News from Kevin Mattson

THE PERILS OF DEFENDING TENURE

2011-04-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

A review I did of Ellen Schrecker's book, The Lost Soul of Higher Education, plus many comments about can be found here:

http://www.democracyjournal.org/20/in-defense-of-tenure.php?page=all

ONE I'M PARTICULARLY PROUD OF...

2011-01-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

This piece has a brief history to tell: It was originally written for the reconstituted Baffler, indeed went through a full series of edits there. Then, the Baffler went belly-up due to a funding problem, and so now this piece finds a home at Dissent. If you go to the front page of the magazine, the on-line editor has a very nice image for the article. Enjoy.

http://dissentmagazine.org/online.php?id=440

REMEMBERING DANIEL BELL

2011-01-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

Over the last two days, I was busy writing this piece on Daniel Bell who passed away this week:

http://chronicle.com/article/Daniel-Bell-1919-2011/126106/?sid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en

WHAT I READ

2011-01-09T06:48:00.001-08:00

A small and fun little interview I did with the Chronicle for Higher Education about what I read:

http://chronicle.com/blogs/pageview/my-daily-read-kevin-mattson/28048

The Everglades...

2010-12-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

When I was in graduate school, I had scheduled a visit to Everglades National Park. I didn't make the trip for complications (too long to travel, too many deadlines at the moment). I've always wanted to explore the park, and so this winter break instead of skiing, we headed down to the park. We did a eight day canoe trip through the heart of the park and then saw the grasslands region on another trip. It was wonderful (we canoed down the Wilderness Waterway over a half of the course and then wound up going around out to the Gulf Coast where we camped on key islands). I post some pictures here. We saw dolphins, marlin jumping out of the sea, tons of alligators, and multiple birds. We slept on our boat one evening, because we had traveled eighteen and a half miles and couldn't find our camp. This is how we got the nicknames from friends -- the "Crazy Mattsons."

Fox News

2010-12-06T07:37:00.003-08:00

Did an interview (on camera) for this story at Fox News. Somewhere there's video, but for now, this is what I have:

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/23/should-obama-dream-primary-colors

DECLINE???

2010-10-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

On Monday, October 25 I'll be on the Kerri Miller show with James Fallows. We'll be talking about the idea of American decline... Here's a link to the show.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/midmorning/

THE POLITICS OF STUPID

2010-09-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent little thought exercise done for Dissent:

http://dissentmagazine.org/atw.php?id=277

RADIO POPULISM

2010-09-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

I will be on (and you can likely find the podcast after the show's done) this radio show talking about the populism piece that I wrote for The American Prospect. Appearance will be Tuesday, September 21, noon to one.

http://burtcohen.com/

The debate on populism continues...

2010-09-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

My article, in the words of the American Prospect's editors, hit a "nerve." Yikes. Here's the nerve plus my response at the bottom. Enjoy.

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=tap_debates_populism

more summer photos, and that will be that.

2010-09-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

2010-09-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

Yes we can.

More photos from summer to come.

ON THE ROAD

2010-08-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Some stuff from being on the road -- the Uintah High Wilderness, the Sawtooth Wilderness, the Frank Church Wilderness, to be more specific. Plus many other good travels. Here's some stuff that's out that might interest folks. Many cutthroats and much else.

I have a piece on populism and why it sucks for the American Prospect:

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=forget_populism

And a review of Cary Nelson's book on academic freedom here:

http://ocaaup.org/

There will be a piece in the upcoming Baffler, plus the Common Review. More to come.

A GOOD STORY THAT JUST HAPPENS TO FEATURE "MOI"

2010-06-11T05:55:00.001-07:00

Matt Bai wrote a good story about presidents and crises; seems to be an awful lot there. He interviewed me, and he wrote an important story to which I link here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/weekinreview/06bai.html

NOW OFFICIALLY, A SOMETIMES BLOGGER

2010-03-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

I will be contributing, when the inspiration comes, to the following blog:

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/atw.php

FEELIN' OPTIMISTIC?

2010-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

Yours truly appears in this story about the never-ending, perpetual optimism machine of America:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-02-16-optimistic-decade-americans_N.htm

BUSTER, R.I.P., 1994-2010

2010-02-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

I don't do this often, but in this case I will. Our cat, Buster, passed away last night in his sleep. I got him when I lived alone in New Jersey in 1995 (he was one year old, or so the guess went). He had been being fed by a man with Alzheimer's who kept forgetting that he had to feed the twelve cats that hung around his house. Buster was taken to a shelter, where I adopted him. He was a very cool cat, more friendly than most, the constant hunter for a lap to sit on. My wife and kid came to love him immensely, for good reason. In any case, his death prompted me to search out a poem that I used to love by Charles Bukowski (I'm not usually a fan). I link to the poem here. Those lines about the influence of Celine and all are just fantastic. And so in memory of Buster:

http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/10781-Charles-Bukowski-The-History-Of-One-Tough-Motherfucker-wbr-

MORE ON JIMMY...

2010-02-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a recent interview done about "What the Heck?":

http://www.rorotoko.com/

THE HORROR, THE HORROR

2010-01-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

A longer essay in which I describe my experience of reading Going Rogue by the lady who's now at Fox and who knows absolutely nothing about everything... Palinology in Mattson form.

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online.php?id=323

FOR THOSE WHO READ DISSENT...

2010-01-07T09:31:00.001-08:00

I have a review of Morris Dickstein's recent book about Depression-era culture.

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=2042

THE LEFT AT WAR...

2009-11-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a recent review I did of Michael Berube's book on the left at war. You might have to scroll down a bit to get to the actual review.

http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/016_04/4694

I'll Never go back to... Georgia, well, actually

2009-10-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

I'll be coming to Atlanta, GA and the Carter Center to speak about "What the Heck..." with some highly esteemed historians. Here's an announcement:

http://carter.convio.net/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=100261

Coming to the nation's...

2009-10-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

For those of you in D.C. on October 7, check this out:

http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2009/10/Mattsonbook.html

What the Heck... and the Progressive Book Club

2009-10-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

What the Heck is now a selection at the Progressive Book Club (PBC). The interview below is a nice one:

http://www.progressivebookclub.com/blog/2009/10/01/jimmy-carter-and-americas-malaise-interview-with-kevin-mattson/#more-39882

I will be coming to Washington, D.C. to talk about the book at the Center for American Progress, an event that's also sponsored by PBC. That's on October 7, Wednesday.

KEN BURNS -- SOCIALIST

2009-10-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

If you're as sick of the right wing making baseless accusations about how just about everyone who believes in government is a socialist, check out this recent piece I wrote about Ken Burns's recent documentary, "America's National Parks."

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online.php?id=299

a fun interview

2009-09-30T18:59:00.001-07:00

Here's a link to a fun interview about "What the Heck..." Enjoy.

http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/611/kevinmattson.mp3

IRVING KRISTOL, R.I.P.?

2009-09-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent piece I wrote about Irving Kristol's legacy:

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=kristol_and_the_teabaggers

failure? yes.

2009-09-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

A more recent interview on the book:

http://failuremag.com/index.php/feature/article/jimmy_carters_malaise_speech/

SUMMER'S END...

2009-08-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Just back from floating the Missouri and Smith Rivers, plus backpacking and fishing the Stillwater River (all in Montana), with a quick detour through Teddy Roosevelt National Park, plus ... "Lewis and Clarking" it throughout the area of Montana ("Montany," to quote Larry McMurtry).

While gone, CSPAN finally posted the book talk I did back in late June at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. Fun to watch, because Jerry Rafshoon, Carter's publicity man, makes a cameo appearance at the end to ask questions. Here it is:

http://www.booktv.org/Program/10639/What+the+Heck+Are+You+Up+To+Mr+President+Jimmy+Carter+Americas+Malaise+and+the+Speech+that+Should+Have+Changed+the+Country.aspx

There were numerous reviews of the book that came out during the summer. The best compilation of these (though not all) is posted at the publisher's website page on the book. Here that is:

http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/books/catalog/what_the_heck_are_you_up_to_mr_president_hc_213

There were also pieces that appeared in Politico.com, Roll Call, and The Week. Hunt them down if you so desire.

"Summer's kiss is over baby..."

C-Span Book TV

2009-07-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

A book talk I gave at Busboys and Poets (Washington, D.C.) will be on C-Span Book TV, July 25th at 9pm and July 26th at 10am. Carter's publicist, Jerry Rafshoon, happens to be there and asks good questions...

You can also google me and "On the Media" and get my last weekend interview there. You can also download Bob Edwards's interview as well.

Just out of a week long backpack trip in Montana and now onto a river trip.

MORE ON "WHAT THE HECK..."

2009-07-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

This week please keep your eyes out for a review in the LA Times (July 5).

I'll also be interviewed on our local WOUB news show on July 8.

If you get satellite radio, you can hear me on Bob Edwards's show which will be on July 9.

And then I'll appear on Michael Medved's talk radio show on July 10 (the interview takes place at 4pm EST).

I'll be on NPR's Weekend Edition at the end of the week.

Finally, if you missed the Colbert Report, you can see the show at his website or on Hulu.

MALAISE TODAY, MALAISE TOMORROW, MALAISE FOREVER...

2009-06-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce the near release of my book, "What the Heck are You Up to Mr. President?: Jimmy Carter, America's "Malaise," and the Speech that Should Have Changed the Country, and some special events that will occur around it. For those in the general internet/cable world:

JUNE 30: COLBERT REPORT. Should be a fun interview, defending Carter's malaise speech.

JULY 15: BOB EDWARDS'S SHOW. Listen in...

For those of you in the New York City area, please come by to a small book talk I'll give at:

Barnes and Noble: Saturday June 27 at 2pm
6 Easy 18th Street, at 5th Ave

For those of you in my old stomping grounds of Washington, D.C., come by to:

Busboys and Poets: Monday, June 29, 6:30pm
1025 5th Street, NW
5th and K

For more on the book, you can check out this for now:

http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/books/catalog/what_the_heck_are_you_up_to_mr_president_hc_213

MALAISE FOREVER...

2009-03-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

A teaser of sorts on what the next book will be about:

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=a_politics_of_national_sacrifice

C-Span

2009-02-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

For those who missed it, here's a video file of my C-Span appearance:

http://cspanjunkie.org/?tag=kevin-mattson

Remembering John Patrick Diggins

2009-02-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online.php?id=205

C-Span

2009-02-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

A book talk I gave back last September will be televised on C-Span's Book TV. You can get the information here:

http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramID=9795&SectionName=Politics

VICTORY HAS BEEN ASSURED

2009-01-22T12:16:00.001-08:00

Rebels All! just won an Outstanding Academic Title Award from Choice. Tell your friends.

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN...

2008-12-01T10:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I think you know what I'm referring to here, but if not, here's a piece I wrote on the last election:

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/112008/11302008/426894

WE DID

2008-11-05T08:05:00.001-08:00

I don't usually do this, but I will today: Call it recycling. Here's a piece I wrote almost a year ago on why Obama's biography mattered. It holds up pretty good now, don't you think? At some point, I could write up my campaigning experience but for now this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/dec/19/whyobamamatters

INTERVIEW ABOUT REBELS ALL!, IN OF ALL PLACES...

2008-10-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, in David Horowitz's internet magazine:

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=09EB6F20-7EC2-4A50-9A28-F2C60432410A

THE SADNESS THAT IS SARAH PALIN

2008-09-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a little ditty I did on Palin and the permanent state of culture war she promises:

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online.php?id=140

WORLD TOUR!

2008-09-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

I'll be talking about my recent book, Rebels All!, in Washington, D.C., New Jersey, New York City, and Boston, starting next Sunday. Anyone interested can see the schedule at:

http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/acatalog/rebels_all.html

WHEN IN DOUBT, GO HIGHER

2008-09-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

In my other life, I backpack, flyfish, and ... You can find out by reading this article in one of my most favorite publications that comes out of the west: Mountain Gazette.

http://mountaingazette.com/article/967

REVIEWS

2008-08-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

First, PW's review of Rebels All!:

This slim, scathing study of the right's trajectory argues that conservatives co-opted the utopian radicalism of the left to brilliantly position themselves as political underdogs, while efficiently consolidating power. With a little cheekiness and ample research, Mattson (When America Was Great) contends that today's conservatives, marked by their aggressive, confrontational style, their populism, pizzazz and brashness, are the true inheritors of the '60s' rebel spirit. The author skillfully links the invasion of Iraq with the new conservative utopianism (a new city on the hill in the Middle East) and identifies conservatism's ideological family tree, detecting the echoes of Bill Buckley in Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. He enriches his familiar analysis of the birth of the neocons by reviewing how conservatives learned to define themselves more sharply, using the radical style of their liberal counterparts, and demonstrates how populism was fused with neoconservatism to sire the politics of uncivil debate. Passionately, unapologetically partisan, the author's incendiary argument only cools when he champions liberalism as the middle of the political spectrum, perhaps proving that he—like the conservatives he so effectively skewers—is best on the offensive.

And a link to a review by a person whose biography of Saul Alinksy deserves reading -- that is, after you've read Rebels All!:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/24/RVC411T7QD.DTL&feed=rss.books

WHAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON

2008-08-13T11:42:00.001-07:00

This summer and into fall I'm finishing a book about Jimmy Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" Speech. And here is something I offer in the mean time:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2008/08/13/past-and-present-malaise-and-the-energy-crisis.html

FINAL CONSERVATIVE REVIEW ESSAY, FOR NOW

2008-08-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

The last of three essays on conservatism. This one from Dissent:

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=1244

SUMMER INTERSESSION

2008-08-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, the west and hiking and fishing, and...

While away, a few things.

An article in Academe magazine about AAUP activism:

http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2008/JA/Feat/matt.htm

The issue of Dissent with the last of my three review pieces about conservative ideas:

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/issue/?issue=82

The debate with Sean Wilentz, which you can find here:

http://hnn.us/articles/51035.html

More later...

SUMMERTIME AND THE...

2008-06-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

time to travel has hit. Mountains, rivers, trout, bears, pine trees, flyfishing, DeVoto land, mountain biking, Stegner land, Abbey land...

There are two things while I'm away to keep your eyes out for: First, I've written a criticism of Sean Wilentz's partisan history during the primary campaign. The editor at History News Network tells me it's to be posted next week (June 9 or so): Check out the History News Network's website (you can see my entry below as TYH to find that site). Secondly, Dissent will publish the final entry in my trilogy of review essays on conservatism and ideas. I'll be reviewing David Frum's book Comeback, plus two others. I'm not certain it will be posted on-line or not; people should buy the magazine.

In the mean time, have a great summer.

The Marketing of Rebels All!:

2008-06-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

The latest "ad" for Rebels All! Since you probably won't see it on HBO or Fox any time soon, here it is:

http://www.vimeo.com/1085518

TYH??? at HNN???

2008-05-27T05:21:00.000-07:00

Though it's hard for me to think of myself as young or top, here it is:

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/50795.html

CONSERVATISM AND THE RACE CARD

2008-05-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

An extended essay on conservatism and race for you to "enjoy." I must also say that I was inspired here by my friend George Cotkin's recent writing about history and the moral imagination...

http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/015_02/2456

THE BITTER END

2008-05-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

Thus entitled this long review essay I wrote about Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism and what it says about the state of conservative thought today. Some ask -- as it is asked here -- whether the book merits review. Yes, it does, I would say, for what it tells us about the conservative psyche. Enjoy:

http://www.bostonreview.net/BR33.3/mattson.php

POPULISM AS PANDERING

2008-05-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

If you've ever watched Hillary Clinton down shots of Crown Royal and thought: WTF? Here's my response:

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/kevin_mattson/2008/05/theatre_of_the_absurd.html

IF MARK PENN MAKES YOU KINDA SICK...

2008-04-14T05:10:00.001-07:00

Then read my most recent contribution to "U.S. Elections" for the Guardian USA:

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/kevin_mattson/2008/04/micro_man.html

LISTEN

2008-04-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

For those who would like to hear the opening of my forthcoming book on conservative intellectuals, you can go to and click to hear the podcast:

http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/acatalog/Rebels_All.html

THE LEGACY OF NEW JOURNALISM AND THE SAD WORLD OF BLOGS

2008-03-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

I've written a longer piece about the legacy of "new journalism" in today's world -- drawing a straightish line from Norman Mailer to the blogosphere. It's not posted, but here's some information on it and the magazine Common Review.

http://www.thecommonreview.org/contents.html

HOW HILLARY WON OHIO

2008-03-10T04:53:00.001-07:00

The editors entitled this "The Kitchen Sink Strategem," a fine title in my opinion:

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/kevin_mattson/2008/03/the_kitchen_sink_stratagem.html

REMEMBERING BUCKLEY FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

2008-03-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of publishing a short book about the history of the conservative mind in postwar America (should be out at the end of spring, beginning of summer). With the recent passing away of the conservative intellectual movement's most important figure, William F. Buckley, I offer these words:

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=remembering_buckley_for_the_right_reasons

THE TIME IS NOW -- March 4, Ohio, Ground Zero

2008-03-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

The lead line to this story seems a bit off from what my colleague and I wrote here. Our emphasis here is really on the grassroots nature of the Obama campaign, plus the vacuity of playing the populist card. In any case, enjoy:

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=where_both_democrats_went_wrong_in_ohio

BEEN BLOGGED...

2008-03-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

You know you've made it in the world of on-line journalism when you've been blogged by another, especially if it's a friend who blogs you and who's a damn fine journalist. So it is here, and thus I share:

http://www.washingtonindependent.com/view/as-ohio-goes

Back to campaigning...

STAND DOWN, MR. GOVERNOR

2008-02-26T05:31:00.000-08:00

John Gilliom and I wrote the following editorial that appeared in The Chronicle Telegram and the Athens Messenger last week. Neither posted it on the internet, so here it is for those non-subscribers:

STAND DOWN, MR. GOVERNOR

John Gilliom and Kevin Mattson

While many prominent Democratic Party leaders have opted to stay neutral in the current battle between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is a fully committed partisan. Strickland has been on out-of-state campaign trips for Senator Clinton, headlined her campaign events in Ohio, appeared as a talk show surrogate, and coached Ohioans to vote early and vote Clinton. As state party chair Chris Redfern recently observed: “They are working very hard on her behalf.”

Like other Ohioans, we heaved a sigh of relief when Governor Strickland assumed office. Strickland has shown a commitment to good governance and honorable politics by calling for an end to the days of corrupt coin dealers, pay-to-play politics, and elections that only the winners could trust. And, as Democrats, we were delighted to see the party unified behind new and promising leadership.

But now Strickland’s partisanship is cause for concern. We see two obvious dangers. First, the potential leadership failure amid the likely difficulties of the coming March 4 primary election. Second, the already visible divisions and rancor within the state’s Democrats as many supporters of the Obama campaign watch their Governor step forward. Especially as the Clinton campaign appears increasingly bent on going negative.

Across the nation, this year’s Democratic primaries have drawn unprecedented levels of participation, with long voting lines and frequent ballot shortages. It seems assured that we’ll have a huge turnout in Ohio, especially since our primary could determine the national outcome. And no one should expect that March 4 will go smoothly; we expect huge numbers, the now-regular system failures, and almost inevitable frustration and acrimony.

With a deluge of voters – many of them new – we fear an election in which voters can’t vote due to new and unclear requirements on identification and voting procedures. We fear an election where insufficient staffing and equipment mean long delays and effective disenfranchisement. Things will probably go smoothly in high-income suburbs and thinly populated rural areas. But will the same thing happen in the urban and campus areas energized by the importance and potential of this year’s Democratic primary? We hope so, but our state’s precedents don’t make us optimistic.

Even if a primary election meltdown is avoided, the state needs a Governor who can serve as a leader and referee without appearing to be a committed player for one side. It may be too late—Strickland’s early public commitment has already raised concerns among some of the many Ohio Democrats who support Senator Obama. When the Governor turned his announcement about early voting into a campaign event for Team Clinton, there were inevitable memories of when state leaders tried to tip prior elections.

As Governor Strickland suggests that people go to the polls fast, he appears to want the ballots in the box before Ohioans have a full opportunity to meet the candidates. In so doing, he seeks to forestall the insurgency and energy that has mounted behind Obama’s campaign, driven as it is by small contributions as well as an appeal to Independents and a new generation who have come out to the polls in record numbers. The result is that the Governor’s simple message as a leader— vote early to help us have a successful election—is tainted and co-opted by his message as a Clinton advocate—vote early before Obama comes to Ohio.

Governor Strickland probably got into this mess because of the Clinton Campaign’s disastrous assumption that the race would be over on Super Tuesday. In that way of thinking, Ohio would be a mere rubber stamp during Senator Clinton’s post-game parade to the convention. And if that were the case, Governor Strickland’s partisanship would be barely noticed and quickly forgotten. But, as we all know, the situation has changed. Senator Obama is now winning in the polls, the popular vote, the fundraising, and the delegate counts. So now, surely to his dismay, the Governor finds himself stuck in one of the great political battles of the era, having pitted himself against large and crucial elements of his own political party.

It may be too late for Governor Strickland to become a “born-again” neutral player in the March 4 primary, but the best investment for the State of Ohio and all of Ohio’s Democrats would be for him to stand down from the Clinton Campaign and turn all of his attention working with his administration to run a clean and well-managed election day. The ingredients are in place for the great promise of this Governor to be sullied by what increasingly appears to be a bad and unwise bet in the great game of politics.

__

John Gilliom is Chair of the Political Science Department and Kevin Mattson is the Connor Study Professor of Contemporary History at Ohio University.

BILL CLINTON'S AMNESIA PROBLEM

2008-01-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

If you've been at all disturbed by Bill Clinton's recent attacks against Senator Obama, read below.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/kevin_mattson/2008/01/bill_clintons_amnesia_problem.html

ON PAUL STARR AND THE "L WORD"

2007-12-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

Methinks there is a liberal revival going around, at least on the intellectual front. I'm writing a review of John McGowan's book on American Liberalism for the American Book Review, and I figured readers might want to see this review:

http://dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=952

An Old One on Michael Moore

2007-12-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

When I started to get this website back together, I couldn't dig up a few things I wanted to post. Well, now I found an old audio show on Michael Moore I thought I'd post. Here it is:

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2004/05/20040526_a_main.asp

LOOK OUT MAMA, I'M FOR...

2007-12-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a recent piece where my own political leanings are made explicit. It's at the Guardian website and entitled "Why Obama Matters." Enjoy...

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/kevin_mattson/2007/12/why_obama_matters.html

WHAT'S WRONG IN IRAQ

2007-11-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

I'd like to share with you a recent piece I wrote for The Guardian. It's about what's wrong in Iraq -- but notice I make little mention of foreign policy, rather how the war "at home" has been -- or not been -- waged.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/kevin_mattson/2007/11/the_republican_way_of_war.html

CENTRISM AS A FIGHTING FAITH

2007-11-12T06:09:00.000-08:00

In the recent issue of Commonweal, I have a piece that will lose me any friends I still have on the far left. I champion the political philosophy -- yes, I think it's a political philosophy -- of centrism and argue that Democrats must take it up as they wage their future battles. It hasn't been posted at the website yet, just in the print edition. But here's a link to Commonweal:

http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/

The Union Lives On...

2007-11-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

Many faculty on my campus grew upset with how our administration recently laid off numerous AFSCME employees. We organized a letter drive, and I thought I'd post what we created below. More recently, an excellent short documentary about the case has been made. I encourage everyone to see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqldCYIxTOs

FACULTY SUPPORT AFSCME

We as Ohio University faculty support AFSCME’s protest against recent lay-offs. Last year, we were dismayed by high-level university administrators giving themselves hefty pay raises while asking for sacrifice from everyone else. These recent lay-offs represent poor decision-making about budgetary priorities.

As faculty we know how much work it takes to create clean classrooms, student centers, and offices. Too often we take this sort of labor for granted even while relying upon it. Indeed, the work that members of AFSCME perform is central to our overall mission as a university: To create a good environment for learning.

Balancing budgets on the backs of the poorest members of our community is no route to a core principle of our university community – the value of justice. It is our responsibility as faculty to point this out and ask our community’s leaders to reconsider their recent decision.

Kevin Mattson (Author)
Sandra Turner
Elizabeth Miller
Bernhard Debatin
Tracy Leinbaugh
Judith Grant
Thomas Vander Ven
George Korn
Donald Miles
Gene Ammarell
Mara Holt
Jaclyn Maxwell
Marsha Dutton
Norma Pecora
Joseph Bernt
Patrick Washburn
Albert Rouzie
Mariana Dantas
Julie White
Kevin Uhalde
Katherine Jellison
Kenneth Brown
John Gilliom
James Mosher
Elizabeth Collins
Daniel Torres
Joseph Slade
Phyllis Bernt
Judith Lee
Jaylynne Hutchinson

UPCOMING GIG

2007-10-31T14:33:00.001-07:00

I'll use this space to announce when I'll be doing a public speaking event. One's coming up on November 3, this coming Saturday. It's in Ottawa, Canada. And it's for a conference on academic freedom. I'll be talking about how the right tries to smear academe and why this has been so evident recently. The conference is sponsored by CAUP and the Harry Crowe Foundation. This is a topic that I think is very important and will only become more so in the near future.

For those interested in this topic, you can see an essay I wrote in an anthology that just came out:

http://www.amazon.com/Academic-Bill-Rights-Debate-Handbook/dp/0275992446/ref=sr_1_2/105-3348373-9342049?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193866646&sr=1-2

Or you can consult a book that I helped edit about the academic labor movement:

http://www.amazon.com/Steal-This-University-Corporate-Univeristy/dp/0415934842/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-3348373-9342049?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193866717&sr=1-1

You can call the latter a "cult classic," or not, whatever...

Onto Ottawa...

ON HISTORY AND MOVIES

2007-09-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Before they shift to the fall issue, I should alert readers to a recent piece I wrote for the Common Review (an important small literary magazine that's won awards recently). It's about the "horrors," to quote Brando in Apocalypse Now, of teaching classes dealing with history and movies. Here's the magazine address, and you can find my article there. If it's gone, check out archives. The article was in the Summer 2007 issue.

http://www.thecommonreview.org

2007-09-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

I want to call attention to two good pieces that discuss Neil Jumonville's and my recent book, Liberalism for a New Century. The first appeared in the New York Times, the second in the Chronicle Review. Smart insights in both pieces, but then again, I'm kinda partial.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/arts/02left.html?_r=1&ex=1189915200&en=4da171590d55b3fd&ei=5070&oref=slogin

http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=39g20r5pgts19x36n4l86mkfwjw4c01h

updating the website

2007-09-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

I've asked an old student of mine, Matt Davis, to help update my website. In this section -- News from Kevin Mattson -- I'll offer updates about my writing or teaching. But I'm not really a blogger. At times, though, I'll send forth into the blackhole of cyberspace a few commentariats. So you can check back. In the mean time, hope you enjoy the new website.