Tag Archives: Politics

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.

This past week, while I was in New York for work Mayor Marty Walsh hosted a fundraiser at Club Cafe to talk to the LGBTQ community, and as you can see Sergio was able to meet the Mayor, who was only too happy to pose with his custom shirt, “LGBTQ 4 Marty”.

Boston’s Gay community is often criticized for many things it is not; it’s not friendly; it doesn’t have a great night life; it doesn’t have a neighborhood; etc… but one thing nearly everyone can agree is that Boston’s LGBTQ community can raise money and deliver votes.

Below are a couple photos from the event at Club Cafe that the Committee to Elect Marty Walsh shared with me. Below those photos, I have also included a link where you can get more information about the citywide elections, that take place the first Tuesday of November.

Photos below are courtesy of the Committee to Elect Marty Walsh

The “Free Speech Rally” hosted this past Saturday in Boston could barely muster a couple dozen Libertarians and White Supremacists to the Boston Common. This despicable group who wrapped themselves in our country’s Bill of Rights for the purpose of antagonizing and getting free media were dwarfed by an impressive counter demonstration that police estimate ranged from 30,000 – 40,000 people.

The photo above from @andrewkimmel_Twitter account caused a bit of a stir. Let’s just say that while hate is ugly there is no denying that promoting peace is sexy and Stew is living proof of that. You can follow Stew on Twitter (if you like) here: @Stewart_Driflot.

This past week was not a very good week for President Trump but then again it is hard to think of a ‘good week’ since Trump was sworn into office. Unsurprisingly the bad press has not deterred his core supporters (approximately 35% if one is to believe polls that consistently show his support in this range). I presume some of those who support Trump would point to his leadership in business and a perception he is making America stronger, but it is hard to follow this logic.

Executives Flee Trump and Allies Mock Him

In the past week Trump’s business advisory councils have disbanded after an embarrassing exodus of executives. (I wish there was more reporting on the fact that Trump cannot seem to work with business leaders.) Couple that with the fact that in less than 7 months Trump has also managed to alienate or offend some of our longest and strongest allies and it is hard to understand how we are “stronger” than we were a year earlier.

Increasingly Negative Global Perceptions of America  

I find it depressing to see the cover of Der Spiegel mirroring  recent covers by Time, The New Yorker and even The Economist. I can spot a trend when I see one and this is not a helpful or hopeful trajectory for America. I’m curious how Republicans in Congress will work with Trump when they return to DC in September. They have a very busy calendar with important topics to be discussed ranging from raising the debt ceiling to tax reform. If something (anything) gets done, how will the electorate respond? The 2018 campaign season will be upon us before we realize it and this new normal of illustrating our President as a Nazi or KKK sympathizer cannot be good for anyone – least of all the United States.

The title of this post was intentionally a play on words and could easily have read “Facing America’s racist President”. Make of that observation what you will, but his comments regarding recent events in Charlottesville, VA are an embarrassment and more reminiscent of the 1960s than present day.

IMO President Trump’s sympathetic response to white supremacists  is not particularly surprising considering how consistently he has courted this group. What is surprising is how many people chose to either abstain from our Presidential election or voted for Trump despite his ongoing flirtations with the KKK and white supremacist leaders.

I’m left wondering if America has become so polarized that there is no line that cannot be crossed – No behavior that cannot be overlooked – No action that warrants a response: Provided those who cross that line, exhibit bad behavior or act inappropriately identify with your political philosophy. It is laughable to think most American’s claim not to identify with a political party because how easily we write off behavior (on both sides) indicates quite the opposite.

We would all do well to remember America’s secular credo that was inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, because a 21st century strain of xenophobia has reared its ugly head in American politics. While it is easy to blame President Trump, remember that his policies are supported by millions of Americans so on the eve of 4th of July celebrations let’s make a commitment to strike up a conversation with someone who either supports the President’s unAmerican ban on refugees and immigrants or to reengage someone who didn’t vote in the last election.

No matter how passionate the case is made, opposing someone doesn’t turn an undecided or disenfranchised voter into a supporter. It is time to stop all the political rants. While they may feel cathartic only people who already agree with you are listening and more than likely you are turning off disenfranchised voters. We need to start engaging in meaningful and respectful dialog with others we may disagree with or who have turned a deaf ear to politics.

Courtesy of the hilarious Mrs. Bettty Bowers which came to my attention thanks to Dan. It is too good not to share, but as Dan said, it would be a lot more funny if it didn’t have such a ring of truth to it.

After spending last weekend in Washington D.C. to participate in the National Equality and Pride March, I’ve been thinking about what the Democratic Party needs to do if they want to take back the U.S. Congress in 2018 (a tall order with the way most districts have been drawn) and the White House in 2020.

Recently, John Aravois wrote an article, Yes, Virginia, corporate America played an important role in the LGBT rights revolution, in Americablog that got me to thinking about what might need to happen to make those gains in Congress a reality. His article starts with him sharing what he learned from working with the Late Senator Ted Kennedy. While the article is focused on the relationship between corporate America and LGBT rights, he makes a point that also applies to what Democrats need to do if they want to take back the US Congress in 2018 when he wrote,

“Being successful in politics, and getting what you want in both policy and legislation, is about knowing what levers to push.”

Aravois was referring to what Senator Kennedy did in Congress to get votes for key legislation, but the idea has merit when it comes to rebuilding bridges where the party lost ground in the 2016 Presidential election (e.g. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin – to name but a few) and to help accelerate change in states that were once deep red but now are slowly turning purple (e.g. North Carolina and Georgia).

One of those “levers” we need to start pushing is having the Democratic Party field more Gen X, Y and Millennials candidates.  Another lever we need to pull (or maybe stop pulling) is this idea that the Democratic Party consists of Clinton supporters on one side and Sanders / Warren progressives on the other side. The fact is both those constituencies came together for the most part when and where they needed to in the 2016. It didn’t really matter though because those crucial yet fickle Independents who traditionally lean Democrat didn’t turn out so we need to make those people feel like they have a seat at the table if we expect them to turn up on election day.

My two cents