Abstract

The good news is that Telos has moved beyond critique towards a positive program for federalism and communities, or what Paul Piccone calls “federal populism.” While the model of federal populism seems to have shifted from the European Community to the Lombard League, this focus on examples of federalized communities is to be encouraged. The bad news is that Telos has not subjected “federalism” and “communities” to the same thorough-going critique it has given other notions such as “Civil Society” and the “New Class.” What needs to be analyzed are “really existing communities” as they are found in the US today.