Learning from the mistakes of both ends of the ideological spectrum, the left needs to infuse the pragmatically built mass movement with militancy and autonomy as it is being built. Anti-fascism cannot be a beginning point for sustainable mass organization, but the mass organization of the future must be militantly anti-fascist.
The radical right after Trump
The nature of the American right was ill-understood during the Trump regime. The word “fascist” frequently circulated in liberal and left-wing circles. Yet, the only potential fascist was ousted from the White House before the Trump administration turned one. Now, the risk is forgetting that we still live under conditions favorable to right-wing extremism. The … Continue reading »
Where are the SWAT teams?
The insurrectionists tore through the Capitol occupying the chair of the vice-president, taking over offices and rifling through papers. Some took souvenirs and brought the family with them. I tried to imagine what would have happened if the Million Man March had done the same thing.
Elections should be grounded in evidence, not blind trust
The existence of vulnerabilities is not evidence that any particular election outcome is wrong, but the big-picture lesson from 2020 is that ensuring an accurate result is not enough. Elections also have to be able to prove to a skeptical public that the result really was accurate.
We can’t go back to ‘normal.’ We must move forward
America wants to return to a reassuring normal, but Biden can’t allow it. Complacency would be deadly. He has to both calm the waters and stir the pot.
Biden’s reboot of US higher education policy – possibilities and probabilities
Most of Trump’s regressive policies can be reversed or altered. The portrayal of science and academic research as “fake news,” and the effort to discredit public institutions, including federal science agencies that are supposed to be non-political, will have a much longer and more problematic impact.
A call to action on National Native American Heritage Day
For those of us at Berkeley, I recognize we are on the ancestral and unceded homelands of the Ohlone people. This month and day are important to increasing our collective community awareness and inclusiveness. But celebrating a heritage month is not reconciliation and reparation. 2020 demands more of us.
Don’t write off Latino voters. Meet them at the local level
The Latino vote is complex, but we should not expect it to be otherwise. Latinos are a large, growing and dynamic demographic; they have different needs and experiences, and they shouldn’t be ignored or written off as a “bloc.”
Electronic monitoring of youth, and data sharing, widely used in California’s juvenile justice system
A new report released today by the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at UC Berkeley, School of Law, answers five important questions about the use of electronic monitoring of youth in the California juvenile justice system. This report, which I co-authored along with my former student Amisha Gandhi (Law ’20), is a follow … Continue reading »
Fear not. Trump cannot dispute the vote indefinitely
The president can bluster and protest all he wants, but like it or not, the Constitution and federal law establish a clear timeline of how electoral votes are processed, and when the new president takes office. Here’s how that process normally plays out, how Trump might try to undermine it, and why he is unlikely to succeed.
Is affirmative action the same as reparations?
During Black History Month in February of 2001, the radical turned conservative activist David Horowitz offered the campus newspapers of some 50 elite universities (including Berkeley) an advertisement entitled “Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Blacks Is a Bad Idea for Blacks—and Racist Too.” Reason Eight was labeled “Reparations to African Americans Have Already Been Paid” … Continue reading »
Some folklore to get us through the transition temper tantrums
As the latest long national nightmare slithers inexorably to its end, it is time to consider a few familiar stories that may provide much needed wisdom. Rumpelstiltskin, Samson, and a modern story.
How will Joe Biden heal the country if Trump keeps tearing us apart?
It’s over. Donald Trump is history For millions of Americans, it’s a time for celebration and relief. Trump’s cruelty, vindictiveness, non-stop lies, corruption, rejection of science, chaotic incompetence and gross narcissism brought out the worst in America. He tested the limits of American decency and democracy. He is the closest we have come to a … Continue reading »
This is Us. Urban density is our geopolitical destiny
In the days, weeks, and years ahead, we have much work to do. In our college, this work is particularly acute because geography is destiny, and our destiny is density. Red states and blue states? Fuggedaboutit! Elections in the United States are increasingly about our cities and the communities that enliven them.
My hopes, fears and expectations for this election
I’m more frightened for my country than I’ve ever been. Another four years of Donald Trump would be devastating. Nonetheless, I suspect Biden will win.
What the next U.S. leadership must do on four key issues
Berkeley experts talk about the most pressing issues facing America
Four strategies to combat disinformation before the election
Earlier in October, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its “Homeland Threat Assessment.” The report cautions that Russian and Chinese online influencers continue to employ coordinated campaigns to spread mis- and disinformation to amplify socio-political division and increase voter suppression. With the 2020 US presidential election in just two weeks, these tactics are likely to ramp up.
Don’t be scared. We can make America’s 2020 election results trustworthy
Regardless of what the polls suggest, Americans understand that our elections and democracy are under attack. And a power grab is still unfolding, marked by legal games, voter suppression, a crippled postal system and a politicized Supreme Court, which may decide a disputed election. Meanwhile, all electronic voting machines, whether directly connected to the internet or not, remain vulnerable to hacking and fraud. Despite these serious challenges, there is a way to make America’s 2020 election results trustworthy.
Why Trump’s diversity training ban is unconstitutional
Trump’s executive order grossly misrepresents the nature of UC Berkeley’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training … Most of my training materials include data, facts, figures, laws and policies, and recommendations for reform or policy change. In fact, saying that a person is inherently superior because of their race or sex is not only antithetical to the concept of equity, it is one of the definitions of racism.
Early voting is an all-American tradition
With voting in key states having begun more than six weeks before Election Day, early voting has emerged as a contentious issue. Observing that the country now has more of an election season than an election day, Attorney General Bill Barr lamented that “we’re losing the whole idea of what an election is.” I’m a scholar of the presidency. And as many in this field know, early voting periods are not new to the 2020 election.