In his 1922 book, Public Opinion, journalist and political commentator Walter Lippmann “…argued that modern mass communication created ‘pseudo-environments’ that thwarted the ability of the average citizen to make political judgments based on facts.” To say Lippmann was ahead of his time is a master understatement, but even the keenly perceptive Lippmann could never have foreseen a tweetaholic in the...

Last Thursday, Judge Amy Berman Jackson handed down her sentence to President Trump’s long time friend and campaign associate, Roger Stone. However, before that sentence was read, Stone, his defense team and Justice prosecutors listened to words not only directed to those in the courtroom, but the American people… ALL Americans. Key passages are worth repeating. ”The defendant isn’t public...

In honor of President Trump’s pardons of celebrity convicted felons, I thought this updated commentary from 2018, particularly relevant. WASHINGTON — With Vice-President Mike Pence looking on, President Donald Trump signed two full pardons “for all Crimes and Misdemeanors” for Frankenstein and the Wolf Man. Both had previously pleaded guilty to murder. White House officials were scrambling Tuesday morning after...

“I am an innocent man. Oh, yes I am, an innocent man.”  – Billy Joel Fresh from his Vindication Tour, Trump quickly pivoted to his Vindictive Tour. Those he deemed disloyal for testifying about the truth of Trump’s “deal” with Ukraine’s Zelensky have, not surprisingly, moved to the top of the president’s enemies litst: * Lt. Col. Vindman, the National...

Note: apologies to readers who were expecting a different commentary. I’m tabling it to Friday. Yesterday, I received a rundown from our citizen reporter, Stephen Ambra, on the ground in Concord, New Hampshire. In past elections, Ambra has described “the gauntlet” that he and other voters face in front of the polling station, where acolytes for candidates holding signs politely...

As the Senate trial of President Trump comes to its predicable conclusion, Senators are taking time to address their colleagues (really constituents) on the Senate floor to explain their reasoning behind their upcoming vote on Wednesday. Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski, one of three Republicans who were considering a call for both witnesses and White House documents (both were refused by...

“Common sense is not so common.” – Voltaire “I think we’ve made our case,” White House counsel Pat Cipollone said. “All you need in this case is the Constitution and your common sense.” The case before the Senate is about Principle vs. Loyalty; the principles of honesty and responsibility, and the necessary moral courage to stand up for those principles...

“As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever.” – Clarence Darrow This is a case about truth and lies; right and wrong. At the conclusion of the White House defense team’s arguments on behalf of President Trump, the revelations by former National Security...

After all the denials and a White House dream team of TV star lawyers who have stated in their opening arguments on Saturday that President Trump’s purpose in withholding aid to Ukraine had not been conditioned on an investigation into former Vice-President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and other Democrats, The New York Times reports (Jan. 26) that the president...

Yesterday, I posted the first of a two-part interview, conducted on January 3, with U.S. Rep. (D) Salud Carbajal who represents California’s 24th District. Along with his committee assignments in congress, Carbajal is part of another vital group in our nation’s capital. You’re part of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of bipartisan members who are committed to working together...