: documentary available on-line

Posted on November 5, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Michael Heaney, prolific political scientist and peace activist, who was last seen as a dancing vagina at the Democratic national convention, has announced the completion of a documentary he helped make. http://vimeo.com/49732898 The Activists: War, Peace, and Politics in the … Continue reading →

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Crisis and opportunities: Superstorm Sandy and climate change

Posted on November 1, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Catastrophes can be opportunities for activists prepared to exploit them.  Hurricane Sandy looks like a good chance for climate change activists to put their concerns on a national political agenda that has been incredibly inhospitable.  Their challenge is to attach … Continue reading →

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Calm before the storm

Posted on October 29, 2012 by David S. Meyer

While Hurricane Sandy slowly approaches, climate change activists appeared in Times Square, holding the parachute above.  It wasn’t a huge turnout, of course, but New York City is basically shut down, including Wall Street and the Subway system. Linking a … Continue reading →

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Students are revolting: school lunches

Posted on October 17, 2012 by David S. Meyer

With the help of a sympathetic teacher, students at Wallace County High School in Sharon Springs, Kansas, produced the video above.  They say, in a much more entertaining way than I will, that they’re not getting enough food to live … Continue reading →

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Strikes without unions: Walmart

Posted on October 12, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Workers (“associates” to their employers) have walked off the job at several Walmarts sprawled across the United States.  The workers at Walmart, like most workers in retail, and most workers in the private sector, and most workers in the United … Continue reading →

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