A Promised Land

America as a Developing Country

We’re Not Alone: MLK’s Dream, Not the Trump Nightmare, Should Define January 20

Dr. King Saw the Civil Rights Movement as Part of a Global Struggle. That Means Even More Today.

So, Inauguration Day is here. Our president is a racist, rapist, insurrectionist and narcissist, as well as a corrupt, convicted crook – to put it mildly. But to get through today’s dismay, and to take heart for the next four years, it’s far better to make January 20 about the other event it commemorates: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This includes learning from Dr. King’s under-appreciated dream about how the fight for freedom in America relates to similar struggles abroad, in stark contrast with Trump’s nightmarish outlook.

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Empty Sky

On Losing and Finding Faith in the Wake of the Election

“I woke up this morning, I could barely breathe.”

The words are from “Empty Sky,” the saddest of the many songs Bruce Springsteen wrote about 9/11. They came to mind eight years ago, right after Trump’s shocking triumph over Hillary Clinton. Along with Trump, they’re back.

“Empty Sky” is about the loss of the planes that September day. It’s about the loss of so many lives. It’s about the loss of a loved one.

Most of all, it’s about the loss of faith.

“I woke up this morning to an empty sky.”

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People Power, from Manila to Pennsylvania

Canvassing in bellwether counties, I saw how Harris’s campaign echoes a historic pro-democracy drive...which is why she could win.

Campaign door-knocking doesn’t always go this nicely, but it could prove crucial.

What does a popular uprising in an Asian nation decades ago have to do with Kamala Harris’s campaign today?

A lot.

Nearly Forty Years Later…

In 1986, after Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos stole his country’s presidential election, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos demonstrated in what came to be known as “People Power”: They jammed Manila’s streets to block his tanks from crushing a pro-democracy military rebellion. His regime’s collapse days later capped months of opposition mobilization throughout the nation.

In 2024, Harris is similarly mobilizing massive numbers of supporters across America. Many thousands of volunteers are knocking on doors, making phone calls and otherwise doing get-out-the-vote grunt work down the home stretch. She closed her powerful D.C. speech tonight by emphasizing that “each of you has the power to turn the page.” Here’s the Harris campaign link, to pitch in; even at this late date, such help could prove pivotal in an excruciatingly close election.

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My Indian TV Interview About the Kamala Harris CNN Interview: She Wisely Played It Safe

There's a Method to the Vagueness.

As I’ve previously noted, I’m sometimes interviewed by a leading Indian broadcaster, WION, about U.S. current events and foreign policy. WION recently contacted me to comment on the August 29 Harris/Walz CNN interview. Here’s the video. (Apologies for the fact that I’m slightly out of focus, which actually might be better for my appearance, and for the sound being occasionally glitchy.)

I hope that my observations are worth considering, but in any event you might find it of interest to learn a bit about what educated Indian audiences are interested in regarding our presidential campaign.