I made a bold statement to some conservative friends over drinks. I said: “Conservatism is like religion and requires blind acceptance of its dogma without being self-critical.” First blood had already been drawn as I was being (with reasonably good nature) teased as a liberal. Actually, there is a name for my observation, it’s called…
Backstage at SNL’s 40th
Last weekend I went to the “Saturday Night Live” 40th reunion. I had two Willy Wonka Golden Tickets to the biggest event on earth (that weekend, at least) and I took my 15 year old son, Chris. To summarize what I will soon detail, it was the time of our lives. This wasn’t my first SNL reunion. I…
“I give you the next President of the United States…”
I introduced then-Senator Joe Biden at a rally in Waterloo, Iowa, in 2007 when he was running for President. Recently I found my introduction and I thought it would be interesting to post it here. Today, as I talk around the state to Democrats about the last midterm elections, I find myself saying many of the…
Trade Agreements, American Workers, and Pete Carroll
Okay. I’ll set this up as briefly as I can because I already know where you stand. You think that Pete Carroll made a bonehead decision because he didn’t run Marshawn Lynch at the 1 yard line. I agreed with you when it happened and I immediately posted on Facebook: “What???? A pass????” We all…
“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together”
What are you? Are you a Republican because you are conservative? Are you aligned with liberal causes because you are a Democrat? Which came first? Your party affiliation or your conservative ideology? Are you a liberal, by nature, and, therefore a Democrat? Where did your socio-political philosophy come from in the first place? Was it…
The Preamble Scramble
Someone came into my office the other day and said, “I’m becoming a Libertarian. I’m tired of big government in my life and I’m tired of government in my paycheck!” I understood where he was coming from; I don’t enjoy writing the tax check to Uncle Sam, either. But, I also don’t enjoy paying the cable bill; it’s just a…
It’s A Wonderful Life!
I make a big deal out of Christmas. It was a big deal growing up and as a parent I’ve made it a big deal for my kids. I can’t honestly say that the traditions mean as much to them as they always have to me, but I put blinders on and go through my annual…
Snark Monkey Live!
This isn’t a political post, but I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Larry Morgan, the Snark Monkey, on his podcast. The pleasure stems from the fact that someone actually wanted to talk about my career in show business. The result is a fun hour long conversation, but Larry and I stumbled upon a…
Every Dollar You Ernst
Okay….Republicans swept into Washington in one of the biggest political polarity shifts in history. I worked for Democrats to keep that from happening, but ultimately it came as no surprise. Mistakes were made, Democratic blocks didn’t vote, historically this happens anyway, and an unpopular President was reflected onto his party. My focus has shifted away…
Are you kidding?
Does this ever happen to you? You’re having an argument with someone when they accuse you of a certain behavior, and you respond, “Are you kidding? I was just going to say the same thing about you!” Apparently, the criterion by which we judge others is not always applied to ourselves. This happens to me a lot…