Author Archives: Michael Golden

One of the most embarrassing moments of my life happened when I was 12 years old and had recently moved to a new school. It’s a memory so vidid that I can still picture the pattern of the tile beneath my desk.  Our seventh grade basketball team was going to have its first game that night. I’d barely made the team as an alternate to begin with, but all of us were told that on game days, we needed to “dress n

When the friends and parents of Alex Teves attended his memorial service service 10 years ago, they all wore blue jeans and white t-shirts. It’s what Alex threw on most days before he left the house. Alex’s Dad, Tom Teves, said that his son was pretty easy going: “He was always more interested in relationships.”  The last act of 24-year-old Alex’s short life was shielding his girlfriend Amanda from a ra

Maria Sanchez’s parents first brought her to the U.S. from Durango, Mexico when she was six years old. She graduated from Carl Schurz High School in Chicago, but her lack of citizenship complicated her finances and she was forced to put her hopes of going to college on hold.  Several years later, Maria enrolled in Harry S. Truman Community College in the City of Colleges of Chicago. Citizenship wasn’t the cha

Three weeks ago, on his 90th birthday, Holocaust survivor Werner Salinger welcomed his fifth great grandchild into the world. He’s pretty sure that his granddaughter Alicia had something to do with the timing: “I don't know quite how she did that, but the water broke and the kid was born on April 5. Which was her plan all along!” I met Werner earlier this year as I was telling the story of an artist named

Standing in my mother’s kitchen, I felt a totally irrational fear taking control of my nerves. It was the realization that I might not have the mental capacity to drive my car home that night. My mind and my body had hit bottom. The twin devils of depression and anxiety that I’d been experiencing for weeks — now had me full in its grips.  My next panicked thought was wondering how I could continue teaching

1) Seven directors were approached by Paramount Pictures and said "no" until Francis Ford Coppola signed on — and he had to be persuaded to accept by his friend George Lucas. 2) Parts of the musical score in The Godfather were composed by Carmine Coppola, who is the father of both Francis and Talia Shire ("Connie"). 3) The studio didn't want Brando for "Vito" and refused Pacino as "Michael" until just befo

In early 1994, just as Schindler’s List was being released into theaters, I had the chance to interview Thomas Kenneally, the author of the book that the film was based on. After he’d answered a few questions about the movie itself, I asked Kenneally if he thought it a fortunate type of irony that Schindler’s List was coming out at this particular moment in history. The Australian writer knew exactly what I

It’s been said in countless ways how the game of golf is a metaphor for life. Yet there’s always room for another. Yesterday the #1 ranked player in the world, Jon Rahm, gave us two more.  Playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational just outside of Orlando, Florida, Rahm had a 10-inch putt for par on the 7th hole. A 10-inch putt is so short that most beginner golfers will knock it in with little concern — muc

Six days before the start of the start of the war in Ukraine, I met a Holocaust survivor named Werner Salinger who was just six years old when he watched the Nazis burn down his hometown of Berlin. This infamous night in 1938 when violence swept across cities and towns in Germany is knowns as “Krystallnacht.” It represented a new level of Nazi aggression against the Jews, and it touched off the unremitting cascad

From the outside looking in, it seemed like Cheslie Kryst had it all. But we can’t always see inside each other. Rarely, in fact. Even the people we think we know best. Moreover, sometimes the view isn’t so clear even when we’re peering into our very own souls.   Human beings are complicated.  The curse of inner conflict is something that haunts a whole lot of us during our brief stay here. It quietly h

President Biden's speechwriters are doing him a serious disservice. His presidential addresses do not leave lasting impressions. They are missed opportunities.   To be clear, Biden is not a great speaker. He wasn't a charismatic communicator even in his prime. This is why his first two presidential campaigns went nowhere. And if the Democrats hadn’t needed a vanilla option on the ballot in 2020 to get rid of th

A melodramatic headline, to be sure. “Curing America” suggests that I’m about to deliver some grand, master plan that will solve an ingrained and seemingly intractable problem.  But it might be far less complex than it appears. Bear with me here. And be open to re-training a bit of your brain.  Freeing up one’s mind is not a complicated concept, but the actual doing of it can be very difficult. As hum

It’s 2 a.m. and I can’t sleep.  Joe Manchin’s machinations have brought my brain to the point of near spontaneous combustion. But that’s not why I can’t sleep. At this moment, I’m more concerned about the progressives’ next move in the House.  Lest anyone misunderstand my motivation for writing the following, it is not ideological. You’re either for or against the Build Back Better plan, which

I meet Sophia at a restaurant just outside of Phoenix. It’s an Italian joint, so after we both order a margarita, we share a laugh. Rebels. She tells me that she grew up in northern Minnesota — a transplant in the desert from the Midwest, just like me.  Sophia talks about her job working as an esthetician at a high end spa in town. She loves the way people open up to her and she also enjoys making them fee

I felt like I was losing my mind. Literally. My brain raced round and round in a loop of hyper-anxiety. Like a Formula One car at Indy — but with the wheel and pedal being operated via remote control. If the state of mind I’ve just described sounds scary, that’s because it is. The twin demons of depression and anxiety had visited me to this degree only once before. It happened about four years ago and it

Today is a very special day for a very special person. A hero of mine, in fact. His name is Jarrett Adams.  Jarrett’s autobiography is now officially on the shelves. It is entitled “Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System” — and it will be an instant bestseller.  Jarrett is the little brother I never had (although he’s a lot bigger than me)

Lately, I don’t seem to be getting nearly as agitated about political stuff. Nor have I been writing about it much. Maybe I’m just exhausted. But there’s one assertion that I hear over and over again that automatically heats up my blood. It basically goes like this: “They all suck! They’re just terrible. All they care about are themselves and making money. Every damn one of them. All politicians are exac

The very first thing I noticed when I sat down to lunch with Fritzie was her striking beauty. Her deep dark eyes and angular face were picture-framed by wavy brown hair. She just had style. At 71, she projected a classic kind of Hollywood glamour.  Fritzie spoke softly, but intentionally. She didn’t waste words. I remember noticing the scratchiness in her voice, yet the warmth of it washed over me like a waterf

Hypocrisy abounds in everyday life. People are fickle. We change our minds. We’re human beings.  And in Washington, strained rationalizations and snap reversals are as commonplace as nightly cable rants.  Still, seeing a U.S. Senator arguing against himself, in print, under his own signature, in the local paper of his state’s capital — it is truly a hard thing to watch.  West Virginia’s Joe Manchi

Yesterday, a melee broke out during a US Senate “markup” session over a voting rights bill known as the For The People Act.  The partisan brawl was predictable enough. But the last thing I expected was to hear a GOP senator calling the bill “Jim Crow, 2.0.”  Ordinarily, I refuse to write about Ted Cruz. He says indescribably offensive/stupid things on a regular basis, and there aren’t really many un

The "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act" sits in front of the US Congress at this moment. Among other things, it would strengthen prohibitions on discriminatory police behavior and officers' use of excessive force.  Policy changes do not happen automatically after tragic injustices. Far from it. But sometimes they do. And there's one that is etched into my memory.  Early on a July morning in 1997, just

Imagine you’re one of the top competitors in the world at your sport and you’re on the precipice of proving it. And then, after you’ve performed brilliantly in the signature event of said sport, you end up winning partly because your main opponent marked the wrong score.  It can happen. It did happen, to Bob Goalby.  Earlier this week, at the age of 91, Goalby attended the traditional Master Champions D

He looks tall in the newspaper photo. He’s wearing a tux and has a basketball in the palm of his right hand. Dark tinted Ray-Bans wrap around his wide grin and white Converse high-tops dangle down from around his neck. Hovering above him is a headline bolded in red: Kool Katz.   The guy in the photo is an old friend of mine, and from the above description, you might guess that he’s a star basketball player. �

Yesterday was a long day — but it was also the most American day I've had in a very long time. Every minute of every hour was worth it. I can’t remember a day when I took more cues and more orders from people who were either half my age or a quarter century my senior. Happily. At 7am, just a few hours before I was scheduled to volunteer at a Vaccination Site in Arizona, my morning started with what else —

When we finally kill it off for good, it will be an epic day for America. I’m not talking about the GOP. The survival of that party will be up to its voters. Or former voters. And I’m not talking about the political death of the defendant that the Senate just acquitted. I stopped speaking and writing about that politician after January 20. Now that the trial is over, there’s even more reason to ignore him

Today, addressing the free speech cloud that’s sort of hovering above this Impeachment Trial, Lead Manager Jamie Raskin brilliantly pulled off the legal equivalent of Eminem’s epic rap move from the movie “8 Mile.” Today, addressing the free speech element of this trial, Lead Impeachment Manager Jamie Raskin brilliantly pulled off the legal equivalent of Eminem’s epic rap move from the movie “8 Mile.�

 In 1967, the year I was born, Americans saw some tough stuff: More than 11,000 US soldiers died in Vietnam, race riots broke out in half a dozen states, record blizzards and deadly tornadoes struck the Midwest, the Six-Day War gripped the Middle East, Segregationist Lester Maddux was sworn in as Governor of Georgia — you get the picture. Tumult. Then came 1968. ‘Nuff said.   But amid all of that strife o

Inside the maddening, inexplicable political surreality that we’ve all been living through since last November, there is one essential thing we must recognize and never forget: The system held.  As I watched the ceremony at the US Capitol honoring fallen Officer Brian Sicknick, my heart felt like a rock. At the same time, I felt filled with pride, for his sacrifice just might be the culminating historical symbo

Watching Dr. Jill Biden become America’s First Lady this week launched my mind back in time — and then catapulted it straight on into the future. As I tell you this story, it’ll soon become clear why.  Fifteen years ago, when I first testified in front of the Illinois House Higher Education Committee, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Egged on by a few friendly legislators, I drove four hours to Sp

There’s ONE part of Joe Biden's speech that I'll be listening for tomorrow. And if I could write it for him, it would sound something like this: "I want to take a moment to speak directly to my fellow Americans who did not support me in last year’s election. And I could not possibly mean this more sincerely.  Although most folks may know me as a talker, I’m also a darn good listener. It’s just the way

I was standing in a Chicago hotel lobby on a May afternoon in 2018 when a political consultant friend called and asked: “Would you mind going down to Georgia for six months to be Stacey Abrams’s communications director in the governor’s race?” I told him that I didn’t think it was the right timing for a bunch of reasons. Ten minutes later, I got a call from Abrams’s chief media adviser — also a frien

I de-friended someone today. I rarely do this and I can’t remember the last time I did. But there’s a line. Disagree with me all you want. State your case. Bring a brain and some facts, please. But even if you don’t, it won’t cause me to de-friend you. The question is: How do you conduct yourself? Today, an angry guy I went to high school with, let’s call him “Andre,” sent a long comment about

The morning after the US Capitol was attacked, I found myself sobbing in front of the TV. The red-hot fury I’d felt for 24 hours had instantaneously morphed into wholesale heart sickness.  On the phone with a friend that night, after I’d thought I’d pulled myself together, it caught me off guard once more. I started a sentence. I had trouble finishing it.    Once I did let myself feel the full pain of

“Buckle up.”  If you’re like me, once in a while you’ll read a quote in a news article and it’ll just stand out. Beyond it catching your attention in the moment, it just sticks with you. You know it when you see it.  On July 16, 2016, Donald Trump presented Mike Pence as his vice presidential nominee. Maggie Haberman, the NYT White House correspondent, wrote this of Pence in her final two graphs: 

If you’re wondering whether impeachment is going to be brought to the House floor, there is a high-stakes game of chicken going on between the Speaker of the House and the President that will take us into Monday…  Democratic Congressmen Ted Lieu and David Cicilline actually started drafting the single Article of Impeachment Resolution on the same day that the Capitol was attacked. In part, it reads:  "Don

Because I write a lot about politics and government, sometimes I can get lost in the 40,000-foot-level stuff: Elections, laws, rules, and norms.  But the systems that govern our lives are ultimately driven by our values. And these days it feels like we’ve lost some of the ones that for so long seemed to keep our society glued together. Even if it was just at the edges.  When I think about this erosion of va

A boxy white sedan that looked like it might be an official vehicle pulled up to the front of the circle-drive at Pebble Beach Golf Links. As I walked past it on my way to the pro shop, I identified the tall fella getting out of the backseat as Tom Ridge, the former Republican Governor of Pennsylvania and Secretary of Homeland Security.  I walked up to Ridge, thanked him for his service, then made a joke about my

The past year in America has been described as the most tumultuous one we’ve seen since 1968. There were multiple crises that contributed to the 2020 mess, but there is no question that it was made worse by two massive frauds that were committed on our country.  If you look up the word “fraud” in the dictionary, you will find the following definition:  “deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of c

Listen closely… Can you hear it? It’s the sound of cable “news” ratings plummeting. Which channels? Well, we’re going to find out. We already know that FOX News Channel’s ratings dropped 32% in the two weeks following the election compared to the two weeks prior. But what about CNN & MSNBC? They haven’t fallen off a cliff yet, but that’s because the people thrilled with the election re

I could see the look of surprise in my father’s eyes as he dipped his hand into the pocket of his Northwestern sweatpants and pulled out a $50 casino chip.  “Ah, shit. Forgot to cash it.”  We’d just tossed our luggage into a taxi at the Desert Inn. It was a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, and another great father-son trip to Las Vegas was in the books. At least I thought it was.  Dad looked at m

Character isn’t always reflected through winning. The truth is that we often learn more about a person’s character when they’re losing. Or when they’ve lost. No, I'm not talking about politics. Buried underneath the headline of Dustin Johnson’s record-setting victory a the 2020 Masters is the story of a mini-comeback by another player who didn’t even come close to having the lead on Sunday. I’m ta

On Jan. 5, two runoff Senate elections in Georgia will basically decide whether a Biden-Harris administration has any real power to pass anything that will actually matter to Democrats. If the party ends up winning those two seats, effectively seizing control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, it will have African Americans voters — and leaders — to thank for it. Before we get to the

Electoral politics hits you right in the gut. Whether it’s an exhilarating victory that shoots you straight through the clouds or a crushing loss that makes you feel like you need emergency surgery — it’s personal.  When you invest your time, money, energy, heart and soul into any cause you believe in, you open yourself up. You might as well be in love. There’s no net.  A whole lot of Americans are fe

As the car rolled to a stop about 100 feet outside of the polling place in Southeast Phoenix, 71-year-old Bobbie pressed her cane into the pavement and started to slowly climb out of the passenger seat. The young woman driving Bobbie scurried around to help her, and then chaperoned her step-by-step to the entrance. I didn’t know Bobbie’s name until about an hour later, when she walked back past my volunteer po

The Republicans' victory has been fully consummated. Or as Darth Vader would say: "The circle is now complete."  Make no mistake. While America may or may not soon rid itself of an immeasurably lawless administration, either way, the GOP has won huge over the last four years.  Trump just received his third Justice on the Supreme Court, and the GOP-led Senate has confirmed another 180 of his judicial nominatio

With 19 days left until Nov. 3, a record 18 million ballots have already been cast in 43 states. That is a record. Keep it up. On the first day of voting in Harris County, Texas, more than 130,000 people voted. This was a record, and it was in spite of — or perhaps because of — Governor Abbott’s nakedly cynical decree of allowing only one drop-box per county (Harris carries a population of 4.7 million).

I have a friendly acquaintance in Arizona named Steve. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1977-82. Steve vividly remembers the Iran hostage crisis happening while he was serving overseas. Steve's never voted before. He's actually never been registered to vote. He's 61 years old. This year, he registered. This year, he's voting. Arizona has reliably delivered 11 Electoral College votes to the Republicans

It's true that once in a while, a phrase is uttered in a presidential debate that can have a dramatic effect on the audience in the hall and at home. But rarely does that line become the catalyst that ends up winning the election. Kennedy looked and sounded a whole lot cooler than Nixon in the first-ever nationally televised debate. It helped. The outsize gap in their performances — in a new medium — had an�

The tears didn’t start right away. Not until a bit of my initial shock had worn off. I’d say it took about 10 minutes. Then it felt like a flash flood.  The tragic news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing rocked millions of us. After an epic 21-year battle with multiple cancers, the death of the iconic 87-year-old Supreme Court Justice should not have come as a surprise. But when it comes to losing our genuine

When John Lindsay first saw the looters heading toward his New Breed Furniture shop in uptown Kenosha, he hadn’t yet boarded up his business. So he got right out in front of them.  “They ran up to my building and they grabbed my dumpster and they threw it in the street. Then they started running up to the main window, and I just got in front of it and I begged ‘em. I told them: ‘I'm a furniture maker. I'm

As the RNC played out this week and as recent polls have reflected some positive movement for Donald Trump, the perennial nail-biting has begun among Democrats. This may soon turn into bed-wetting. It’s a tradition.  Should they be worried? Of course they should. Any candidate or party must run a race as if they were behind — no matter how large a lead they may be carrying. It is political malpractice to do o

I was out to dinner recently with a group of guys when one of them, a friend of a friend asked me: “Are you still doin’ all of that political stuff?” I told him that if he meant working strategy or managing campaigns, not really. I said that nowadays I write and speak about it more so, but that I might be getting involved in an effort for the last two months of this election Then he said to me: “So why

Tonight the Democrats begin what is sure to be a novel-looking national political convention. Next week, the Republicans will return the favor. But for millions of Americans, political persuasion has already taken a back seat to the imperative of ensuring that our decisions will actually matter.  If we want a presidential election this year where every voter gets to cast their ballot — and every last ballot get

He said it. He finally said it. Kill the filibuster. At long last, President Barack Obama has joined the team to officially unblock and unlock the desperately broken US Senate. As he eulogized his hero, the Honorable John R. Lewis, the former president first talked about fighting for voting rights and un-rigging gerrymandered House districts that violate the principles of a representative republic. The

The first congressional candidate I ever worked for would start off each fundraiser by saying to prospective donors: “Y’know, my parents always taught me to never do two things: Brag about yourself or ask for money. Now I’m a candidate for office and I have to do both.” It always got a laugh, because everyone knew it was true.   Political candidates need to do more than just understand the needs and

The most incredible irony in this entire COVID-19 fiasco is that all along it has been a massive political gift that President Trump refuses to unwrap.   When a larger-than-life crisis strikes, leaders are remembered for how they lead — or don’t.  Whether you love former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani or hate him, nothing will change the indelible image that most Americans have of him in the immediate aftermath o

Robert F. Kennedy was fond of saying: “hang a lantern on your problem.” In other words, confront a challenge head-on. Illuminate it. Then take steps to tackle it.  Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has an opportunity to do one better than RFK’s mantra.   By changing his NFL team’s name to the “Greenbacks,” Snyder would not only move a controversial spotlight off of himself, he would refract it

After three and a half years, Americans know Donald Trump. All too well.  The question is: Who are we?    Last weekend, the president retweeted a video showing one of his supporters yelling “white power!” The misdirection tactic wasn't surprising, nor was its tone. Trump’s shock-jock stream of ugliness is consistent and perpetual. Three hours later, the man who never apologizes was forced to dele

Might or flight — who’s right in the coronavirus fight?  Of course, there’s no simple answer.  Theoretically and practically, we’re in one of those gray areas. Most people aren’t comfortable when an issue isn’t black and white in terms of its clarity. But I am. The middle track between extremes and deficiencies is the very definition of The Golden Mean.  It’s been almost four months since th

Twenty years ago, when I went to work for the Anti-Defamation League, I was just as excited to fight discrimination suffered by people of color as I was to battle the scourge of anti-Semitism. From the ADL’s Chicago office, I wrote and spoke out against hatred and racial discrimination in newspapers and venues throughout the Midwest.  But that didn’t subtract from the fact that I enjoyed white privilege. And

Brooke wasn't worried that she might end up behind bars this weekend. The only thing she feared was telling her mom. But she did. “Brett and I are protesting this weekend. If need be, I plan to volunteer to be strategically arrested, in my support for black men in this country.” She also texted her mom an instruction: “I will expect you to bail me out. There will be bail money in my bank acco

As I walked through the White Sox dugout with a camera crew right behind me, my nerves wouldn't let me forget that this was the first time I’d ever reported on a professional ballgame. I expected a memorable night, but I had no clue that I was about to witness the breakthrough performance of Bo Jackson’s epic comeback.  Ironically, before the game even started, I had a moment with another Sox player that t

Maeve Levy has the kind of heart that makes you believe she was born to help others. A junior at the University of Iowa who turns 21 next week, she’s totally immersed in her program in the School of Social Work. Like 34,000 other Hawkeyes, Maeve misses being on campus. She was finishing up her final exams back home in Oak Park, Illinois last week when I reached out and asked her about her college experience

I recently had the chance to interview One Million Degrees CEO Paige Ponder about the power of community college and the ways in which OMD is helping students to increase persistence and prepare for a life of upward economic mobility. The following conversation from The Golden Mean Podcast has been edited for length.   Michael Golden: Today we're going to talk about what I think is an incredibly importa

The surgeon calmly walked in to give us the news. Dr. Nitin Mishra and his team at Mayo Clinic had been working for hours to remove a cancerous tumor from my mother’s colon and to collect enough of her tissue to conduct more tests. Dr. Mishra had a bedside manner that was better than any hospital doc I’d ever met, so the warm smile he wore when he entered the room didn’t necessarily mean a thing. But somehow

These 10 words were the title of an essay I’d been writing in the months prior to the COVID-19 crisis. Once the pandemic hit, our collective attention-span became laser-focused on how we would attack and survive the disease. The subject of anti-Semitism, or any issue of race hatred for that matter, all of a sudden seemed off-topic.  Until this week.  At “Reopen Illinois” rallies in front of the Thompson

Our waitress Christina was heading back out onto the patio to deliver a platter of drinks to Michael Jordan and his crew. I asked her to tell MJ that there was an old Chicago reporter inside who’s got a challenge-match for him on the pool table. There was no such thing as a “challenge-match” — I just thought it sounded like good bait. The smile Christina flashed when she walked back in was unmistakable —

On Tax Day, 2015, WhyNotBooks and I were thrilled to publish Unlock Congress. The release date was no accident — the central metaphor of the book depicted a defective government product that we as American taxpayers are compelled to pay for. Meanwhile, between seven and 11 percent of us have confidence in the U.S. Congress.  Our recourse? The civic warranty spelled out in the U.S. Constitution that allows us

When he was three years old, Tiger Woods shot a nine-hole score of 48. As incredible a golf feat as this was, we now know it was barely a glimpse of his superstar future.  I was 12 the first time my father took me to play golf. I couldn’t tell you the exact day when I first broke 50 over nine holes, but I can safely say that it didn’t happen right away.  Earl Woods taught his son how to play every aspect

I recently had a fascinating conversation on the podcast with Brian Rosenwald of the The Washington Post. Brian is the author of Talk Radio's America: How An Industry Took Over A Political Party That Took Over The United States. The following transcript has been edited for length. Michael:  So, let's start at the beginning. I actually remember, back in 1988, when Rush Limbaugh was just about to go nation

If you’re standing in the middle of the street, and a car is speeding at you at 60 MPH, you have an immediate, one-step solution available to you: Get out of the way.  Seldom do large-scale challenges in our society surrender to such simple solutions — or to the actions of one decision-maker. Such is the case with the Coronavirus. We may be able to prioritize the steps necessary to defeat this disease �

Anytime that logic is ignored or not followed in any kind of tactical situation, I get annoyed. Even watching a football game. But when it happens in a life and death crisis like this — and arrogance takes precedence over knowledge and humility — my head feels like it is about to spontaneously combust. Three main questions: 1) What is the immediate strategy on testing kits for essential workers? Y

Lock it down. The only surprise is that it didn't happen 10 days ago. It's just math. If you don't have a vaccine, and you aren't able to test people to the extent that you know who's carrying and who isn't, then what sense would it make for unaware carriers to be injecting germs into countless groups of people. Rhetorical. I was waiting for one big sports league to shut down. After that, it seemed only logical

Tonight's debate may turn out to be more of a live negotiation on national TV - and this is a very positive thing. Many ardent Trump-opposers have been frustrated by the messiness of the Democratic Primary; we just want to eradicate Trump. But as I've written, this is how it works. And here's the good news for progressives who want elections to be about the ISSUES and not just personality and likability: The Po

The Masters has been canceled. This shit just got real. Yes, I was going to attend the tournament for two days. Yes, I'm disappointed. But NO — this is not some tragedy. My not being able to go to a golf tournament is what is known as a "high-class problem." People who don't know how they're going to miss work and still pay for their rent, food, medicines and child care — they are facing real problems. I

Long before they were ever elected to the presidency, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and Donald Trump were once primary candidates who faced enormously skeptical electorates. Even worse for a couple of them, they were viewed as jokes.   You’ve already been hearing people saying: “The Democrats can’t win!” Or: “There’s no way Joe Biden can beat Donald Trump! Just listen to him!”  Of co

“What the hell are they waiting for? Why won't all these candidates drop out of the damn race??” That’s what Democrats who’re freaked out about a Bernie Sanders nomination have been asking. And if you’ve been following this primary campaign at all, that’s a question you’ve been hearing. The answer is that the same problem remains for those Democratic candidates: there’s no obvious moderate choic

By Michael Golden and Emmet Bondurant Buried in the vortex of voices shouting at each other during this week’s South Carolina debate were two consecutive answers in which Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg both announced support for a simple rule change that would be a game-changer for the American people: Finally putting an end to the filibuster. For several years we’ve been making the legal argument that

The political irony is thicker than a six-deck Blackjack shoe. The dilemma that moderate and establishment Democrats confront in this electoral moment is the very same one that Republicans faced four years ago - and resulted in Hustler Don winning the nomination. In '16, by Super Tuesday, the GOP field had thinned out - but not enough. Trump still had four other competitors on the ballot, Rubio, Cruz, Kas

In 1975, at the end of a commencement speech Muhammad Ali was giving at Harvard University, a student shouted: "Give us a poem!" Ali didn't miss a beat, responding: "Me? We!" The crowd ate it up. Ali was invited to give that speech. He had something that Harvard wanted. Politicians have it the other way around — at least when they're starting out. Politicians by definition are required to talk about themselves

If you were in a room of people last night watching the debate, or, like me, were on a kinetic social media thread, you experienced the full measure of the messiness and complicated nature that defines politics. No matter how objectively I try to state my opinions about how the candidates are doing, invariably people take it personally. They want you to back their horse! How could you not? And if you criticize the