The 24/7 coverage of Trump-a-palooza and Clinton-mail makes it hard to remember there are other presidential candidates, much less other races. The 2016 Senate contests are worth keeping an eye on, though, as control of the upper chamber is once again up for grabs. Republicans regained control of the Senate in 2014, when Democrats elected…
Judging political debates often has a Mean Girls feel to it. Like, you may think you like someone, but you could be wrong. You wouldn’t make a final decision without asking some friends, in this case the rest of the punditry, because the media coverage and spin have as much to do with the long…
Tuesday, Fox News announced the 10 participants in the first Republican presidential primary debate: Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie and John Kasich. With that question answered, we can start prognosticating about the issues and staging. Below are some questions to consider when…
The first Republican primary debate is next Thursday. The winners are already clear: Fox News and pollsters. With Fox News limiting the debate to the top ten candidates in an average of national surveys, every release of data will generate clicks for the network and the number crunchers. If Fox News is smart, they’ll roll…
Like most medical students, I took anatomy in my first year, spending hours dissecting a cadaver with five colleagues. Every five weeks, our full day of testing ended with a practical exam. It began by circulating through a room full of bodies guessing the name or function of parts identified with a pin and ended…
A number of people have asked what I think of the “die-ins” planned for Saturday’s parade. It’s complicated. As a political strategy, I think the “die-ins” are a bad idea for a number of reasons. Perhaps most importantly, it is causing division within the transgender community. While it is not uncommon for groups to have…
I want the Chargers to stay in San Diego. I want a stadium funding plan that puts the costs on those who would benefit most. I read the Citizens Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG) report and followed the back-and-forth between the City and the Chargers, and I still want answers to a few questions. Does the…
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn state bans on same-sex marriage spawned vigorous commentary on both sides. It also launched another round of analysis into how support for marriage equality grew so much faster than other civil rights movements. Most focus on the importance of coming out, personal conversations, the power of social media and…
When referring to the “LGBT” community, most people mean a group that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. When referring to legislation, however, the LGBT label is often slapped on anything that benefits lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals. The change in conjunction is small, but far from harmless. Protections based on sexual orientation…
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and entrepreneur Donald Trump both announced their entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination last week, bringing the total number of candidates to an even dozen. The number of characters will eventually shrink like an Agatha Christie murder mystery, but given the candidates still on the sidelines the…
