A good discussion underway at Crooked Timber on the history and future of American civil society. I’ve always been puzzled by what the proper role of civil society ought to be in 1) a democracy and 2) global institutions like the UN. I know it has an important role, but it’s a tricky question as to how the structuring and the mode of input ought to work.
What was previously known as Safer Together ’04 is now Win Back Respect. Still the same clever writing to their weblog (“new name, same great product”?) They’ve gotten some good press in the UK.
I like the blog-like First Read from MSNBC on election-related news. The entries are quick to read and point to further reading elsewhere — including outside of the MSNBC universe. Something of a politics-focused version of Slate’s historically excellent Today’s Papers, with somewhat broader reach in terms of news sources.
