Op-Ed
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Op-EdMarch 26, 2024 8:20 pm | By 52560
Fed-Up Progressive Justices Are Calling Out the Majority’s Agenda
First published in The Hill. For the last several days, there have been reams of analysis of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. Anderson, in which the justices ruled that Colorado couldn’t invoke Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to bar Donald Trump from the…
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Op-EdMarch 19, 2024 3:04 pm | By 52560
The GOP’s IVF Flip-Flopping Shows It’s Caught in Its Own Trap
First published in The Hill. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) knows how to turn a phrase. If only he — and countless other Republicans — really meant what they said. “I think one thing I’ve learned is that nobody’s ever been born in…
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Op-EdMarch 12, 2024 3:24 pm | By 52560
The MAGA Enemies List is Growing, and So Are the Odds That You’re On It
First published in The Hill. As the Republican primaries slog toward the climax of a likely Trump nomination, I can’t help thinking that we as a country are still dramatically underreacting to the MAGA threat. The fact that Trump has even…
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Op-EdMarch 5, 2024 5:09 pm | By 52560
Exposing Deepfakes Should Top 2024’s Voter Education Agenda
First published in The Hill. It seems like the world is suddenly drowning in computer-generated “deepfake” content that creates all kinds of risks and problems, and not just for Taylor Swift. Now, legislatures and regulatory agencies are scrambling to rein in…
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Op-EdFebruary 26, 2024 5:30 pm | By 52560
President Biden Deserves a Well-Earned Victory Lap on Judges
First published in The Hill. President Biden’s annual State of the Union address is now just a little over three weeks away. That might seem like plenty of time for wordsmithing, but behind the scenes, the White House is already working feverishly…
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Op-EdFebruary 20, 2024 6:00 pm | By 52560
A Radical and Counterintuitive Proposition To Save Democracy: Forgiveness
First published in The Hill. For a movie nerd who’s known to stay up all night streaming, the Sundance Film Festival is an incredible experience. Some 17,000 films were shown this year. It’s impossible to take them all in. But one movie…
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Op-EdFebruary 12, 2024 3:56 pm | By 52560
Five Executive Orders Biden Can Issue To Protect Elections Before It’s Too Late
First published in The Hill. With the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries in the rearview mirror, Election Day 2024 is closing in fast. That means a few more months of a flawed but functioning democracy, with no clue what comes…
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Op-EdFebruary 5, 2024 3:51 pm | By 52560
Norman Lear: A Hollywood Legend’s Lasting DC Legacy
First Published in The Hill. On the recent Emmy Awards broadcast, actor and director Rob Reiner paid tribute to People for the American Way founder, the late Norman Lear, with a Yiddish word that he said described Norman’s genius: “kochleffel.” Kochleffel is “a ladle…
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Op-EdJanuary 30, 2024 3:26 pm | By 52560
Clarence Thomas Cannot Be Allowed To Decide if Trump is Above the Law
First published in The Hill. It’s safe to say the D.C. Federal Circuit Court doesn’t often generate plots that could work as movie thrillers. Glance at its docket and you’ll see an alphabet soup of cases involving the IRS, the Federal Energy…
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Op-EdJanuary 11, 2024 6:42 pm | By 52560
State governments are ready and waiting to strip citizens’ rights in 2024
The whole country has now witnessed a nightmare worthy of “The Handmaid’s Tale” unfold for a Texas woman, Kate Cox. After a court denied the abortion her doctors said was medically necessary, Cox was forced to flee her home state to…
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Op-EdDecember 19, 2023 5:01 pm | By 52560
Our rights are at risk: There’s no time to waste on judicial confirmations
First published in The Hill. On Nov. 20, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in St. Louis, caused an earthquake in the civil rights world. The court ruled that despite over 50 years of precedent, private parties (meaning people…
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Op-EdDecember 5, 2023 11:41 am | By 52560
Giving Thanks for the Selfless Heroes Fighting for the Soul of Democracy
First published in The Hill. Thanksgiving always brings a mix of emotions. The history of the holiday is fraught, and this year the world is plagued by terrible wars. We long for a Thanksgiving without war, oppression or cruelty. Without pain…
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Op-EdNovember 6, 2023 3:57 pm | By
Outreach, not blame, can bring Black voters to the polls
Last week, Louisiana voters chose a new governor, Jeff Landry. I say the “voters chose” him but what really happened was that only a small fraction — about 36 percent of registered voters statewide — even turned out at all, in what’s described…
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Op-EdOctober 30, 2023 4:20 pm | By 52560
Svante Myrick for The Hill: The fantasy that indictments will stop Donald Trump is fading fast
You can find anything on the internet, and one of those things is a countdown clock that tracks exactly how many days, hours, minutes and seconds remain until Election Day 2024. As those minutes slip by and former President Trump continues to…
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Op-EdOctober 23, 2023 6:42 pm | By 52560
The Conservative Juggernaut That’s Quietly Writing the Majority Out of US Laws
First published in The Hill. Last Wednesday, partygoers gathered at the National Portrait Gallery in downtown D.C. for a lavish event celebrating the 50 anniversary of the American Legislative Exchange Council, known as ALEC. It’s probably safe to say that outside of…
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Op-EdOctober 10, 2023 4:59 pm | By 52560
No Labels’ Friendly Facade Masks its Threat to America’s Future
First published in The Hill. “Can we all get along?” More than 30 years ago, after Los Angeles police officers charged with beating him were acquitted at trial, Rodney King asked that plaintive question that has gone down in history. His…
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Op-EdOctober 2, 2023 5:26 pm | By 52560
Virginia’s Elections Are a Bellwether for Conservative Policy Nationwide
First published in The Hill. In just a few days, the first votes will be cast in elections that face intense scrutiny every time — and never more so than this year. Early voting in Virginia’s off-year statewide elections starts Friday. …
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Op-EdSeptember 22, 2023 4:24 pm | By 52560
The Right’s War on Prosecutors is a Direct Attack on Voters
At every chapter in our history, new crises create new heroes. Right now, the two who are shining the brightest are District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia and suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell in Florida. These Black women prosecutors earned election to…
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Op-EdSeptember 15, 2023 5:12 pm | By 52560
The Latest Hit to the Supreme Court’s Credibility Shows it Won’t Police Itself
First published in The Hill. And the hits just keep on coming. Recently, after receiving an extension on the deadline to file legally-required disclosures for 2022, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas submitted records that reveal yet more favors and perks from billionaire…
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Op-EdSeptember 13, 2023 4:59 pm | By 52560
Bogus ‘Edutainment’ May Be Coming To a Classroom Near You
If you’re a parent or student in America this fall, watch out: “edutainment” could be coming to your school. What’s “edutainment”? It’s what PragerU, a business that is not a university at all but a media shop run by right-wing…