Category: Election

Nov 30

On Terminators, Trump, and “The Guy” (3)

Martin Sheen as Jed Barlet standing at the podium with Presidential seal

[Part One of this piece focused on the 2003 California Governor’s Recall and argued that Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected in large part due to his fame. Part Two connected Donald Trump to Schwarzenegger and examined the role of public persona in the 2016 Presidential campaigns. Part Three comes back around the the question of public persona and charisma… Continue Reading On Terminators, Trump, and “The Guy” (3)

Nov 30

On Terminators, Trump, & “The Guy” (2)

Part Two: Trump [Part One ended with the rhetorical question, “What does the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election have to do with 2016? Both nothing and everything.” This next installment attempts to answer that question.] Donald Trump is no Arnold Schwarzenegger. As I watched the debates of the primary season, I found myself surprisingly wistful for the… Continue Reading On Terminators, Trump, & “The Guy” (2)

Nov 30

On Terminators and Trump and “The Guy” (1)

Martin Sheen

[What follows is a three-part piece that explores the effect of celebrity on American electoral politics in the 21st century. Part One examines the 2003 California Recall election. Part Two segues from the Terminator to Donald Trump and the 2016 Presidential contest. Finally, Part Three connects 2016 to previous Presidential elections via Martin Sheen and… Continue Reading On Terminators and Trump and “The Guy” (1)

Nov 13

On Safety Pins and Slactivism (and Facebook Birthdays)

closed safety pin casting shadow against a wooden surface

I posted a link to a think piece on Facebook last night. I’ve been posting lots of links to think pieces on Facebook in the last week or so. This one seems to have struck a nerve, both on my wall and on many others. It’s titled “Your Safety Pins Are Not Enough” and was… Continue Reading On Safety Pins and Slactivism (and Facebook Birthdays)