Tim Talks Politics - The Weekly Brief, March 2, 2018
The Weekly Brief - March 2, 2018
Gunning for Change
It's been a long week of fevered reporting on gun control and gun culture in America. I say “fevered” because the debate has been awash in bad data and reasoning.
Intellectual Takeout, writing from the conservative side of the debate, identifies some of the more common fallacies of gun control advocates. That conservative side of the debate, however, is a side that The Atlantic argues is losing at the cultural level, which may explain the rising amount of ink being spilled on arguments to repeal the 2nd Amendment. However, Pew Research suggests that as late as last year the policy of arming teachers was only narrowly opposed. So it is hard to say the degree to which the cultural debate is being won or lost.
This takes on added relevance as two weeks after the Parkland shooting, the developing story on the failure of law enforcement to protect the school and its students becomes clearer. Additionally, on the conservative side of the debate attention is being focused on how organized the apparently student-led anti-gun movement appears to be. Americas Quarterly asks if we're witnessing the rise of a student-led political movement that will bring needed change. That is only one example of the high hopes being expressed for the success of the student activists. However, Politico asks if we're putting too much pressure on the Parkland students and their mission to #NeverAgain mission.
Filter Bubbles and Policy Problems
A parallel but significant story is the nature of reporting being done on the Parkland shooting. The CNN Town Hall That brought together lawmakers, students and parents to “discuss” gun control measures was critiqued by NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch and a JROTC cadet who suggest that the town hall was highly scripted. CNN quickly denied this, but a general failure to detail the break down in law enforcement on following up on tips the public provided on the shooter is a dominant hole in much of the reporting surrounding the Parkland shooting.
The New York Times released a transcript of an FBI call that a concerned neighbor placed well before the events of February 14 and City Journal details some of the areas in which the shooter slipped through the institutional cracks.
David French at The Atlantic writes an insightful column on the nature of gun culture and what's behind it which should be considered essential reading as a corrective on some of the more overblown rhetoric that has come to characterize the discussion surrounding gun control.
Technology as Narrative Shaper
In talking about journalism and the media it is impossible to get away from discussing technology and the platforms we use to consume media. Pew Research provides some numbers on the trends in social media use in 2018. Big surprise, they’re all up. This is a concern in the area of media literacy and information consumption.
Conservative news sites were quick to point out big tech companies intervening in the gun control debate where, for example, Google Shopping dropped results for buying guns. Daily Signal, meanwhile, sought to expose YouTube's cooperation with the Southern Poverty Law Center to identify extreme media on its platform as imposing a leftist ideological filter.
Politico gets a little more philosophical about the interaction between public policy debates and the companies that provide the platforms for discussion.
As a follow-up to last week's introduction to deep fakes, the Lawfare blog provides a response to the article I shared last week.
Waving Goodbye to Victory?
From the divide on guns to the role of media to the questionable role of technology and social media there's a lot of questions surrounding the future trajectory of American democracy. These questions take on added gravity ahead of the 2018 and 2020 elections.
Perhaps the most significant story of the last week has been the dovetailing of the wave hypothesis for Democrats in the 2018 elections and the apparently positive appraisal of Donald Trump's 2020 reelection chances. Of course, it's too early to say anything conclusive about either election, but even Democrats and others on the left are concerned that the party is shooting itself in the foot ahead of critical elections they can ill afford to lose.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace notes to the continued rising tide of populist movements both in America and around the world, which is a concern for any democracy. Such a concern, in fact, that The Economist listed America as a “flawed democracy” last week. Indeed, the Manhattan Institute details how the students of Parkland have been driven to activism, in part, because their generation has seen the government fail in significant areas.
Now, before we get all concerned about the rising probability of a Trump-led fascist takeover of America, Politico argues that can't possibly happen here given the massive bulk of the American government. Whether you see that as optimistic or accurate, the fact that we're even having these discussions points to the palpable concern people have on the future stability of the American system.
A New Hope
That future stability of the American system seems fragile if you look at politics and media reportage, but Brookings Institute reports that the middle class of America is becoming race plural just like the rest of America. Researchers at the progressive Democracy Journal also note that people in Middle America are creating a grassroots movement to renew American democracy.
If true, these are good trends that look hopeful for economic and social stability, which is crucial for the health of a democracy.
AfPak and India
Mostly domestic issues this week and last, but a couple of international issues emerge as well. War on the Rocks reports that while the state structure of Afghanistan is very weak the civil society is strong. WOTR also published a really useful set of theses to help us grasp major issues still facing the security situation in Afghanistan.
Pakistan, however, was put on America's terror watch list which is the latest move by the United States to put increasing diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to clean up its act in terms of its support for terror groups in Afghanistan.
And the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was roundly criticized by The Federalists (and many Indians) for a disastrous trip to India.
The (Russian) Empire Strikes Back
The biggest story, however, this week on the foreign policy front has got to be Russia. Recent stories report on the ongoing development of enhanced military systems including anti-satellite laser weapons and a new hypersonic cruise missile with nuclear capabilities.
The degree to which these systems are operational is still up for debate, but Putin's public acknowledgment of these weapons platforms is clearly meant to flex Russia’s muscle.
The speed at which Russia-US relations have soured has left many wondering where it all went downhill. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace notes the disillusionment that has come to characterize the relationship between the two countries, which has become increasingly cynical and centered around power politics.
Politico's Morning Defense reports that the US is now supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.