Author Archives: Spencer Critchley
i24’s “Stateside” with David Shuster: Joe Biden
I was on “Stateside” on the Israeli global news network i24 on March 20, 2019 to talk about the “inappropriate touching” allegations against Joe Biden.
What Makes a Life-Changing Teacher
Kamala Harris is doing a nice thing on Twitter, asking people to share stories of teachers who changed their lives. Here’s one of several I can think of right away: Kenneth Clegg, the chemistry teacher at Warwick Academy in Bermuda. … Continue reading
Democratic Socialist or Social Democrat? There’s a Difference — and It Matters a Lot.
Words matter. And if Democrats aren’t careful, they’ll use them to lose the 2020 election. Led by popular figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, some on the left are calling themselves Democratic Socialists. Are they really? I hope not. … Continue reading
What the Feinstein-Kids Video Teaches About Effective—And Ineffective—Advocacy
About the kids and Dianne Feinstein. I understand why some people feel outraged by what they think they’re seeing in the video, but I’d like to ask them to step back for a moment and try something that may feel … Continue reading
The “Innocent Mistake” Defense for Racism
Slavery was repugnant to many Americans long before America was a country — the Germantown Quakers denounced it in 1688. It was outlawed in the British Empire in 1833. We fought a Civil War over it from 1861-65. Still, injustice … Continue reading
How We Won—And Then Lost—The Cold War
It’s been hitting me hard lately how so much of the agony we’re living through now originates in our bungling response, or lack of response, to the fall of the Soviet Union. When the USSR collapsed in on itself under … Continue reading
Thugocracy
Erasing the difference between America and a thugocracy like Russia may be this presidency’s most tragic effect. Millions of Americans are being held hostage by a leader who can’t get what he wants through the legitimate legislative process. Count 800,000 … Continue reading
Branding and Incantation
One thing that President Trump understands is branding, although with “steel slats” I really think he’s losing his touch (panic will do that to you). His more successful efforts have included MAGA, Crooked Hillary, Fake News, and, of course the … Continue reading
Posted in Communication, Politics & Society
Tagged branding, communication, Donald Trump, influence, rhetoric
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Trump Isn’t Getting Better, America Is Getting Worse
[Also published at Medium.] After the shock of Donald Trump winning the presidency, the hope many of us clung to was that he would grow in office. Instead, America has shrunk. There was some reassurance at the beginning, as his … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership & Management, Politics & Society
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After Trump, Prepare for the Shame: A Warning for Americans From Occupied France
[Also published at Medium.] With the Liberation of France in 1944 came a miraculous discovery: the entire nation had resisted the German occupation. “Paris liberated! Liberated by itself, liberated by its people with the help of the French armies, with the … Continue reading
Posted in Politics & Society
Tagged authoritarianism, democracy, Donald Trump, World War 2
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