In 1964, Fact magazine asked psychiatrists about Republican candidate Sen. Barry Goldwater’s mental stability. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), of 12,356 psychiatrists polled, 2,417 responded, and 1,189 said Goldwater was unfit to be president. None had examined Goldwater, who sued the magazine and won. Since 1973 the APA has enforced a policy, often…
As a physician with a political column, there is one topic I haven’t been able to escape of late: The EpiPen. [OK, two questions. No, I don’t think you can diagnose Sec. Clinton with a seizure from a campaign video.] Epinephrine, the medication in the EpiPen, has been saving the lives of patients with severe…
By October of his 1996 re-election campaign, President Bill Clinton held a double digit lead over Sen. Bob Dole, the Republican nominee. Seeking to keep the congressional majorities they won in 1994, Republican leaders made an unusual move. Instead of feigning optimism and relying on the coat tails of an unlikely Dole victory to protect…
The Republican and Democratic Party Conventions are now in the books. What did we learn? Two Americas. In 2004, Sen. John Edwards described an America divided between the wealthy and those who lived paycheck to paycheck. In 2016, the choice is between Michelle Obama’s mutually supportive country struggling to become more perfect and Donald Trump’s…
Last week, the City Council promised voters a chance to change the way elections are run and won in San Diego. By a 5-4 party line vote, Democrats advanced a ballot measure that would require a November run-off between the top candidates. Conservatives have argued that the measure is simply a Democratic attempt to consolidate…
As I listened to FBI Director James Comey’s statement on the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server, one quote ran through my mind: “Vote For the Crook … It’s Important.” That was the unofficial slogan of the 1991 race for Louisiana governor. Whatever the official slogan was, it came in…
The June 7 ballots are almost all counted, and the results largely as expected. Mayor Faulconer won an outright majority, avoiding a November run-off, as did Councilmembers Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman and Councilmember-elect Chris Ward. Barbara Bry did slightly better than expected but will have to take on Ray Ellis in the general, where…
Tell me you like Sen. Bernie Sanders more than Secretary Hillary Clinton. I can respect that. Tell me Sanders is on the right side of some disagreements with Clinton. I may agree with you. Tell me there is no difference between Clinton and Donald Trump. I will stop listening. If you have paid attention in…
With the California primary fast approaching, it’s time to make you “Politically Aware” about the June races. Republican presidential primary: Donald Trump will win California and be the nominee. Conservatives who want to win are falling in line. Others are flailing as the try to save the Senate majority against a Trump debacle. Democratic presidential…
Secretary Clinton’s campaign staff suggest that she is looking for a vice-presidential nominee who would dominate debates and take on the traditional role of “attack dog.” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren seems to have taken her audition to Twitter. Warren previewed her Twitter prowess with a devastating attack on Sen. Ted Cruz, who sent a fundraising…
