I know, it's late. But you often play with a speech the night before or enroute -- so how about your last Inaugural? Because it requires a thematic spine that endures, may I suggest one that emerges out of your books, talks, presidency: MoneyOut/VotersIn. Until we have a democracy-for-all, your...

For four years Fox has caricatured "the anointed one" as a a teleprompted, golf-loving, incompetent alien with no record or integrity... so how will they explain Obama's victory to incredulous viewers? Watch them finger three culprits -- viz., Luck, Sandy and The Media.

Here's the truth: The country faces a...

With GOP policy, language and funding in the grip of far-right regressives -- and its national ticket too -- now is the time for Congressional Democrats to sharpen differences to win and govern. Here's our Open Letter to 10 Congressional Leaders signed by 20 leading Democrats.

Robert Frost once...

For decades, from McCarthy through McCain to Romney, the GOP has slandered Democrats as unAmerican, weak on defense, or, as Dick Cheney said in 2004, if Kerry won "we'd get hit again." Maintaining that tradition, Mitt Romney last year repeatedly called President Obama "an "appeaser" --...

Nothing could enhance American democracy more than if Occupy Wall Street helped enact the 28th Constitutional Amendment to end the pretense that corporations are people who speak with money. The 99% can stop the privatization of government.

There's an important conversation going on about the goals of Occupy Wall Street...

A Statement Against Smears

We are publicly engaged American Jews who support both Israel and the ideas behind Occupy Wall Street and who also strongly oppose right-wing attempts to smear that movement with false charges of anti-Semitism.

It's an old, discredited tactic: find a couple of unrepresentative people in a...

I'm a Jewish supporter of Israel and Occupy Wall Street. Not big news, you'd think. But the right-wing noise machine needs some way to undermine this threat to the power and wealth of the 1%. So it's hit on "anti-Semitism." Oy!

When something called The Emergency Committee for Israel aired...

"Looks like I'll be running for mayor."

After the GOP put Obama into a lose-lose proposition on the debt ceiling, there's a jobs jujitsu opportunity -- post-bus tour and on the day dedicated to American workers, Obama can propose investing $300 billion now in a growth agenda in exchange for reducing the deficit through tax reform by...

Imagine a national politician who's vocally pro-EPA, pro-OSHA, pro-affirmative action and for expanding national health care. Obviously, he'd be a Democrat. He would also be Richard Nixon in 1970. The GOP presidential nominee won't be able to survive the taint of wingers competing for headlines.

As the Tea-Party GOP loudly...

As the Republican presidential primary season gets underway, two big-name Republican brands and NYC icons have been suggesting that they might run.

Rudy vs. The Donald would be a tabloid dream. How real is the prospect? Giuliani told CNN's Piers Morgan and CNBC's Larry Kudlow that he...

It's only been three weeks but House Republicans are already losing momentum on health care, deficits, civility, guns, and Issa's investigations. Was Nov. 2 their high point?

Republicans certainly earned bragging rights when they captured 53% of the national vote and netted 63 seats in the House in the mid-term...

After the President's remarks in Tucson, ideally the public conversation will be elevated to focus more on serious issues after the tragedy last Saturday -- how can we help the mentally ill before they hurt themselves or us? How can we craft gun control laws to keep semi-automatics away from...

Until now the dominant narrative this mid-term election year was that slow growth and high unemployment were sinking the party in power. But other numbers are now showing a new fault-line for 2010, 2012 and beyond. Outside special interest spending will equal or exceed spending by candidates themselves or party...

As Juan Williams and the far right decry "censorship" and attempt to elevate his firing a campaign issue, the public should remember several key contexts:

*First, it did seem abrupt and unfair that he was canned within a day after a decade of service, although presumably this was not the...

Dear Rudy,

While we've often been on opposite sides, I hope that you'll now publicly agree that the Islamic Cultural Center downtown should be built. Although that debate is ending, a larger one on Muslim and minority rights in America -- witness rising protests around the country...

I don't blame Christine O'Donnell, Carl Paladino, Sharron Angle, Joe Miller, Rand Paul, Ken Buck and others in the Far (F)right. I blame the voters -- at least Republican primary voters. As Mel Brooks said in the guise of Louis IV in The History of the World, "the people are...

Don't get tired of the cultural center/mosque uproar because, actually, we're getting somewhere.

Given that the next 72 hours mark the end of Ramadan, start of the Jewish New Year, anniversary of 9/11 and first public comments from Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, it's a good moment...

Many of those opposed to the proposed Islamic cultural center (and mosque within) say they're all for religious freedom -- and then comes the "but." But not Islam. But not there. But not if it offends 9/11 families.

"But" is un-American.

The entire point of the First Amendment's protections of...

Admittedly, there may be hotter subjects this month than the City Charter Commission's ballot proposals. But an absurd state law nevertheless allows the New York City mayor to hand-pick a commission to deliberate city governance in the dog days of August and put profound changes on the ballot for November....