I am totally preoccupied with the election this Nov. It will be the most consequential in my lifetime. I see this as an election which will determine not only the direction of America for the next four years but for decades to come.

Take stock of where we are and how we got here 2/Candidate Biden was on the ropes and headed for defeat for a third time when Congressman Clyburn, with the acquiescence of progressives, endorsed him. Biden is an old school politician. He was grateful and promised to become the “most progressive president in American history.”

In 1961, the late president John F Kennedy said “race has no place in American life or law.” With the decision by the Supreme Court forbidding the use of race in college admissions, I can hear the voice of JFK saying, “I told you so.”

At a time when our country is desperate for 2/ leadership, six members of the Supreme Court stepped forward to remind us that America is more than just its people and the patch of land which we inhabit.

In eloquent and compelling fashion, they hit the restart button for a nation that seems to have forgotten that it was

The Supreme Court seems poised to end the era of racial grievance that has held sway over our nation for roughly 7 decades. In the name of “affirmative action” America has consistently betrayed one of its most basic obligations, namely to treat every American as an equal “without 2/ regard to race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Here in California, despite all of our differences and seeming political peculiarities, we cherish equal rights so much that we have enshrined that principle in our state constitution and reaffirmed it in 2020. We will

A: With 15 days until the midterm election of 2022, and with pre-election voting already underway, the outcome of this election remains in doubt. Yet, if you believe in the ideals currently in place in America, this is the most consequential election in generations. There B: are those who want to “transform America”. They are identified as progressives (P). There are those who want to retain America and improve on it as we go. They (we) are identified as traditionalists (T). P are our fellow Americans, and I say God bless their little pea pickin

I am sometimes accused of being supportive of “illegal” immigration because I say that most of those who cross our border seeking entry to America do so seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

Public policymaking is often very nuanced with no clear black and 2/ white, and many shades of gray. Immigration is such a topic, but “illegal” is, for me, wrong. One of my traits - a weakness some political operatives would suggest - is to at least try to look at as many sides of an issue as possible. My surrogate mother always told me that

I am asked if my decision to vote against all Dems in the 2022 midterm election is a form of “prejudice.” To be honest, I guess it is. But, this is a form of prejudice that is informed by facts and is based on performance rather than immutable traits. Politics and public 2/policy-making is a team activity. The captain of the team dictates the plays. In the federal government, the co-captains are the president, the speaker and the Senate Leader. They are all Democrats. The president in the end determines everything. The Democrats are very good

Now, let’s have an honest discussion about white supremacy.

That is a term which most Americans rightfully understand to have origin at a point in our history when the KKK roam the land and terrorized Black people. That is a term that is deliberately intended to inflame people and to make them believe that there are whites roaming around who are intent upon oppressing nonwhites. Frankly, we have seen more racial hate against my friends of Asian descent and most of it has not been perpetrated by “white supremacists.”

Stable societies need boundaries, just as we do in our personal lives. This is the primary reason why I am praying that Pres Trump doesn’t run again. Despite the good that he did - reawakened our sense of patriotism, heightened our understanding of international competition & 2/made the political process interesting - Pres Trump was/is fatally divisive and he shows no interest in altering that persona. Four more yrs of our national conflict centered around Pres Trump & I question whether we can put the pieces of our country back together again.

As a student of political science, I enjoy reading oratorical pieces. I have read many speeches, but I believe the recent remarks by President Biden on the “Continued Battle For The Soul of The Nation” is probably the most despicable that I have ever read. It pains me to say o 2/ that because of my reverence for the office of the President. But, that is what I believe, and here is why.

The speech has its high points, at least in some of the prepared remarks, but the lows are really very low. This speech is obviously intended to hammer Donald Trump.

Guy, I am an unapologetic supporter of our system, but we are faced with tough choices. E.g. if there is a candidate who has great policies but a problematic persona vs a candidate who has terrible policies but an acceptable persona on the surface, for which one should we vote? I am now definitely voting for the better policies rather than the better persona.

At the end of our campaign to defeat Prop 16, one of our allies urged that we keep our effort alive. She said, “Ward, they won’t stop. Why should we?”
I thought she was being influenced by the thrill of victory and declined to follow her advice. I was 81 & have limited time to 2/ pursue even good ideas.

Now, I admit that she was right & I was wrong.

The old saying that in politics you should “reward your friends and punish your enemies” applies here. It has been difficult for me to embrace the second part of that saying. But, there are interests

A few days ago, I learned that there is an off-campus student housing theme house at UC Berkeley which is based on being a “safe space” for students “of color.” It is the policy of this house to openly & in print discourage “white” guests & “white violence.” Obviously, this is 2/ blatant racism & more of this CRT garbage, but it will largely go unanswered for two reasons: 1. There is no advocacy group for whites in this era of universal victimhood, except those which have an ugly history of racist behavior of their own, and it wouldn’t be good for

ERFAPAC Amicus

For nearly 60 years, race preferences (aka “affirmative action”) has reigned supreme in a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men (and women) are created equal. AA was meant to enable black people to gain entry into American society with the termination 2/ of Jim Crow. The objective has been accomplished, but AA is not due credit for that fact. The basic rationale for AA is that it is needed to overcome “persistent discrimination.” In 2003, the SCOTUS added “diversity” to the rationale, which magnifies the problem. It is very

We have always known that gambling takes place at casinos, but we are shocked to learn that politics are involved at the Supreme Court. We shouldn’t be! Nine justices are appointed and confirmed by politicians. Nominees are generally coached by the White House and every 2/ breathing soul knows that a cat and mouse game is being played. Words and context assume extraordinary importance. Even things that would seem to be obvious may become a political trap, such as “what is a woman?”

The leak about the court’s possible decision regarding

The first day of a new year always presents an opportunity for a new start, and our society is in desperate need of a reset. Let’s use thisas an occasion to reset our deeply divided nation. There is nothing inherently wrong with being “divided,” but our division seems pointless 2/and nothing seems capable of resolving our differences. Fortunately, our differences are largely man-made, and are therefore susceptible to human influence to mitigate them. I wish it were not so, but the political process has become central to our society, and I believe

RECALL POSTMORTEM:
The CA Recall Process, which concluded on Sept 14, is very complicated, awkward & confusing. It is reflective of California itself. We are a dynamic society that is ever-changing, with several forces working concurrently and in contradiction to each other. 2/ While we bask on the beaches enjoying our beautiful weather, we are forced to fear the consequences of a never-ending drought. As the tent encampments proliferate all across the state, we can see the evidence of drugs, poverty and human misery symbolized by the tents. We seem

The world of politics has become such a disgusting, shameful and ugly place that there is hardly a soul who is not affected by the immoral and stupid things that many of those involved in politics do. Given the influence of politics on all of our lives, one would think that 2/the people would be benefitting from constantly improving politics rather than watching politics lead our society down the path of deterioration.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was recently asked about the CA Recall effort. She responded by saying not to worry because she has a

The citizens of California are roughly one month away from one of the most critical decision points in our history. Do we vote Yes or No on the question of whether to recall/replace Gavin Newsom as governor of CA. If a majority of us vote Yes, who do we install to replace him? 2/ CA is my home state, although I left in 2017 because of my frustration with our politics. I returned on May 13, 2020, because I love CA and I am not a quitter. This state is worth fighting for. The issue that compelled me to return was Prop 209. We passed it in 1996 and the

There has been no claim of sexual misconduct leveled at Governor Newsom, but there are some significant similarities between California and New York. The most relevant of these is the fact that we are one-party states being held captive to progressive policies. In both states, 2/ taxes are choking the hell out of their citizens, people are leaving and the homeless issues are out of control. If your city is not safe and government is always picking your pocket, it is pretty hard to pursue happiness. CA state government is a disaster, in a political

There are five basic issues which, in my opinion, directly affect the quality of life in our society: crime, taxes, education, citizenship rights and housing, and not necessarily in that order. On all five of these, I give Governor Newsom a less than passing or even average 2/ grade. Crime is out of control and there are so many who have very little respect for the rule of law. Taxes are so high in CA that they are driving many in the middle class away from here. Once upon a time, our education system was the envy of the nation. Now, we’re

I have a very special friend who owns a nails salon. She loves this country, works 7 days/week, about 15/hrs daily, 6 days every week. Goes to church on Sunday, a single mom putting her daughter through college. Her son is in the military serving our country. Prior to Covid, 2/ her nails salon was the source of income for her and 6 other people. The very definition of the American dream and what it means to be an American. About 16 months ago, the Governor issued an order to close all businesses like hers. She and her workers wore masks, and she