America is at the precipice of democratic collapse with Republicans steadily pushing us toward the edge. As a clinical social worker, I look at this crisis from a behavioral perspective. Whether the issue is immigration, abortion, gay rights, voting rights or gun control, Republicans have one underlying agenda: to regain power. I call this dynamic…
Category: politics
The strategy for beating Trumpism: Learn from the past and reach out to the future
This country was founded on two atrocities: the displacement and massacre of indigenous people and the abduction and enslavement of Africans. But this isn’t about “us versus them.” This is about us versus us. And Trumpism is America’s reckoning. Joe Biden was right. The 2020 election was about the soul of America. We’ve been in…
The Most Dangerous Man in America: It’s Not Who You Think
Published December 2019 Some readers may remember Congresswoman Connie Morella. I grew up in her district. I used to quip she was a “Republican in name only.” She even voted against impeaching President Bill Clinton. Morella served eight terms before being defeated by then-State Senator Chris Van Hollen. While I understood the Democratic Party’s desire…
The Age of Ageism
Senator Diane Feinstein received a lot of criticism yesterday for calling the hypothetical retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer “a great loss.” She is quoted as saying, “My general belief is if a person serving with integrity and working hard and producing for whatever the constituency is, that’s what these jobs are all about.”…
Name-Calling Veterans: How Trump’s remarks are different from others he’s made and why it matters
I joined the Army late in life, at the age of 42. In announcing this decision, the first question I’d get was, “Why?” While I feared my answer would sound hokey, I told the truth: because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself and to have a larger impact. It wasn’t until…
Trump Dissected, a Series: Mirroring
Donald Trump is what I call “a cup with a hole in it.” No matter how much positive feedback you give him, he will keep needing more. Without it, he is empty.
Magnificent Obsession: a plea to Mike Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren to support Joe Biden
Hear me out. Please. If there’s one thing Americans can agree on it’s how divided we are. Theories abound as to why, mostly in the form of finger-pointing. Solutions from government officials, media consultants and civic leaders are bantered about like intellectual sport. The anger is palpable. I’m no politician but, as a former Army…
Impeachment: Right Idea, Wrong Remedy
I started writing this article back in July, 2019, right after Donald Trump “approved military strikes on Iran, then pulled back…” According to “The New York Times” (and other media outlets), “planes were in the air and ships were in position but no missiles had been fired…”¹ At the time, I wrote, “This breaking news,…
All the President’s Men: in order to impeach Donald Trump, hold his inner circle accountable
In our media-driven culture of 24-hour news and rapidly breaking headlines, some say House Democrats are running out of time to make the case for impeachment. This is exacerbated – falsely, I think – by the looming Presidential election. One factor, however, political observers agree on is this: if held today, House Republicans would vote…
Morning (Joe) in America
I’ve been watching Joe and Mika for years. Accusations of favoritism toward Trump are inaccurate. Yes, they were initially friendly toward Trump but so was the rest of mainstream media. They also repeatedly criticized Trump for his inappropriate remarks on the campaign trail, only to discover – like the rest of us – this just…
It's More Complicated Than You Think 