“Young Republicans don’t need a new name. They’ve reclaimed their old one.”
@mfranklin628.bsky.social explores the hateful history of descendants becoming their ancestors’ wildest dreams.

When the Young Republicans’ leaked group chat made headlines, many people were shocked. I wasn’t. My latest piece in @contrariannews.org connects the dots between those “polite” segregationists and the digital heirs who inherited their playbook.

contrarian.substack.com/p/the-young-...

As a Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City alum, I wrote this piece because we have a responsibility to call out attacks on an independent institution, the targeting of a Black woman making history, and the ongoing ways our systems undermine leaders who are trying to make a difference.

A president has no legal authority to remove a Federal Reserve governor, yet Trump is moving to oust Lisa Cook. Michael Franklin reports on how the attack echoes a larger pattern of overreach.

Check out my latest for @contrariannews.org

The real divide isn’t left vs. center—it’s action vs. inaction. And too often, Democrats side with consultants who deliver nothing while communities lose everything.

Cuomo’s failed political comeback highlights a much deeper crisis inside the Democratic Party. The question is whether anyone will face it. Michael Franklin explains.

In a time when everything feels divided—politically, culturally, generationally—this new show builds a vision of the world we could have if we centered connection over competition.

@mfranklin628.bsky.social‬ on "Building the Band":
https://contrarian.substack.com/p/what-building-the-band-teaches-us

I wrote about Megan Thee Stallion—not just the trial, but the disinformation, the silence, and the dangerous strategy now unfolding around it.

Misogynoir isn’t abstract. It’s political & calculated. And Black men must speak up now, otherwise we risk letting others define us and our communities.

In 2020, Megan Thee Stallion was shot. Her shooter was convicted, but years later, she’s still on trial in the court of public opinion. As @mfranklin628.bsky.social explains, protecting Black women isn’t just a cultural slogan. It’s a political responsibility.

The NFL Draft unites America, but civic leaders are MIA. As Michael Franklin writes: Culture builds politics. Meet people where they already are.

“He came to the United States seeking safety, and he did everything right… Then, one day, he disappeared.” Michael Franklin on the quiet cruelty that made Andry Hernandez Romero’s dissapearance possible.

Sen. Booker didn’t just deliver a speech—he created a moment. When values speak louder than fear, change follows. Michael Franklin explains