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December 31, 2025

Cambridge Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Cambridge

3 Top Story Point of View J.E. Dean

This Dog Don’t Hunt: The Biden Email Scandal Looks Like a Phony by J.E. Dean

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What do “Lock Him Up!” chants, social media, and some suspicious emails have in common?  They are all part of a purported “October Surprise” intended to boost the President’s re-election chances. The story is about the “smoking gun” emails allegedly found on a laptop that implicate Joe Biden in criminal partnership with his son Hunter involving the Burisma board of directors and China.

The heart of the scandal is that Hunter, with the help of his father, sold access to Joe Biden in exchange for significant amounts of money. If true, the alleged activities would be felonious. 

Facebook and Twitter took down the stories, which are not yet verified. Trump and Republicans have since attacked the two social media giants for doing so.  Republicans accuse the companies of bias in favor of Biden, a perception supported by some Facebook executives joining the Biden team.

The dramatic content of the alleged emails–direct contradictions of the former Vice President’s claim he knew nothing about his son’s business activities–qualifies the story as an “October Surprise.” The President enthusiastically welcomed the New York Post coverage.  At a Las Vegas campaign rally, he referred to Biden’s family as “a criminal enterprise.” This prompted the crowd to start a “Lock Him Up!” chant.  Trump himself joined in, obviously enjoying this moment.

How the New York Post Got the Emails

The Post claims incriminating emails were extracted from a MacBook Pro computer that was dropped off at a repair shop in 2019 but never picked up.  Because the emails include messages sent to and from Hunter Biden, the assumption is that the laptop (hard drive) was his. The memory also held photos of the Biden family. 

Through his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani obtained the emails and shared them with the Post.  Steve Bannon, a former Trump aide now under indictment for fraud, was also cited as a source by the Post.  CBS News reports the repair shop owner is “unwilling and unable” to provide details on who dropped off the laptop for repair and other information that might support the emails’ authenticity.

The FBI is now investigating the emails. Several major news organizations, including NPR, have also raised questions of authenticity. A Biden campaign spokesman has said that a 2015 meeting detailed in the emails did not take place.

The New York Times reports that there was dissension in the New York Post newsroom relating to the decision to publish the piece.  One reporter who worked on the piece declined to put his name on it due to his doubts.  

Trump Jumps onto the Story

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the email scandal is how quickly President Trump moved to incorporate it into his campaign message. Since the news broke, he has tweeted dozens of times about Facebook and Twitter’s decision to remove the story. Here’s one example:

So terrible that Facebook and Twitter took down the story of “Smoking Gun” emails related to Sleepy Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in the @NYPost.  It is only the beginning for them. There is nothing worse than a corrupt politician. . ..

Then There is the Chant, “Lock Him Up!” 

Trump is calling the Biden story the “second biggest” case of political corruption in history.  That may be an exaggeration, but his supporters are agreeing.  Attendees at Trump’s recent Las Vegas rally did the chant, just like those in Detroit called for the jailing of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. (Whitmer’s crime is shutting down the State to curtail the virus—the same crime that almost got her kidnapped). 

Trump has also called for former President Obama to be jailed, in this case for allegedly spying on his 2016 campaign. The President is also resurrecting Hillary Clinton and her alleged crimes in his rallies.

Is Trump Asking for Trouble in Calling for the Jailing of Politicians?

One aspect of the Trump focus on the alleged Biden scandal is curious. Trump himself may face criminal investigations and prosecutions once he leaves office.  Have you read the New York Times reporting on the President’s taxes (non-payment)? 

Is it smart for Trump to focus on prosecution of elected officials?  

The Bottom Line

As of today, doubts continue to rise regarding the authenticity of the emails. Major news outlets, including the Washington Post and NPR are not convinced. Hopefully, the FBI will decide and, if the emails are fakes, find out who produced them and why.

None of this is likely to make a difference to President Trump as he enters the home stretch of a campaign he appears to be losing.  Vilifying Hillary Clinton over emails contributed to his surprise victory in 2016. Will a similar tactic work in 2020?  

Not if everyone gets out to vote.

It’s time for the circus to end. 

J.E. Dean of Oxford is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. For more than 30 years, he advised clients on federal education and social service policy.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Op-Ed: Are you Voting your Core Values? By Johnny O’Brien

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“Of course,” we say, yet the massive polarization and divide in America are based on loyalty to personality and attraction to policies and promises….not core ideals. When the majority of Americans vote according to their sacred beliefs, our country gets sound leadership, and the United States becomes more united. Because our nation is a rare democracy founded upon shared ideals which most Americans try to live by. Our founding principles like freedom, justice for all, honesty, and commitment to the common good are America’s soul.

How do you confirm that your core values are driving your vote? Here are a few easy tests to confirm that answer. Bring to mind the person who most profoundly shaped your character during your formative years. For many, that “ most influential person” is a parent, a teacher or coach, or maybe a close friend or another family member. We all have someone who helped shape our core beliefs and behavior as we grew up.

Picture that person who had the greatest impact on you. And then write down the most important core principles they lived by—the ones you most admired. Perhaps you identified with their honesty, kindness, or decency. Or you were impressed that they were inventive, sly, or rebellious. Or it was their open, trusting, and respectful nature you deeply admired.
All that matters is that you pick the traits that you most admired. Jot them down.

Growing up, my hero was Milton Hershey, the chocolate magnate, who saved my life and the lives of countless orphans. As best I can, I have tried to emulate his core values of:

HONESTY, RESPECT ( for all ), and SERVICE above self.

These are now my aspirational ideals. I use them to pick my friends, my priorities, and presidents.

Back to your core values list. Are you applying them as a critical screen to pick our next president and congressional leaders? Sure, other factors like policies, programs, and promises make a difference. But nothing drives behavior like a leader’s core values… Just as it does for us. We all know that politicians can and do say just about anything. But what they stand for and how they treat people, that is driven by who they fundamentally are.

Self-assessment #2. When we pick our “ Greatest Presidents Ever,” we tend to heavily weigh their character. What they stood for, not just what they said and did. What core traits do you most admire in your “ Best President Ever”? More importantly, are you requiring these character strengths of our national leaders in this election?

And a final reality check of one’s core values. What sacred principles and behaviors do you want your children and grandchildren to embrace? The “Shadow of the Leader” tends to be cast further and deeper than we ever suspect. And children are especially susceptible to the behavior modeled by our national leaders. It can influence their lives forever.

So, for your family, community, and your country, what cherished values are you voting from and for in this vital election? Your voice and vote matter more than ever! And character counts. Our shared and sacred values are America’s soul. And all are at risk.

Johnny O’Brien is President Emeritus of the Milton Hershey School and founder and CEO of Renaissance Leadership, Inc. He lives in Easton, Maryland. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Out and About (Sort of): Mission Implausible by Howard Freedlander

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As much as I have a warm spot for the Maryland National Guard (MDNG) after 30-plus years of service, I was dismayed to learn of its participation in a ridiculous mission in early June in the District of Columbia to project domination in the streets in early June, as directed, I believe, by our foolhardy president.

The MDNG sent 116 troops to protect national monuments supposedly in jeopardy after protests and illegal vandalism of Confederate and Christopher Columbus monuments in cities throughout the United States. This destruction was shameful.

To show strength, even when provocative and ill -advised, Trump unilaterally decided to request the MDNG to support the DC National Guard and park police in protecting cherished monuments. But our impulsive, vote-seeking president, forgot one important task:

Ask Mayor Bowser if she wanted or needed federal assistance. A rather serious omission.

A Maryland Senate Committee conducted a hearing last week to investigate why the Guard troops went to help its neighbor. Was it necessary? This was the first that I heard about this wayward mission.

Undeniably, the District of Columbia is a federal jurisdiction. It lacks the protection and prerogatives of statehood. Therefore, it is subservient to the president and Congress.

So, the White House and the Pentagon had no legal obligation to seek Mayor Bowser’s opinion or agreement. However, it would have been the decent, collaborative thing to do in a city with a professional police force. Probably sounds old-fashioned.

Back to the mission. It was manufactured by Trump to exhibit muscular control of the streets, to show Democratic mayors like Bowser he had the gumption to protect invaluable monuments.

The president and the Pentagon committed an egregious mistake. Use of the military, whether the active or Guard or Reserve forces, for blatant political purposes demeans the expertise and neutrality of the Armed Forces. We all recall the use of troops to clear peaceful protesters when Trump decided to take a stroll to St. John’s Episcopal Church at Lafayette Square carrying a bible.

Under any threatening circumstances, domestic or foreign, deployment of military forces should happen only after exhaustive deliberation. What shouldn’t take too much thought is the ill-advised, politically motivated use of the uniformed services. A military uniform connotes public service of the highest caliber to respond to domestic terrorism, natural or man-made disasters and foreign combat undertaken for national security purposes.

Not political gambits justified only by a “king of the mountain” mentality.

When the president and the Defense Department requested the National Guard for duty in the District of Columbia, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said no. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said yes. Hogan did say no when the president requested Maryland National Guard units to be sent in June 2019 to the Mexican border to thwart crossings.

An implicit trust must exist between civilian political leaders and top military officers. The former must expect readiness and expertise; the latter must expect sound, reasonable thinking and decision-making. This trust has eroded during the past nearly four years. Trump can only think transactionally, not sensibly and respectfully.

The Maryland National Guard should have stayed home and avoided being political pawns in Washington, DC. Trump misused the Guard. That’s regrettable.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Simple Gifts by Jamie Kirkpatrick

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It’s easy to feel jaded these days. There’s a lot wrong with the world: a pandemic, climate chaos, racial injustice, social upheaval, political chasms…I could go on, but why? I’d much rather think about what’s right with our planet and the easiest way to do that is to spend time with the grandkids. They see the little things we don’t. They remind us—me, at least—that sometimes there is great delight in simple things, like racing leaves down a country stream, or collecting eggs from the chicken coop, or roasting marshmallows over an evening fire, or just watching a stick bug crawl up your sleeve. I mean, when was the last time you did that?

I admit that these moments don’t come easy. We’re living through a time when it’s awfully hard to get away, to unplug, even to breathe fresh air. Counterintuitive as it sounds, these days you have to make a plan to have no plans. You can’t just stay home because if you do, routines have a way of raising their ugly little heads and suddenly, before you know it, you’re right back where you started and the dishes need washing, the clothes need laundering, there’s a zoom conference somewhere and somebody needs to walk the damn dog. Sigh.

So… A few weeks ago, the wee wife took things into her own capable hands and decamped three generations of us to Quicksburg, Virginia, a dot on the map in the history-rich Shenandoah Valley, to visit one of the famous caverns there. In some ways, the decision to go made itself: a friend whose family own the caverns (you heard that right) called out of the blue and offered us a lovely farmhouse on the property which was unbooked for the weekend. “It’s empty,” our friend said; “it’s yours if you want it.” Now that may seem like a no-brainer, but there’s some risk to moving two grandparents, two parents, and four children all under the age of seven three hours in the car to visit a cave. “What if it rains?” I said. “We’ll be in a cave!” the wee wife reminded me. “Well, what if someone gets sick or stung by a bee? What if we forget some essential piece of kid paraphernalia and have to improvise? What if there’s no wifi? Are you sure about this?” I said. That’s when she gave me the look; you know the one I mean.

Of course, I needn’t have worried. The weather was perfect and the farmhouse had a deep porch overlooking the peaceful hills and valleys of western Virginia. The chickens in the coop produced more than enough eggs for breakfast. The goats in their pen behaved the way goats are supposed to behave. The caverns were indeed wondrous—full of stalagmites and stalactites and pools of gin-clear water and crystals—but what the kids loved best was the picnic lunch that followed our tour and panning for gemstones and geodes in an old-fashioned mining sluice. We even managed to find our way to a nearby covered bridge—the oldest and longest in Virginia according to Google—but a bridge is just a bridge. What really captured the kids’ attention was skipping rocks and racing leaves in the river below the bridge.

I wonder what will be the memories that last? The cavern? Roasting marshmallows over a fire pit and playing tag under the stars? The chickens and the goats? A windmill and the stillness of an old place? Maybe. But for me, I have a feeling it will be the expression on little Annie’s face as she watched that stick bug crawl along her sleeve. No need for wifi after all.

I’ll be right back.

Jamie Kirkpatrick is a writer and photographer who lives in Chestertown. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. Two collections of his essays (“Musing Right Along” and “I’ll Be Right Back”) are available on Amazon. Jamie’s website is www.musingjamie.com

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Op-Ed: Time to Create more Space for People in our Towns by Owen Bailey

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Land protection creates great value in any community. Whether preserving a farm, a coastal habitat, or land for a park, the impact affects all layers of our society. The benefits are found in our food systems, the natural environment that surrounds us, and the public places we create for people. 

By creating more places for people, whether for recreation, transportation, or outdoor dining, we create opportunities to foster deeper connections to our lands and communities. We empower local businesses, foster healthy lifestyles, and build an overall better quality of life during a time when all three are desperately needed.

This October has been designated Walktober by the Maryland Department of Transportation and other partnering agencies. During this month they are encouraging towns to become more walkable as the and other agencies like AARP, America Walks, Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, Maryland Department of Health, and Department of Natural Resources all recognize the many benefits walkability brings to any community. Here’s what we can do. 

In Incremental Approach

Incremental steps can make these projects easy and inexpensive to implement. Tactical Urbanism, or demonstration projects, is a bottom up method for residents to test designs and locations for outdoor seating, new bike lanes/sidewalks, or parklets. If the testing works, towns can raise money to create a permanent solution, building upon a foundation that starts with prioritizing people in the placemaking process. 

Annapolis

However, if they do not create the desired effects, they can be easily dismantled. To avoid pitfalls, it is critical to evaluate potential scenarios for positive and negative outcomes, and to include key stakeholders in the process. Open Street efforts should foster a collaborative relationship between Main Street and Downtown Associations, Public Safety and Public Health Officials, and others who are affected by street closures.

We’ve Done This Before

For most towns this is not a new concept. Consider how our Eastern Shore towns transform for events like the Tea Party Festival in Chestertown, the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, and regular First Friday events. Streets become pedestrian malls, allowing people to move freely and safely to shops, restaurants, and attractions. Local citizens and tourists have the opportunity to discover new businesses, get their steps in, and simply enjoy being outside.

Chestertown

We should prioritize space for people more often. Consider the positive outcomes from opening select streets on daily or weekly routines. One outcome is towns better serve and support the needs of their residents. Most citizens want a strong connection to their neighborhoods and businesses, but it is difficult to do that when we prioritize space for cars over people.

Pushing the Eastern Shore Open Streets Movement Forward

Eastern Shore towns like Cambridge, Chestertown, Denton and Easton have already started this process, working with business owners and volunteers in their respective communities to close streets to cars and creating places for people to dine out at a local restaurant or enjoy the open space, while maintaining safe distances. They see these changes as a way of supporting their local businesses and their residents. 

Cambridge

The temporary transformation of streets into places for people to walk and bike is well-suited to become a permanent practice and a different type of conservation – one that enhances public space for people without the requirements of a car. This is the method championed by groups like Tactical Urbanism, Better Block Foundation, Project for Public Spaces, AARP Livable Communities, and Strong Towns who advocate for building people friendly places (Placemaking) and doing so step by step. 

Whether these measures work or not, they should be tried and tested. This is Placemaking. Try what you think is best for your community. Get feedback, make changes. If it works, consider making it a part of your town’s unique fabric. 

Owen Bailey is the Town Projects manager of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is lives in Chestertown, Maryland.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Snapshots of Daily Life: Slugs by George Merrill

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Slugs prefer getting out at night. They’re at their best in the dark.

Slugs travel nightly along the brick walk leading to my studio. I see glistening trails left from their nocturnal sojourns. I notice the trails routinely on my morning treks to the studio. I’d not seen one quite like the one I saw just the other day.

The trails I normally see suggest that a slug is on his way somewhere; heading to a definite destination so that, although the trail may weave a little this way and that, it’s usually comparatively straight.

This trail however seemed as if he’d created a minimalist painting, making some kind of statement; but just what is anyone’s guess. It looked to me like a human head, a person whose mouth seems open, trying to say something. It looks as though he had not finished making up his necktie.

When I see minimalist paintings, my first thought is, “That’s easy, I could do that.” I think viewers work harder trying to guess what a picture means than the artist took in painting it. All the slug had to do was keep walking (slithering? crawling?) and his or her wake became the creation. That’s about as easy as art can be. Its apparent simplicity seems free from all the intense angst normally associated with creative acts.

But, of course I am reading into the glistening trail he left and shamelessly attributing anthropomorphic motives to this humble slug.
I photographed the slug’s trail so that when writing my essay, anyone reading it could see why I might have been fascinated, and be on the same page with me as I ruminate about this creature’s remarkable ability to capture my attention.

We have had this brick walk for about 20 years. While seeing these trails regularly, I’ve never actually seen a slug. Where do they come from? Where do they live, I wonder?

Doing some light research on slugs, what appeared first on several sites were ways to get rid of them. Why so harsh? I’ve never been bothered by a slug. I thought they were slimy and maybe slightly icky, but not harmful. In fact, they are a sort of lagniappe for birds and other animals and for thrushes especially, slugs are regarded as haute cuisine.

The hapless slug’s vulnerability, brings out the worst in little kids. They delight in watching the slug shrivel up into nothing when covered with salt. For kids, the kick they get is up there with pulling the wings from flies. Hopefully, mellowed with time and experience, this unfortunate inclination to harm others will disappear. I do know that our dark side can be mitigated some, but we need to remain alert to it.

When we’re provoked, it can return with surprising vengeance.

But to return to the slug as artist; after seeing his artwork, I now think of slugs differently, even reverently.

Art and creativity of most kinds involve a person’s entire being. Artists, writer’s, and sculptors speak regularly of how their work proceeds from some place deep within them; it rises unbidden ––it just comes out.

Certainly, the same might be said of the slug who leaves his trails behind. Something within him is naturally released –– it just comes out. He does his finest work crawling around at night. Like all artists, slugs are never sure that what comes out of them will look like or what shape it will finally take. It’s too dark to see. I can say this confidently of the slug; that whatever he does, he gives it his all. The legacy he leaves behind –– the visible one –– can be surprisingly enchanting.

Slugs, like most artists, are plodders. Plodders creep along, grinding away slowly at their tasks, and, like the mills of the gods, they ‘grind slowly but exceedingly fine.’ In that regard, I’m thinking of a botanical artist whom I know. Her work renders stunning illustrations of various plants and flowers, studiously crafted with minute and in the sharpest detail. It is slow, tedious work. I’ve been told that it once took her three months to illustrate one ear of corn. I can only imagine that a person’s whole being must be totally absorbed, even consumed by such activity. The art of seeing more deeply into things is not to regard them hurriedly, but to slowly ponder them. I read somewhere that a famous writer, when asked how his writing had gone that day, replied, “I finished a sentence.”

There are, so many dreams, hopes, and wonders that come to us under the cover of night only to vanish at daybreak, in the way our nocturnal dreams, so vivid in darkness are lost to the light.

This is not so with my tiny friend, the minimalist slug; his narrow path says so much with so little. What he conceived in darkness, glistens in the light for all to celebrate.

Of course, this is fanciful thinking. I’m imputing more to what this slug is and has done than he ever has ever himself . . . or have I, really? But I will tell you that I have to wonder how many people there are in this world –– how many creatures there are who will never know how much beauty and grace they have brought to others from the hidden riches of their own inner lives, resources they never really knew they themselves had. They discovered them when they were reflected back to them by those people whose lives they had made better because of who they were. I wish I could say thanks to the slug. I guess by writing this, I am.

Think this is too far-fetched? St. Francis didn’t.

Contemplative, Fr. Richard Rohr, writes: “Francis of Assisi is known for his love for animals, but too often the stories become overly romanticized . . . Francis’ respect for animals is far more profound than mere “birdbath Franciscanism” lets on. Everything was a mirror for Francis. What he saw in the natural world, in the sky, in animals, and even plants was a reflection of God’s glory.”

If Francis hadn’t already, I’d op for adding the humble slug to his list.

Columnist George Merrill is an Episcopal Church priest and pastoral psychotherapist. A writer and photographer, he’s authored two books on spirituality: Reflections: Psychological and Spiritual Images of the Heart and The Bay of the Mother of God: A Yankee Discovers the Chesapeake Bay. He is a native New Yorker, previously directing counseling services in Hartford, Connecticut, and in Baltimore. George’s essays, some award winning, have appeared in regional magazines and are broadcast twice monthly on Delmarva Public Radio.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Bully Pulpit by Angela Rieck

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President Trump can be a bully.  Bullies are made, not born, and it is easy to be sympathetic to President Trump’s upbringing.  Multiple sources confirm that President Trump was raised by a psychopathic father and an indifferent mother. He learned that the only way that he could get his father’s attention was by bullying his brothers and ignoring his sisters. When he became an adult, his father proudly rewarded bullying behavior with admiration and money.

Unsurprisingly, President Trump was a bully in the Presidential Debate.

But what was surprising was how many debate onlookers criticized Wallace and Biden for not stopping the behavior.  A quick review of the research makes it clear that it would have impossible to stop this behavior within the imposed limitations of the debate.

Ironically, October is National Bullying Prevention Month.

The education establishment has focused on eliminating bullying for decades.  But it has been extremely difficult despite the extensive research and programs directed at the problem.  Bullying is especially harmful to children.  Duke University demonstrated that victims have health consequences well into adulthood.

Peer mediation and other programs have been tried, but research suggests that the MOST effective treatment to eliminate bullying are “upstanders.”  Upstanders are bystanders who stand up for the victim.  Bystanders often remain quiet because they fear retaliation, but if enough stand up for the victim, the bully loses his pulpit.

Adult bullies tend to fit into the following patterns:

  • Narcissistic: A self-centered, unempathetic person who needs to “put others down” to feel good about himself.
  • Impulsive: An individual who has a hard time restraining his behavior when he is upset and lashes out.
  • Physical: A person who uses threats of harm or physical domination.
  • Verbal: Individuals who create misinformation or use demeaning language to dominate or humiliate.
  • Secondary: A person who does not initiate the bullying but joins in to prevent becoming a victim.

Adult bullies are more interested in power and domination. They want to feel as though they are important and preferred, and they accomplish this by bringing others down.

So what can really be done about an adult bully?  Very little. Dr. Robert Stratton of Stanford University published a book The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt.  While there are many tips, here is the gist of techniques to survive adult bullies.

  1. Walk away.
  2. Fight back with your own “army.”
  3. Use humor to deflect bullying behavior.

The bottom line is that a bully is an insecure person who feels threatened.  But while it is important to be an “upstander”, it is equally important to be sympathetic.  Behind that bravado, hides a scared, insecure little boy or girl.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

America Deserves Better by Al Sikes

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America deserves better. Donald Trump didn’t make America great. Nor have any of the hotheads on the Left or Right; they tear at American enlightenment. 

E pluribus unum made America distinctive, aspirational and ultimately powerful. We all contribute or at least have the right to. This is the source of our enlightenment. And make no mistake, right now, in public affairs we are trading on what America has been. While enjoying historic momentum, we are depleting historic advantages.

America, a bold experiment, endures because our Constitution, laws, and institutions have been more right than wrong, adaptable, and resilient. These enduring strengths have protected us during periods of poor political leadership. We are now in one of those periods and the American people know it. Take a look at the polls which periodically measure people’s attitudes toward our political parties and important government, business and societal institutions.

Political Leadership

My assumption is that most of the men and women who are elected to one of the two houses of Congress are reasonably able. Most had to run several campaigns against aggressive foes. 

But, when it comes to courage there is clearly a troubling deficit. Members of Congress no longer go home to work; unfortunately, most emotionally and financially need the government job.  The result: very little sacrificial courage since it is very difficult to run for office outside your political party lane. 

Yet, there are important issues that can only be resolved by persons of goodwill who are willing to work with people whose political brand or constituency is different. Indeed the inability of Congress to even perform basic duties defiles the job they work so hard to keep. 

Outside Party Lines

Let me begin what I hope will be participatory. The question: what challenges can only be resolved across party lines? There are a number of intractable issues on my list, but let me cite only three.

  • The underlying freedoms our business communities and their employees enjoy have given America financial power that is almost unimaginable. We continue to be able to finance huge deficits that would swamp other countries. Yet, our greed for debt financing imperils this position as increasingly other sovereign debt, including China’s, are thought to be relatively safe. In the mid to long-term we will be competing against China on more than TikTok. Both political parties conspire to add more debt as they trade costly favors that are buried in omnibus spending bills almost no one understands.

  • We have often come together and gotten to know each other through public education and military service. Public education has, in much of America, splintered. At the same time, most of America’s youth do not engage in military service. I suspect the election of Donald Trump surprised so many because Americans increasingly live in demographic silos. Are there ways we can draw on the strength of everyone while getting to know each other?

  • Climate change is real. There is a solid case that our dependence on fossil fuels is at the least a contributing cause. There is an irrefutable case that new generation nuclear energy when paired with wind and solar will supply our energy needs while creating a much cleaner environment. But, we continue to take no for an answer as advocates hold the rudder tightly in roiling seas. 

Action

Alliances matter—we learned that in elementary school math. Power in most things comes from addition not subtraction. Are there public challenges that can break apart societal silos and create new alliances? Only, I believe, if there is a shift in how we use political leadership instead of letting political leadership use us.

America is, for very clever and aggressive entrepreneurs, a land of copious amounts of milk and honey. After a businesswoman or man has made a great deal of money, they often start charitable organizations that seek to improve the lives of people who have been less fortunate. The challenges America faces today put it in the less fortunate category when it comes to political leadership and government outcomes. 

According to Pew Research approximately one-third of the electorate regards itself as independent of the two political parties. A well-funded and thoroughly bi-partisan organization should be formed and concentrate on a set of issues that will move independents and their voting patterns. It is time for those who have done very well to become politically active and to do so outside the divisions that have infantilized our politics. 

This should not be a do-gooder organization that at best receives a tepid response. Its mission, principles and signature issues should be thoroughly poll tested so that it can shape its messages in an appealing way. Its organization brand must have energy and the leadership, skill and passion.

An effective independent organization will differ from a political party. It will not field candidates, but will put its thumb on the election scale by endorsing and advertising for candidates prepared to work on crucial issues outside the rhetorical echo chambers of intense partisanship.

It is often said we are evenly divided between Left and Right. Polls show otherwise, yet the bases of both political parties have outsized power. They are passionate and disciplined; only a countervailing force that is equally passionate and disciplined can move America beyond the intense polarization that is bleeding our body-politic. 

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al recently published Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Dr. Fauci Is not Endorsing Trump by J.E. Dean

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Imagine my surprise when Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH and head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, showed up in a Trump campaign commercial.  The ad touts Trump’s leadership in responding to the campaign, tells viewers, “we’ll get through this,” and advises us not to be afraid.

Despite and perhaps because of Trump’s leadership, I remain afraid of the virus.  My fear prompts me to continue to follow CDC guidelines and, for my own sake and that of others, to tune out pretty much every word about the pandemic that the President utters.

Call me naïve, but I think Fauci’s advice may be more valuable than Trump’s, even if detractors, including Peter Navarro of the White House staff and the White House itself, are able to identify instances where Fauci’s projections have not proven accurate. The doctor never claimed to be clairvoyant, especially when compared to Trump.  Remember when Trump set the goal of reopening the country by Easter?

I have no doubt that sometime in 2021 President Biden will award Dr. Fauci a second Presidential Medal of Freedom to complement the one he received in 2008.  For all Fauci has done, he deserves it.  Not only has he emerged as a calm, trusted voice on the virus, he has done so despite repeated interference from the Trump administration.

Fauci, despite his 79 years, is a tough customer. President Trump has used and abused him repeatedly. One suspects that when he first learned of the Trump commercial, he was not surprised. Another day, another insult. Or another piece of misinformation to correct.

Diplomatically, Fauci disavowed the ad.  He avoided an open argument with Trump, most likely, to avoid being fired. Fauci responded:

“In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed, nor do I now endorse any political candidates. The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of Federal public health officials.”

Let us hope Fauci’s approach works. I suspect it will. Fauci was shown to be trusted as an accurate source of information about the virus by 68 percent of respondents in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released in September. He is sufficiently trusted by the public that dismissing him so close to election day would further diminish Trump’s already bad poll numbers. With signs of a second wave of the pandemic and cold weather coming, we need him more than ever.  Without him, could we total more than 500,000 deaths in another six months?

It will surprise nobody that, despite Fauci’s statement, the Trump campaign is continuing to run the ad. Don’t forget, Trump is President (for a little over the next three months at least), and Fauci is only a doctor with expertise in the existential threat known as COVID-19.  

In the last ten months, Dr. Fauci has had multiple opportunities to acclimate to Trump’s abuse.  In May, Dan Scavino, Deputy Chief of Staff to Trump for Communications, posted a cartoon on Facebook depicting Fauci as a faucet flushing the US economy down the drain.  In July, the President himself retweeted a post alleging a conspiracy “by Fauci & the Democrats to perpetuate Covid deaths to hurt Trump.”

In August, the President was tweeting again. This time, after Dr. Fauci testified to a House of Representatives subcommittee that US coronavirus cases were greater than those of European countries because only part of the US economy was shut down.  Trump’s tweet screamed “WRONG!” and added, “We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country, 60,000,000. If we tested less, there would be less cases.” Is there anyone you know who wants to shut down coronavirus testing?

Last week I was walking my goldendoodle, Lucca, on Oxford’s strand.  It was a beautiful day.  As I walked down the road, I noticed a sign that made my day.  It read “Thank You Dr. Fauci” and depicted a heart.  

I echo that sentiment. Thank you, Dr. Fauci.  Thank you for your courage, leadership, and perseverance during this difficult time. 

J.E. Dean of Oxford is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. For more than 30 years, he advised clients on federal education and social service policy.

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