Greetings and salutations or as so many of my former Aussie classmates at Australian National University would say “G’day Mates!”
My name is Tom Ufert and I am deeply honoured to have been invited by Divine Magazine to write this monthly column on politics. For over thirty years I have been politically motivated. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle once wrote “Man is by nature a political animal”and in my humble opinion he was absolutely right.
Some may rightly question what qualifies me to comment on this influential subject. First and foremost, I am a citizen. Therefore, not only is it my constitutional right but my moral obligation to be an informed and involved participant in the affairs of a democratic republic. On a more professional level my academic pursuits have blessed me with a double BA in Political Science/History and graduate studies in East Asian Political Affairs as a Rotary International Fellow. Additionally, I have been honoured to serve as a Lyndon Baines Johnson Congressional Intern, worked on 11 political campaigns and have been nominated as a White House Fellow. Finally, my past employers/mentors have included one White House Special Assistant to Ronald Reagan, an Assistant Chief of Staff to then Vice-President George H.W. Bush, the recently retired Obama Administration U.S. Trade Ambassador, one state governor and two Members of Congress. As of today, I am an Amazon Best Selling Author and a 2016 U.S. Presidential Candidate.
To say the least I am definitely a “political animal.” I list these accomplishments not to boast but to elicit confidence. My goals and intent with Politics Today are to inform my readers, to inspire participation and to challenge pre-conceived notions. As I once lectured to public high school students, “Politics does affect you whether you want to believe it or not!” I have never been suckered by the popular notion “My vote doesn’t count.” Consider this: If your vote didn’t count, then why do candidates, politicians, special interest groups and the media place so much emphasis on public opinion polls?
|
The primary focus of this column shall be American politics and its influence on U.S. domestic policies, foreign affairs, national security, geo-political strategies and international relations. Periodically we’ll address the ever increasing concerns of global economic trends and civil liberties. Politics Today will utilise a variety of opinions and reports to broaden the mind. Every attempt will be made to be open minded and avoid being judgmental. However, please try to remember that this is essentially an OpEd column. Nonetheless, your responses and feedback are encouraged and highly respected so please feel free to comment. The free exchange of opinions and ideas is an essential element to the marketplace of ideas that helps all humanity progress towards a higher plane of existence.
I fully understand that Divine Magazine’s readership stretches far beyond American shores and is guided towards a rather diverse audience. Therefore, let me be perfectly transparent. While I am ethnically Caucasian, homosexual in orientation, raised a Roman Catholic in religious faith, physically challenged with three permanent “disabilities”and a naturally born American citizen—none of these strictly defines me. While I am all of these, none of these classifications is all that I am about! Strictly speaking, like all of you I am a human being living on this revolving dust speck we call earth trying to do the best I can. I am not infallible and far from perfect. Accepting the fundamental premise that we can agree to disagree, while practicing mutually respectful discourse is the first step down the “road less travelled.” In the end, together we’ll try to make sense of this often confusing human behaviour we call politics.
Since this is my inaugural submission as a guest columnist at Divine Magazine, I felt it was necessary to formally introduce myself, outline the parameters of what I’ll be addressing and perhaps tease you a little. It is my sincere hope that you’ll join me next month when I’ll do my best to make sense of America’s 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign. Here in the United States we sarcastically refer to this period in the election cycle as the “silly season!” So you’ll have to bear with me as I try my best to guide readers through the quagmire I like to call Political Craps.
About the author
2016 U.S. Election is Time for LGBTQ Community to Take a Stand! By Tom Ufert
As many of Divine Magazine readers know I set out in June of 2015 as the 2016’s U.S. Presidential election ONLY openly gay & physically challenged write-in Independent candidate. I embarked on that endeavor to offer American voters a viable alternative to what many see as an election choice of a “vote for the lesser of two evils.” That choice was and is between the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton & the Republican nominee Donald Trump. My #NOTU2016 campaign was also the ONLY one that promised to refuse office if elected in order to force a constitutional crisis that would result in a new election. In essence, voters had the opportunity to vote “None Of The Above” without feeling that their vote was wasted or just not voting at all in protest. Six weeks ago I suspended the #NOTU2016 Campaign and […]
“Orlando Strong Ignites an Unexpected National & Global Sense of Human Unity that Supersedes Bigotry” by Tom Ufert
Originally I had planned to write my usual review/explanation of the 2016 American election season. Sunday June 12th changed all that! In fact, the tragic mass murder event in Orlando, Florida on that night scrapped any usual ideas of discussing my country’s arguably “historic” presidential campaign. As I sit now at my computer the realization sweeps over me that there are no words to adequately describe the sense of horror, loss and absolute insanity swirling in my mind over the slaughter at the Pulse Night Club. For some reason I awoke early that Sunday morning at 5 A.M. and tuned in to CNN as is my usual custom. There the reports and early images came flooding into my bedroom like the cold steely hand of death itself. Though having never been there myself, hearing the name Pulse as the location […]
NOTU2016 Campaign Update by Tom Ufert
All things considered, the NOTU2016 Campaign for U.S. President is going well. Independent write-in candidate Tom Ufert has consistently held two Google Town Halls per month since announcing on Memorial Day, 2015. Over time the audience number of attendees has grown to an average of 3,000 per event. In addition the campaign’s website at http://tomufert.org/ has continued to grow its visitors. The campaign’s free download of its platform policy proposals at http://tomufert.com/america-now/ has exceeded 5000 downloads. The campaign releases a weekly press release that started out receiving only a few hundred clicks but now regularly exceeds 1500 clicks or views. Candidate Ufert’s weekly radio program Tom’s Take regularly reaches over a million people through the Alternative Public Radio International (APRI) Broadcasting Network’s 5 platforms across the United States and over a dozen other countries. Mr. Ufert’s monthly column, Politics Today […]
Politics Today – The “Trump-Effect” and what it says About American Politics in 2016 by Tom Ufert
Donald Trump’s meteoric rise to become the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican presidential nominee says a lot about the chaotic state of American politics today. In fact, many can rightfully claim that his success is a direct result of the nation’s political elite’s failure to lead. Whether it be critics of President Barak Obama’s failure to engage his political opponents as equal partners in governing or the Republican controlled Congress’ obstinate policy of obstructionism to all things Obama, it is abundantly clear the American electorate is rabidly dissatisfied with their entire string of elected representatives. This is clearly demonstrated by the overwhelming popularity of “anti-establishment” campaigns in both the Democratic & Republican primary races. Vermont “Independent” Senator Bernie Sanders running as a Democrat and billionaire self-proclaimed “savior” of the Republican Party Donald Trump both have challenged the conventional status quos […]
Politics Today – Iowa Caucus & New Hampshire Primary – America’s Partisan Campaign Season is Off & Running
If there is any political science “Golden Rule” that aptly fits America’s 2016 presidential race it is “throw out the rule book!” In my over thirty years of experienced campaign involvement I’ve never seen such a circus. Nationally acclaimed politicos and pundits are beside themselves and can only utter the three most unheard words in Washington politics—“I have no idea!” This is unsettling to say the least. America’s presidential race is perhaps the most watched and influential campaign in global politics. Considering that this competition to pick arguably the most powerful leader in the world affects global economics, the geo-political atmosphere and basically how America’s consequential influence will affect the entire world, 2016’s campaign will have massive ripple effects for potentially the next decade. Therefore, it is little wonder that the rest of the world watches wondering “What in the […]
Politics Today – “Divisive Fearmongering Voices of Hate Do Not Speak for Real America!”
“A typical vice of American politics is the avoidance of saying anything real on real issues.” Theodore Roosevelt Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/search_results.html#XMo8Ol6zBZPP2cOL.99 As we approach the end of 2015, America’s fiercely contested Presidential race resembles the typical dysfunctional family holiday gathering. On both sides of the political aisle, Democrat and Republican Party presidential contenders are jockeying for positioning in their respective primary races towards their faithful’s nomination as the standard bearers in the 2016 national election. To say the least, this presidential campaign has turned conventional political science on its head. Sadly, the hallmark of the 2016 race to the White House has been a predominance of disgraceful rhetoric that shames every idealistic notion of what America really stands for. As a 30+ year political activist and recognized commentator on all things political in this country, I am personally stunned […]
Related
Muse by Marchesa created by Georgina Chapman is available exclusively at Dillard's.
Dillard’s Introduces Muse by Marchesa
Dillard’s, Inc. (“Dillard’s”) (NYSE: DDS) is pleased to introduce Muse by Marchesa, a new line of social dresses, separates and footwear for all dress-wear occasions designed exclusively for Dillard’s by Georgina Chapman, Creative Director and co-founder of Marchesa. Georgina Chapman shares, “I am thrilled to introduce the Muse by Marchesa collection for Dillard’s. This line explores the space where couture meets ready-to-wear, with a distinctly feminine and modern romantic aesthetic. The designs are timeless, sophisticated, and meticulously crafted, featuring beautiful details and flattering patterns. Drawing inspiration from Marchesa’s rich heritage and iconic couture pieces, while also embracing a forward-looking approach, we’ve created a collection that captures attention and is meant to be treasured for generations. Dillard’s has been an ideal partner in bringing this vision to life, and we couldn’t be more proud of the result.” Dillard’s Vice President of […]
A Digital Nomad’s Guide to Bangkok
By the early 2000s, the idea of building a career at one company and staying put in one location was no longer the dream for many young people. Instead, they wanted a better work-life balance, to be liberated from the tedium of the office, and to get out and see the world. This shift coincided with the widespread adoption of the internet, and so digital nomadism emerged as a possibility. As more people adopted the digital nomad lifestyle, they started to cluster around certain destinations which are particularly accommodating and advantageous to them. The bustling Thai capital of Bangkok, a long-time favourite destination of backpackers and budget travellers, sits at the top of that list. This guide will explore why that is. Of course, the advantage of being a digital nomad is that you can choose where and how you […]
The Eight Style Tips That Will Make Your Wardrobe Feel Fresh
You open your closet filled with clothes, but you don’t know what to wear. You spend the morning trying different clothes, yet you still can’t find something that makes you feel good. If you can relate to this, then you must be experiencing a style rut, and that could affect your confidence in the long run. But before that happens, follow these style tips to turn things around and make your wardrobe feel fresh again: Clean out your wardrobe. Sometimes, you just need to take everything out and look at your clothes again to realise that you actually have a lot of good pieces to wear. So before you start shopping for new clothes, make sure that you do a wardrobe cleanout first. Remove all the clothes that you haven’t worn in at least six months and re-organise your clothes […]
6 Powerful Habits That Will Add Value to Your Life
Are you feeling down and defeated lately? Have you lost your drive to succeed? Do you feel that you’re not as valuable as others? The truth is, you are not alone because a lot of people around the world feel the same way. But when you really think about it, getting back on track and adding value to your life boils down to creating a routine that will allow you to be consistent at nourishing yourself. And we’re not just talking about physical nourishment here but emotional, mental and even spiritual nourishment too. Now, if you don’t know where to begin, here are six simple but powerful habits that you can embrace to add value to your life: Practice self-awareness. Have you ever felt that you don’t know yourself anymore? Maybe, it’s time to practice self-awareness. When you’re caught up […]
All about denim jeans and their popularity
Looking and feeling great can make the world of difference for a woman whenever they get dressed ready to face the day ahead. It may be to head to work facing challenges which have more chance of being overcome when arriving with the right attitude or getting ready to go and meet friends or a loved one to have fun in a sociable environment. They may well have helped themselves to get into such a mood by adopting a healthier diet and doing some exercises each day to stimulate the body and mind. Then of course, there’s how they dress, often choosing quality appropriate items which instil confidence while being guaranteed to receive many compliments and admiring glances. Nudie jeans for women allow the wearer to show off a highly fashionable item of clothing guaranteed to feel comfortable and look […]
The Numerous Benefits Of Buying a Luxury Villa This Year In Phuket Thailand
Many people can only dream about having a holiday home in a tropical destination, but now it has become a reality for many. When you compare the prices of property in places like the USA and the United Kingdom, Thailand property is much cheaper and so this is where many people are looking to buy their first-ever property or a property that they can travel to during their vacation time. Many do not want the responsibility that goes with owning a large house and so they opt to buy a villa instead. Thankfully you can buy luxury villas in Phuket and this is a beautiful island in the south of the country that boasts the finest beaches and the nicest people. Imagine having your very own luxury villa in such a place where you can travel to whenever you like […]
