Author Archives: goldenmeanstra

In 1998, at the age of 18, Jarrett Adams was wrongly convicted and sentenced to 28 years in a maximum security prison. After losing nearly a decade of his life to confinement, Jarrett not only won his exoneration, he went on to graduate from Loyola Law School and recently passed the New York State Bar Exam. He is now serving as the first ever Post-Conviction Fellow at the National Innocence Project.

  Debates about issues and policies can be boring. Even for journalists. And when you throw in the superficial element of television, plus the competition to draw eyeballs and the imperative to keep them watching, these made-for-broadcast matchups get even further watered down into gladiatorial conflicts. After an unprecedented GOP primary season, the three main events in the general election campaign pre

By Michael Golden and Lawrence Lessig Over the last year, presidential candidates from both parties have ridden to great success the populist cry of a “rigged system” – in which billions of dollars in campaign cash have destroyed the very idea of a representative democracy. The American electorate has embraced this message. Donald Trump distilled the charge to a dozen words: “When you give, they do what

Theodore Roosevelt didn’t care for golf. In fact, he couldn’t stand it. But for those who know the pro game very well, there’s a set of Roosevelt’s most famous words that could easily describe what it’s like trying to compete on the PGA Tour: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit be

  The phrase “changing people’s lives” is spoken daily in the world of education and advocacy. I, myself, have been saying it for years. And though I’ve meant these words sincerely on every occasion, it wasn’t until I’d met a truly extraordinary One Million Degrees Scholar that I really understood the two-way street all of us are traveling down within this special community. On a Satu

  Who are the gamers who will show up on November 8th? Who’ll stay home and ride the bench? Calculating who’s going to vote is always a critical conjecture in election campaigns. It’s a question that is soaking up a lot more of the media spotlight at the moment due to the dramatic arc of this year’s carnival political atmosphere. But no matter what the answer turns out to be, the real voter turnou

  “For shame! The system is crooked!” cries Donald Trump. “The presidential primary process is rigged!” “Foul! A pox on superdelegates!” cry Bernie Sanders supporters. “Let the people decide!” You’d think that all this heightened focus on “the rules” would put happy expressions on the faces of political scientists and reform activists. But I’m not smiling. And the reason is becau

Sometimes long shots come in. But not unless you shoot. Gregory Watson decided to take his long shot more than thirty years ago. He was just a college student in 1982. Was he interested in politics? Yes. Did he have any inkling that he was going to have the kind of impact once reserved for the likes of Jefferson and Madison? Not in a million years. But it only took a decade. Watson was a sophomore majoring in econ

  He may win the nomination. It is at least conceivable that he could win the White House. But whether this does or doesn’t happen, let’s be clear about one thing: the “fed-up” folks who believe Donald Trump is the alternative to the system are overlooking the system itself. American democracy. We’ve heard all kinds of reasons for why Trump’s wave of supporters has come into existence

Fifteen years ago, I was asked to manage my first major political campaign, for a U.S. Senate candidate from Illinois who was personable and had a gleaming biography, as well the ability to raise plenty of money. Gery Chico had served as chief of staff to the mayor of Chicago, and both President Bill Clinton and the Chicago Tribune had credited him with leading a dramatic turnaround of Chicago’s public schools. Tho

Although I am the prototypical super-nerd who habitually watches wall-to-wall coverage of the State of the Union address, I must confess that I recorded it on Tuesday night. Perhaps this only increases my nerd status. But as I was driving home — at the same time President Obama was concluding his speech — a barrage of messages and social media posts lit up my mobile: “POTUS must have read your book!” “So mu

The chicken or the egg? Trump’s lead in the polls or the media’s sycophantic coverage of Trump? The media’s hyperactive coverage of the circus, or the circus’s irresistibly magnetic power over the media? Which comes first? Which feeds which? And does it matter? The answer, of course, will depend on whom you ask. But once in a while, we get a rare moment of clarity. And when it comes from a veteran journa

In a series of interview segments, Unlock Congress author Michael Golden explains the "D.C. 4-3" - a construct he uses in the book to describe FOUR defects that cause THREE negative effects on congressional performance

By OMD Staff   "KNOWING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PLAY EVEN A SMALL ROLE IN THE SCHOLAR'S SUCCESS IS THE KIND OF REWARD THAT IS DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE... NO MATTER WHAT ELSE I'M ABLE TO DO IN LIFE, I DOUBT THAT ANYTHING WILL DELIVER THE SAME KIND OF SATISFACTION THAT OMD HAS PROVIDED."   Micha

John W. Fountain walks the walk. The successful author, University of Illinois professor and former New York Times correspondent who grew up in Chicago is also a Wilbur Wright Community College graduate. So earlier this month, when Fountain told a group of community college students that, "The hope I found was at the City Colleges of Chicago," his words carried the power of living proof. In 1901, America's v