Published in Politically Speaking·PinnedMember-onlyThe Real War in Ukraine: Civilization vs. Male ToxicityThe fundamental human flaw that explains all atrocities — Be a Man! Put your big boy pants on! Don’t be a (insert derogatory and/or vulgar sexist or homophobic reference to someone or something that is universally considered not “manly”) These are just a few contemporary examples of triggering statements that have existed since the dawn of humanity. Their purpose…Society6 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·PinnedMember-onlyThe Battle for Ukraine Is Our New Shared RealityBut for some, this unity must be stopped — Remember January 6th, when Fox News couldn’t decide if the people raiding the Capitol were Antifa, patriots, or tourists? It presented a serious ratings challenge that required numerous backflips to maintain the own-the-libs narrative demanded by their audience. When it was over, what remained of their “legitimate political discourse” was…Politics6 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·PinnedMember-onlyThe Battle for the Soul of America Is a Battle of RealitiesAnd it begins with understanding today’s Republican Party — In addition to being plagued by a plague, America suffers from what I’ve so often referred to as Problem #1 — the reality that we no longer have a shared reality. It is our number one problem because it stands in the way of our ability to solve all the…Politics10 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·PinnedMember-onlyOptimistic Idealism is the American WayOur vision is our destiny — I live under what one might consider the curse of optimistic idealism, a state of mind that leaves me open to my wife’s soft ridicule of high expectations. “Of course you believe that, because you’re an optimist,” she’ll tell me, as if to say my optimism is the head-in-the-clouds opposite…Politics7 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·PinnedMember-onlyThe New Republican Ideology: Owning the LibsAs my regular readers know, I have long emphasized that all of America’s major dysfunction is rooted in what I have referred to as “Problem #1” — the reality that we are divided by alternate realities. It is the number one problem because it is at the root of every…Politics7 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·3 days agoMember-onlyPutin’s Power and Why it Won’t LastFor Vlad, winter is coming — “Pretty good for a Russian,” said Dmitry, my Russian client/colleague. It was 2005 and I was working with him in Moscow on the then embryonic bid for Sochi, Russia to host the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. With a combination of pride and embarrassment, Dmitry couldn’t help commenting on his performance…Politics7 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·May 1Member-onlyThe U.S. Needs to Carpet Bomb Russia With the TruthThe Western world has yet to unleash its most lethal weapon — Problem #1 in America, and now in the world, is stunningly simple and ever more obvious: It is the reality that we have multiple realities. All of our other problems, rooted as they are in controversial issues, can be traced back to the single challenge of competing realities. It is…Russia6 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·Feb 21Member-onlyThe State of the Union We NeedBiden must unleash our better angels — It is time once again for that annual presidential performance of pomp and pageantry: The State of the Union speech — the chance for the president to say things that trigger an endless string of standing ovations by one side while the other expresses their disagreement via motionless scowling. Yes…State Of The Union11 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·Jan 29Member-onlyTo End the Pandemic and Achieve Greatness, President Biden Needs to Do the UnthinkableAnd many of us are not going to like it — There is a long history of great leaders who, in their moment of transcendence, were ridiculed, attacked, or even (literally) crucified for their choice of the unconventional path. What was once radical often proves to be both logical and moral with the benefit of time. The context and judgments of…Politics6 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·Dec 18, 2021Member-onlyThe Rise of Hypercapitalism and the Division-Industrial ComplexIf they divide us, they will conquer us — One month after I was born and just a few days before John F. Kennedy took office, President Dwight D Eisenhower made his farewell speech to the nation. Unlike the man who would replace him, Eisenhower was never a man of soaring oratory, but the prescience of his final message…Political Polarization6 min read
