The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Trump's (un)popularity Alabama 2024 election: +31% 2025 approval: +20% Difference: -11% Alaska 2024 election: +14% 2025 approval: +1% Difference: -13% Arizona 2024 election: +5% 2025 approval: -4% Difference: -9% Arkansas 2024 election: +30% 2025 approval: +22% Difference: -8% California 2024 election: -20% 2025 approval: -34% Difference: -14% Colorado 2024 election: -11% 2025 approval: -22% Difference: -11% Connecticut 2024 election: -14% 2025 approval: -24% Difference: -10% Delaware 2024 election: -14% 2025 approval: -21% Difference: -7% Florida 2024 election: +13% 2025 approval: +/-0% Difference: -13% Georgia 2024 election: +2% 2025 approval: -9% Difference: -11% Hawaii 2024 election: -24% 2025 approval: -44% Difference: -20% Idaho 2024 election: +37% 2025 approval: +31% Difference: -6% Illinois 2024 election: -11% 2025 approval: -22% Difference: -11% Indiana 2024 election: +19% 2025 approval: +13% Difference: -6% Iowa 2024 election: +13% 2025 approval: +/-0% Difference: -13% Ka...

It seems that 9 times out of 10, when I hear the term identity politics , it's uttered by a Republican laying claim that Democrats are obsessed with it. That in and of itself is comical. It reminds me of a funny scene from the film What About Bob? Bob Wiley: "The doctor draws two circles and says 'What do you see?' The guy says 'Sex.' Wait a minute, I haven't even told the joke yet! So the doctor draws trees, 'What do you see?' The guy says 'Sex.' The doctor draws a car, owl, 'Sex, sex, sex.' The doctor says to him, 'You are obsessed with sex.' He replies, 'Well, you're the one drawing all the dirty pictures!'" So what even is identity politics ? Dictionary.com defines it as, "Political activity or movements based on or catering to the cultural, ethnic, gender, racial, religious, or social interests that characterize a group identity." Let's be honest, based on that definition, both partie...

I got into an interesting yet frustrating discussion the other night regarding the election. I was joined by two fellow "younger" progressives, as well as two more middle-aged conservatives. The two conservatives were "excited" about Donald Trump's election, while the three progressives often provided a WTF look in response to their seeming giddiness. Opinions were flung around faster than you can say "o-face," voices were raised, interruptions were frequent, and it came to the point where I felt the need to raise my hand so I could be called upon to speak. When I finally got my chance to talk, interruptions and denials were fast and frequent, before I finally spoke up about these rude breaks in my responses, and heard, "I'm/We're listening." This, of course, wasn't the case, and I feel is a key factor in our country's seemingly increasing problem of being (un)able to engage in civilized discourse with those on the other side ...

To start his radio program yesterday, the man trying to make tinfoil sexy again, Glenn Beck, said this: "Transgender bathrooms have come out of nowhere and are being jammed down our throat. I guarantee you, I guarantee you the next stop on this train is pedophilia. They will normalize pedophilia." The slippery slope is a commonly used fallacy right-wing media personalities and politicians have resorted to over the years, especially when it comes to the LGBT community. When the debate was over gay marriage, these individuals would say, "If we legalize gay marriage, what next? Are we going to legalize polygamy? Bestiality? Pedophilia?" Now, I could potentially see polygamy being legalized, because like with marriages between heterosexual and homosexual couples, the relationship is between consenting adults. That isn't the case with regard to bestiality and pedophilia, however, which makes the comparison ludicrous. Similarly, Glenn Beck's slippery slope, as...