For better or worse, post-election analysis is now the country’s favorite sport. Wherever two or three Americans are gathered, there are at least a dozen reasons given for why Donald Trump won and Democrats got shellacked.
Among many, the most common is that Democrats need a good soul-searching over how they lost touch with the working class. I agree. Although the real questions is: How did Democrats do so much for working-class Americans — Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid,...
Opinion
Attention Democrats: Don’t mourn, organize!
In a Former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), my former congressional colleague, recently offered advice for Democrats’ post-election blues. He suggested that first we stop feeding the “end of democracy woes”; second, that we “embrace the suck”; and third, understand voter anxiety in a time of change.
I have a more concrete list.
We need to engage in voter registration efforts, especially in minority communities, on an ongoing basis. Black Americans and Latinos gave the ma...
Attention Democrats: Don’t mourn, organize!
In a Former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), my former congressional colleague, recently offered advice for Democrats’ post-election blues. He suggested that first we stop feeding the “end of democracy woes”; second, that we “embrace the suck”; and third, understand voter anxiety in a time of change.
I have a more concrete list.
We need to engage in voter registration efforts, especially in minority communities, on an ongoing basis. Black Americans and Latinos gave the ma...
Where is the land of opportunity voters were promised? Not in Trump’s America.
There is little mystery about why Donald Trump won the election last week. After billions of dollars in campaign spending by the two major-party candidates, it mostly came down to the price of a loaf of bread.
According to exit polls, two-thirds of voters were unhappy with the economy, and 69 percent voted for Trump.
Weeks before the election, The Economist issued a glowing assessment of America's economy, calling it breathtaking, stellar and the envy of the...
Don’t let Trump drag America ‘back to before’
In the powerful revival of the musical “Ragtime” at the New York City Center theater, the female lead, played by Caissie Levy, stops the show with a song titled “Back to Before.” With words filled with emotion in each phrase, she sings of the pain of making progress in a deeply divided and bigoted turn-of-the-century America. As I absorbed the song, I could not help but think of Donald Trump and the corrupt message he has brought in the election.
Trump is, of course, a man wit...
The era of political polarization is over
From media claims that we are a hopelessly divided country to ceaseless personal attacks on the presidential candidates' characters and track records, it's not surprising that most folks believe the American electorate is more polarized than ever. A closer look at the two parties’ respective platforms, however, reveals a story of a homogeneous citizenry, and a nation unified in its temperament and values.
Political polarization oscillates back and forth depending on v...
The era of political polarization is over
From media claims that we are a hopelessly divided country to ceaseless personal attacks on the presidential candidates' characters and track records, it's not surprising that most folks believe the American electorate is more polarized than ever. A closer look at the two parties’ respective platforms, however, reveals a story of a homogeneous citizenry, and a nation unified in its temperament and values.
Political polarization oscillates back and forth depending on v...
Our health care system is dysfunctional: Here’s how to make America healthy again
American health care is getting more expensive, but Americans aren’t getting healthier. We spend $4.8 trillion annually on health care — more than any other country — only to have some of the worst health outcomes in the developed world.
Spending more money on government programs is not the solution. What we need is a fundamental paradigm shift toward health care freedom. We spend three times more per capita than Italy on health care, the average American lifespan is five ye...
What Trump has actually done for Black Americans
“I have done more for Black Americans than anybody with the possible exception of Abraham Lincoln,” Donald Trump has claimed on multiple occasions. “Nobody can dispute it.”
Well, lots of people have examined his record and drawn a dramatically different conclusion. Here’s what they have found.
The economic recovery from the Great Recession that started under the Obama administration continued during the first three years of Trump’s presidency, benefiting Black as wel...
Which candidate’s plan will actually make America healthy again?
With the presidential election less than a week away, health care is not on the ballot, but the winner will definitely impact the direction our health care system takes. In fact, the candidates’ respective approaches to health care appear to be diametrically opposed based on their previous statements and records.
A President Kamala Harris would likely extend coverage to millions more people by expanding the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid expansion to all 50 states. She w...