Six friends. All professionals, each uber-active in the affairs of our community. Mutual respect runs high. We are well-read, even across the political spectrum. Yet we are at opposite ends in this election cycle when voting for President. We are a microcosm of why this election is so close. Trump cannot win without the votes of non-MAGA Republicans and Independents. Three are in our group, along with three Democrats. The Independent is a former GOP member who left the party over Trump. This man is a former marine, newsman, and recognized business leader who feels strongly (and correctly) that leadership starts with character, and Trump lacks positive character attributes. Among the Democrats, one is a former independent so outraged by the GOP supporting Trump two election cycles before that she became a Democrat. That’s me. Admittedly, I have always leaned democratic (while voting…
Grading The Lincoln Project
The Lincoln Project (TLP) is a tribe of GOP political consultants created in advance of the November 2020 election. Its immediate objective was to convince right-leaning-independent and GOP voters in the swing states to vote for Biden and Democratic Senate candidates. Its broader aim, one that continues after this election, is to protect American democracy. Democracy for TLP is one that contains strong democratic institutions (e.g., voting by all, a Justice Department independent of politics) and fulfills the promise of our nation. Steve Bannon (Trump’s 2016 election advisor) said that if TLP could turn 4% of GOP voters to Biden, Trump would lose in 2020. So, 4% became TLP’s key performance indicator. I would suggest a higher benchmark as 4% of GOP voters voted for Hillary in 2016, according to Pew Center research. Did TLP get more than 4% of the GOP…
Leadership is a responsibility, not a right to do wrong.
Men. If you are paid multiple millions of dollars a year, you should be able to control your dick. Period. This blog is not a morality tale, at least with regards to personal sexual or marital morality. Instead, it is a tale about a CEO who was indifferent to the potential risks that his sexual and emotional behavior posed to others. I am writing to express anger at leaders who think they are above the law, be it the real law or a workplace code-of-conduct. Former McDonald’s CEO Stephen Easterbrook left his role after the company’s Board of Directors learned of Easterbrook’s consensual relationship with a staff member. In exchange for leaving, he is getting six months of severance and favorable treatment on options. Easterbrook is divorced. We do not know the marital status or reporting relationship of the staff member. Those facts…
Keeping the ACA baby, but changing the bathwater
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) got a couple of things right, so right that we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater if we want to move towards a cost-effective, value-driven, and equitable healthcare system. There are four parts of healthcare insurance reform: private insurance reform; subsidies for low-income individuals who cannot otherwise afford insurance; government coverage (such as Medicare and Medicaid); and operation of markets (exchanges) where insurance is purchased. The ACA scored high grades on the first three elements and poor grades on the latter. Let’s examine why. Private insurance reform included adding children up to age 26 in insured groups (also called pools). Including young people improved the risk diversification of the pool, which was good for everyone’s rates as those twenty-year-olds are so healthy. This policy also kept more young people insured. Pre-ACA private insurance benefited insurers’…