Aug 9, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Race and Racism
Published: The Good Men Project (August 9, 2016) Before I get to why Will Smith is probably right, let’s dispense with why his hysterical right-wing critics are definitely wrong. At a press event in Dubai, Smith tried to find a silver lining to the dark cloud that is Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. “As painful as it is to hear Donald Trump talk and as embarrassing as it is as an American...
Aug 5, 2016 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), History, mic
Published: Fusion (August 5, 2016) When Rep. Richard Hanna became the first sitting Republican congressman to endorse Hillary Clinton instead of Donald Trump, he observed that his party had “largely alienated women, Hispanics, the LGBT community, young voters and many others in general.” While this comment wasn’t the focus of his editorial, it spoke to a larger truth about the significance of...
Aug 3, 2016 | Asperger's Syndrome, Conspiracy Theories, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), mic, Science and Technology
Published: Quartz (August 3, 2016) Green Party candidate Jill Stein likes to present herself as a pro-science, more idealistic alternative to Hillary Clinton. Stein has so far managed to stay out of the media maelstrom, but a series of troubling comments are making headlines for all the wrong reasons. One of Stein’s most problematic opinions resurfaced this week when her campaign deleted a tweet...
Aug 3, 2016 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), mic, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: The Good Men Project (August 2, 2016) I know this article’s topic is belated, coming as it does nearly a fortnight after the events in question. Circumstances conspired to prevent me from writing about it until now, so… here we go. On one level, it pains me to write anything positive about Ted Cruz. The Senator from Texas has devoted his political career to stripping social services...
Aug 1, 2016 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), mic
Published: Quartz (August 1, 2016) Watching the Democratic National Convention last week was a refreshing antidote to the bile that has contaminated American politics this election cycle. Not everyone supports the party’s nominee (see: the antics of the “Bernie or Bust” movement), of course, but there is something inspiring about a convention that focuses on the positive rather than the...
Jul 31, 2016 | Economic Policy, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Immigration, mic, Race and Racism
Published: Salon (July 31, 2016), The Good Men Project (July 26, 2016) “What would it take for you to vote for a third-party candidate?” This question was posed to me by a good friend who, after supporting Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign, became so disenchanted with the political process that he backed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in 2012 (not surprisingly, he plans on doing...
Jul 28, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), mic
Published: The Good Men Project (July 28, 2016) I may as well be upfront about this... I am a HUGE fan of "South Park." Although their political sensibilities don't always align with my own (see: their global warming denialism), the nineteen existing seasons of "South Park" contain some of the sharpest and boldest social commentary ever aired on television. This was especially true last season,...
Jul 24, 2016 | Democrats, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Political Parties
Published: The Good Men Project (July 23, 2016) What is there to say about a vice presidential candidate like Tim Kaine? The man is so dull. To be fair, he meets the basic requirements of appearing on a presidential ticket. He hails from the swing state of Virginia, which after voting consistently Republican for more than forty years turned to Barack Obama in the last two elections. His...
Jul 24, 2016 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Political Parties, Republicans
Published: Salon (July 23, 2016) What we were looking for was something that would put the nation and the rank and file of the Party on the alert to the fact that our leading candidate was impetuous, irresponsible, and slightly stupid.” These words were spoken not about Donald Trump and his nomination at the Republican National Convention of 2016, but regarding Barry Goldwater, who in 1964 was...
Jul 16, 2016 | Democrats, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), History, mic, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: Salon (July 16, 2016) In anticipation of the upcoming Democratic and Republican conventions later this month, it seems appropriate to brace ourselves for something historic. After all, Hillary Clinton is the first woman ever to be nominated by a major party, as well as a traditionally polarizing figure who only recently managed to win the endorsement of her chief rival, Bernie...