Category: opinion
6 Ways to Have Agency — and Harness the Facts — in the Post-Truth Era
We can no longer deny that we are living in a post-truth era. It is real, and it has tragic consequences. But the situation is not hopeless.
California, US Problems Need Middle-Ground Solutions
Centrist solutions exist to many of California’s and our nation’s problems. Politics makes it easier to attack an opponent’s position than to advance one’s own, however.
Fixing the News: The Power of Solutions Journalism
Changing your media diet is like changing your food diet. To make it sustainable, it is not enough to leave out unhealthy items. Much more important is to focus on what is actually good for us.
Death and Seeds of New Beginnings
In the midst of a pandemic with social and political unrest, a violent effort to intimidate Congress and threats of violence at state capitals, I keep thinking about new beginnings.
OPINION: The Best Antidote to Trumpism is More Democracy
It has become clear that there is not even close to the 2/3 majority needed in the Senate to vote to convict. While the House vote to impeach helped the Democrats shape the post capitol incursion, post inaugural narrative, it has left the Democratic leadership “all dressed up...
Why California Should Learn from Maine and Not Alaska on Electoral Reform
Looking at our recent polarized presidential elections — and even the politicization of wearing masks (to combat COVID-19) — it’s easy to say that the partisan divide in our country has never been greater.
On Moderation
Without the tempering influence of moderation, the public face of politics is dissolved into banal drama. Extremists engage in theatrical behavior by demonizing their foes in bitterly careless terms.
Voters Deserve to Have Faith in the Electoral Process
The reality is millions of voters do not have faith in the electoral process. There are many voters who believe fraud took place. There are many more who feel their voices were silenced or discarded completely.
In the Upcoming Presidential Election, Can We Stop Demonizing “The Other”?
With unconscious biases driving our perceptions, and political rhetoric and a flood on information fueling our animosity, the level of societal incivility continues to heighten. Here are some ways to break the cycle.
OPINION: Forget Court Packing; We Need to Talk About Limiting Judicial Review
Judicial review does not appear in the Constitution. As former Justice Antonin Scalia admitted, “The Constitution of the United States nowhere says that the Supreme Court shall be the last word on what the Constitution means…"
OPINION: Why Voter Reform Trumps Impeachment
Here are four reasons voter reform is a far better, and more permanent solution to the problems the most earnest Democrats are hoping to solve by impeaching Donald Trump.
OPINION: Democrats Are Killing Their Chances With Independent Voters
Instead of trying to manipulate voters into thinking something they clearly don’t think is true -- that Donald Trump is too conservative -- Democrats would do better to advance a candidate that’s not too liberal.
Admit It, Dems: You Don't Want to Win in 2020
The knock from Republicans, Never-Trumpers and moderate Dems is that most of the 2020 candidates are too far to the left and out of touch. Last week’s display confirmed it. This was a definitive example of a party controlled by its fringe elements, preferring purity over victory.
Baby, It’s Cold Inside
I watched the TV coverage of the opening session of the 116th Congress and was happy to see all the inspired women in jewel-toned dresses, many young, some of color, taking their places...