Sorry for the lighter posting this last week, but I’ve been busy writing the new chapter on the Trump presidency for the updated edition of FAULT LINES.
Retired a few years back & living in the DeSantis dumpster fire, at least I’m near the beach. Who’s a political figure from history, that most closely resembles DeSantis ?
In some ways, Reagan stands as a good model -- as governor of California, he made a lot of political hay out of fights with the UC system and, especially, the student radicals there. But the contexts are different, and I don't think college-bashing works as well without the anti-draft, anti-war, anti-ROTC climate. Also, Reagan was just a much better politician.
I’m so glad I joined this group, because you snapped me back to reality.. I know Reagan had his “Southern Strategy” which was repulsive, but DeSantis gives me a “George Wallace Republican” vibe.
Thank you, it sounds fascinating and something I'll look forward to. I graduated from high school in '69 and have vivid memories of that era. Two daily local papers plus tv news in my house plus discussions at my progressive all girls' Catholic high school, I was pretty tuned in.
I note that he's the same vintage as a boss I had in the 90s, he too had attended then Boalt Hall after the war. I've just been down that rabbit hole, he was a year ahead of Doar. Wish he were still here so you could pick his brain about Doar's law school days.
I came to Harry Golden through his essays about growing up Jewish on the Lower East Side of NYC - but stayed for his incisive writing about the civil rights movement - was happy/surprised to see that King mentioned him in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. What are your thoughts on his impact (if any) on civil rights and "race relations" in the US? Is he taught in courses on civil rights?
If you haven't read it, Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff's "The Race Beat" is a terrific book on reporters and the movement. Pretty sure Golden gets covered there?
Do you have recommendations for authors, professors, or works for history of technology? I should be more specific. (edit) I'm esp. interested in post-industrial-revolution developments; unsure if that starts late-19th, early-20th, or mid-20th centuries. I'm in the computer biz, so I know some of that by experience, but I suspect there are cultural and outside-my-field factors that contribute in ways I've not thought about.
My mostly anecdotal sense is that one of John Doar’s projects--school integration--has fallen on really difficult times over the last 20 or so years, particularly in cities and towns around the Deep South. There are lots of such places around my home state (Mississippi) where what was a reasonably well integrated public high school in the 1980s and 1990s has since become overwhelmingly African American as white families flee to private academies (most of which seem to have token integration) and/or newly enlarged county schools. It seems like a more recent iteration of the story you told concerning Atlanta in White Flight. Anyway, do you know if there’s anything more substantial than my impressions to back that up? And thanks, as always, for doing these!
Does Sarge understand this is actually his Substack, and the other content is just bonus fluff until he gifts us with his magnificence?
Sarge understands this is all his world and we’re merely bit players in it
Retired a few years back & living in the DeSantis dumpster fire, at least I’m near the beach. Who’s a political figure from history, that most closely resembles DeSantis ?
Great question!
In some ways, Reagan stands as a good model -- as governor of California, he made a lot of political hay out of fights with the UC system and, especially, the student radicals there. But the contexts are different, and I don't think college-bashing works as well without the anti-draft, anti-war, anti-ROTC climate. Also, Reagan was just a much better politician.
I’m so glad I joined this group, because you snapped me back to reality.. I know Reagan had his “Southern Strategy” which was repulsive, but DeSantis gives me a “George Wallace Republican” vibe.
The attacks on Washington bureaucrats is straight out of Wallace, yes
I am in love with Sarge, probably because I had to put my boy down 2.5 yrs ago and hubs doesn't want another dog.
That said, I think I missed previous mentions of a book on the Civil Rights Division. Please expand on that.
Here's a thread I did on it:
https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/917826310487060480?s=20
Thank you, it sounds fascinating and something I'll look forward to. I graduated from high school in '69 and have vivid memories of that era. Two daily local papers plus tv news in my house plus discussions at my progressive all girls' Catholic high school, I was pretty tuned in.
I note that he's the same vintage as a boss I had in the 90s, he too had attended then Boalt Hall after the war. I've just been down that rabbit hole, he was a year ahead of Doar. Wish he were still here so you could pick his brain about Doar's law school days.
I came to Harry Golden through his essays about growing up Jewish on the Lower East Side of NYC - but stayed for his incisive writing about the civil rights movement - was happy/surprised to see that King mentioned him in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. What are your thoughts on his impact (if any) on civil rights and "race relations" in the US? Is he taught in courses on civil rights?
Most courses don't really address the journalists who were sympathetic to civil rights, but he certainly deserves praise:
https://www.cmlibrary.org/blog/behind-vault-doors-life-journalist-harry-golden
If you haven't read it, Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff's "The Race Beat" is a terrific book on reporters and the movement. Pretty sure Golden gets covered there?
Do you have recommendations for authors, professors, or works for history of technology? I should be more specific. (edit) I'm esp. interested in post-industrial-revolution developments; unsure if that starts late-19th, early-20th, or mid-20th centuries. I'm in the computer biz, so I know some of that by experience, but I suspect there are cultural and outside-my-field factors that contribute in ways I've not thought about.
History of Technology is a booming field, but I'm biased towards my colleagues:
https://history.princeton.edu/fields/history-science
If you're in computing, check out this too:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534709/the-code-by-margaret-omara/#:~:text=About%20The%20Code&text=Now%2C%20after%20almost%20five%20years,the%20Pentagon%20to%20Stanford%20University.
When Nixon’s henchmen were prosecuted, was there Republican outrage that compares to the screaming “weaponization” rhetoric we hear now?
Not as much, though there were corners screaming "witch hunt" through the very end
<tap tap> is this on? Is this the section for AMA comments? I'm a newly-upgraded paid subscriber, but wasn't sure how AMA worked here. Please ACK/NAK?
Yep! Have at it
My mostly anecdotal sense is that one of John Doar’s projects--school integration--has fallen on really difficult times over the last 20 or so years, particularly in cities and towns around the Deep South. There are lots of such places around my home state (Mississippi) where what was a reasonably well integrated public high school in the 1980s and 1990s has since become overwhelmingly African American as white families flee to private academies (most of which seem to have token integration) and/or newly enlarged county schools. It seems like a more recent iteration of the story you told concerning Atlanta in White Flight. Anyway, do you know if there’s anything more substantial than my impressions to back that up? And thanks, as always, for doing these!
I think your general impressions are right, but I'm afraid I've moved on to other topics and don't have a good sense of the current situation.
Now that you are up to 10,000 subscribers have we checked on Henry Kissinger?
Schrodinger's War Criminal. As long as we don't check, he might be dead.