As I watched the Democratic National Committee’s convention last week and listened to many pundits describe it as flawless, I thought about how much of Motown’s success was due to its meticulous grooming of its artists and the music they presented. You have to be a certain age to appreciate the Motown era that began …
If you have not watched former First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, you owe it to yourself to watch what CNN’s Anderson Cooper called the most powerful political speech he’s ever heard. It is an extraordinary and necessary message for these times. She reveled in the newfound excitement and hope engendered …
The political landscape appears to be a swirling sandstorm with Kamala Harris’s ascension to the top spot of the Democratic ticket. After agonizing weeks of waiting to see if President Biden would accept the bleak prognosis for his reelection, he finally gracefully capitulated and gave a full-throated endorsement of his vice president. I was attending …
I was surprised by Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate. Vance was a late convert to the MAGA cult. He offered several deprecating appraisals of Donald Trump during the runup to the 2016 election, referring to him as “cultural heroin” and fearing Trump could be “America’s Hitler.” Back then, Vance characterized himself …
Donald Trump is finally being held accountable for all the crap he has done over the many decades of his inglorious life. And it is just the beginning. I was surprised by the verdict. I did not expect a guilty verdict on all counts. I was prepared for a hung jury. The antithesis attributed to …
Tuesday was a bad day for the Republican Party, both in substance and appearance. The catastrophes were led by House Republicans’ failure to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. This was not surprising because the Republicans’ slim majority of 219 to 212 seats meant they could afford to lose just three votes, which they did. …
While CRISP focuses on Congress and the federal government, social issues such as, child welfare, healthcare, housing, and voting rights are being decided at the state and local levels as well as Congress. Our very democracy could be in jeopardy if citizens are not actively engaged in its preservation. CRISP will provide you with information that will equip you to be an informed and responsible citizenry. We send representatives to government to look out for the welfare of citizens. It is up to us to hold them accountable.
Justin Hodge is a clinical assistant professor of social work at the University of Michigan. He is the co-lead for the Policy & Political Social Work Pathway and the director of the Online Certificate in Political Social Work. Hodge is committed to increasing the presence of social workers in policy and political spaces. He teaches courses that provide students with the tools to engage in politics and approach policy work from a social justice perspective. Hodge was elected to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners in November 2020. As a county commissioner, he brings his social work perspective to addressing the most pressing problems facing Washtenaw County. Hodge has a particular focus on addressing inequities in the county and promoting economic opportunity. In 2021, Hodge was appointed by Governor Whitmer to the Commission on Community Action & Economic Opportunity, where he is able to lend his expertise at the state level. Nationally, Hodge serves as board president of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, which works to expand the participation of social workers in federal legislative and policy processes. He is also a founding board member of the Social Work Democracy Project, a charitable organization focused on providing resources to Schools of Social Work to advance knowledge of government and democracy.