ArcaMax

SAN DIEGO -- Republicans are pushing two conflicting narratives at once, and the double talk has them flummoxed and tongue-tied.

The first narrative is that Democrats are weak, ineffective, out of touch and totally irrelevant to the politics of today. As President Donald Trump might put it, "they choke like dogs."

The second narrative is ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Americans have talked a lot lately about the ugly phenomenon of political violence. As well we should; people should not feel unsafe because of what they believe.

Nevertheless, now we need to pivot and confront something we don't want to talk about because it can be even uglier: religious violence. People also should not feel ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- When I heard that a sniper had opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas, I was disheartened and concerned. But I wasn't the least bit surprised.

The agency has been drawing a lot of attention to itself over the last several months as its agents desperately try to fulfill an arbitrary and absurdly ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- President Donald Trump is notorious for falling to pieces over small things. But oddly, his petty rants sometimes touch on big topics.

The trouble is that the noise caused by the small often drowns out the substance of the big. This presidency is all about distraction. The president who can't stand a slight is an expert at ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The first rule of communications strategy goes like this: If you don't define yourself, your enemies, adversaries and competitors will gladly do it for you, and often in unflattering terms.

That's true with businesses, causes and nonprofit organizations. It's especially true in politics, where another version of the same idea ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Dear America, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. Really, I don't. Uncle Sam and I have always been on good terms.

But I must ask: Can migrants to the United States get a do-over?

More than a century ago, my Mexican grandfather and his parents chose the United States over Mexico. Unable to make a living in their own country -- ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Brace yourselves. The story of political violence in America is not as bad as you think. I'm afraid it's much worse.

It's not just that awful things happen. It's that when they happen, many Americans get unhinged. We have trouble being honest, staying rational and not going too far in one direction or another.

If the tragic tale...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- I'm calling time of death on colorblindness.

The concept was in style for a minute after the Supreme Court, in 2023, struck down affirmative action in college admissions and said all applicants should be treated equally.

The self-righteous preached that Americans should relate to one another simply as members of one race (the ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Are we winning yet? Donald Trump promised that -- if he were elected president once, let alone twice -- Americans would start winning so much that we'd get tired of it.

Part of that scenario came true. President Trump and his band of outlaws are exhausting. That's the point. By generating chaos and creating distractions, Trump ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- It's a simple concept that has somehow eluded the knuckleheads in the Trump administration: You can't break the rules to show people that they have to follow the rules. You can't violate the law while trying to enforce the law.

As they round up, arrest and deport people who have allegedly broken the law, administration officials ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- This Labor Day, here's a tip that might save you work down the line: Listen to your elders, especially when they're giving you advice about how to raise your kids.

I'm just the messenger. So let me say upfront the valuable advice a group of wise senior citizens recently shared with me and told me to pass along to you: Make sure ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom is bringing a whoopee cushion to a constitutional crisis.

By mocking President Donald Trump on social media, Newsom thinks he is making voters laugh. What he is really doing is making a big mistake.

These are dark days for our democracy. And like the saying goes: When the going gets tough, the tough....Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Think of the valuable lessons we learned as children.

Be kind. Think of others. Share your toys. Treat others as you want to be treated. Show hospitality to those who visit your home.

Perhaps we're taught to behave properly by parents or grandparents, or by teachers and coaches, or by friends and society. Wherever the ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- After weeks and months of digesting stressful stories about Ukraine, Gaza, redistricting games in Texas and California and the Trump administration's takeover of Democratic-run cities in service of a right-wing agenda, I needed a break.

So I took one. It lasted just long enough for me to consume a different sort of media. And, as...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- What happens in Los Angeles doesn't stay in Los Angeles. Not when you have a president who believes that fearmongering is a terrible thing to waste.

First, Trump ravaged L.A. by unleashing a battalion of goons -- made up of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marines, ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Immigrants do so much for Americans. They care for our children, look after our elderly, cook our food, make our beds, trim our lawns and perform other tasks in our homes and businesses.

Must they now entertain us? Do we expect them to make us laugh to help pass all the free time we have because they're doing our chores?

Many ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Americans get all fired up over politics even though not many of us seem to understand the subject matter.

For example, on both the right and the left, you will find true believers who share a common view that the two parties are vastly different and present a stark contrast to voters.

That's adorable. There are actually ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- As a journalist, there are at least three things that really annoy me.

One is when elected officials or public servants who bristle whenever folks in my tribe tell them how to do their jobs then turn around and tell us how to do ours.

Another is when government officials gaslight members of the press, trying to convince us to ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Confused and rudderless, the Democratic Party has been derailed. Only Cory Booker seems to be on the right track.

The Democratic senator from New Jersey is demanding that fellow Democrats battle Republicans, stand their ground and fight GOP efforts to make America the 1950s again.

An autopsy is in order. Democrats wound up in a ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Crafting a column can be an unpredictable endeavor. That is especially true when you're writing about politics.

Like most human beings, elected officials can be awfully complicated.

Take California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is as complicated as they come. His personal story is filled with paradoxes.

On the one hand, as the son of ...Read more