Archive | October, 2020

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USA TODAY: Neither Trump Nor Biden Deserve Honeymoon from Cynicism

USA TODAY,  October 31, 2020 Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden deserve a honeymoon from cynicism by James Bovard “The biggest threat to our democracy is cynicism,” declared former president Barack Obama two years ago. But as we enter the final days of another demagoguery-drenched presidential campaign, it is time to give cynicism the credit it […]

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A Collection of Bovardian Epigrams

Originally posted by the Mises Institute; reposted by Zero Hedge, Counterpunch, Ron Paul Institute, Libertarian Institute, Lapm Journal (U.K.), Aletho News, USA Express, Make Xpress (U.K.), Zenith News, Finanz (Germany), USSA News, Qoshe.com, and in Estonian language here. Audio version from Mises is here. A Collection of Bovardian Epigrams by James Bovard, October 28, 2020 […]

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Trust No One with the Presidency’s Powers (1988 & 2000)

Many Americans feel like they have a miserable choice of presidential candidates this year.  But the same pattern goes back at least to the end of the Reagan era. For decades, presidents have had far more power than they can be trusted with. Here are election season pieces I wrote on this theme in 1988 […]

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Voting is Overrated (2000)

American Spectator Online / Knight Ridder syndicate @ November 4, 2000 Voting is Overrated by James Bovard Voting is dangerously overrated as a surefire safeguard to preserve liberty. Vice President Al Gore is clearly the most dangerous candidate running for the Presidency. If Gore wins, the pernicious trends of the Clinton era will continue full […]

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Defining Despotism Down

American Institute for Economic Research, October 27, 2020 Defining Despotism Down James Bovard The simultaneous defining down of both democracy and despotism is 2020’s darkest legacy. Voters are recognizing that their ballots merely choose elective dictators who can exempt themselves from the Constitution simply by pronouncing the word “emergency.” At the same time, despotism is […]

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Podcast: “Why I Write” on Just Add Liberty

Big thanks to Rachel Watson-Kennerly for having me on her new Just Add Liberty podcast. We had fun smacking politicians and talking about journalism. I enjoyed the chance to kick hell out of Washington ways and the lame “Go Team Go!” standard for Washington writing. (My comments on writers refers specifically to Washington writers.) “After […]

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