Voting
Over the past several days I’ve tried to learn everything about the new “sweeping” Georgia election law, called Jim Crow by some Democrats and an expansion of voting rights by some Republicans. As usual, the truth lies between. The best overview of the new law was in the Atlanta
Joe Biden
You ever been constipated for a couple of days, feeling really clogged, then swig some prune juice to get things moving? I promise to be delicate here, but remember that feeling of relief when — finally — you were unclogged? That was just half the sublime feeling I had Thursday afternoon when
Israel
Many Presidents write books after retiring, basically to burnish their reputation and to explain their actions without having to pass through the filter of the media. They usually don’t escape fact-checking by outside sources. Portions of “A Promised Land,” Barack Obama’s second memoir (with one more to come)
Politics
I did not vote for Donald J. Trump. He was my president. I did not vote for Joe Biden. He is my president. The person who we elect as president of the United States is president of all the States — the Blue, the Red, the Purple, and all who live
Presidential politics
Today, shortly before 12 noon, America executed a 180-degree turn, choosing to be led by a flawed, emotional Irish-American, rather than an egomaniacal builder millionaire and TV reality host. After eight years of the professorial calm of Barack Obama, America chose to do something entirely different, and now has U-turned
Politics
A strong Democratic friend of mine texted that he was glad President Donald J. Trump would not (as looks likely) attend Joe Biden’s inauguration. The inauguration is likely to be the least-attended in memory because of COVID-19 protocols, which Biden is more likely to observe than hypocrites such as
Racism
The moment of my real race awakening came in 1955 with the murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi for supposedly flirting with a white woman. He was a 14-year-old Black boy from Chicago. I was a 14-year-old white boy from The Bronx. Maybe I felt some kind of teenage, Big
Democracy
It was almost four years ago — on Jan. 20, 2017 — two enduring myths were born. First, from the Right: President Donald J. Trump’s inaugural crowd was bigger than that of President Barack H. Obama. Second, from the Left: Trump would destroy American Democracy. As to crowd size, photos taken
Hate crimes
If it is time for the FBI’s annual readout of hate crimes, it is also the time for small hysteria about what a hateful nation we live in. As often happens, the headlines are worse than the actual facts, once a little reason is applied to the scary numbers.
Presidential politics
There is a depressive narrative out there, led by POC (People Of Color), who are not sad that President Donald J. Trump lost — they love that — but that he did not lose by enough. They are downhearted because when Joe Biden said Trump’s beliefs and actions do not reflect
Uncategorized
The third night of the Democratic National Convention was planned as Ladies Night, but the trophy was taken by a man, former President Barack Obama. If that sounds sexist, so be it. Like he did when we first saw him on the national stage at the 2004 DNC, Obama lit
Immigration
By tradition, the political season begins after Labor Day, but in a year where most other tradition has been turned in its ear, both sides have jumped the gun. Democrats and Republicans are running attack commercials, either on TV or online, and the Joe Biden camp has just finished a