Tag Archives: Newt Gingrich

Climate activists: Habemus papem

Posted on June 18, 2015 by David S. Meyer

Pope Francis’s encyclical on the moral necessity of protecting the earth is out.  You can read “On Care for Our Common Home” here (in English; translations in many other languages are readily available–but I couldn’t find the Latin version).  The … 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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Healthcare politics outside the court

Posted on March 31, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Most public attention to health care reform turned to arguments in front of the Supreme Court.  But while journalists and analysts interpreted every question, pause, and eye roll from the Supreme Court justices, activists took health care politics outdoors, offering … Continue reading →

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How the Tea Party produced candidate Romney

Posted on February 2, 2012 by David S. Meyer

This essay is part of a larger dialogue at Mobilizing Ideas, which also includes pieces by Neal Caren, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Tina Fetner, McMaster University Richard Lloyd and Steven Tepper, Vanderbilt University Chris Parker, University of Washington … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party’s disappointment with the Republican field

Posted on January 25, 2012 by David S. Meyer

In seeking both a powerful advocate or a strong candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, the Tea Partiers are likely to get neither. Elections channel and dilute social movements.  This was James Madison’s design, and it works pretty much as … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party’s Iowa

Posted on January 5, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Protest movements sometimes have perverse effects, hastening outcomes they don’t want.  Tuesday’s Republican Iowa caucus has to be scored as a disappointment for the Tea Party, perhaps a sign of its dissolution. The Tea Party, an alliance between populist and … Continue reading →

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Occupy the Constitution

Posted on January 2, 2012 by David S. Meyer

At least several hundred protesters marched after the Tournament of Roses Parade, drawing some cheers, some boos, and extensive media coverage.  (Occupy the Rose Parade and the Hollywood Alist estimated 5,000 Occupy marchers.) Parades are occasions for spectacle and theater, … Continue reading →

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Occupy the Iowa Caucus

Posted on December 28, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Occupy activists are flocking to Des Moines for the new year, in an effort to Occupy Iowa’s Republican caucuses?  Why?  Certainly the Occupy approach has little appeal for the Republican caucus-goers, who veer more toward religious conservatism. But Occupiers know … Continue reading →

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Claiming victory gracelessly

Posted on August 4, 2011 by David S. Meyer

A win is a problem for a social movement.  Activists never get all they want, and smaller reforms can make it hard to get supported riled up and active.  At the same time, movement organizers need to show that they … Continue reading →

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