
The John Birch Society Won by Losing
A new book by historian Matthew Dallek traces the John Birch Society’s enduring influence over American politics and reveals how the deep roots of the reactionary right stretch from Congress to the Supreme Court.
Jacob Sugarman is the former managing editor of Truthdig. His writing has appeared in the Nation, Salon, and Tablet, among other publications.

A new book by historian Matthew Dallek traces the John Birch Society’s enduring influence over American politics and reveals how the deep roots of the reactionary right stretch from Congress to the Supreme Court.

A new book, Carmageddon, reveals how the automobile has made our lives more dangerous and less democratic. The alternative — reliable and publicly funded transport — must be at the heart of any progressive vision for the future.

With the Fed’s recent turn to brutally tight money, it’s easy to forget that its post–Great Recession policy of “quantitative easing” was an unprecedented experiment with loose money — whose distorting effects still shape the economy today.

In the twentieth century, the United States engaged in brutal, even sadistic interventions all over the world, from Indonesia to Brazil, to stop the Left's advance. We’re still living in those interventions' shadow.