Pizza and Politics in Taipei

The Taiwanese Need to Decide if Their Government Can Function as Beautifully as Their Civil Society

“A table for three,” says my host at a basement entrance.

We’re at an Italian restaurant in central Taipei, Taiwan’s capital. Within a few seconds, we are seated by a friendly waiter at the last free spot alongside a small stage with a few microphones and a keyboard. Nearby, visitors from China eat pizza and pasta with a lot of red wine. Soon a middle-aged couple takes the stage and starts to perform, to the obvious excitement of the crowd. Loud music makes continued talk difficult. Before giving up our …

By Bruno Kaufmann | October 26, 2015

Disney’s Bob Iger for President

Running a Major, Publicly Traded Multinational Requires Many of the Same Skills That Make for a Good Commander in Chief

By Andrés Martinez | October 5, 2015

Early in Donald Trump’s time on NBC’s The Apprentice, I wrote a column for the New York Times wondering why the network had cast someone with such a spotty business …

Are Presidential Debates Reality TV, Sunday Talk Show, Or Both?

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The first Republican presidential debate was a veritable blockbuster, with 24 million viewers tuning in last month. Its sequel next week at the Reagan Presidential Library in California may attract …

Antonio Villaraigosa Is Quintessential California

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It shouldn’t matter much to Californians whether Antonio Villaraigosa gets to be a U.S. senator or governor someday. We have no shortage of ambitious politicians, after all. But what should …

L.A.’s Finest Lobster Is Up for Grabs

The Crustacean-Shaped 4th City Council District—and the Cultural Treasures in Its Claws—Get an Election for a New Representative Next Week

by David Gershwin | February 25, 2015

A bag of popcorn just might be the best metaphor to describe the race to represent the 4th District on the Los Angeles City Council. There are many candidates, 14 …

When Journalists Became Scandal Mongers and Politicians Became Celebrities

Matt Bai on a Fundamental Shift in the Relationship Between the Political and the Private in America

by Sarah Rothbard | October 24, 2014

Discussing how the media covers politics—and political scandals—is “one of the most important conversations we can have” about our democracy, KCRW Left, Right & Center host Matt Miller told a …

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