Category Archives: politics

A New Strategy

A headline recently caught my eye. The New England Patriots football team was making a “comeback” after a few years of struggle. The pundits praised the miraculous turn around, but it wasn’t a secret sauce that made the difference. All the Patriots did was drop the old strategy and try something new. 

Bill Belichick won six Superbowls with the Patriots and two Superbowl rings as assistant coach for the New York Giants. Belichick is a legend, no doubt. He executed a game plan and it worked, until it didn’t. His relationship with the Patriots ended after a 4-13 season in 2023. 

A year later, under the leadership of former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, the team has turned the losing streak around. All they needed was a fresh set of eyes.

The Democratic Party should look at the ways other people are succeeding

Imagine Obama as Tom Brady and Nancy Pelosi as Bill Belichick. The Democrats experienced a lot of wins from Bill Clinton (1992-2000) to Obama (2008-2016), but over more than twenty-five years, the game has changed. It’s time for a fresh set of eyes. Progressives need to retire their old coaches and promote a version of Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel because doing the same old thing isn’t working.

To prove my point, look at the NYC mayoral election. Mamdani ran a successful campaign despite (or perhaps because of) prominent democrats distancing from him. The victory wasn’t simply due to a bandwagon of corrupt politicians backing his morally questionable opponent.  In late summer/early fall, plenty of NYC friends questioned whether they could vote for Mamdani because he was different, untested. Mandami represented the change everyone fears, until it happens. And after his victory, these same voters celebrated the future wondering why they ever hesitated to take the leap.  

The one true thing Trump has showed us is that change is here, and the old ways no longer work. It is time to trust a young fresh set of leaders to make the bold moves the American people need. 

Inauguration Day

Today dad woke up and immediately turned on the TV. He didn’t want to miss a moment of the insanity (his interest is fascination, not support). I couldn’t handle the pageantry, it’s exclusivity so heavy with implications.

I tried to stay out of the apartment, but rainfall ruined outdoor errands. With cable news blaring through the apartment, I retreated to my room, closed the door, and clicked on Pandora prompting a flashback to the 1980’s when I spent so much of my young life in my room to listening to music.

Life in an alcoholic household meant a lot of concessions. And being one of four children meant a lot of sharing. Compromise grew into a form of PTSD for me (which has possibly contributed to multiple failed relationships over 40 years), but around age eight, my brother was moved to another room and I finally had a sanctuary. My bedroom was the smallest in the house and located directly over the back door and the kitchen allowing me to be aware of everyone coming and going without having to engage directly.

Back then, I did homework laying stretched across my rose print comforter with Madonna blaring rather than pushed up to the desk in a wooden chair as my father instructed.

Now, I’m looking at an empty (plastic) desk chair as I lean against multiple fluffy pillows (in childhood, I only had one) with the dog snoring next to me drowning the voice of pundits with Taylor Swift lyrics.

Back then, politics was boring adult stuff. Now, I am the boring adult, but with the swearing in of Donald Trump, I crave a teen mindset- one that barely extends past the walls of my room. Wouldn’t it be nice if the issues affecting my life could be assuaged simply by wearing the right outfit?

Obliterating problems I cannot face with copious amounts of alcohol is popular among adults, and obviously, I’m not going that route, but what is the healthy version of inhaling a pint of ice cream? Google suggests meditation, exercise, and journaling.

I’m two for three so far today and I can tell you, it’s not enough this time.

I Hate to Admit It…

I hate to admit it…but I’m a little (okay, a lot) obsessed with Candace Owens.

Why would this woman labor so vigilantly against her own interests by supporting right wing conservatives who demonstratively repress and demean both women and African Americans?

After diving into her background, I was surprised to discover she set out in the world as a mouthpiece for Progressives, but her change of heart was not a case of “if you can’t beat them, join them.”

It was when her website, SocialAutopsy.com (designed to expose internet bullies, now defunct), faced harsh criticism from all sides that she immediately dedicated herself to attacking the left.

I suspect that after the America she believed in betrayed her, she blindly pivoted to attack mode.

Some focus on her lies.

Others mock her ignorance.

But no commentary I’ve ever seen chooses to point out that Candance’s words and actions are not motivated by politics. 

Candace is, essentially, the living embodiment of a Marvel villain. The personal hurt she experienced devolved into a vendetta turning her life into a cautionary tale for how anger and fear motivate people to do the wrong thing.

The ultimate irony is, she is only hurting herself. Cue the dramatic music.

Hate changes you, and the longer you hold onto it, the harder it is to let go.

And the deeper truth is that if the poison flowing through her veins were to be tested, it would reveal the true source of her pain. Candance’s hate is self-hate. And it has dug in deep.  

If she had not been bullied as a child and instead experienced love and understanding, would she be on a different path? Probably. But being able to overcome obstacles with grace is the ultimate test of humanity, and she will continue to fail that test until she finds the strength to bloodlet her own misery.

Take the Hand of the Monster

A few months ago, I realized that the Presidential campaign had infected everyone with an epidemic of negativity changing the daily focus onto what separates us as Americans. Had we forgotten what really matters?

Nostalgia bloomed for the days following the September 11 attacks when we were not individuals, but Americans united in our grief. Neighbors, strangers, black or white we stood together. We helped each other. We cared for each other.  We set aside differences ready to fight against a common (though mostly invisible) enemy.

As friends hotly debated politics during this summer’s picnics, I actually hoped something could bring us together again, and in November that something came to pass. Unfortunately, it was not the election of the first female President of the United States.

Is it fair to equate the 2016 election results with the events of September 11? Definitely not, but the fear is back, and it is as tangible as it was fifteen years ago. Also, for the first time since the closing months of 2001, I see a large percentage of Americans unified, driven, focused, motivated and taking action not for their own personal gain, but to protect and benefit their fellow Americans.

Our enemies have crawled out of the gutter to show their faces this time. They are not in some distant land, nor are they rumored, imagined, or invisible. They are here in our own streets, and there is a long battle to be fought ahead, but groups like #PantsuitNation provide a positive platform to foster enlightenment, a renaissance for unity in America. We are ready to take the hand of the monster and lead it into the light.

 

 

 

What Do We Do Now?

It kind of feels like Dumbledore died all over again, and Voldemort has risen.

Sadness, fear, and uncertainty are pervasive, and one question lingers, “what do we do now?” The answer is we do exactly what Harry, Ron, and Hermione did-we hunt horocruxes.

The Republican version of a horocrux isn’t quite as hard to find as those in the JK Rowling series. The life blood of a red states is hatred, division, and lies (mostly lies told to kind, trusting Americans to convince them to support Voldemort). We destroy these with truth, love, and acceptance. Defeat the bad with good.

The trickier part of the hunt comes when faced with actual threats of racial bias, intimidation against those of different sexual orientations, misogyny, religious persecution, and a populace educated with an overkill of mis-information.

“If you see something, say something” takes on an additional meaning going forward. It requires each of us stand up for marginalized citizens being persecuted. Not getting involved is the equivalent of condoning bad behavior.

Remember that the final horocrux presents the biggest challenge. To eradicate bias in another person requires each of us to acknowledge our own bias. None of us is perfect. Everyone has a valid perspective. We can learn a lot from others, especially when their words are not the ones we want to hear.

Take a walk in the other person’s shoes. Send your love before you. Be respectful of all.