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Phil Roeder
Red v. Blue
/in Demographics, Politics, The Economy /by Joel Kotkin and Wendell CoxJoel Kotkin and Wendell Cox – The political and cultural war between red and blue America may not be settled in our lifetimes, but it’s clear which side is gaining ground in economic and demographic terms. In everything from new jobs to fertility rates, population growth, and migration, red states increasingly hold the advantage.
The Democratic Civil War
/in Politics /by Joel KotkinThe Democratic Party may be united in their righteous detestation of Donald Trump, but the spirit of comity ends with that; ultimately the Democrats’ civil war reflects conflicts between prime constituencies.
Demographic Undestiny
/in Demographics, Politics, Religion /by Joel KotkinDemography becomes destiny, the old adage goes. But many of the most confidently promoted demographic predictions have turned out grossly exaggerated or even dead wrong. In many cases they tend to reflect more the aspirations of pundits and reporters than the actual on-the-ground realities.
Big Tech’s Hypocritical Wokeness May Soon Backfire
/in California, Politics, The Economy /by Joel KotkinIncreasingly, Americans no longer regard our tech oligarchs as modern folk heroes; today companies including Google, Apple and Facebook are suffering huge drops in their reputations among the public.
You Think Trump’s a Danger to Democracy? Get a Load of Bloomberg.
/in Politics /by Joel KotkinMany in the media and political class see Donald Trump as the face of America’s autocratic future. They’ve had less to say about Michael Bloomberg, a far more successful billionaire with the smarts, motivation, and elitist mentality not only to propose but actually carry out his own deeply authoritarian vision should he be elected president.
The Growth Dilemma
/in Politics, The Economy /by Joel KotkinUntil just a few years ago, the need for economic growth to sustain societies was almost universally acknowledged. But today, political leaders and influential economists increasingly believe that economic growth should be supplanted by environmental or social equity concerns.
Is America About to Suffer its Weimar Moment?
/in Politics /by Joel KotkinIs America about to suffer its Weimar moment, culminating in the collapse of its republican institutions? Our democracy may be more rooted than that of Germany’s first republic, which fell in 1933 to Adolf Hitler, but there are disturbing similarities.
How Trump Can Win Again
/in Politics, The Economy /by Joel KotkinBy all rights, Donald Trump should be packing his bags and headed to the golf links and his favorite fast food restaurant. Never popular, he has done little to expand his base over the past three years. Yet Trump appears further along the road to re-election than might have seemed possible just a short time ago.
California’s Low-wage Jobs Crisis
/in California, The Economy /by Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplanskyby Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky — Media, the political class and policy wonks have identified the “housing crisis” as California’s existential challenge. Yet, in reality, more critical may be a “jobs crisis” that is condemning ever more Californians to permanent low-wage purgatory.
California Preening: Golden State on Path to High-Tech Feudalism
/in California, Demographics, Politics, The Economy /by Joel Kotkin“We are the modern equivalent of the ancient city-states of Athens and Sparta….” declared then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007. In truth, the Golden State is becoming a semi-feudal kingdom, with the nation’s widest gap between middle and upper incomes—72 percent, compared with the U.S. average of 57 percent—and its highest poverty rate.