Category Archives: Poltics

This is an election year and if you believe all the hype, Democrats are energized and Republicans are either demoralized or not paying attention. As a political junkie who swore off politics, following the 2016 Presidential elections, I couldn’t help but be drawn into the drama last month surrounding the Pennsylvania 18th-district special election won by the conservative Democrat, Conor Lamb (don’t call it a “lamb slide”).

Many have attributed Trump’s unfavorable ratings to self-inflicted wounds, ranging from foreign policy gaffes to a revolving door at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but nothing has been more destructive to the sitting President’s credibility than the special counsel investigation looking into Russian meddling in our elections and the possibility of collusion. For the record, I don’t think Trump or his minions ever knowingly colluded with Russians, but I wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility that they’ve been ‘played’ by Russians and I wouldn’t be surprised if Robert Mueller found that Trump and those surrounding him were unwittingly aiding Russians who were intent in discrediting institutions that are the foundation of our democracy.

While political neophytes may be tired of all the reporting on the special counsel investigation, these remain early days. To put this in perspective, the Watergate investigation lasted for two years and resulted in 5 people pleading “guilty”. Mueller started work in the middle of May last year. That means his team has identified as many guilty pleas as Watergate in only 9-months.  In the world of politics that is moving at warp speed, and the longer this goes on the worse it appears to get for Donald Trump.

I never thought I’d live to see the day when the Republican Party would cede its credibility with foreign policy and defense (let alone fiscal conservatism). If you ever told me that the Democratic Party was going to be holding the Republican Party accountable for colluding with an authoritarian leader from Russia, I would have wondered if you had lost your mind, but then again, I think that is the only way to explain Donald Trump’s election; either Russia tipped the scale or we as a nation have collectively lost our mind.

Today, Sergio and I joined a massive crowd on the Boston Common to show our support for enacting sensible gun control legislation.

I wish there could be more reasonable discourse on this topic, because I’m no longer satisfied with “thoughts and prayers”. Below are a few photos from today’s protest on the Boston Common.

Well said Lieutenant Sulu.

Much is being made of the fact that more women are expressing an interest in politics (at all levels, municipal, state and federal) than ever before, but  it remains to be seen how many will actually step up to the plate. I hope that this talk becomes a catalyst that will see more women, reaching out to their spouses and families, asking them for help with regards to family responsibilities so they may focus on a career of civil service.

I have come to the conclusion that political progress on issues that matter most to women will only be incremental if women from both political parties do not step forward in large numbers.

We are a nation of 320+ million people. There is not a job in america that couldn’t be filled by a qualified woman today.

I recognize that not all women agree on policy and politics, but greater representation is the key to women advancing their interests whether it is equal pay, better access to healthcare and childcare or reshaping how America interacts with the world. We are a nation of 320+ million people. That means there are enough women qualified to do any job including US Senator and Representative. So I’m asking the women of America to step away from the sheet cake, and step up to the plate in 2018.

Cambridge / Boston Women’s March on the Cambridge Common, January 20, 2018.  Photo Credit: Greg Cook || gregcookland.com

One year after the historic Women’s March of 2017 and just days after the Federal Government was forced to shutdown, thousands took to the streets in cities all across the United States. While the massive crowds that overtook and overwhelmed the streets of Boston were smaller this year when people gathered on the Cambridge Common, it remains inspiring for me to see people braving the cold to exercise their rights and make their voices heard.

Thanks to Greg Cook for sharing some of the best protest signs from Saturday’s Boston/Cambridge Women’s March 2018: The People Persist.

Are you a core conservative, solid liberal or somewhere in between? Take Pew Research’s quiz to see which political typology group is your best match

Pew Research has an online survey to help evaluate what political group matches your political philosophy. It was created and based on a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults. I will admit I did not agree with many of the answers to the questions, which were too black and white, and I often had to choose between which answer I disagreed with less, but it was interesting all the same. After taking Pew’s survey I received a rating of “Solid Liberal” (no surprise to me or those who know me). According to Pew only about 16% of America identify as Solid Liberals. Characteristics of this political group are steadfast advocates for social safety nets; they think immigrants are an important part of what makes America unique and great; support social issues and believe homosexuality should be accepted by society.  If you’d like to take this online quiz link here. 

While political junkies talk endlessly about dropping poll numbers for President Trump and his detractors make bold predictions for the midterm elections, I’m reminded of the proverb, Pride Comes Before a Fall.

Midterm elections are notoriously difficult to get voter turnout and Trump’s supporters are if nothing else, loyal and dedicated. Combine that with some findings published in this week’s NYT article, Trump’s Popularity Has Declined Across Voting Blocs in the Past Year, which despite its title suggests that his largest declines comes from voting blocs that never really supported him to begin with and one wonders why Democrats feel quite so confident?

Does it really matter that his popularity has fallen 8 points by those who describe themselves as Democrats? While his drop in popularity also includes crucial demographics for the President like self described Republicans and Conservatives – these dips are far smaller. It seems to me that detractors of the President should spend more time focusing on targeting voters who either stood on the sidelines in the 2016 Presidential election or voted for Trump more to vote against Clinton than out of any support for the President.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand” – Abraham Lincoln

Building bridges is a lot harder than blowing them up and unfortunately Democrats are in far greater need for bridge builders. Under Trump’s leadership, the Republican Party has a laser focus on shrinking and riling up their base to ensure they turn out in every election. Donald Trump has successfully employed a divide and conquer strategy. Playing on people’s fears and anger inevitably benefits Donald Trump. If you are truly opposed to Donald Trump what will you do to replace those fears with faith in a better tomorrow and anger with action?

I don’t know much about Jess Phoenix other than she is a geologist who is running for U.S. House of Representatives 25th District in California and hopes to replace U.S. Representative Steve Knight who has a 0% Lifetime score by The League of Conservation Voters on issues pertaining to the environment.

The 25th Congressional district is located just north of Los Angeles and it hasn’t sent a Democrat to D.C. in 25 years but Jess Phoenix seems undeterred by that fact.  I realize that this post is not what I typically write about but I hope in the months that follow I hear about more candidates (and specifically female candidates) like Jess coming forward to announce their candidacy.

If you live in this district or near it, talk to your friends about Jess. I’m a firm believer in grassroots organizing and if more people were to get involved, we might be more proud and less ashamed of our government.

www.jess2018.com

Law of unintended consequences: Will the exodus from Puerto Rico turn Florida Blue and surpass the Cuban voting block

In about ten months Americans will go to the polls for the midterm elections. It is hard to predict what the current mood of the nation will be, but an unintended consequence of our racist response (I don’t know how else to describe it) to helping Puerto Rico recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Maria could tilt elections in the purple state of Florida.

Somewhere between 150,000 – 200,000 Puerto Ricans moved to Florida in the two months following Hurricane Maria and that state’s Puerto Rican population is now by some estimates more than 1 million people. Over the next two years Puerto Rico is expected to lose almost 15% of its population or approximately 500,000 people with the majority likely to end up in Florida. Just like the Cuban population in Florida, Puerto Ricans are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, but unlike their Latino brethren, they overwhelmingly identify and vote Democrat.

Democrats need to mobilize and channel Puerto Rican rage at Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria’s devastation

Puerto Ricans are still smarting from our inaction, and Republicans in Florida have become alarmed by the influx to their state. Noting not only the disproportionate burden their state shares in providing social services, education, etc… but also what this could mean for their re-election bids.

I might start believing in karma if the heartless response to helping Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria resulted in turning Florida’s 29 electoral votes into a reliable state for Democrats. The key moving forward is mobilizing and channeling the rightful rage of Puerto Ricans who have fled their  home into a voting block that will rival and surpass Cubans in the state of Florida. It is hard to imagine how short sighted the Republican Party’s response to helping the island of Puerto Rico could be if their inaction results in turning the third most populous state (by Electoral Votes) Democrat in the winner takes all Presidential elections come 2020.

The USA Today editorial board  (not exactly known for being particularly political) published a stunning rebuke of President Trump last night while the Alabama special election was going on.

Below is an excerpt of the editorial which appears to have been motivated by a number of issues but clearly were moved to comment after President Trump attacked U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

“With his latest tweet, clearly implying that a United States senator would trade sexual favors for campaign cash, President Trump has shown he is not fit for office. Rock bottom is no impediment for a president who can always find room for a new low… The nation doesn’t seek nor expect perfect presidents, and some have certainly been deeply flawed. But a president who shows such disrespect for the truth, for ethics, for the basic duties of the job and for decency toward others fails at the very essence of what has always made America great.”

You can read the full editorial: Will Trump’s lows ever hit rock bottom?

Earlier this week Donald Trump tweeted that he’d taken a pass at being named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2017 because he’d have to agree to being interviewed and a photo shoot. Before I share how tennis pro, Andy Murray, brilliantly mocked Trump, I have to say that the idea Donald Trump would turn down the opportunity to be interviewed and photographed is beyond laughable. I’ve never seen a politician who craves the spotlight more than President Trump.

Andy Murray obviously feels the same way because he quickly shared a Tweet poking fun at Donald Trump, which quickly went viral; shared more than 26,000 times within the first eight hours of it being posted online..Murray’s Tweet was appreciated by other notable athletes like Raphael Nadal who quickly responded to Andy Murray, commending his wit. 

Earlier this week Gallup released findings that may come as a surprise to the Trump Administration and Attorney General, Jeff Sessions who’s views towards marijuana are antiquated to say the least. The news that more Americans favor legalizing marijuana isn’t necessarily news (just look at the success it has had at the ballot box) but what is surprising is according to Gallup for the first time a majority of Republicans are also expressing their support for legalizing marijuana; 51% of Republicans favor legalizing marijuana (up nine percentage points from 2016).

64% of Americans favor legalizing marijuana

Although by the late 1970s approximately 25-30% of Americans favored legalizing marijuana, it was not until about a decade ago when a significant number of Americans started to support legalization for recreational use.

Despite what you might think based on the political rhetoric you hear coming from 1600 Pennsylvania and elsewhere, the polling numbers on marijuana continues a trend that shows more Americans are becoming more socially tolerant and liberal on several social issues. No wonder we keep hearing about a culture war – a little more than half the country is becoming increasingly more accepting with many others wondering what has happened to “their America”.  Trends suggest that legalization of marijuana, LGBTQ rights and environmental issues will only continue to gain support.

Poll Source: Gallup

Currently eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use. They include: Alaska, California, Colorado, D.C., Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada and Washington. Twenty-one other states have broadly legalized marijuana for medical use and or have decriminalized possession. You can read the full findings from Gallup here.