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Harris Must Defeat Trump to Save the Democracy. That's Her Job.
Presidential elections of yore were not like this one. Would the media kindly get that into their collective skull? Many journalists seem to think that the reluctance of Kamala Harris to sit down for searing in-depth interviews on "the issues" is a major issue.
The one she did with CNN rested on the old gotcha questions. Harris said that she'...Read more
How Kamala Can Win the Debate
The stakes could not be higher. Tens of millions of people will be watching, hopefully including those who (like me with baseball) tune in just in time for the World Series. Kamala Harris has to do two things: fill in the blanks in her own platform; and let Trump be Trump.
It's hard not to like what you see with Kamala Harris. Since she ...Read more
Arlington: No Place for Traitors to Feel at Home
History repeats itself: first as tragedy, second as farce. That's what the German philosopher said.
Lawless former President Donald Trump is breaking this rule in two, as he does for every other. For him, it's history as farce first, tragedy second. His illegal campaign stunt at Arlington National Cemetery is high tragedy playing out on the ...Read more
Can Mass Media Promote Democracy Instead of Divisiveness? Here's a Guy Who Did
Every once in a great while, a major media celebrity comes along who puts his or her talent and -- well, celebrity -- to work for the common good.
Many generous artistic souls support good causes -- and bless them for that! But there are a few who put the public interest at the center of their professional calling, and it's been my joy to ...Read more
Why Giant Mergers Harm Workers
In front of the Federal Trade Commission building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., where I used to work, stands a giant sculpture of a runaway horse being reined in. It’s called “Man Controlling Trade.” The allegorical sculpture by Michael Lantz is one of a pair installed in 1942, part of a New Deal-era program administered by ...Read more
Dirty Little Secrets: Lips Sealed on Academia's Qatar Connection
Last week ended with a split screen featuring savagery on one side and shame on the other. We woke Sunday with news that hours earlier Hamas had taken six hostages they were holding in the tunnels beneath Rafah, each emaciated after 11 months in captivity, and shot them in the head multiple times, all the while BS-ing a gullible world that they ...Read more
How a Harris Administration Could Chart a New Course for Immigration Reform
Despite immigrants' contributions to our communities and economy, our current immigration system still fails to provide a way for millions of immigrants to apply for legal status and citizenship.
If elected to the presidency, current Vice President Kamala Harris has an opportunity to chart a new course. At the ACLU, we urge the Harris-Walz ...Read more
Manhood is On the Ballot, as if Politics Were Not Crazy Enough
In case you somehow haven’t noticed, manhood is on the ballot.
Even before President Joe Biden stepped aside to let Vice President Kamala Harris step up to be the Democrats’ presidential nominee, insiders from both parties were calling this the “boys vs. girls election.”
And even before the Republican National Convention opened in ...Read more
Back to School
"Welcome to MIT!" the flyers being handed out to incoming students announce, next to a drawing of Tim the Beaver, MIT's mascot. The flyers go on to comment on the conflict in the Middle East and the State of Israel in particular, and they list more than 20 additional resources.
One of the "resources" they list is the Mapping Project, a ...Read more
How Kamala Harris Can Be a Pro-Voting Rights President
In a moment when hostile state legislators have used unlawful redistricting efforts and discriminatory voting laws to attack our electoral systems, Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has committed to protecting our democracy.
On the campaign trail, Harris has promised to push for passage of essential federal voting rights ...Read more
Democrats are Trying to Offer Voters a Reflection of Themselves, Only Better
Perhaps the most memorable moment of this year’s Democratic convention came the night before Kamala Harris officially accepted the party’s nomination for president.
It was no simple matter for anyone to follow a lineup of such stars as Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder and Barack and Michelle Obama, just to name a few.
But countless eyes and TV...Read more
Maybe It’s In the Air. A Timely Step Toward Semiretirement.
As one who sympathized and empathized with President Joe Biden, I was relieved when he decided to step aside for a younger generation of presidential contenders.
Seeing the unmitigated joy — and relief — that seemed to erupt nationwide, suddenly I, too, decided to take a symbolic step toward semiretirement just in time for this year’s ...Read more
Why a Harris Presidency Promises Hope for LGBTQ Rights
For the past four years, the Biden-Harris administration has made LGBTQ rights a cornerstone of its policy agenda. Among other efforts, the Biden-Harris administration has consistently sued states to block anti-trans laws and policies, including asking the Supreme Court to lift bans on medically necessary health care for trans adolescents.
...Read more
The Trump Crack-Up
As the Harris-Walz team soars (polls are already showing Kamala taking the lead), Trump is cracking up.
His ego can’t take it. He is freaking out that his opponent — a Black woman — has more energy and momentum behind her than he has.
Last Thursday, after 10 days of Kamala in the limelight, Trump was so desperate for attention that he ...Read more
How Kamala Harris Can Secure Federal Abortion Protection Once and For All
The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade set off a wave of new attacks on abortion, causing a catastrophic public health crisis and rapidly eroding our civil liberties and reproductive freedom. So far, 14 states have banned abortion completely, and others have severely limited access to abortion by criminalizing it after the ...Read more
Why ‘Stolen Valor’ Political Fights Are So Intense -- and Misplaced in the Cases of Walz and Vance
While the saying may be true that candidates for vice president usually don’t make much of a difference in the ultimate success of presidential candidates, they do give us plenty to argue about.
That’s particularly true of the current contenders.
Vice President Kamala Harris seemed to barely have gotten the name of her chosen running mate,...Read more
If Kamala Harris is a DEI Vice President, is Usha Vance a DEI Bride?
The Indian-American duo of Usha Vance and Kamala Harris will challenge stereotypes. Welcome to the new, improved 2024 presidential campaign.
No matter how this plays out, a woman of Indian-American descent will be moving her influence into the White House.
She’ll either be the President of the United States Kamala Harris, or the wife of the ...Read more
Trump's Attacks on DEI Reveal Administration's Agenda for Second Term
This piece was written before Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee. No significant facts have been changed.
When Donald Trump's administration ended in 2020, two-thirds of Americans believed that Trump had increased racial tensions in the U.S. The Trump administration's sustained assault on political, civic and ...Read more
Why We Need Nauseous Optimism
For the first time in years, I’ve been walking around with a smile on my face. Maybe you have, too.
The positive energy unleashed by Kamala Harris over the last two weeks is in such stark contrast to the negative energy unleashed by Trump for the last nine years that it feels as if America has had a new beginning.
Complete strangers come up ...Read more
Welcome to the World of MAGA Machismo, Where Muscles Trump Brains
Ladies and gentleman, here is your United States Senate, then and now:
Sen. Daniel Webster on March 7, 1850: “It is fortunate that there is a Senate of the United States (with) a just sense of its own dignity, and its own high responsibilities, and a body to which the country looks with confidence for wise, moderate, patriotic, and healing ...Read more