In the echo-sphere of political punditry consensus forms rapidly, gels, and then, in short order...calcifies. The me-tooism infecting the chattering class reveals all too well how little original thought — and even less deep — drives the conversation. We saw this in the trigger-happy response to Tuesday's Vice Presidential debate when serial liar Indiana Governor Mike … [Read more...]
Politics
Action by government on Transition issues with opportunities for advocates to engage the political system for positive change.
Trumped and Stumped: A Cure for Political Polarization?
A book called I'm Right and You're an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up sounds like it was written just for the 2016 US presidential race. The book is not about the race per se. It doesn't say anything about Donald Trump and the only Clinton it mentions is Bill. But the book does say a lot about the polarization in American politics that has … [Read more...]
Jill Stein’s Ridiculous Run
I share many of Green Party Presidential Nominee Jill Stein's values. On climate and energy, I absolutely agree that our world is in crisis and that we need some form of a "Green New Deal," though whether that would be her plan, or some other approach, is, for me, still a point of debate. On her view that an energy transition would have multiple cost-saving and health … [Read more...]
Five Things Americans Don’t Understand about Politics
Editor's note: This piece was written after an abundance of frustration at what appears to be a complete lack of understanding about our political process, something that perhaps watching the conventions might change. But in the meantime, if you don't have patience for this magnum opus (tee hee) that's born of personal experience in the political realm, then here's a snarky … [Read more...]
California Nightmare: Not Progressive Anymore
If one more Californian tells me how “progressive” California is, I am going to scream. "Progressivism" is the term applied to a variety of responses to the economic and social problems that were introduced to America by industrialization. It began as a social movement and grew into a political one, seen as a political science, too many people are keeping at just that, a … [Read more...]