It was gorgeous late summer day. The temperature was what anyone would consider perfect for the time of year. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

I assume that I started my day like any other morning. Wake up. Shower. Shave. Perhaps a stop at a convenience store before I hit the road for another day.

The memories of the morning start somewhere just before 8am Central, in the car, listening to the radio, when the station made reference to one of the towers getting hit by a plane. They were still playing music. They gave no further details. It wasn’t otherwise urgent. The visual I created in my head was of a small Cessna that perhaps was involved in an accident, or maybe had a crazy person decide to commit suicide.

I couldn’t imagine the horror of what real people intended to do that day.

When I was 19 years old, my mother died in a car accident. Much like that day, September 11th is one I can remember with amazing clarity and detail. The weather. The big details as well as the small. I can remember the gasps when the 2nd plane hit from people gathered around the television set in the newsroom of the radio station cluster where I worked. I can remember later when somebody remarked how weird it was that there were no jet trails in the sky. The nation’s air space had been shut down.

I remember going to fill up my car with gas because that was a thing I was told I should do. There was a guy at the gas station with his truck full of gas cans. He was going to fill all of them up.

The look in his eye was one of fear.

I still tear up sometimes when I think about 9/11. The normal thing to say is that it’s out of a sense of mourning for all of those who lost their lives that day. The people. The first responders. The parents. Their children. And while I do mourn for them, or at least hope I do, if I’m being honest there is only so much I can feel for them. I didn’t know them personally. I don’t know anyone who did. It’s a mourning that longs for itself to be more than it is, because at the end of the day it’s something that happened to someone else.

My oldest son is now old enough to ask me about that day. He asks and I grow more distant than I expect. The details of that day itself are easy enough to tell him. Four planes. Two towers. Flight 93. The Pentagon. 3,000 dead.

It’s what happened next that is harder to explain. It’s the loss that’s perhaps more tangible to all of us than even the lives that were lost. September 11th was a day when many of us lost our innocence, and later our civility and respect.

The come-together moments in the aftermath were grand, euphoric and cathartic. America would come together and rebuild, we thought, and bring those who did us harm to justice. That’s the type of story we had always been told about America, and the one we desperately hoped would be true.

Yet, we’re more politically torn today than we have been in decades. Only during the Civil War, or perhaps the turbulent 1960s, has America been more divided by our politics than we are today.

The coming wars left thousands of our own soldiers dead, and two opposing sides at home. One side called the other war criminals while the latter called the former traitors. When the opportunity to come together and celebrate the nation’s first ever African American president came about, a quarter of the country questioned his very legitimacy as an American. Later police shootings pitted police against protestors with neither side able to give an ounce of empathy to the other. For one side, minorities and immigrants and refugees would become suspect. One of the nation’s chief antagonists throughout would become president.

Looking back, all of the strife and vitriol and fear and contempt that we see in today’s politics started on that fateful morning.

I was 22.

I worked like mad the rest of the day. There were radio pieces to produce, and copy to write, and things to get on the air. I got back to my apartment that night as the president was set to speak.

My roommates and I watched him in silence. Nobody said a word from the time I arrived until he finished speaking. There were four of us in the apartment. All no more than 23 years old. Everyone knew that our world would change forever.

The silence was broken when one of us suggested we head to the bar. And so we did. Friends and strangers trying to process what we had just seen and come to terms with the long ride ahead.

Seventeen years later, what a long ride it’s been.

I’m a progressive independent who writes about politics & culture. Keep up with my latest content by following on Facebook or Twitter.

I learned a few things about the social media giant, and myself, in the process.  

First, I want to say that the connections we have on Facebook are real. There are real people, who's lives we care about, with whom Facebook helps us stay in touch. There are real people who's opinions we value on matters going on in the world, and for professional feedback. 

There was more than one instance where my wife told me about things going on with people close to us that I didn't know about. She learned about them on Facebook. I was off the grid and out of the loop.

Facebook will tell you that their mission is to connect people, and they've done that, quite honestly, in an amazing way. Not only do we keep in touch with family, friends and professional networks, we use it to organize events, and launch new social movements. 

If it stopped there - at only the good side of the equation - how could we not say that it's one of the most beneficial tools ever created for society?

But it doesn't stop there, unfortunately. The problems that plague our social discourse only get amplified on social media. Your political friends can't stop sharing politics. Your friends that tend to see the world in a negative light can't stop sharing negativity. The advertisers who want you to buy their products can't stop advertising. 

We live in a digital world that now provides instant feedback on the media we create. As individuals, we seek out Facebook likes from our friends. Marketers and media companies see the things they create in terms of shares and clicks. Facebook sees the world in terms of time spent on Facebook - the longer you are there, the more ads they can serve - and their algorithms show you the things that will keep you coming back for more and more.

So much of what is put in front of us seems so reactionary and so short term. Did you see what the politician from the other side said that was outrageous? Did you see the news story from your local television affiliate about another shooting? Did you see the slam directed at those who oppose the things you value? Did you see the offer that only lasts for a limited time?

Yet, as much as we all know the downside to Facebook, there's a strangely addictive quality to all of it. As a former smoker, I know what it is like to give up a nicotine addiction, and giving up Facebook wasn't dissimilar. Not in the, "Oh, my,  I really need a cigarette RIGHT NOW," type of craving you get when you give up smoking, but more from a sudden awareness of all of the times you engage in the habit without even thinking about it. 

Any smoker will tell you that there were times they truly enjoyed a cigarette. After completion of a project. After dinner. A smoke or two while having a drink. It's the other sixteen a day for the pack-a-day smoker that makes them feel the worst. At some point, you ask yourself, "What in the world am I doing?"

Over time, it seems that Facebook seeps into every aspect of our day. We check it in line at the grocery store. We check it while we're waiting for our dinner to arrive. We check it at work after completion of a task. We check it any time we need a mental break. We check it first thing in the morning. We check it one more time at night. I can't tell you how many times I logged into Facebook out of pure habit during my little purge, only to log back out after reminding myself I'm staying away for awhile. 

So much of what we do with Facebook is unproductive consumption for the sake of habit. Yes, there were a few updates about family and friends that I missed, but in six weeks of mostly staying away like I said I would, what did I really miss? I was fully caught up on the news from other sources; I guess I mostly just missed the added negativity and in-fighting. 

Still, I wouldn't be being completely honest if I didn't address the personal desire that lasted longer than the need to stay plugged in to what was going on around me: the desire to share. Seems so innocent and altruistic when it's put like that, doesn't it? But on top of cute pictures of my kids and general life updates, I would be lying if I didn't admit that my desire to share also included all of the terrible things mentioned above. 

That's the funny thing about Facebook. They are a company with real problems on their own (data sharing scandal, fake news, etc.), but the biggest problems seem to stem from us.

I've had to ask myself what I'm going to do differently now that I'm back. Moving forward, it's a goal of mine not to engage in daily tit-for-tats that have a shelf life of little more than 12 hours. I've broken the habit of mindless Facebook consumption and I intend to keep it that way. I deleted the app from my phone, and don't plan on putting it back anytime soon.

Destructive media, in all of its forms, so often gets blamed on media companies. Really, they're just giving us what we want, aren't they? If we want something better, change has to start from us.

Jason Griffin talks new politics, big ideas, better media, and futurism. Who else does that? Get smarter by following on Facebook or Twitter. 

How? Streaming services. Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Red and the like now account for about two-thirds of music industry revenue. 

Meanwhile, downloads account for about 15 percent. Believe it or not, physical purchases (like buying a CD) actually account for slightly more revenue at 17 percent.

All this is good for the music industry, which has struggled in recent years as CD sales have declined and more people could get their music for free.

Jason Griffin talks new politics, big ideas, better media, and futurism. Who else does that? Get smarter by following on Facebook or Twitter. 

1. Determine political energy heading into 2018.
2. Determine if there are any areas of common ground between liberals and conservatives.

The results of the survey reveal a fascinating look at how liberals and conservatives actually think. All too often, the media narrative paints a picture of an America that is more divided than ever. While it is certainly clear that there are real issues in which Americans disagree, it is also clear from this survey that not every liberal or conservative can be painted with a broad brush.

The survey responses revealed some interesting data.

Political energy

While the common narrative is that Democrats have an advantage heading into the 2018 midterm elections, the data isn't so conclusive. We asked people who they voted for in the last election, and that vast majority of those who voted for both Clinton and Trump report that they are very likely to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, and that they are likely to stick with their side (Democrats for Clinton voters, Republicans for Trump voters). 

If there's trouble on the horizon for Republicans, it might be related to energy for the president himself. Trump voters were less likely to say they will vote for him again in 2020 than Clinton voters were to say they will vote for Democrats. With that said, we're talking about a hypothetical that is years away. Bottom line: I wouldn't bet in favor of either party's success or failure at this point.

View the following slide show to see which side has the most energy heading into 2018, then keep reading to see which issues Clinton versus Trump voters agree on the most.

Common ground

We asked survey respondents where they fell politically. Respondents could choose between very conservative, conservative, liberal, or very liberal. They could also choose that they were in the middle, but had to pick a side by either saying they were more conservative than liberal, or vice versa.

Perhaps not surprisingly, when given the opportunity, most people identified themselves as being in the middle (about 2/3 of conservative respondents and 1/2 of liberal respondents). This could mean they really are, or perhaps they only wish they are, but either way, it's encouraging news when the common media narrative seems to be that neither side wants to get along. 

As for the issues, liberals might be surprised to know that there are a sizable number of Trump voters who side with them on social issues, particularly on gay marriage, transgender issues, and the environment. So much so, it makes one wonder if very socially conservative voters haven't all but lost the public perception battle on these issues. Meanwhile, while the issue of immigration is more polarizing, conservatives also seem to show some sympathy to the liberal viewpoint on the issue of DACA. 

Liberals, on the other hand, seem less likely to move on the issues than conservatives, but when they do, they find the most common ground on the issues of trade, the economy, and fighting terrorism. 

View the slide show below to see which side Clinton voters and Trump voters said was closest to getting it right on key issues.

Bottom line: while the media narrative (and your Facebook feed) may indicate an America that is more split than ever along liberal and conservative ideological lines, there's a lot more grey area among the electorate than what you might think.

I'm a political junkie who is often wrong but insists on writing about politics anyway. Keep up with my latest content by following me on Facebook or Twitter. 

As I do this, I think it's important to state, for the record, that I'm not at all a fan of Donald Trump. Second, I want to you to know that I don't expect you, if you are an anti-Trump crusader, to answer ]the questions I bring up right now, but they are questions that must be answered.

I've always prided myself on being one who is an honest broker of the truth, in whichever way, shape or form it might take, when it comes to matters of politics. I've voted for Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians in my lifetime. If you are to ask me what I am today, I'll tell you I'm an independent progressive, key word being independent. 

I was in downtown Columbia, Missouri, as the 2018 women's march rolled through, and as much as I appreciated everyone marching, I couldn't help but feel something was off. I knew a sense of anger at our current president was driving the turnout and whatever passion there was, but could any of these marchers define what makes their movement different today than any other protest against any other Republican?

This may be no different from the women's marches that took place last year, which I also witnessed in Columbia, but it really caught my eye this year just how many varying messages there were in the march. Here are just a few of the ones that I noticed in Columbia alone:

• Resist
• Stop the cuts (Which ones? Couldn't tell)
• Protect health care
• Protect the environment
• Black lives matter
• End the wars
• Save the climate / climate change is real
• We are still here and mad as hell
• Pro-women's rights messages
• Impeach Trump / stop Trump / some variation thereof
• #MeToo
• Support planned parenthood
• Support Dreamers
• Support science
• Capitalism will not save you
• Abortion on demand, free & legal
• Get money out of politics
• Support journalism
• We will not be governed by hate
• No campus carry (in reference, I'm assuming, to concealed weapons)
• Renee Hoegenson for U.S. Congress
• Who would Jesus bomb?
• Equal pay / equal representation
• Greitens (Missouri's governor) is Trump's Mini-Me
• Make racists afraid again
• Build bridges, not walls
• Support unions & public education

Did I mention Renee Hoegenson for U.S. Congress? I see I did... which is good, because I wouldn't want to leave that out. Same with Planned Parenthood, which I must say, gets the award for having the most professionally designed signs. 

I think it is important to get out on the street and let the powers that be know that you aren't happy with today's state of affairs, and on that note, I was happy and grateful to every individual who made their voice heard. It's important for people to see democracy in action. I saw a wonderful moment between a mother and very young daughter as they walked out of a storefront together as the march was happening, and the mother explained to her inquisitive little girl that this is something that people can do when they aren't happy with how things are. I had my family with me, and personally, it was important for me to let my boys see this movement and that people are, indeed, standing up to this president. 

But I also know that lack of focus makes it difficult to bring new people on board or affect any one change. Part of me was left wondering: What exactly was this? A one year anniversary of the women's march? A solidarity march (how I saw it billed ahead of the event)? An anti-Trump rally? A litany of complaints against a Republican government? A progressive agenda parade?

It is clear to me that progressives are mad as hell, and that they have energy. But my sense is that something is off on the messaging, and recent polls tell me I may not be entirely wrong. Was this something that was special because of the special threat that this president poses, or was it something that could have just as easily been done against any other Republican president? As much energy as there was, that question seemed difficult to answer.

Ultimately, what I sense is wrong is that we have a progressive movement that is still in need of leadership. This is a process that this movement will simply have to work through in the run up to the 2018 mid-term elections, and eventually 2020, when someone will take on Donald Trump. 

Whether progressives are successful, both on the short term as well as the long term, will be whether they can communicate a cohesive message that brings on board enough people to win an election. 

The anger progressives feel against this president is certainly relevant in that regard. I am personally of the opinion that one thing progressives can do to win elections over the next few years is to get enough conservatives to feel enough disgust to just stay home. While Democrats celebrated their win in Alabama and tried to spin it as some sort of Democratic movement sweeping the nation, I think we all know that a Roy Moore without sexual abuse allegations would ultimately be the next senator from Alabama. Thus, a disgust-them-enough-to-keep-them-home strategy is actually what worked successfully there, regardless of party spin. 

But even if that strategy is employed successfully against Republicans in 2018 and 2020, there won't always be a Donald Trump boogeyman to run against, no matter how far into the future that scenario seems. (Let's hope it's sooner rather than later). When that day comes, what will progressives say to bring others on board? How will their message be summed up? How can the message appeal to more people than it did in 2016, where progressives lost?

I don't think success for progressives comes from trying to flip someone on abortion or guns. This is pure speculation at this point, and maybe even personally wishful thinking, but what I wouldn't be surprised to see is for the progressive movement to eventually crystallize it's message around a theme of simple respect. Respect for immigrants. Respect for those of other religions. Respect for minorities. Respect for those of other sexual orientations. Respect for those who are less fortunate. Respect for women. Respect. 

And a strong woman leading this movement might go a long way. 

A year into the Trump administration, the progressive movement still has energy, but it will take more than marches and words and Planned Parenthood signs to bring others on board. How will the movement build it's coalition beyond it's current group of activists? That's the question moving forward.

I'm a political junkie who is often wrong but insists on writing about politics anyway. Follow me further into the depths of political addiction by following me on Facebook or Twitter. Are you following me on Facebook? Keep up with my latest posts here.

Bonus content: see the videos below of the march as it moved through the streets of downtown Columbia.

See the videos below of the march as it moved through the streets of downtown Columbia on Saturday afternoon. Are you following me on Facebook? Keep up with my latest posts here.

I'm a political junkie who is often wrong but insists on writing about politics anyway. Follow me further into the depths of political addiction by following me on Facebook or Twitter. The monkey on your back thanks you.

One of those words recently: agency.

If you look up the word agency in a standard dictionary, you're likely to see it defined in legal terms. Wikipedia actually has a better definition of it as it applies to people, calling it "the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices." 

(Yes, I know, you aren't supposed to use Wikipedia as a source. But I can do that. I have agency.)

The first time I heard this word recently, it popped up on a podcast by Michael Hyatt, who is a former book publisher and current leadership guru who was talking about accountability. If you aren't achieving your goals, what can YOU do better? To paraphrase him: don't blame your circumstances; realize that you have agency.

The second time it came up was 3 days ago in a New York Times editorial by Daphne Merkin regarding the #MeToo movement. She was talking about how some people say one thing publicly about the movement, but have misgivings in private. She worried aloud that the movement creates a culture of victimization, and asked, "What happened to women's agency?"

This is not the time, nor am I (as a straight white male) the person, to get into critiques of the #MeToo movement. 

But I do believe that now is a good time to remind people that they do, in fact, have agency. I think this is an important topic, because I firmly believe that one of the things that sets high-achievers apart from others is their realization of their own agency. 

I know many people who aren't happy in their jobs. You have agency. Take charge of your future and go out and find yourself something better. 

I know many people who aren't happy with their current relationships. You have agency. Find a way to repair them, or find a way to move on from them, and live your life happily. 

I know many people who aren't happy with today's politics or the current administration. We have agency. We can vote, we can stand for what's right, but more importantly, we can choose to help those we say we want to help regardless of whether laws reflect such. 

Bottom line: we all have agency. Let's not forget that as we push ahead towards our goals for making 2018 a better year.

Jason Griffin a political junkie who is often wrong but insists on writing about politics anyway. Follow further into the depths of political addiction by following on Facebook or Twitter. The monkey on your back thanks you.

Happy New Year!

Well, 2018 certainly started with a bang, politically, thanks to a new tell-all book regarding the Trump administration. Meanwhile, for many of us, the new year means new resolutions and goals.

Below are some of the stories that mattered this week, along with a look ahead.

Fire and Fury

Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House, sent the Trump administration into a tailspin. The two key takeaways discussed before the book’s release:

1. Steve Bannon’s comments that a meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives was “treasonous,” that they’ll crack Donald Jr. “like an egg” on national TV, and that the investigation centers around money laundering

2. The overall narrative that the president is not fit to lead

Where this goes: Bannon’s comments regarding the Russian investigation lend credibility to the allegations of Russian interference and potential wrongdoing. But, as I noted on my blog earlier this week, perhaps they make no difference in the long run. More importantly, the president himself has become unglued over the book.

1. His lawsuit to try to stop the publishing of the book is unprecedented. God bless my Trump supporting friends, but for those who scoffed at liberal hysterics over the idea of an authoritarian Trump, let me as this: When is the last time a president tried to stop a book?

2. The president took to Twitter Saturday morning to refer to himself as “a very stable genius,” giving, I’m assuming, very few people additional confidence in his mental health.

Further reading: you can read more on my blog about my initial Bannon thoughts, as well as what Rush Limbaugh had to say about push to halt the book’s publishing.

Update: Bannon is now apologizing. Really??? Yes, really. 

Finally, if there's one thing you should read from the past week about Wolff's book, it comes from Drew Magary at GQ. (Yes, that GQ magazine.) He writes about how Michael Wolff did what every other White House reporter was too cowardly to do: burn bridges and access to get the story. Read it here.

Hillary Clinton

Meanwhile, the Feds are now investigating the Clinton Foundation. CNN says that the FBI and federal prosecutors are looking into corruption charges, specifically that the Clinton Foundation promised access to Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State.

There’s been criticism of this move. Trump demanded an investigation and got one, and Democrats have expressed outrage at the idea of a sitting president launching an investigation into a political enemy.

Why this matters: The results of the investigation, and Democrat and Republican reaction to it, will have a big impact with voters as it progresses. Which side will wind up looking like the bigger hypocrites? Republicans going after Clinton but defending Trump, or Democrats going after Trump but defending Clinton?

JG Thoughts: I would caution Democrats here. True, a president should not go after a political enemy as punishment. BUT… if a crime was committed, do Hillary and Bill get a pass just because Hillary lost? Who knows… maybe she and Trump can get indicted together.

Mitt Romney

There is speculation that Mitt Romney might make a run for Senate. Utah Senator Orrin hatch will retire and not seek re-election. Romney changed his Twitter location from Massachusetts to Utah, further fueling this speculation (and revealing, apparently, that real people get paid real money to watch these sorts of things).

Why it matters: Mitt Romney, a Republican, didn’t support Donald Trump, and hasn’t been afraid to go after him. As the Republican nominee for president in 2012, people still pay attention to him, and a Senator Romney would put a strong Republican Trump critic in the senate. Some has said he has a chance to fill a void that might be left by an ailing John McCain.

Media & Entertainment

David Letterman returns with an all-new talk show on Netflix. The new series debuts on January 12th, and his first guest will be former president Barack Obama. The name of the new show: “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.”

This says a lot about today’s media. It would seem Letterman could do this type of show anywhere. What broadcast network or cable channel wouldn’t want to have him. Instead, he’ll join the ranks of Jerry Seinfeld as another one of TV’s biggest stars doing their next project on a medium that is only available via the Internet.

Life & Culture

Pope Francis caught the media's attention heading into the new year. For people who do what I do, Francis had some advice: He called media sensationalism and disinformation a “serious sin,” and urged journalists to provide, as The Guardian reports, “precise, complete and correct information and not to provide one-sided reports.”

He also had some words of wisdom that everyone of all religious stripes (or not) can apply to 2018. In a homily at a vespers service on New Year’s Eve, he expressed gratitude for “all those persons who, every day, contribute with small but previous gestures to the common good, who seek to do their duty as well as possible.”

Advice to heed: Be grateful for what you have, and whatever your goals for 2018, try to be someone who helps.

Moving Forward

Hope you have a wonderful week and that you are able to keep focusing on your goals for the year ahead.

Peace,
JG

Jason Griffin a political junkie who is often wrong but insists on writing about politics anyway. Follow further into the depths of political addiction by following on Facebook or Twitter. The monkey on your back thanks you.