A recurring question on the political landscape at this point is, “What is the message of the Democrats following the November election?” There is a call for Dems to craft a single, coherent message that will help them win House and Senate seats in the 2018 midterm elections and to defeat Trump (or whomever might […]
Donald Trump
Fact-Checking the Trump-Sessions DACA Statement
It probably should not come as a surprise that the Trump Administration’s statement on DACA is full of inaccuracies. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has provided us with an annotated version of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ statement on Trump’s decision to halt President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, showing at least 26 examples […]
Positive Fallout: A Flurry of Women Interested in Running for Office
One major result of the election win of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s loss is the widespread activism that has erupted all over the country. Millions of Americans are marching, demonstrating and attending their elected representatives’ Town Hall meetings to “resist” – to make it known in no uncertain terms that the regressive, misogynist, anti-democratic […]
The Financial CHOICE Act, Predatory Lending and the CFPB
On June 13, 2017, the US House of Representatives passed the so-called Financial CHOICE Act. According to an alarm sent out in early June by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), this Act “would strip away safeguards needed to stop predatory lenders from trapping low-income people in an endless cycle of poverty and debt.” Some “choice,” […]
Resurrecting Deleted Climate Change Pages Around the Country
I wanted to make sure that everyone knows that, despite the Trump Administration deleting climate change pages of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some cities have resurrected those pages so that the American public can still have access to them. (The current home page of the EPA can be found here). Burlington, Vermont, introduces its […]
The Paris Climate Accord: The Episcopal Church Takes a Stand
I wanted to share an important statement, issued on June 1, 2017, from the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Reverend Michael B. Curry. I also want to share a few things about Bishop Curry himself. Presiding Bishop’s Statement on President Donald Trump’s Action on the Paris Climate Accord With the announcement […]
Emerging Democratic Leaders
Since the election, the pundits who favor the left have been wringing their hands about who the “real” leader of the Democratic Party is. No one is emerging as the person who should run for President in 2020 – OMG! The most charismatic figure on the left may well be Bernie Sanders – but he’s […]
Adopting a New President
I had a wild thought: I’d like to adopt for myself a new President! There are quite a few to choose from now: Justin Trudeau in Canada; Emmanuel Macron in France; certainly Angela Merkel in Germany; Gudni Johannesson of Iceland; or Nicola Sturgeon of Scotland. There are probably others we can think of. I am […]
Doublespeak and American “Greatness”
Supporters of President Trump may not agree with this, but many Americans (and presumably others around the globe) would maintain that much of what Trump, other administration officials and many conservative lawmakers consistently use is doublespeak – “language used to deceive usually through concealment or misrepresentation of truth.” The term was originally associated with George […]
Truth and Trump per Time
Kudos to Nancy Gibbs, reporter Michael Scherer and Time magazine for their superb treatment of President Donald Trump’s disturbing relationship with the truth and what that means for our nation. Gibbs in her “From the Editor” piece was clear and forthright: “Trump says a great many things that are demonstrably false.” She reminds us that […]