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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 20h

The city I live in, Boston, has been a Dem stronghold for many decades. Yet, it had covert racism (also among some Dems) until recently.
I'd argue that in the 60s/70s the GOP in Massachusetts was more enlightened than some Dems. Ed Brooke, Black, was elected Senator then in MA as a ... Republican.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 21h

You're right that the US has had a lengthy history with racism. But it is NOT exclusive to any party or region. It's a VERY complicated history. Lincoln was a Republican, after all. And the Democratic Party had in the South and elsewhere (eg, Woodrow Wilson) racist elements until fairly recently.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

Agree.
One of the saddest images on Nov. 5, 2024, was a picture of Harris and Clinton in disbelief, seated next to each other. I sent it to my daughter, who lives in the UK, and wrote "Will the US ever have a woman president? Throughout Europe there have been and are so many female prime ministers."

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

True.
It's also a very difficult moment.
I am critical of Schumer and Jeffries, but acknowledge the hard tasks ahead for them.
Trump takes up all the oxygen. He never stops making everything about him. It's nearly impossible to compete against that kind of narcissism.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

I'm not aligned with AOC on her some of her policies. But she's a strong voice, as is Sanders. I don't know if America would ever be ready for, say, a Buttigieg-AOC ticket. But I think that their clarity and strength would go a long way.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

I don't think he is bigoted. I sincerely don't. But he and his father allowed their campaigns to be marred by bigoted insinuation. It reprehensible.
Heck, it was wrong for Bush not to openly endorse Harris. He's a weak-willed man. I am convinced he can't stand Trump. But to not act is pathetic.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

True.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

You're right that Helms was influential. "Fringe" is inaccurate.
I still, though, recall his not being palatable to many in the then GOP establishment. I distinctly remember reading articles about this in liberal periodicals like the New York Review of Books and the conservative Wall Street Journal.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

Definitely a lot of hypocrisy in the GOP.
But i've never been a fan of many Democrats, including today's blend of mediocrity and lack of substance at the leadership level, headlined by the likes of Schumer and Jeffries.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

True.
McCain had to tell folks to basically shut up during his concession speech.
Tea Party claimed falsely to be libertarian. It was far from it on many fronts, from abortion to immigration.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

Bush is a lot of things, including in my opinion the 3rd worst president in my lifetime - being Trump and Nixon - but bigoted he is not.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

Depends on where you are. New England has long had a contingent of influential Republicans who weren't and aren't Trump-like. Massachusetts, a deep blue state, has had a tradition of moderate GOP governors, as recently as Baker. Similar in VT, where currently an moderate Republican is in power.

Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

Again, I politely disagree. Not disputing what you're saying. But I don't think many Republicans were like this, even as recently as 2008. McCain, for example, wasn't bigoted. Nor was George W. Bush. As an independent, I disagreed with many of their policies. But in no way would I liken them to MAGA

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 1d

Respectfully disagree.
The Republican Party I knew growing up in a household of Republicans was not like this. On the margins, there were extremists like Jesse Helms. But they were fringe. In the past, I sometimes voted for Republicans like Weld and Baker.
Trump, however, has made the GOP toxic.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 2d

"Concepts of a plan" is an oft-repeated refrain.
Obamacare is imperfect as is US healthcare insurance. But without a constructive alternative, tearing it down wholesale or in piecemeal ways is bad policy. It's also unethical to impose exorbitant financial burdens on low- and middle-income Americans.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 2d

On this rainy day in Boston, my piece on the sun (its benefits), sunscreen (its protective properties), and the anti-sunscreen movement, is out.
undark.org/2025/10/13/a...

What the Anti-Sunscreen Movement Misses

New research suggests sunlight has unexpected benefits, but this doesn't mean everyone should ditch their sunscreen.

undark.org

Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 2d

Concepts of a plan. An oft-repeated refrain.
Obamacare is imperfect as is US healthcare insurance. But without a constructive alternative, tearing it down wholesale or in piecemeal fashion is bad policy. It's also unethical to impose exorbitant financial burdens on low- and middle-income Americans.

Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 3d

Kennedy’s repeating refuted (or at least disputed) links isn’t a one-off. He has often done this regarding exposure to substances such as acetaminophen, thimerosal and aluminum salts that he thinks are tied to autism.
www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...

RFK Jr. Is Doubling Down On Multiple Unproven Links To Autism

Kennedy’s doubling down on disputed links isn't a one-off. He has often done this regarding exposure to substances like acetaminophen that he thinks are linked to autism.

www.forbes.com

Mellie M. McBride. 🐝🌱🇨🇦🇮🇪🍀 @melliemmcbride.bsky.social · 6d

“Yellow, Orange, Both?”

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

~ George Eliot

Shot With: iPhone 12 Pro Max.

#Fall.
#Trees.
#Yellow.
#Nature.
#Orange.
#Autumn.
#October.
#Photography.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 6d

I have a strong preference for assertive women in power. Amy Klobuchar, for example, doesn't tolerate nonsense and has high expectations. Good. Europeans are ahead of us in this regard. Examples include Estonian PM Kallas, Finnish PM Marin and president of the European Commission, von der Leyen.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 6d

This double standard has bothered me for decades. Subconsciously the media (especially in America; we're weirdly reactionary in this respect) accepts/condones men in power behaving assertively (to the point of sometimes being impertinent) while it criticizes women in power for the same behavior.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 8d

Awful.
Call me naive, but I never thought America would stoop to the level of conducting federal government razzias. This is especially egregious in light of the ordinary folks often being targeted unjustly.
I just no longer feel I belong here in the U.S. it's not my home anymore. it's depressing.

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 8d

Without critical details, it's hard to evaluate the impact of Trump's most favored nation initiative on drug pricing for patients and Medicaid.
www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...

Missing Details On Trump’s Drug Price Plan Make It Hard To Evaluate

Trump has called its initiative an “historic” step in drug pricing policy. But the lack of critical details makes it hard to assess the impact on patients and Medicaid.

www.forbes.com

Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 10d

There's always been an element of this in America. Plenty of idiots on both sides of the aisle for as long as I can recall. But in modern post-1945 history the US hasn't been as blatantly idiocratic. And we haven't had a president who was this enthralled with our lowest common denominator as humans.

Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 10d

Is Trump's most favored nation initiative consequential? Well, not for the vast majority (>90%) of U.S. patients. It could be meaningful for Medicaid payers, but even that remains to be seen. For now, the impact on Medicaid is shrouded in opacity.
www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...

Trump’s Drug Price Initiative Has No Impact On Most US Patients’ Costs

Trump touted a deal with Pfizer in which the firm will sell drugs at discounts on a website called TrumpRx. But for most patients their out-of-pocket costs won’t change.

www.forbes.com

Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 12d

www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...

Government Shutdown Imperils Obamacare Subsidies, Affordability

The federal government shutdown imperils the extension of Obamacare subsidies for more than 22 million Americans, which could make their healthcare much less affordable.

www.forbes.com

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 12d

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo's stance opposing vaccine mandates stands in stark contrast to longstanding (current and past) U.S. immigration policy.
www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...

Ladapo’s Stance On Vaccine Mandates Contradicts U.S. Immigration Law

Florida's Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has likened vaccine mandates to slavery. Nevertheless, vaccine mandates are integral to current and past U.S. immigration policy.

www.forbes.com

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Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 12d

While many MAHA ideas are problematic, improving diet and exercise is laudable. Our diet in the US is really quite poor. I've lived overseas for decades. Generally, diet is much better outside the US. Perhaps one way to address the problem is adding nutrient warnings.
www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...

U.S. Could Follow Other Countries’ Lead And Add Nutrient Warnings

Perhaps nutrient warnings could also apply to food and non-alcoholic beverages. Evidence from countries that implemented warning policies supports their effectiveness.

www.forbes.com

Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 12d

Why canceling a federal government survey on hunger and food insecurity matters.
www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...

What Canceling The U.S. Federal Government’s Hunger Survey Means

The survey data on hunger and food insecurity help shape policy at the local, state and federal government levels, specifically to guide food assistance programs.

www.forbes.com

Joshua Cohen @joshuapcohen.bsky.social · 13d

There are many problematic ideas in the MAHA movement. But paying closer attention to diet (and exercise) is a welcome feature. Americans' dietary habits can be poor. Perhaps MAHA could push for adding nutrient warning labels as is done in other nations.
www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...

U.S. Could Follow Other Countries’ Lead And Add Nutrient Warnings

Perhaps nutrient warnings could also apply to food and non-alcoholic beverages. Evidence from countries that implemented warning policies supports their effectiveness.

www.forbes.com