October 22, 2018
- Kavanaugh Confirmed — Fred Barnes, John McCormack
- Can He Withstand a Blue Wave? — Haley Byrd
- Sokal to the Nth Degree — Gabriel Rossman
This issue focused on two major stories shaping American politics and law. Stuart Taylor Jr. examined the Harvard affirmative action lawsuit challenging the use of racial preferences in college admissions, noting that despite the Supreme Court's 2003 hope that such preferences would end within 25 years, they were becoming increasingly entrenched. The issue also covered Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court, with Fred Barnes and John McCormack assessing how the contentious confirmation battle, though ending in victory for conservatives, had inflicted lasting damage on the Court and the country.
Articles in the Archive — 20
Interesting Times
We suspect some of our readers are pretty well tired of reading about the Kavanaugh confirmation fight. So are we. Allow us to press your patience one more time. This week a friend of The Scrapbook passed along a nearly 20-year-old article from the New York Times, and we thought perhaps our readers…
Racial Preference on Trial as Harvard Goes to Court
In 2003, the Supreme Court hoped the use of racial preferences would last no more than 25 years. They are becoming permanent.
The Lasting Damage of the Kavanaugh Confirmation Battle
Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed, but the fight against him has done lasting damage.
Hillary Clinton: Still Terrible
When Democrats go low, Hillary Clinton goes with them
T-Swizzle Goes Political
Swift fills in the blank space.
Who Will Lead the Democrats? Who Knows?
Looking ahead to 2020.
Gosnell: When the Truth Is More Gruesome Than Fiction
The new film Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer begins with a title card: “Most incidents portrayed are exact representations of court transcripts, police interviews, or eyewitness accounts.” Those familiar with the case involving the Philadelphia abortion doctor—and that’s not…
It’s Complicated: Facebook’s Shaky Status With Conservative Employees
Silicon Valley is often praised for its enlightened workplaces, with tech companies offering amenities such as yoga classes, free organic food, and nap pods. But Facebook employees evidently believe these corporate perks extend to the coddling of their personal political views. At least that’s one…
The Character Assassination of Brett Kavanaugh by the Cowardly Senate Democrats
In 1987, when Robert Bork met with Senator Edward Kennedy on the eve of his nomination as a justice of the Supreme Court, it was an awkward visit. Kennedy said his response would not be personal. He said that several times.
How Will Hurd Thrives in a Sprawling, Divided Texas District
It takes a lot of trips to Dairy Queen.
A Nonspecific Diagnosis
The mystery, confusion, and fear of Lyme disease
Verdict Then Protest
A conviction in Chicago’s highest-profile police shooting in decades.
The Highlight of the ‘Sokal Squared’ Hoax? The Satire.
You can fool some of the academics all of the time.
My Musical Ántonia
John Check explains how Willa Cather’s classic, now 100 years old, still sings and dances.
StarTurn
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper shine in ‘A Star Is Born’—and Hollywood should make more melodramas.
Can We Just Watch the Game?
The work of ruining sports continues apace. The Atlantic last week announced the hiring of Jemele Hill, a “wonderfully talented journalist who is famous for her acute commentary, fearless writing and encyclopedic knowledge of sports,” the magazine’s editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, said in a press…
Long Past That?
For as long as The Scrapbook can remember, we’ve watched impressive Republicans run for the Senate in New Jersey and flop. No Republican has won a Senate seat in the Garden State since Clifford Case was re-elected in 1972.
Latter-Day Rebrand
Mormons don’t want to be called Mormons anymore. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” is a bit of a mouthful—a bit like “the United States of America,” come to think of it—but in August the president of the church, Russell M. Nelson, issued a written edict about using the church’s full…
HillBilly Elegy
We’ve been to some electrifying concerts in our day, but The Scrapbook is holding out little hope for a 13-city tour the entertainment firm Live Nation announced this week: “An Evening with President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.”
The Days Dwindle Down
My daughter came to visit for the long weekend. Some friends mentioned that they were driving across the state, and so—on a whim, at the last minute—she threw some clothes in a bag, gathered up her schoolbooks, and piled into the car with her friends. And why not? It’s just 350 miles or so from the…