Author: Marc Stier

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Success and failure in Harrisburg: the future of progressive politics in PA, part 1

  By Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Progressive Politics

The Future of Progressive Politics in Pennsylvania, Part 1 This has been a good week for progressives in the state. Governor Rendell has announced that he will veto HB 1318, a bill that would have been most aptly named the Voter Suppression Act of 2006. I was very proud to work with wonderful Protect Our Vote Coalition in opposing the bill and was pleased that Neighborhood Networks officially joined the coalition as well. Jeanine Miller in Philadelphia and Celeste Taylor in Pittsburgh did a great job leading the coalition and Larry Frankel of the ACLU in Harrisburg was immensely important to our efforts as he tracked every twist and turn of the legislative process and gave us strategic advice about what to do at each moment. Any victory by the left is a good one and stopping this awful bill is an important accomplishment. However, before we get too pleased… Continue reading

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Single Moo Milk

  By Humor

Blogging here will be a little light for a few days as I take a little trip north. And that reminds me of a story I heard during my last trip. In an effort to spur their economy, Vermont farmers are taking a leaf from makers of Scotch. They are soon going to start marketing high-end milk and cheese products from particular farms that, they claim, have distinctive tastes as a result of the grass and water eaten by their cows. The marketing firms have not decided what to call this designer milk. My suggestion is in the title to this post. Note: when I first posted this, ACM commented: heh, not sure that people want to be reminded of the biological specificity of their milk, but who knows. I distinctly remember as a kid (when you’re drinking a lot of milk straight), noticing the change of taste when the… Continue reading

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The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.

  By Humor, Politics, US

When was the last time a Vice President shot a man? First correct answer gets a free, lifetime subscription to Marc Stier at Large. Thanks to Karl Marx for the title. In the 18th Brumaire of Louis Napolean he writes “Hegel says that history repeats itself. He forgot to add the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” And no, David Horowitz, knowing this quotation does not make me a Marxist. PS Does anyone know what a Brumaire is? 7 Responses to “The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce” acm Says: February 16th, 2006 at 11:25 am e hint: it involved a duel, not a hunt… Matthew Flaschen Says: February 16th, 2006 at 7:53 pm e Alexander Hamilton shot rival Aaron Burr in a duel. Matthew Flaschen Says: February 16th, 2006 at 9:05 pm e Err, other way around. TRAY Says: February 16th, 2006 at… Continue reading

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How to Limit the Harms of Gentrification

  By Economic Development, Neighborhoods, Philadelphia

This post is a follow up to the previous one, The Potential and Danger of Gentrification How do we realize the promise of gentrification by not displacing people in growing neighborhoods? There are a number of prescriptions. Here is a tentative list of ideas that seem plausible to me. Continue reading

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The Politics of HB 1318

  By Elections and Voting

Some folks think that the Republicans in Harrisburg are in a win-win situation. They would like to enact policies to reduce the number of voters. But they know that for strictly political reasons, if no other, Governor Rendell has to veto HB1318. So they hope to embarrass the Governor by tying him to “voter fraud” and by reminding people of the controversy during the 2004 election when some Republicans accused the Rendell administration of not giving enough time for military ballots to be counted. So let us make sure that we remind everyone that there is no evidence of serious, widespread voter fraud in Pennsylvania. If the Republican controlled legislature wants to be concerned with political reform, they can begin by regulating lobbying in Harrisburg. Continue reading

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The Immoral Equivalent of Jim Crow

  By Elections and Voting

HB 1318 started life as a modest proposal to protect the right of members of the military service to vote in Pennsylvania elections. It has since been amended in the House of Representatives to be the immoral equivalent of Jim Crow. Continue reading

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Response to David Horowitz

  By Education, Higher Education, Philosophy

I want to respond to David Horowitz’s criticisms of my teaching of Marx. Horowitz points to my web page, The Failure of Revolution, which, he says “faces the fact that Marx’s predictions about revolution have been refuted by history.” But he criticizes me because I go on to say “We can understand the failure of a revolution to occur as Marx predicted in Marx’s terms. The conditions that Marx expected to bring about a revolution did not arise. And we can give a powerful social class based explanation of the failure of those conditions to arise.” Thus Horowitz concludes that my point is that “In other words, even though Marx was wrong, he was right, and we can all be Marxists – or neo-Marxists – now.” To say that this is my point is both to take one sentence entirely out of  context and to hold an absurd view of… Continue reading

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Academic Freedom at Temple

  By Education, Higher Education

David Horowitz, the leftist turned rightist who made a fortune as a best selling biographer of Kennedys and Fords, and who has recently been criticizing left wing radicals in our universities, turned up at a State House of Representatives hearing held at Temple last month. He has been pushing an “academic bill of rights” that would, among other things, prohibit professors from using their classrooms “to advocate for their political and partisan views on controversial matter that are irrelevant to their field of expertise” or “pressure students into adopting their personal opinions;” and that would also prohibit them from “grading students on the basis of their political, social or religious opinions.” I had thought that Horowitz’s campaign had some merit. I have learned however, that Horowitz is about as interested in fair and balanced teaching as Fox News is interested in fair and balanced reporting. Continue reading

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The Potential and Danger of Gentrification

  By Economic Development, Neighborhoods, Philadelphia

Middle income people, both black and white, are now interested in moving into (or back into) the city especially in neighborhoods near Center City. There is enormous potential in that movement. But there is enormous danger as well. Continue reading

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I have seen the future of progressive politics in Philadelphia and her name is Cherelle Parker

  By People, Philadelphia, Published op-eds

I have seen the future of progressive politics in Philadelphia and her name is Cherelle Parker Cherelle won a special election for State Representative in the 200th district in September. Come see her tonight (Thursday, February 9) at her reelection campaign kick-off at 7:00 pm at Lakey’s Restaurant, 8215 Stenton Ave, Philadelphia, PA. Continue reading