There's Something Happening Here
Ok, what it is ain’t exactly clear. But as the political situation deteriorates, things might be getting better
Something strange happened as we were assembling our issue this week, and even before Kamala Harris gave Mike Pence her history lesson in the Vice Prsidential Debate: Abraham Lincoln kept showing up. That’s right, Honest Abe Lincoln. Is that a sign that we are turning a corner on the age of Trump? Possibly.
But we are also reminded that the heady days of Union victory, Reconstruction, Emancipation and civil rights were followed by decades of reaction, anti-Black violence, and economic instability. It’s going to take more than a Democratic victory on November 3 for the United States to turn away from the darkness of Trumpism and towards a new vision for justice and equality. So make sure you keep your eyes open for next week’s special issue on fascism, edited by co-executive editor Jim Miller and Simon Garnett, senior editor at Eurozine.
Photo credit: studio evasion/Shutterstock.com
Politics
Steven B. Smith, “Teaching Patriotism: Abraham Lincoln’s idea of America.” (October 8, 2020)
Eileen Hunt Botting, “Amy Coney Barrett’s Fall from Grace: A Rose Garden superspreader event puts in doubt the Supreme Court nominee’s commitment to the right to life.” (October 7, 2020)
The American Constitution in Crisis: 1861 and 2020
Rebecca Lubot, “A Political Paradox: Power, fallibility, and the Twenty-Fifth Amendment.” (October 7, 2020)
Ted Widmer, with Claire Potter, “The Foiled Confederate Coup of 1861: An interview with historian Ted Widmer about his new book, Lincoln on the Verge.” (October 8, 2020)
Annals of the Pandemic
Mitchell Abidor, “Tense Times with Protesters in a Brooklyn Hot Zone: As New Yorkers brace for a second surge, Orthodox communities that resist public health directives, and the NYPD, lead the way.” (October 8, 2020)
Book Review
Daniel DiMassa, “Elena Ferrante Returns to Naples: A new novel delights, but reveals decay.” (October 8, 2020)
Columnists
John Stoehr, “COVID-19 Snaps Donald Trump’s Spell: There’s no going back now.” (October 5, 2020)
Heather Cox Richardson, “A Battle for the Soul of the Nation: A rising number of White House–related COVID cases exposes a presidency in collapse.” (October 8, 2020)