Notes from the Never-Ending Culture Wars Published in Commondreams.org (link to article) “Conservatism in its present form,” writes Lofgren, “is a funhouse-mirror exaggeration of many of the pathologies that have built up in the United States under the rubric of American Exceptionalism.” (Photo: via TownHall.com) One of the signature stereotypes of present-day political controversy is…
The ‘Deep State’ Strikes Back—Against Torture
Published in Washington Monthly ( link to article) Why generals oppose the nomination of Gina Haspel as CIA director. Our constitutional form of government, beleaguered as it has always been by the forces of power and money, has come under even more pressure in the 21st century: unprovoked wars, torture, and warrantless surveillance are now defining…
The Washington Lobbyist’s Phrasebook
A citizen’s guide to deciphering the mumbo-jumbo of K Street. Published in Washington Monthly ( Link to article) One of the requirements of my decades-long career as a Capitol Hill staffer was to learn the peculiar jargon of paid issue advocates, or as they’re more commonly known, lobbyists. I quickly learned that their phrases are as…
The 1 Percent’s Contempt for Democracy
Donald Trump isn’t the only plutocrat subverting our democracy. Published in Washington Monthly ( Link to article) When Donald Trump remarked that Chinese president Xi Jinping’s bid to consolidate power and become “president for life” was a move that he should perhaps emulate, it didn’t take more than half a news cycle for the agitation to…
Russian Roulette
The NRA is a curious link between school shooting inaction and Russian collusion. Democrats need to go on the offensive and attack Trump where he’s weak. Published in Washington Monthly ( Link to article) A performative event whose lone purpose is publicity—what historian Daniel Boorstin labelled a pseudo-event—was methodically rolled out at the White House on February 21….
Reagan’s ‘Party of Ideas’ Is Down to Just One: Tax Cuts
Published in the NYtimes (link to article) It is a sign of our slide toward banana republic status when the president of the United States, leader of the world’s foremost democracy, publicly brands Democrats who failed to applaud his State of the Union address as un-American and treasonous. The largely partisan audience was fine with…
Did Devin Nunes Obstruct Justice?
In a brazen attempt to undermine the Russia investigation, Nunes is sullying the FBI before moving on to defame other government agencies. Published in Washington Monthly ( Link to article) As the Republican attempt to derail the Trump-Russia investigation blindly lurches from corrupt conspiracy to slapstick farce, the public is in danger of losing the…