The book collects almost thirty-five opinion pieces, essays, and two poems by the author on a wide variety of public policy topics written and published between 2006 and 2022. The author, a self-described militant moderate, draws on his participation in many public debates. The articles are grouped into six, topical groupings that range widely: the growing need for moderate voices in policy debates; the nature of American exceptionalism; the challenge of civic discourse; the depredations of the Trump years; and policies concerning immigration, citizenship, and refugees.
The book collects almost thirty-two opinion pieces, essays, and two poems written by the author on a wide variety of public policy topics and published in books, magazines, and online between 2006 and 2022. The author, a self-described militant moderate, draws on his participation as a commentator in these and many other public debates.
The articles are grouped into six parts, topical groupings that range widely: the growing need for moderate voices in policy debates, the nature of American exceptionalism, the challenge of civic discourse, the depredations of the Trump years, the role of campus debates in the formation of public ideas, and policies concerning immigration, citizenship, and refugees.
In each of the essays (and poems), the author's distinctive voice is resonant. It is militant, emphasizing the major values at stake and explaining why he would resolve them in particular ways. But it is also moderate in patiently but firmly rejecting extreme factual and normative claims. The form and content of these writings model civic engagement in its highest sense: respectful of differences, reasonable in its reliance on sound evidence, appealing to civic virtue, and rejecting the extreme claims of left and right.
The book collects thirty-two opinion pieces, essays, and two poems published by the author in leading media on a wide variety of public policy topics as recently as 2022. The articles and poems range over six broad areas: the moderation ideal, as illustrated by the abortion issue; American exceptionalism; civic discourse; the Trump presidency; campus life; and immigration, citizenship, and refugee policy. The author, a self-described militant moderate, draws on his participation as a commentator in these and many other public debates.
