Politics: Ancient and Now
Interesting Topics
I would not call myself a political person — in fact, even as I recently ran for public office here in California, I came to realize politics are lost on both sides of the aisle here. I have many friends in politics, ranging from Democrats to Republicans and everything in between, and the funny thing is, I like them all. Sure, some ideas are more far-out than others, but for me, the exploration of concepts of those ancient and new is fun to debate. Yet, debate, as I discovered, is a lost art form that has been reduced to mudslinging and tribalism. So moving forward, I will run for public office again, but not as a “liberal” or “conservative” — “restorativist”!
RESTORATIVISM ™️
A political-philosophical framework that argues a society can only endure through the restoration of three core values — truth, accountability, and civic stewardship — by exposing the hidden costs of power and reconnecting public authority to measurable public good.
Articles that seek to inform, not influence:
🐘 The Origins of the GOP Elephant
The Republican elephant, a symbol for the Grand Old Party (GOP), traces back to the turbulent political landscape of the post-Civil War era, a period marked by the unraveling of Reconstruction, economic upheaval, and anxieties over executive power. In the hands of Thomas Nast, the era’s preeminent political cartoonist fo…
Rick Caruso: A Sleeping Giant in the California Governor’s Race
Originally published on Aug. 10, 2025