Dear Reader,
Since becoming editor of TNR, I’ve talked a lot about the magazine’s commitment to long-form journalism. Our first issue of the year exemplifies that commitment. In the cover story, John Judis lays out a new theory of the contemporary Republican Party. He argues that today’s GOP represents something rather unique in the history of American political parties: It is an ideologically coherent entity, one that has abandoned the spirit of internal and external compromise that has long defined our parties—and made our democracy work. Where did this new breed of political party come from? John traces its intellectual roots to the 1930s. It’s a brilliant historical argument that will recast the way you understand not just today’s Republicans but also the history of American party politics.
Elsewhere in the issue, Jason Zengerle tells the fascinating story of a once-promising political star, and what happened once the FBI began to close in on a secret from his past. Our resident linguist John McWhorter explains why, even in the wake of the Tucson massacre, demagoguery will likely remain part of our political culture. Brad Plumer explores the growing popularity of the campaign to revive the gold standard. Kelly Alexander argues that today’s cookbooks have become more like coffee table books for foodies than useful cooking manuals. Stanley Kauffmann writes on three films from foreign directors. Alan Taylor reviews a recent biography of George Washington. Alan Wolfe reviews a book about an anti-Nazi, German spy. And Leon Wieseltier looks at the practice of comparing pop culture icons to brilliant writers and thinkers from earlier eras.
Subscribe today and get exclusive access days before the issue hits newsstands.
Richard Just
Editor
Since becoming editor of TNR, I’ve talked a lot about the magazine’s commitment to long-form journalism. Our first issue of the year exemplifies that commitment. In the cover story, John Judis lays out a new theory of the contemporary Republican Party. He argues that today’s GOP represents something rather unique in the history of American political parties: It is an ideologically coherent entity, one that has abandoned the spirit of internal and external compromise that has long defined our parties—and made our democracy work. Where did this new breed of political party come from? John traces its intellectual roots to the 1930s. It’s a brilliant historical argument that will recast the way you understand not just today’s Republicans but also the history of American party politics.
Elsewhere in the issue, Jason Zengerle tells the fascinating story of a once-promising political star, and what happened once the FBI began to close in on a secret from his past. Our resident linguist John McWhorter explains why, even in the wake of the Tucson massacre, demagoguery will likely remain part of our political culture. Brad Plumer explores the growing popularity of the campaign to revive the gold standard. Kelly Alexander argues that today’s cookbooks have become more like coffee table books for foodies than useful cooking manuals. Stanley Kauffmann writes on three films from foreign directors. Alan Taylor reviews a recent biography of George Washington. Alan Wolfe reviews a book about an anti-Nazi, German spy. And Leon Wieseltier looks at the practice of comparing pop culture icons to brilliant writers and thinkers from earlier eras.
Subscribe today and get exclusive access days before the issue hits newsstands.
Richard Just
Editor