This is a fascinating story from The New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman. It appears that the Trump White House reached-out to South Dakota governor Kristi Noem about the "process to add additional presidents to Mount Rushmore." When Trump arrived at Mount Rushmore for his July 4, 2020 speech, Noem was waiting for him with a "four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore that included a fifth presidential likeness: his." Three weeks later, Noem flew to … [Read more...] about Report: The White House asked the governor of South Dakota how to add a president to Mount Rushmore
George McGovern
When progressive evangelicals held the national stage
Over at Sojourners, American religious historian Randall Balmer traces the history of progressive evangelicalism in the 1970s. Here is a taste of "Before the Religious Right, Progressive Evangelicals Gained the National Spotlight": Richard Nixon’s promise of a “secret plan” to end the war in Vietnam, which boosted him to presidency in 1968, turned out to entail expanding the war to Cambodia in the spring of 1970, thereby prompting protests across the nation and the shooting … [Read more...] about When progressive evangelicals held the national stage
How Bernie Sanders Has Transformed the Democratic Party
William Jennings Bryan, George McGovern, Jesse Jackson, and Barry Goldwater all failed in their bids for the presidency. But their ideas lived on and profoundly shaped the future of their parties. According to historian Michael Kazin, Bernie Sanders is doing the same thing. Here is a taste of his New York Times piece "Bernie Sanders Has Already Won": Since he began running for president five years ago, Senator Sanders and his supporters have nudged Democrats to take stands … [Read more...] about How Bernie Sanders Has Transformed the Democratic Party
The Cosmopolitan Elite
Last night I published a post about Trump adviser Stephen Miller's response to CNN's Jim Acosta's question about the connection between the spirit of American immigration and the RAISE Act. Â Read it here. Throughout this exchange, Miller accuses Acosta of being a "cosmopolitan." The first reference comes at about the 3:40 mark and then again at the 4:15 mark. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z-tOhfpEow&w=560&h=315] Several quick thoughts: Acosta misspoke … [Read more...] about The Cosmopolitan Elite
The Author's Corner with Mark Lempke
Mark Lempke is a visiting instructor  at the University at Buffalo--Singapore. This interview is based on his new book, My Brother’s Keeper: George McGovern and Progressive Christianity (University of Massachusetts Press, 2017). JF: What led you to write My Brother's Keeper? ML: When I was an undergraduate at Houghton College- an evangelical school in New York’s Southern Tier- I wrote a research paper on the 1972 election for one of my history classes. I was just curious how … [Read more...] about The Author's Corner with Mark Lempke