Publisher’s Note Archives

A Pinch of Sympathy with My Disgust

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

DSK and the Typical American Ignorance About France

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Head-examining After the Osama bin Laden Killing

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Blindness Toward War Easy for Americans

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Revisiting a Hallowed Gymnasium with its Star Novelist

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

A Country with Chicago in Charge

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

I Won’t Hug This File — I Won’t Even Call It My Friend

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

An Evening with Charming Huckster Charlie Rangel

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Courtliness on the Court, and Splendor on the Grass

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Decline of Daley, Chicago, and U.S.

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Of the IRA and the Afghan war

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Dyer’s Convincing Global-warming Vision

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

The Gulf and Our Oily Campaign-Finance System

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Fizzled Bomb Sparks Growth for Politicians

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Paris in the Rain

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Oscar Night’s Sad Familiarity— “Like Baghdad”

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Rattle Obama with Primary Challenger

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Boycott America

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

On Afghanistan: George McGovern Replies to Joe Klein

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is the publisher of Harper’s Magazine. On December 13, George McGovern published an opinion piece, “With Obama’s Strategy, Afghanistan Looks Like Another Vietnam,” in the Washington Post.…

More and More, Obama Seems a Faux Liberal

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

History Promises Disaster in Afghanistan for Blind America

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Could This “Smart” President Be Really, Really Stupid?

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Reading Great Stuff I Didn’t Know I Knew

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

My Introduction to Cronkite’s Kindliness

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Thurber, Addams and My Funny Bone

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Obama a Very Smooth Liar

by John R. MacArthur,

A version of this column originally ran in the Providence Journal on June 17, 2009. It isn’t quite fair to call Barack Obama a liar. During the campaign he carefully avoided…

As Hitler Tightened the Screws: Hypocrisy and conniving in France

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Panel: Liberalism, imperialism and the politics of human rights

by John R. MacArthur,

Harper’s readers are cordially invited to attend a panel discussion in New York City, Sunday, 19th April, 12–2pm. Liberalism, Imperialism & the Politics of Human Rights Jacob Stevens (Chair)—Verso Books…

Wall Street Sharks Circle the UAW

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Obama is Far From a Radical Reformer

by John R. MacArthur,

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine and author of the book You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America. This column originally appeared in the…

Publisher’s Note

From the Archive

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A Pinch of Sympathy with My Disgust

DSK and the Typical American Ignorance About France

Head-examining After the Osama bin Laden Killing

Blindness Toward War Easy for Americans

Revisiting a Hallowed Gymnasium with its Star Novelist

A Country with Chicago in Charge

I Won’t Hug This File — I Won’t Even Call It My Friend

An Evening with Charming Huckster Charlie Rangel

Courtliness on the Court, and Splendor on the Grass

Decline of Daley, Chicago, and U.S.

Of the IRA and the Afghan war

Dyer’s Convincing Global-warming Vision

The Gulf and Our Oily Campaign-Finance System

Fizzled Bomb Sparks Growth for Politicians

Paris in the Rain

Oscar Night’s Sad Familiarity— “Like Baghdad”

Rattle Obama with Primary Challenger

Boycott America

On Afghanistan: George McGovern Replies to Joe Klein

More and More, Obama Seems a Faux Liberal

History Promises Disaster in Afghanistan for Blind America

Could This “Smart” President Be Really, Really Stupid?

Reading Great Stuff I Didn’t Know I Knew

My Introduction to Cronkite’s Kindliness

Thurber, Addams and My Funny Bone

Obama a Very Smooth Liar

As Hitler Tightened the Screws: Hypocrisy and conniving in France

Panel: Liberalism, imperialism and the politics of human rights

Wall Street Sharks Circle the UAW

Obama is Far From a Radical Reformer

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