A sense of perspective is critical to wise and effective political advocacy. Deeply rooted social and environmental problems can be ameliorated and entrenched systems of power can be civilized by collective action, but as we wade into the currents of history we find that our... Continue

How did we end up here, where citizens of the same country, living and working side by side, are occupying two very different Americas? The RNC felt like ‘Nuremberg on the Cuyahoga.’ After a bumpy start, the DNC convention ended as the ‘Philly Festival of... Continue

The presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders in 2016 marks the arrival of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to the head table of American politics. The Overton window has expanded to the Left. The Tea Party movement of 2010 had expanded the window to... Continue

The center cannot hold. The triad of institutions (the RNC, the DNC and MSM) that defined the norms and themes of 20th century politics is now coming unglued, quickly. This has been described by conventional political analysts as a ‘populist moment’ but that narrative does... Continue

The Vintage House hosted two great public education programs this last month which both shed light on the state of American democracy. Praxis Peace Institute sponsored a lecture entitled “Economy and Psychology: Real Depressions, Real Solutions” by noted economist Richard Wolff and his wife, psychotherapist... Continue

The Vintage House is sponsoring an eight-week series (through February 25) entitled “Diminished Democracy,” presented by lecturer David Peritz, visiting professor at Sarah Lawrence College. He offers a political science scholar’s perspective on the history and deep themes in American political life. His academic even-handedness... Continue

Over the holiday weekend, I saw two films that really put their finger on the pulse of the present moment in our culture: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “The Big Short” and clarifies the times in which it is produced. Both of these movies... Continue

As the UN Climate summit (COP 21) meets under heavy security in Paris, the city and the rest of the civilized world are still reeling from the Daesh terrorist attack two weeks ago. Unlike the Charlie Hebdo attack earlier in the year, this latest atrocity cannot... Continue

The recent CNBC Republican primary debate provided a valuable insight into the conservative mind-set. Traditional ‘reality-based’ political commentators are shocked and amazed (really, again?) that telling straight-up lies that could be fact-checked with three mouse clicks is not a disqualification from the field. Ben Carson’s... Continue