Author Archives: stephenkmacksd

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About stephenkmacksd

Rootless cosmopolitan,down at heels intellectual;would be writer. 'Polemic is a discourse of conflict, whose effect depends on a delicate balance between the requirements of truth and the enticements of anger, the duty to argue and the zest to inflame. Its rhetoric allows, even enforces, a certain figurative licence. Like epitaphs in Johnson’s adage, it is not under oath.' https://www.lrb.co.uk/v15/n20/perry-anderson/diary

@FT Henry Paulson on saving ‘Globalization’. Political Observer comments

Note the use of antitheses in Mr. Paulson’s political intervention:   ‘Isolationism vs. Globalism’ , Populism vs  Integrationism, forces of openness rooted in market principles vs. those of closure across four dimensions: trade, capital flows, innovation and global institutions: The Potemkin … Continue reading →

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@nytdavidbrooks shames the ‘Coddled Generation’. Old Socialist scoffs

From the hysterical opposition to the Free Speech movement, that rebellion led by the heroic Mario Savio, washed up Movie Star and FBI snitch Ronald Reagan, parleyed this into the Governorship of California…the rest is ‘History’. To S.I. Hayakawa, and … Continue reading →

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@FT Macron’s ‘exclusive interview’. Old Socialist …

Macron, who hungers for The World Stage, is interviewed by a not just friendly   newspaper :  He ‘warned of the collapse of the EU as a ‘political project’ unless it supports stricken economies’ ! Neo-Liberalism in all its guises, from … Continue reading →

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janan.ganesh@ft.com covers Harry Truman with an impasto of White-Wash, in defense of Joe Biden. American Writer comments

The reader must agree that Mr. Ganesh has, not just a talent for hyperbole, but is a Master of that rhetorical style: It feels rude to point out how little was expected of Harry Truman when he became US president … Continue reading →

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Reading ‘Liberalism at Large’: pages 206, 207 & footnote 115. Political Observer shares

Mr. Zevin’s history of the Economist offers insights on every page, but this from pages 206 and 207 is so very worthy of thinking about: And its footnote 115:  Political Observer    

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On reading ‘William and Henry James : Selected Letters by Henry James and William James’. American Writer comments

Read two of the earlier letters from William to Henry last night. The subject, art and artists recently viewed, and lividly recalled, very impressive. While William was taking the cure in Germany. When I first got the book, I made … Continue reading →

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More Covid-19 political hand-wringing chatter, from gideon.rachman@ft.com.

Headline: Coronavirus and the threat to US supremacy Sub-headline: Two questions serve as a reality check on excessive American declinism It has reached such a point that Mr. Rachman feels compelled to link to his January 3, 2011 essay at Foreign … Continue reading →

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The Political/Economic Fabulism of Niall Ferguson: Keynes, Krugman, Rogoff and Summers. Political Observer comments

Niall Ferguson, in his Sunday Times essay of April 12 , 2020 , features John  Maynard Keynes as its main protagonist. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/dont-bet-on-a-quick-global-resurrection-z553527tx Keynes appears first an a negotiator of the Treaty of Versailles, who collapses from overwork or The Spanish … Continue reading →

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My reply Toro1963

Toro1963 Thank you for your comment. Why have I posted these  examples of the  Financial Times reportage on the the Argentine Question? Macri’s ‘Austerity Lite’ was a dismal failure, as have all other instances of this Neo-Liberal economic sadism! Although … Continue reading →

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Argentina in the pages of The Financial Times: April 12, 2020. Political Observer comments

Should the regular reader of The Financial Times remind Mr. Mander and his employer of his September 1, 2019 essay, co-authored with Michael Stott ? Headline: Argentina: how IMF’s biggest ever bailout crumbled under Macri Sub-headline: With the Peronists waiting … Continue reading →

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