Category Archives: Paul Gronke

Postings by Professor Paul Gronke

Selected Multimedia about LBJ

Johnson was not a natural speaker, and biographers report that he was always embarrassed by his Southern drawl, certain that he was not being taken seriously. The years as vice president were especially difficult in this regard; how could a … finish reading Selected Multimedia about LBJ

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LBJ, Austin, and the Hill Country of Texas

I am leading a Reed alumni trip, along with Michael Teskey, to the Hill Country of Texas to look at wildflowers and try to understand one of the most fascinating and complex figures of America’s 20th century, Lyndon Baines Johnson. … finish reading LBJ, Austin, and the Hill Country of Texas

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Untying the Electoral Knot: Reimagining the States with Equal Populations

Hat tip to Nathan Yau’s Flowing Data blog, the map reimagines the 50 states with equal populations.  It’s a cool geographic systems application and a nice way to reflect upon the biases in our Electoral College system.

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It’s good to be rich and pay state taxes. And it sucks to be poor.

If you want a quick summary how the American political and economic system is so skewed toward the wealthy, contrast these two reports. First, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy issued a report on the most regressive (Washington state!) … finish reading It’s good to be rich and pay state taxes. And it sucks to be poor.

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Legal protection to the middle finger

I am a dinosaur.  I still read the print edition of the NY Times.  Of course, it helps that the academic M-F rate for the print edition–delivered to my door daily at 3 am–is less than the monthly cost of … finish reading Legal protection to the middle finger

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Generational Effects and Reed’s Academic Leadership

  Nigel Nicholson’s appointment as Dean of the Faculty of Reed College got me to thinking: how many of Reed’s academic leaders have had school age children and a working spouse? The answer, I think, is that Nicholson is the … finish reading Generational Effects and Reed’s Academic Leadership

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How the fiscal cliff threatens higher ed research and our economic future

Two recent stories highlight how the fiscal cliff threatens the nation’s long run economic future. An article by Michael McRobbie, the president of Indiana University, in the Chronicle of Higher Ed focuses on the short and mid-term effects.  If sequestration … finish reading How the fiscal cliff threatens higher ed research and our economic future

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On Elections in Non-Democratic Regimes

My thesis student is starting her second semester, writing a thesis on why elections are so frequent in non-democratic, autocratic regimes. While the following information may make her feel like her thesis has already been written, that’s never the case! … finish reading On Elections in Non-Democratic Regimes

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Celebrating the Tea Party

The final reading for Political Science 332 was Theda Skocpol and Vanessa Williamson’s book, The Tea Party and the Remaking of American Conservatism. The students convinced me to have a real tea party to add some frivolity to our discussion … finish reading Celebrating the Tea Party

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One political geek’s reaction to Lincoln

I watched Lincoln last night in a packed Moreland Theater.  A bit of two hours late,  I found myself happy that our local theater was actually packed, but ambivalent about Spielberg’s biopic. I’ll leave it to film buffs like my … finish reading One political geek’s reaction to Lincoln

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