Jess Coleman

Jess Coleman

Blogger, The Huffington Post

Jess Coleman - Blogger, The Huffington Post

About Me


Jess Coleman is 18 years old and blogs about politics and public affairs. He is a former writer for PartyHardPolitics.com and PolicyMic.com, and was published in The New York Times and The New Yorker.

Prior to writing about politics, Jess was a sports columnist for Sports-Central.org, BleacherReport.com, and Seamheads.com, and his work was published on CBSSports.com. He also hosted a weekly radio show focusing on Major League Baseball.

Jess is a student at Binghamton University, where he writes a column for the student-run Pipe Dream. You can follow him on Twitter @jesskcoleman, or email him at jess@jesskcoleman.com.

Putting Boston in Perspective

13 May 2013, 2:05 pm

It's now been just a few days since CNN put an end to their live coverage in Boston. The entire time, I've been critical, and have taken some pretty enormous hits. I've been called insensitive, a terrible person, and some other things that I bet my editors will be quick to remove.

But I can't help it. I cannot help but feel uncomfortable when every American flag in sight is being flown at half-staff, when dozens of people are dying everyday from gun violence and no one ever hears about it.... Continue Reading...

I Am Not an Anti-Semite

15 March 2013, 10:11 am

I've been called "anti-Semitic" and a "right-wing Zionist," both on the same day. It's inaccurate, but it's a startling political reality. The debate surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become so polarized in recent decades that it has bought reasonable conversation to a stand-still. And it's time for it to stop.

In reality, I define myself as a Zionist Jew -- meaning nothing more than I support the right of Israel to exist -- who opposes the current Israeli leadership. Just as a Republican who viciously condemns President Obama should not be,... Continue Reading...

Hollywood and History Don't Mix

24 February 2013, 6:24 pm

I didn't really enjoy "Zero Dark Thirty." It wasn't because of the acting, directing or any other factor that I generally use to evaluate a film. Instead, it was because I walked into the theater feeling as though something was going to be settled -- that I was watching the film not to enjoy it but rather to engage in the wider political debate about torture.

The same went for "Django Unchained." My friends suggested we go see it, and I sat down in the theater knowing nothing of the film... Continue Reading...

Stop Focusing on the Killers

17 December 2012, 9:32 am

"He was diabolical, demonic in this twisted sense that he just -- I mean I -- I think of him almost as a terrorist, right?"

That's how Governor John Hickenlooper described James Holmes, the gunman who shot down dozens at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado earlier this year. Whenever tragedy strikes, as it did Friday in Newtown, this is the reaction we are most compelled to jump to. We feel disgust, and immediately reflect it onto the perpetrator.

But doing so only distorts the true source of these tragedies. By narrowing... Continue Reading...

Enough Thoughts, Enough Prayers

14 December 2012, 2:47 pm

Back in July, President Obama expressed his sorrow regarding the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado. But, "There are going to be other days for politics," he said, "This is a day for prayer and reflection."

Just five months later -- as 26 more people, including 18 children, were added to the list of 100,000 people who are shot or killed by a gun every year -- the message was no different. Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary, said the day will come to talk about sensible gun control, "But I... Continue Reading...

It's Time for Justice Kennedy to Make History

11 December 2012, 9:21 am

In 2007, two women, Edith Windsor and Thea Clara Spyer, got married in Canada. Two years later, Ms. Spyer died, leaving all her property to her spouse, Ms. Windsor. Under the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which says the federal government does not recognize legal same-sex marriages, the Internal Revenue Service was unable to treat Ms. Windsor as a surviving spouse, as would happen with any opposite-sex couple. She faces an estate tax bill of $360,000.

In United States v. Windsor, and a separate case challenging California's ban on same-sex... Continue Reading...

What's Happened to Our Elections?

6 November 2012, 9:15 am

Two weeks ago, I voted for president for the first time in my life. Contrary to what many pundits and columnists have been saying for months now, I was proud of and enthusiastic about the man I voted for. Still, when the results come in tomorrow, I will not be thinking about Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, but instead the factors that make this election what I like to call the DUMB election. Here's why.

DISHONESTY Whether it was the false claims that President Obama wants to "cut" $716 billion from... Continue Reading...

Three Lies From Paul Ryan

12 October 2012, 4:02 pm

At last week's presidential debate, Mitt Romney was sure to let President Obama know that he "is not entitled to his own facts." We should listen, because Romney certainly has an enormous amount to improve upon when it comes to telling the truth: 43 percent of what comes out of his mouth is mostly false or worse.

It makes sense, then, that he would forget to pass this lesson along to his running-mate, Paul Ryan, who perpetuated this wave of lies in last night's vice-presidential debate. I've already outlined the Romney-Ryan... Continue Reading...

Mitt's Right: Being Poor is Awesome

18 September 2012, 9:41 am

Well, folks, we've finally got the inside look at Mitt Romney we have all been waiting for. But it wasn't the exploration into his "human side" that everyone was expecting. Instead, we learned something else: There is a 47 percent chance that Mitt really doesn't like you.

In a leaked video of Romney talking to a group of wealthy donors, he conceded that 47 percent of the country will vote for Obama no matter what, and that "My job is not to worry about those people." These "people," he says, pay... Continue Reading...

Bin Laden's Death: When a Killer Dies

11 September 2012, 9:30 am

When Vice President Joe Biden shouted -- literally -- the Obama campaign's newest slogan at last week's Democratic National Convention, the crowd erupted in cheers. "Osama Bin Laden is dead and GM is alive," Biden declared.

If you know me, you know never to question my devotion to President Obama and his entire campaign for reelection. Still, Biden's words along with the public's reaction made me slightly uncomfortable.

I was there when Bin Laden succeeded in knocking down the World Trade Centers; I was there to see the devastation caused... Continue Reading...

Five Lies from Romney-Ryan

20 August 2012, 9:22 am

Listen to a campaign speech by either Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan, and over 43 percent of what they say will be "mostly false" or worse. Imagine that: Come November, tens of millions of people will cast a vote to make Romney-Ryan one of the most powerful duos in the world -- and nearly half that decision will be based on shameless lies.

Fortunately, we don't have to sit back and take it. A few months ago, I uncovered five glaring lies consistently being uttered by Gov. Romney. Now, with Ryan... Continue Reading...

Where's The Real Threat?

9 August 2012, 9:40 am

Ask Michelle Bachman what her greatest concern is for our country, and she will likely say Islamic extremism. In fact, she even made sure to write to Charles Edwards, the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, asking for an investigation into "the involvement of organizations and individuals associated with the Muslim Brotherhood in Department of Homeland Security activities and policies."

Wow, that sure seems frightening, especially coupled with former Prime Minister Tony Blair's declaration that "the West is asleep on the issue of Islamic extremism." Perhaps he forgot that... Continue Reading...

We Can Save Lives, Whenever You're Ready

20 July 2012, 1:25 pm

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sick of waking up to news of innocent lives being taken away. I'm sick of hearing about college students, high school students, Congresswomen, and now moviegoers being shot at and killed. And I'm even more sick over the fact that no one seems to care.

President Obama released a statement this morning, stating that "we are united as one American family" in the aftermath of a Colorado shooting that killed 12 and wounded around 40 others. The President is right -- this is... Continue Reading...

What's Our Goal, Anyway?

20 July 2012, 8:28 am

Nineteen years ago, Greg Ousley, then just 14 years old, murdered both his parents. He was charged as an adult, and sentenced to two consecutive 30-year prison terms. By the time he is first eligible for parole, Greg will be in his early 40s.

Greg's story -- chronicled brilliantly by Scott Anderson in the New York Times Magazine -- is hardly a rare one. In 2009, Human Rights Watch estimated that the U.S. had 2,500 juveniles serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. The Supreme Court recently ruled against such... Continue Reading...

The Supreme Court Needs Fixing

5 July 2012, 1:23 pm

Imagine, for a moment, that last Thursday went a bit differently. Imagine that the Supreme Court issued its opinion, striking down the entire Affordable Care Act by a 5-4 vote. One, unelected man, Anthony Kennedy, would have been credited with overturning a law that will one day allow millions of Americans to receive health insurance -- a law that was passed by both houses of the legislature and signed by the president.

President Obama would have surely launched a campaign that viciously condemned the Court's undeniable activism. The ruling would be... Continue Reading...

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