politics

Newsom Isn’t Pursuing His Presidential Ambitions. He’s Trashing Them

Why Is the California Governor Sacrificing His Chances at the White House?

Newsom Isn’t Pursuing His Presidential Ambitions. He’s Trashing Them | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

If former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and their followers are going to create space for hate and human rights violations, then why should anyone complain about California Gavin Newsom using his power to create spaces that protect the rest of us?

That’s the question that should be posed to California media and politicos who have responded with knee-jerk cynicism to Newsom’s many interventions on behalf of Trump’s targets.  These pundits describe the governor’s forays into national disputes over abortion, immigration, and LGBTQ rights as political ploys—performed in service of …

by Joe Mathews |

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Queen Elizabeth II Knew the Virtues of Being Vanilla | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Queen Elizabeth II Knew the Virtues of Being Vanilla

Not Offering an Opinion Was Key to the Monarch’s Success—A Strategy Her Son Would Do Well to Embrace

by Matt Qvortrup |

If the British monarchy is to survive, it needs someone who is as bland as Queen Elizabeth II.

You would look in vain for any controversial statements made by the queen …

The FBI’s Mar-a-Lago Search Was 1,500 Years in the Making | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

The FBI’s Mar-a-Lago Search Was 2,500 Years in the Making

Democracy Requires Equality Before the Law—And That Includes Ex-Presidents

by Asha Rangappa and Jennifer Mercieca |

“All Americans are entitled to the evenhanded application of the law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland assured Americans on August 11, 2022, following the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at …

Stop Using Homelessness to Hate on California | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Stop Using Homelessness to Hate on California

A Tradition as Old as the State Itself Has Caused Lasting Damage

by Joe Mathews |

In California, homelessness is a long-running crisis. And it is a human tragedy for an estimated 160,000 unhoused people.

But homelessness is also incredibly useful for anyone who wants to complain …

How to End the Vicious Cycle of Dysfunctional California Governance

Real Change Means Integrating Our Direct Democracy Into the State’s Entire System

by Joe Mathews |

California lawmakers and civic leaders are debating changes to our state’s direct democracy. But not one of the proposed changes is bold enough to reach the heart of what’s wrong …

Dianne Feinstein Is California’s Future

The Senator’s Age and Memory Lapses Are Inviting Calls for Retirement. They Also Reflect How Fast the Golden State Is Aging

by Joe Mathews |

Do you think Dianne Feinstein should retire because she is too old, too out of it, and too tied to the past to represent today’s California?

Then you are dead wrong.

Because …


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