News from the American right

1. "epistemic closure" : a new term to explain the GOP's woes?

A worthwhile article on the NYTimes on how some of the conservative thinkers are reacting to the spread of the Tea Party movement's rhetoric within the Republican milieu. The basic argument of the article is that the Conservative elite has all but disappeared and that's why the right has become the vehicle for radical (at times irrational) discourse.

2. Can States challenge the healthcare Act?

In an article vindicating the health care reform Act, a New Republic commentator claims that the challenges mounted by some States to the federal law is a throwback to the doctrine of nullification and hails back to the times when the proponents of States' Rights opposed other progressive legislation.

However this vision is debunked by Jonah Goldberg in the National Review.