Author: Eric Sondermann
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Please spare us your obvious pronouns | SONDERMANN
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Oct. 15 is almost upon us. Can you feel the excitement? No, that is not Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, as some states call it, or Cabrini Day, as it is known in Colorado. That all takes place earlier in the week on Monday. Federal workers will have the day off – oh, never…
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Some hard truths for Democrats amidst the despair | SONDERMANN
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Across the country, Democrats remain deep in despair, accompanied by more than a bit of lingering disbelief that they lost to Donald Trump a second time. This is all compounded by the powerlessness of seeing the Senate and House also run by Republicans, mostly Trump apparatchiks, to go along with a Supreme Court dominated by…
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How does this fever break? | SONDERMANN
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We have seen this play too many times and with increasing frequency. A news alert pops up or a text appears from a friend with a report of some new, shocking, horrific act of political violence. We then dial up our favorite news sources or jump on social media in search of what happened and…
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Scenes from a society off its moorings | SONDERMANN
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It all took place in the immediate aftermath of Thanksgiving, our national day of gratitude. First up was Black Friday, an orgy of shopping punctuated by the random mall brawl, as consumers elbow each other aside, or worse, in search of the best discount on the latest must-have gadget. For a bit of good news,…
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DOGE and America’s finances are no laughing matter | SONDERMANN
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Of course, there is much to parody in the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) to be led by those dynamic hobnobbers, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Let’s start with the very notion that it requires two people, both with oversized egos, to lead a downsizing effort. Then there is the creation of a new “department”…
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A clarifying election and a new normal | Sondermann
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For five years, I have written in these pages under the heading of “Down the middle.” Before getting to the meat of today’s column, let me briefly discuss what I take that to mean. “Down the middle” does not mean I take a centrist approach to every question. Nor does it mean that my views…
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SONDERMANN | Litter here, litter there, litter everywhere
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Lady Bird Johnson, we miss you. And we need you as much as was the case more than a half century ago. For those of more recent vintage (an ever-expanding share of the population), Lady Bird Johnson was America’s First Lady as her husband President Lyndon Johnson presided over the country during much of the tumultuous…
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SONDERMANN | No respite for Denver voters
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Odd-numbered years used to be something of an electoral respite. Sure, there were school board races; municipal contests here and there; and a small smattering of ballot issues around this tax matter or that. But voters were most often spared the high-decibel campaigns for high office and the A to Z lineup of propositions and amendments, many…
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SONDERMANN | The ultimate denial, the unforgivable disrespect
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It seems that every week brings something new to divide us. The polarizing noise machine rarely rests and requires a constant diet of new fodder. In just the last month, we have been treated to the botched exit from Afghanistan and resulting human tragedy; new, persistent fights over mask requirements and vaccine mandates; Texas’s new abortion law;…
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SONDERMANN | Time for some independence for Sen. Bennelooper
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Some days it seems that Colorado has a single United States Senator – though fortunately one with two votes when the roll is called. For the sake of simplicity, let’s refer to our delegates to that august body as Sen. Bennelooper. The alignment seems apt given their close identity. Both Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper…
