Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Fractious Politics of Education, part II

Posted on May 11, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Hundreds of Huntington Park High School students walked out of class yesterday, and marched 7 miles to the Los Angeles School Board’s headquarters.  The Board of Education was discussing a radical reorganization plan for the school, which would include reassigning … Continue reading →

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The Fractious Politics of Education

Posted on May 10, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Hundreds of California teachers, declaring a state of emergency, demonstrated in Sacramento yesterday, marched on the Capitol building yesterday.  According to The Boston Globe (!?!), more than 100 rallied in the Capitol rotunda, resulting in 65 arrests. There’s a lot … Continue reading →

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Professionalizing the Tea Party

Posted on May 6, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Can you keep the grass(roots) growing when you take it inside? Judson Phillips, founder of the for-profit Tea Party Nation, has announced that he intends to take a salary out of the organization.  Tea Party Nation has produced a couple … Continue reading →

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Osama, Obama, O.J., and Hasselhoff

Posted on May 5, 2011 by David S. Meyer

When US forces killed Osama Bin Laden, they dramatically shook up domestic politics in the United States, but, really, nothing has changed. For the Tea Party, having President Obama announce Bin Laden’s death is an extraordinary stroke of bad luck.   … Continue reading →

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Authenticity at the Town Hall Meetings?

Posted on April 28, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Republican members of Congress who supported Paul Ryan’s budget plan (almost all of them) are having to defend their votes against hostile crowds at town meetings.  (Note that there is a lot to get angry about in this budget plan.  … Continue reading →

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Are Lawyers Different?: Does the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) Deserve a Defense?

Posted on April 27, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Several large gay rights organizations (e.g.) celebrated the decision of King & Spalding, a large law firm, to forgo work for the House of Representatives.  When the Obama administration declined to defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act … Continue reading →

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Reexamining Organization/s

Posted on April 25, 2011 by David S. Meyer

From the comments, olderwoman writes: Your theoretical point is spot on, but your empirical point about Wisconsin is wrong, and wrong in a way that reflects back to a refinement of theory. Empirically, protests in Wisconsin were organized by a … Continue reading →

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Anger, Organization, and the Myth of Spontaneity

Posted on April 22, 2011 by David S. Meyer

When protest explodes/emerges/erupts/ after a politician does–or threatens–something unappealing, we talk about the unrest as a response. So, we saw disruptions at town meetings across the country in 2009 about President Obama’s health care reforms, and we saw large demonstrations … Continue reading →

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Clustering Issues: Environmentalism and GLBT Politics

Posted on April 21, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Politico’s Alex Guillen reported earlier this week that young environmentalists were consulting with gay and lesbian activists to figure out how to be more effective, especially in pushing President Obama. The GLBT movement has won–and is winning–several important victories, so … Continue reading →

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Passover Politics

Posted on April 20, 2011 by David S. Meyer

We’re two days into Passover, a major Jewish holiday.  The highlight is always two nights of services at the dinner table with families and friends, with varying shares of food, prayer, stories, and discussion.  This service, the seder, varies tremendously … Continue reading →

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