Published: The Morning Call (June 16, 2014) After more than two years as a political columnist for PolicyMic and other publications, I made the decision last month to undertake a career hiatus and work as the Northampton County field organizer for Tom Wolf's...
Why Even Some Liberals and Independents Are Refusing to Sign Up For Obamacare
Mar 31, 2014 | Centrism, Health Care Reform, Liberalism, Pennsylvania, Political Ideologies
Published: mic (March 31, 2014) The Obamacare deadline is Monday, and a flurry of reports, headlines and talking heads are weighing in its success or failure. But sometimes politics cannot be understood without a human touch. One of the most devastating aspects of the...
This Tiny Corner Of America Can Predict If Democrats Will Win In the Next Election
Sep 30, 2013 | Democrats, Elections, Elections - Other, Pennsylvania, Political Parties
Published: mic (September 30, 2013) While it’s easy enough to talk about politics in terms of any given immediate cycle, Democrats should always try to keep the big picture in mind by asking themselves the most important question: How can we win the next election, the...
Pennsylvania Desperately Needs Rick Santorum Right Now
Apr 15, 2013 | Animals and Animal Rights, Conservativism, Pennsylvania, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: mic (April 15, 2013) Here are eight words that I doubt have ever come from the pen of a liberal columnist: "Where is Rick Santorum when we need him?" This thought comes to mind as soon as one looks at PA HB683, a new bill introduced in Santorum's home state...
There’s Nothing More Pathetic Than a Pennsylvania Bigot in 2013
Mar 23, 2013 | Extremism, Pennsylvania, Political Ideologies, Race and Racism, Religion and Religious Issues, Terrorism
Published: mic (March 23, 2013), The Express Times (March 23, 2013) From neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan to the Nation of Islam and the Black Panthers, there is nothing more inherently pathetic than a bigot in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This isn't to say that...
Arlen Specter’s Horrendous Stand Up Comedy
Apr 1, 2012 | Arts and Entertainment, Pennsylvania, Political Parties, Republicans, Satirical Essays
Published: PolicyMic (April 1, 2012) When I first heard that Arlen Specter was going to hit the stand-up comedy circuit, I was pretty excited. If nothing else, such a decision from an ex-Senator shows cojones, a commodity that is in distressingly short supply...
On Supporting Abortion Rights
Feb 28, 2012 | Abortion, Civil Liberties, Conservativism, Gender and Sexism, Other Media, Pennsylvania, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Religion and Religious Issues, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (February 28, 2012), As Quoted in an Obama Presidential Campaign Commercial (April 27, 2012 at the 1:07 mark) A new bill proposed by Pennsylvania Representative Kathy Rapp would require any woman seeking an abortion to first undergo an ultrasound....
Civil Rights History in High School Education
Oct 3, 2011 | Education, History, Pennsylvania, Race and Racism
Published: The Express Times (October 3, 2011) Can you identify the source of this quote? “We conclude that in the field of public education separate but equal has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” If you can’t, don’t worry. Not even...
Rick Santorum and Gay Rights
Oct 2, 2011 | Civil Liberties, Conservativism, Gay Rights and Other LGBTQIA Issues, Media Issues, Pennsylvania, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Religion and Religious Issues, Republicans
Published: The Morning Call (October 2, 2011) In a recent interview with Politico, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum issued a scathing denunciation of Google. "If you're a responsible business," he remarked, "you don't let things like that happen in your...