Donald Trump is our greatest threat

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Right now, Trump is the country’s number one nightmare.

Covering Donald Trump as a presidential candidate isn’t easy. Everything about the man and his campaign is a distracting spectacle – violent rallies, Twitter feuds and fratty arrogance so immature he defends his dick size in debates. For months he was regarded as a joke. But while the media focuses on theatrics this egomaniacal tyrant is being carried toward the White House on enthusiastic American shoulders. If he’s a joke, we’re the punchline. Continue reading →

Donald Trump’s megalomaniacal war on the First Amendment

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If you protest at his rallies, this presidential frontrunner would really like to punch you in the face.

Much of the appeal in Donald Trump’s surreal presidential campaign comes from his willingness to speak his mind unfiltered. Supporters regard his flippant insults of political rivals, celebrities, and entire groups of people as courageous pushback against political correctness run amok. Given this it is perhaps ironic that one of the hallmarks of Trump’s platform is a megalomaniacal crusade against the First Amendment and the freedom of expression it guarantees.

In its entirety the First Amendment, perhaps the greatest pillar of our free society, reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  Trump tramples on each and every word. Continue reading →

How Garry Kasparov misses the point about Bernie Sanders

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Garry Kasparov spent almost 30 years as the #1-ranked chess player in the world. He’s considered by many to be the greatest of all-time.

Chess grandmaster and Russian dissident Garry Kasparov sees the failures of his homeland reflected in the policies of Bernie Sanders. Last week he took to Facebook and The Daily Beast to warn of the dangers of big government, writing, “I’m enjoying the irony of American Sanders supporters lecturing me, a former Soviet citizen, on the glories of Socialism and what it really means.”

Kasparov grew up in the Soviet Union and ran a courageous presidential campaign against Russia’s oppressive Vladimir Putin. He doesn’t need a lecture, but his article needs counterpoints. Even with his unique political experience Kasparov states his case in overly black and white terms. He ignores the prominent role social programs have played throughout American history and writes as though private business ventures are the world’s best – maybe only – force for good. Continue reading →

Why Trump’s penis may actually matter

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The GOP frontrunner, seen here approximating his measurements.

Donald Trump wants America to feel assured: his penis is really, really terrific. The GOP frontrunner took presidential politics to the third grade playground last week, responding to Marco Rubio’s insinuation that a person with small hands may have other small appendages. To be fair to Trump, Rubio started it. But Rubio’s remark was made at a rally, not on network TV. Continue reading →

Super Tuesday results: Sanders movement still alive despite media’s momentum narrative

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Bernie Sanders appears with his wife Jane to give a speech on Super Tuesday.

As results from Super Tuesday poured in last night, the media narrative began to hold that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were the night’s biggest winners and would, eventually, square off against one another in the general election. While there’s plenty of reason to believe this will be the case, the media’s horse race-style coverage of the primaries leaves important aspects of the story untold. Continue reading →

How the media makes reality – and may make Donald Trump president

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This may one day be a painted portrait in the White House.

It’s been said that the far right is reaping what it sowed with Donald Trump. For eight years their cabal of media and politicians unrelentingly attacked President Obama for everything from inviting rappers to the White House to purposefully destroying America. They fomented racial hostilities and deep paranoia to create the atmosphere in which Trump now thrives. But if Trump actually becomes president it will be the mainstream media’s reckless pursuit of ratings that puts him there. Continue reading →

Someone who’s ‘not really a Democrat’ is just what the DNC needs

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Clinton’s accusation that Sanders isn’t “really a Democrat” is true, but it actually makes him a stronger candidate.

At Thursday’s Democratic town hall, Hillary Clinton unleashed a new line of attack against Bernie Sanders, saying, “Senator Sanders has also attacked President Obama. He’s called him weak; he’s called him disappointing. He tried to get somebody to run against him in the 2012 election in the primary… Maybe it’s that Senator Sanders wasn’t really a Democrat until he decided to run for president.” Continue reading →

Scalia’s death shows the dysfunction of politics, media and the GOP

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Justice Antonin Scalia served on the Supreme Court for nearly 30 years. He was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1986.

The death of Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia on the morning of February 13 triggered an immediate political firestorm. Party-line politics, debates on the man’s legacy, and conspiracy theories have been swirling in the media in the days since. No doubt his death is of great consequence, but the reactions reveal a great deal about the brokenness of our political-media establishment. Continue reading →

If Democrats want to win the White House they best nominate Bernie Sanders

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Bernie Sanders, a senator from Vermont, is zeroing in on the “inevitable” Hillary Clinton.

Bernie Sanders is surging. In the first primary in Iowa, he came from far behind to virtually tie with Hillary Clinton. In New Hampshire he beat her in a 22-point landslide. He’s been getting more exposure than ever. Yet Sanders’s prospects for the Democratic nomination remain in heavy doubt. And with that, so too are dimming the Democrats’ prospects for winning the White House in November. Continue reading →

Clinton camp drags race into mud with allegations of sexism against Sanders

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Steinem apologized for remarks she made on Real Time disparaging young, female Sanders supporters. In 1996 she declared Sanders an “honorary woman.”

When serious coverage of the 2016 presidential race began last year, pundits assumed the general election would come down to Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. Such a matchup between two families that have dominated presidential politics for 30 years would be as establishment-friendly as could be imagined. Instead, both parties’ nominations have been disrupted by insurgent candidates who are not beholden to classic Washington interests.

Both of these candidates, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, have faced strong resistance from their party’s establishment. Republicans, however, seem more willing to praise Trump for shaking things up; Democrats are less amused at seeing their establishment rankled. With Sanders gaining real momentum with his primary performances, the Clinton camp and its supporters have been escalating an attack that’s been in play since the beginning of the race: accusing opponents of sexism. Continue reading →