As I was driving my son home from my mother’s (his grandmother’s) 80th birthday dinner this week, he brought up something that was weighing on his mind. He said, “You know, dad, it’s hard to square today’s Republicans and Democrats, today’s right and left, with the definitions you’ve always given for what it means to be conservative or liberal.”
Have you ever wondered how an administration is able to get party members, staff, campaign surrogates, and media allies all on the same page? In fact, it’s almost eerie how politicians and party supporters can stay on message and use almost identical statistics and attack lines.
Besides the shared medium popcorn, no butter, and large Diet Coke, my wife and I have a ritual we go through when attending movies at the theater. We make sure we get there early enough to catch all the previews, and then, based on the trailer alone, rate on a scale from 1 to 5 whether we’ll actually see the full film.
Earlier this week, I traveled to Boston; it was my first trip to Beantown since before the pandemic. Although I wasn’t lucky enough to catch a Sox game at Fenway, I did have time to pop into the Boston Tea Party Museum, see the Old North Church, and eat dinner in Little Italy.
Earlier this week, the PGA Tour announced that it had reached an agreement with LIV Golf and the DP World Tour to unify and form a larger commercial enterprise. Given the extreme animosity shown among the various factions over the past two years, it was an absolutely shocking announcement that took nearly everyone by surprise, including the game’s biggest stars.
If you know me, you know I’m not a coffee drinker. Diet soda is my caffeine delivery vehicle of choice, and there is no better mode of transportation than a large fountain Diet Coke from McDonald’s. Otherwise, whether it’s from a can or bottle, I prefer Diet Pepsi over Diet Coke. Over the years, people have asked me, “Can you really tell the difference between the two?” My answer: “absolutely, without question.”
How many times has this happened to you? You’re in a car, and you’re giving the driver directions. You say, “Up ahead, at the next light, take a left.” Just as you do, the driver moves into the right lane, and puts on his right turn signal. Quickly, you correct him, and facetiously say, “No, no, no your other left.”
Among the questions I get asked regularly is, “do you meet with Senators and Congresspersons, and, if so, when and where?” The answer: “Yes, sometimes,” and, “well, it all depends.” While meetings with congressional offices during the pandemic were all held virtually, in person meetings resumed earlier this year.
The other day, I had a meeting with the CEO of an association for association executives. Yeah, an association of associations. She was pitching me on joining a coalition to lobby in favor of immigration reform. Although an admirable pursuit given the polarization in Washington, the end of Title 42, and the televised chaos at the U.S.’s southern border, I couldn’t get past it…an association for associations.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Washington’s revolving door is in full swing. The term “revolving door” refers to the flow of high-level employees from public-sector jobs to private-sector jobs and vice versa.