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Category Archives: Columns
‘The Unum Test’ – Time Magazine
Healing our divided nation is the defining challenge of our time. Nothing less than the success of the American experiment is at stake. Our problems won’t be solved with a single election or a new president. Hyper-partisanship has poisoned our … Continue reading
The Resilient City – from Empire City: New York Through the Centuries
From “Empire City: New York Through the Centuries” Three hundred and forty-one New York City firefighters. Twenty-three New York City police officers. Thirty-seven Port Authority police officers. Three court officers. Two EMS workers. Thousands of innocent civilians. Numbers alone, of … Continue reading
Centrist Journalism And Defending Democracy: Nonpartisan But Not Neutral
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention political parties – but it does mention journalists. This was not an oversight. The country’s founders understood that freedom of the press spurs informed civic debate and accountability for people in power – both of … Continue reading
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On the Fourth: Reclaiming the American Flag
On this Fourth of July, we need to say clearly that the American flag belongs to us all. In the past, this would have been self-evident. But there’s been an attempt to hijack the American flag for partisan purposes, to … Continue reading
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How John Avlon, A Speechwriter-Turned-Author-Turned-Editor-in-Chief, Gets It All Done – Writing Routines
Who: John Avlon, Editor-in-chief, The Daily Beast; Author of, most recently, Washington’s Farewell Claim to fame: Many, but among them, wrote several of Mayor Giuliani’s speeches and eulogies after 9/11 Why’d we pick him, in ten words: John’s done it … Continue reading
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George Clooney: A 21st-Century Statesman – Newsweek
In the age of Twitter-shortened attention spans, fame is an increasingly powerful weapon of diplomacy. John Avlon on how George Clooney is helping to bring change—and a hefty dose of hope—to Sudan. George Clooney hates the paparazzi. But he also … Continue reading
Biden’s smart political move angers progressives – CNN
President Joe Biden gets it. Being seen as “soft on crime” is the Achilles’ heel for Democrats — and he’s not going to let them deepen that negative association, even if it angers some progressives. At issue is a local … Continue reading
The biggest lesson from the debt ceiling fight – CNN
The vital center has saved America from default – and Congress from itself. Again. On Wednesday night, the House of Representatives passed the debt limit bill, with 149 Republicans and 165 Democrats voting for it. On Thursday night, the Senate … Continue reading
It’s time to go beyond destroying statues to building new ones – CNN
The righteous fury to tear down Confederate monuments has begun to stray in recent days toward a more arguably indiscriminate toppling of statues, ranging from President Ulysses S. Grant to St. Junipero Serra to George Washington and the removal of … Continue reading
What I Saw on the Campaign Trail
Democrats had achievements to run on. But we were overwhelmed by a variety of factors. I had a diffrent perspective on the 2024 election than I did on the past few I’ve covered as a journalist—because this time, I was … Continue reading
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The Ballad of Lester Maddox
As we’ve been reminded by the fight in Indiana, supporters of discrimination have always cloaked their views in appeals to personal liberty. Once upon a time, a restaurant owner refused to serve people who were different. He said he did … Continue reading
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Bubba Has the Answers for Dems in Despair
If the party wants to regain power, it should look back to the message from Bill Clinton. “Too many of the people that used to vote for us, the very burdened middle class we’re talking about, have not trusted us … Continue reading
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The Westboro Defectors Speak: Phelps Granddaughters Embrace Tolerance – The Daily Beast
On Thursday afternoon Megan and Grace Phelps-Roper visited the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. They’d been inside only a few minutes when they saw a photo of their family. There, as part of the permanent exhibit, was an image … Continue reading
It’s precisely the wrong time to tune out the news – CNN
America is in danger of “sleepwalking into a dictatorship,” according to former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney. This somnambulant stroll towards the cliff is self-induced. Instead of being invigorated by the prospect of defending our democracy from a candidate who already … Continue reading
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In Defense of U2 and The War on Apathy
Drill down on all the hipster conventional wisdom and the core complaint is earnestness. With number one albums across four decades, their very success undercuts the rebellious edge that’s at the heart of rock n roll. To their critics, they … Continue reading
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Cab driver. Harvard dad. Covid-19 victim.
The streets of New York are filled with ghosts these days. It is spring outside, but the sidewalks are empty and the streets feel haunted. Only sirens pierce the silence. Some of the familiar faces will come back when this … Continue reading
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Why Trump Can’t Afford to Lose This Election – CNN
President Donald Trump is desperate to get reelected — so desperate that he’s refusing to commit to the peaceful transfer of power. But the New York Times’ report revealing insights from two decades of tax returns might shed some light … Continue reading
Where’s your health care plan, Mr. President? – CNN
Pandemics don’t care about partisan politics. So when Robert Redfield — President Donald Trump’s director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a lifelong conservative — testified to Congress Wednesday that a Covid-19 vaccine wouldn’t be ready … Continue reading
GOP’s Supreme Court hypocrisy in their own words – CNN
In March 2016, Sen. Lindsey Graham brushed off accusations of partisanship and invited critics to hold his feet to the fire after he opposed President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court pick to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. His reasoning? It was an … Continue reading
Poliwood: The Ups and Downs of Combining Celebrities and Politics – CNN
Poliwood — the intersection of politics and Hollywood — can be a powerful combination, capable of elevating policy debates and inspiring broad audiences. Unfortunately, it can also dumb us down to a nation of slack-jawed spectators. This past week, we … Continue reading