Some deeper reactions after the knees stop jerking — I started writing this piece Thursday morning (8/11/22) thinking that with a few days perspective I might have some insights to share about the FBI search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home that would go beyond the surface reporting and wild speculation on social media. Then Thursday afternoon happened. And…

Winning doesn’t satisfy the far-Right, and why nothing will — There has been a broad spectrum of emotional reactions to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. On the Left, there’s shock, anger, frustration, and fear; on the Right, joy, gratitude, smug righteousness, and…anger. Yes, you read that right. Conservatives won the day. Roe is no more, but some have…

The arc of the Universe and the third American reconstruction — I’m an older, white, Christian man. I was born in the mid-1960s with certain built-in advantages in our society based solely on these characteristics, not on my behavior. Eventually, I did have to prove myself through my behavior, but it was more likely to be assumed that I could, simply…

The good and bad news about the MAGA minority — The good news No, the country is not divided. Certainly not divided as most people think of the term. Divided suggests an even split. And MAGA Republicans reinforce this message. When President Biden recently called them “semi-fascist” and warned in a recent speech that they threatened democracy. Amid much wailing by the “f***…

The role of the iconic MAGA obsession — Talisman Horcrux Holy relic Use whatever name you like, one of the favorite tools in the right-wing messaging toolkit is Hunter Biden’s laptop computer. It is one of only a handful of topics that has achieved almost mythic status among the MAGA faithful. With the devastating revelations of former President…

MAGA’s mobster choice — It seems possible, perhaps probable, that a prosecution of the former president will lead to widespread violence by his supporters. On its face, this could be a simple factual statement from the Department of Homeland Security or another government agency. In fact, shortly after the August 8th search of the…

Our politics is a battle of immune systems — One way I’ve been thinking about our current politics lately is as a battle of immune systems. On the one hand, we have our democratic system that is designed with a strong anti-authoritarian immune system. Rebelling from a king, the founders designed the system to entrust governing power with representatives…

And I’m a Democrat saying this — Yes, you read that correctly. For as much as I criticize Republicans (deservedly so), one of their talking points is not only true but becoming more critical than ever in the post-2016 American political era. What is the talking point? Enforce existing law. It’s usually brought up as a diversionary…