While legal scholars continue to argue about whether the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) simultaneously gutted the Commerce Clause, we can turn what’s left of our tolerance for mind-numbing legal analysis back to Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal court challenge to Proposition 8. To recap, Proposition 8 is the 2008…
Somewhat surprisingly, this summer’s top cinematic draw for gay men is a political commentary on the plight of the working class. This film tells the story of a young man who has a dream, but also a credit problem. He’s good with his hands, but the only construction job he can get is non-union, and…
I try to keep my day job out of my column, but sometimes the political scene requires I bring the MD and PhD to bear. With the House effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act making headlines this week, it seemed a good time to talk about a few of the system’s dirty little secrets,…
“I’ll take it.” That was the response of an undocumented friend to Sen. Marco Rubio’s version of the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act. Rubio’s legislation was not fully formed, but appeared to include protection against deportation for children brought to America by their parents, but without a path to citizenship. Rubio’s…
Watching the primary coverage, you might think money was the most nefarious thing in politics this year. Former Council President Scott Peters allegedly “bought” his place in the November election with a $1.25 million loan to his congressional campaign. The Citizens United decision will allow supporters of Rep. Brian Bilbray to use PAC money to…
Most of Tuesday’s primary election results are in the books, paving the way for our first way-too-early look at the general election in November. Obama vs. Romney. If California is in play in the presidential election, you can practice saying President Romney. Still, the amount of money and effort the candidates put into the state…
“Someone who can rule and should rule. Centuries come and go without a person like that coming into the world.” – Ser Jorah Mormont, Game of Thrones When Nathan Fletcher left the Republican Party, I wondered (in this space) if he was trying to light a fire under his candidacy or start a centrist independent…
At a recent leadership training session, I was told that part of the “Ying/Yang” philosophy is negative energies producing positive results. Never was that more clear than when President Obama declared his support for marriage equality in the wake of North Carolina enshrining discrimination in their constitution. But beyond the elation of the LGBT community,…
With a gay councilman a lesbian district attorney, a newly independent assemblyman who supports marriage equality and a straight U.S. congressman with a 100 percent score from the Human Rights Campaign, local LGBT political coverage has understandably focused on the race for San Diego mayor. While there is no doubt that electing an openly gay…
Most Americans think of April 15 as tax day. But for baseball fans, it’s Jackie Robinson Day, a celebration of the man who 65 years ago broke baseball’s color barrier. The players all wear number 42, and stadiums around the country have pre-game events. The announcers appropriately recapped Robinson’s accomplishments. As an athlete, he was…
