Author Archives: goldenmeanstra

There’s a guy I know. Friend of mine. Twenty-five years ago, when he was about 25, he moved to New York. What he’d thought was a good work opportunity out West turned out to be anything but. So he applied for some jobs in Gotham and hopped a flight to attend some interviews. He was offered a job as a staff accountant at an investment services company. The salary was 40K. He took it. My friend flew back, picke

  [caption id="attachment_2667" align="aligncenter" width="640"] U.S. Representative Melissa Bean wins reelection to her second term in Congress on Nov. 4, 2006.[/caption] This is a reprinted excerpt from Unlock Congress: Reform the Rules — Restore The System, published by WhyNotBooks. As a kid, Melissa Bean was loaded with energy and loved to read. She attended public schools and her parents expected and

By the time I presented Al Gore with the pages of the speech I’d written for him, his appearance was already running late. It was 2004, and the former Vice President had flown into St. Joseph, Missouri to rally up the troops on behalf of the party’s presidential nominee, John Kerry. At the time, I was Kerry’s Communications Director in the Show Me State, and I had never met Gore before. He was incredibly gra

All those months of saving articles, transcribing research and refining my precious little book outline — yet I still hadn’t written the first word. Would I ever? Could I ever? It was a summer day in 2013. I was standing on Michigan Avenue along Chicago’s Mag Mile, blathering into a cell phone to my author friend Bridget. Once again, I was all fired up about my latest idea on how to repair what I referred to

Today, in the first round of the 2018 Masters, the defending champion, Sergio Garcia, actually made a 13 on the par-5 15th hole. It was stunning. And for a whole lotta golfers and golf fans, it was an instant reminder of the fictional plot in the movie Tin Cup. I’ve watched Tin Cup many, many times. If you’re a pure golfer, you love it. Not that it’s a truly great flick; cable ratings usually won’t peg it an

  After Seth finished his final exam, he walked up to the front of class and handed me a letter. The last sentence alone made all the difference: “I learned a lot about Congress, American history and the true nature of politics – but I also learned what I am capable of. And how I can use that to help others.” As wonderful as this was to read, there was a deeper admission within his lette

Retirement. Boehner’s no-brainer. He welcomed Pope Francis, and then made his announcement even before His Holiness had left the country. The Speaker was just sick and tired of navigating the political minefield that is the U.S. House of Representatives. And who could blame him.   Now everyone expects the page to turn. But as it does, we see plenty of hand-wringing about who will grab the gavel as the

  [caption id="attachment_709" align="aligncenter" width="820"] The girls of “Maine Girls,” a new documentary co-directed by Yael Luttwak and Abigail Tannebaum Sharon.[/caption]   “I think post-election, I wish that everyone across the whole country could have the opportunity to be in a group like this - where you get to meet people from all over the world. People who’ve live in the U.S. th

“The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald From as far back as the founders, there has never been an expectation that our national government would personify the kind of “first rate intelligence” described above by Fitzgerald. But throughout our history, the fact that our

There is a beauty about the game of golf that is hard to describe to anyone who hasn’t played the game. But let's give this a shot. [caption id="attachment_739" align="aligncenter" width="2304"] Me, on the 7th tee at Pebble Beach Golf Links, 2005.[/caption] No one shot is ever the same as another. Ever. There are thousands of fields you play this sport on — and every one of them is totally singular. A base

Hillary Clinton has been repeatedly quoting Maya Angelou along the presidential campaign trail, imploring voters to believe the first impressions they received from Donald Trump. But with under eight weeks to go, and three upcoming debates, Clinton might want to review another slice of wisdom from Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people

  Shortly after the UK vote a couple of weeks ago, I was asked to give a speech in front of a Chicago group about “Brexit and American Populism.” During the Q&A, a thoughtful twenty-something asked me if I believed Donald Trump would really govern as conservatively or radically as he is promising to on the central issues of his campaign. It’s an oft-asked and interesting question, for more than

  [caption id="attachment_701" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Robert F Kennedy and Marian Wright Edelman (to his right) visiting the Mississippi Delta on April 11, 1967[/caption]   It was 20 years ago this month that I sat as a reporter in Corcoran State Prison and watched Robert F. Kennedy’s killer attend his 10th parole hearing ― and denial. It was 49 years ago today that RFK died from

What threshold must Trump cross? When do rationalizations run dry? In the 80's film The Big Chill, a rather shallow character, "Michael" (played by Jeff Goldblum) perplexes his co-star Tom Berenger in an argument they're having over the universality — and critical importance — of rationalizations. Michael: "I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy ration

Like a good number of folks who’ve worked in journalism over the years, for me, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein continue to be heroes. Genuinely authentic heroes. I know it sounds corny. But it’s true. Or, as Bernstein said on Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (also known as “Nerd Prom”), it’s “the best obtainable version of the truth.” Sure, Woodward’s unbearably slow,

It is no secret that President Trump dispenses lies with reckless abandon. This fact is not in dispute. It is also no secret that Trump has displayed a great number of moral failings and poverty of character during his campaign. Even swing voters who reluctantly voted for the President agree on that point. But beyond the dishonesty and revolting personal conduct, we're now witnessing a young presiden

  Catchphrases are catchy. That’s why they’re called catchphrases. Morning in America. Bridge to the 21st Century. Compassionate Conservatism. Yes We Can. Make America Great Again. But slogans can be just as shallow as they are catchy - and sometimes even misleading. At a rally back in October, Donald Trump explained the genesis of his campaign’s closing catchphrase: Drain the Swamp: “I s

If you vigorously opposed the campaign of Donald Trump, you might be suffering from some cognitive dissonance as his "Apprentice"-style transition plays out live. If you're one of the millions who were offended by Trump's cruel and bigoted statements — one of which was characterized by House Speaker Paul Ryan as being the "textbook definition" of racism — then you may be contemplating whether it's even possib