October 27, 2008 Issue

Cover art by: Senate Democratic candidates, clockwise from top left: Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Al Franken (MN), Jeff Merkley (OR), Kay Hagan (NC), Mark Warner (Va), Tom Udall (NM) and Mark Udall (CO). Cover design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels

purchase current issue

Feature

The Kingston Trio and the Red Scare

The death of Nick Reynolds, one of the Kingston Trio, last week at 75, provoked fond memories of one era and painful reminders of another.
Peter Dreier and Jim Vrabel
Murmurs of the Heart

The malefactors and the manipulators of machination start to fess up.
Gary Phillips
My Great Depression

Far more than all the other bad things that have happened during the Bush years, our current financial crisis makes me feel that the American empire is in ruin.
Tom Engelhardt
McCain and the Meltdown

Robert Sherrill’s pathbreaking 1990 exposé of the savings and loan scandal sheds light on John McCain’s deregulatory politics–and our current financial crisis.
The Nation
Agnostic, Atheist Votes Matter in November

Pursuing religious voters, Republicans and Democrats overlook the importance of the constituency of nonbelievers.
Ronald Aronson
Democrats Chase Evangelical Votes

Led by Obama, Democrats are making a bid for evangelical voters. Lost cause or holy grail?
Sarah Posner
Camp Bucca: Iraq’s Guantánamo Bay

What will the United States do with 20,000 Iraqis in legal limbo?
David Enders
Can Obama Reform Healthcare?

He calls for universal coverage–but that’s hard to get if insurance companies run the show.
Trudy Lieberman
Wrong Prescription: McCain’s Healthcare Plan

McCain would encourage employers to cut coverage. No joke: that’s his plan.
J. Lester Feder
Joe Garcia Gaining Among Florida Republicans

In south Florida, Joe Garcia is taking on the GOP and the Cuban exile establishment.
Ethan Porter
Democrats Could Win Key Senate Races

Democratic candidates are gaining in key Senate races and could tip the balance in the next Congress.
John Nichols

Editorial

Religion Threatens ’08 Presidential Race

We need a new national dialogue to untangle the triumphalist Christian story line that has wrapped itself around our political discourse.
Rev. Howard Moody
Paulson’s Plan B

The Treasury Secretary’s decision to buy equity stakes in banks still fails to address the fundamental flaws in the system.
Nomi Prins
Sarah Palin Is Out of Her League

Sarah Palin’s out of her league and a dangerous choice for vice president. Don’t Republican leaders have a moral obligation to speak out?
Judith Viorst
Why I’d Be a Better VP than Sarah Palin

I’ve got the ethics, the family values, a passport and, like the Alaska governor, am perfectly aligned with God’s will.
Rosanne Cash
Obama’s Web-Savvy Voter Plan

The Obama campaign’s below-the-radar use of the web to register new voters could change the game for Democrats and Republicans.
Ari Melber
Why Don’t the Media Get the Bailout?

There’s still plenty of time for the media to get the bailout story right: just start asking, “Who benefits?”
David Cay Johnston
Noted.

Philip Weiss on how grassroots activists on Capitol Hill trumped AIPAC to block a bad measure on Iran.
The Editors
Spend the Bailout Money on the Middle Class

Take a tip from the New Deal: invest that $700 billion in jobs and mortgage aid for those who need it most.
Howard Zinn
Invest in the Real Economy

Government can soften the recession’s impact by spending money–lots of it–to stimulate the real economy.
The Editors
GET UNLIMITED DIGITAL ACCESS FOR LESS THAN $3 A MONTH!

Subscribe

Column

Paulson’s Bailout Beast

Henry Paulson’s latest plan takes us further down to road to state capitalism, whose only principle is to protect the bankers who created the problem.
Nicholas von Hoffman
Hoover, 2008: McCain’s Bogus Reform

For years, John McCain backed legislation that decriminalized Wall Street’s reckless conduct. No amount of New Deal posturing can hide that record.
Robert Scheer
Palin Drops the Puck

The best-known hockey mom in the country gets booed at a game in Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center. Failing candidate, failed bank, failed stunt: you can’t make this stuff up.
Dave Zirin and Daniel Denvir
The Meltdown’s Silver Lining

When the markets calm down, liquidity returns and we are sunk in the inevitable recession, America can remake itself into a saner, more humane society.
Nicholas von Hoffman
Follow-ups for Sarah Palin

Don’t let reproductive rights get lost in the run-up to Election Day.
Katha Pollitt
Bailout Signals the Election Is Over

By approving the bailout, Congress sealed our political fate more firmly than any presidential election.
Alexander Cockburn
Someone Watching Sarah Palin’s Campaign Tactics Imagines How She Might Challenge a Referee’s Call in a Sixth-Grade Hockey Game

Push back on the pushy hockey mom.
Calvin Trillin

Books & the Arts

The Kingston Trio and the Red Scare

The death of Nick Reynolds, one of the Kingston Trio, last week at 75, provoked fond memories of one era and painful reminders of another.
Peter Dreier and Jim Vrabel
Civic Virtues: Gore Vidal’s Selected Essays

A new collection of Gore Vidal’s essays showcases five decades of literary and political criticism, with his mocking, disenchanted patriotism in all its eloquence.
George Scialabba
Lords of Misrule: Thomas Frank Takes on the GOP

On the campaign trail, they’re culture warriors; once in office, conservatives just follow the money.
Jefferson Decker
Credenzas of Fragmentation: Lobo Antunes’s Decadent Despair

In António Lobo Antunes’s new novel, a lost boy despairs of finding a real family in the wasteland of his past.
Natasha Wimmer
Panoramas: ’24 City,’ ‘Ashes of Time Redux,’ ‘Happy-Go-Lucky

24 City and Ashes of Time Redux, two stars of the New York Film Festival; plus Happy-Go-Lucky and Ballast reviewed.
Stuart Klawans
Prison Poem: “You stripped away the sea… #11”

Osip Mandelstam
The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

Sign up

Letters

Letters

Coming of Age in Papua New Guinea

Arlington, Va.
D.D. Guttenplan , Mark Dowie and Our Readers

Crossword

Crossword Classic #21

From the March 6, 1948, issue.
Frank W. Lewis
Puzzle No. 3141

ACROSS
Frank W. Lewis

Log In

October 27, 2008 Issue

Feature

The death of Nick Reynolds, one of the Kingston Trio, last week at 75, provoked fond memories of one era and painful reminders of another.

The malefactors and the manipulators of machination start to fess up.

Far more than all the other bad things that have happened during the Bush years, our current financial crisis makes me feel that the American empire is in ruin.

Robert Sherrill’s pathbreaking 1990 exposé of the savings and loan scandal sheds light on John McCain’s deregulatory politics–and our current financial crisis.

Pursuing religious voters, Republicans and Democrats overlook the importance of the constituency of nonbelievers.

Led by Obama, Democrats are making a bid for evangelical voters. Lost cause or holy grail?

What will the United States do with 20,000 Iraqis in legal limbo?

He calls for universal coverage–but that’s hard to get if insurance companies run the show.

McCain would encourage employers to cut coverage. No joke: that’s his plan.

In south Florida, Joe Garcia is taking on the GOP and the Cuban exile establishment.

Democratic candidates are gaining in key Senate races and could tip the balance in the next Congress.

Editorial

We need a new national dialogue to untangle the triumphalist Christian story line that has wrapped itself around our political discourse.

The Treasury Secretary’s decision to buy equity stakes in banks still fails to address the fundamental flaws in the system.

Sarah Palin’s out of her league and a dangerous choice for vice president. Don’t Republican leaders have a moral obligation to speak out?

I’ve got the ethics, the family values, a passport and, like the Alaska governor, am perfectly aligned with God’s will.

The Obama campaign’s below-the-radar use of the web to register new voters could change the game for Democrats and Republicans.

There’s still plenty of time for the media to get the bailout story right: just start asking, “Who benefits?”

Philip Weiss on how grassroots activists on Capitol Hill trumped AIPAC to block a bad measure on Iran.

Take a tip from the New Deal: invest that $700 billion in jobs and mortgage aid for those who need it most.

Government can soften the recession’s impact by spending money–lots of it–to stimulate the real economy.

GET UNLIMITED DIGITAL ACCESS FOR LESS THAN $3 A MONTH!

Column

Henry Paulson’s latest plan takes us further down to road to state capitalism, whose only principle is to protect the bankers who created the problem.

For years, John McCain backed legislation that decriminalized Wall Street’s reckless conduct. No amount of New Deal posturing can hide that record.

The best-known hockey mom in the country gets booed at a game in Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center. Failing candidate, failed bank, failed stunt: you can’t make this stuff up.

When the markets calm down, liquidity returns and we are sunk in the inevitable recession, America can remake itself into a saner, more humane society.

Don’t let reproductive rights get lost in the run-up to Election Day.

By approving the bailout, Congress sealed our political fate more firmly than any presidential election.

Push back on the pushy hockey mom.

Books & the Arts

The death of Nick Reynolds, one of the Kingston Trio, last week at 75, provoked fond memories of one era and painful reminders of another.

A new collection of Gore Vidal’s essays showcases five decades of literary and political criticism, with his mocking, disenchanted patriotism in all its eloquence.

On the campaign trail, they’re culture warriors; once in office, conservatives just follow the money.

In António Lobo Antunes’s new novel, a lost boy despairs of finding a real family in the wasteland of his past.

24 City and Ashes of Time Redux, two stars of the New York Film Festival; plus Happy-Go-Lucky and Ballast reviewed.

The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

Letters

Coming of Age in Papua New Guinea

Crossword

From the March 6, 1948, issue.

ACROSS