Skip to content
Project 2025
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories
Two containers, one with a U.S. flag and another with Canada's flag.

Just the Facts: U.S.–Canada Tariff War Escalates As Trump Raises Stakes

Close up of U.S. Army and American flag patches on a uniform

Veterans Day Betrayal: ICE Detains U.S. Military Veterans Under Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

Paramount-WBD Deal: Antitrust, Consumers, and the Future of Media

Paramount-WBD Deal: Antitrust, Consumers, and the Future of Media

People voting at booths.

Who Will Be the First American Candidate To Harness AI

Have Males Always been the Problem?

Have Males Always been the Problem?

Poetry, Democracy, and the Vineyard of Renewal

Opinion

Poetry, Democracy, and the Vineyard of Renewal

A California vineyard during sunset.

Getty Images, Anton Petrus
David L. Nevins
By David L. NevinsJun 17, 2025
David L. Nevins
David L. Nevins serves as publisher of The Fulcrum. Additionally, Nevins serves as co-founder and Board Chairman of the Bridge Alliance. Nevins brings business acumen, vision and a tireless this-must-and-can-be-done zeal to the burgeoning movement to bridge divides to transform the political process. As a business leader, Nevins excels at building bridges between people and organizations from the right, left and center for civilized conversation and then action. He co-founded the Bridge Alliance because, as he says, “No matter how well managed and how well funded anyone organization is, significant political reform will not happen without an alliance to further collaborative interactions. Together we can and will raise the collective impact of all.” He is a member of the Aspen Institute Society of Fellows, with a focus on the Aspen Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership, he established and continues to work with The Nevins Democracy Leaders program at Penn State University. Nevins graduated with honors in economics from Penn State in 1969 and received an M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1971.
See More Writings by author

Poetry pulses through the veins of American heritage, shaping our nation’s conscience and collective voice. In the 19th century, Walt Whitman recognized that both poetry and democracy derive their power from unifying disparate voices into a harmonious whole. His words in “I Hear America Singing” still resonate, reminding us that each citizen’s song enriches the greater chorus.

Throughout history, poetry has served as a mirror, reflecting the triumphs and trials of our democratic journey. It challenges, illuminates, and inspires—an ever-evolving force in shaping conversations that matter.

The Fulcrum is proud to present an original poem by Michael Varga, author of “Under Chad’s Spell” and a former Foreign Service officer who has served in Dubai, Damascus, Casablanca, and Toronto.

“The Sour Grapes of a Dying Democracy” is a meditation on the seductive allure of power and the bitter reckoning it brings. Varga’s metaphor—a vineyard once abundant, now poisoned by corruption—calls for renewal. As democracy teeters, we must confront the consequences of compromised leadership and sow new seeds for future generations. The harvest may take generations, but only through vigilance and truth can we restore the legacy entrusted to us.

Read. ….Reflect….. Engage…..and Enjoy.

A Poem by Michael Varga

The Sour Grapes of a Dying Democracy

At the moment of veraison*

We don’t yet know how sour

Is the fruit. A far Trumped tower

Makes the grapes appear appetizing.

They turn crimson, then black.

Now we know the harvest

Will be abnormal, the harshest.

Uprooting vines is our task:

We must expunge the downcast.

About the prize, the crew chief lies.

He charges the pickers to pick.

But when the vintage ferments

We taste how bitter, how sick.

All of the vines are corrupt.

We have to start over, a new

Planting of the sacred vineyard

Handed down from beloved ancestors

Who measured risks of hiring

Overseers who deceive us, miring.

It will take eons for the next harvest.

But our sons, daughters will reap best

Long after we hover above the mist,

Gauging the robust bequest we left.


*veraison refers to the period when grapes begin to ripen, marking the transition from growth to maturation. This stage is characterized by changes in color.

David Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

Latest news

We Need To Rethink the Way We Prevent Sexual Violence Against Children
Media & Technology

We Need To Rethink the Way We Prevent Sexual Violence Against Children

People waving US flags
Democracy

What Are American Values?

An abstract grid wall of shipping containers, unevenly arranged with some jutting out, all decorated in the colors and patterns of the USA flag. A prominent percentage sign overlays the grid.
Rule of Law

Tariffs on Trial: The Supreme Court’s Hidden Battle for Balance

The Voting Rights Act on Trial: Are Race-Based Remedies Temporary 'Tears' of Progress?
Rule of Law

The Voting Rights Act on Trial: Are Race-Based Remedies Temporary 'Tears' of Progress?

Read More

The Unfolding Democratic Insurgency

Zohran Mamdani’s stunning NYC win marks a turning point for the Democratic Party, revealing generational revolt, establishment decline, and a new progressive wave.

Getty Images, Michael M. Santiago

The Unfolding Democratic Insurgency

The Democratic Party stands at the precipice of a profound internal reckoning. For decades, it has balanced precariously between populist aspiration and corporate capture, a tension that has now reached its breaking point.

The election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City has shattered the illusion of establishment inevitability. What once seemed impossible — a socialist, anti-corporate, anti-war, anti-Zionist candidate winning the largest city in America — has become real. The moral center of the party is shifting; it is now clear beyond debate, and those in power, from Jeffries to Schumer, appear increasingly tone-deaf to the political and generational currents transforming their base.

Keep ReadingShow less
A close up of a person reading a book in a bookstore.

Looking for meaningful holiday reads? New books by Jeffrey Rosen and Jill Lepore illuminate America’s founding ideals and the enduring power of the Constitution.

Getty Images, LAW Ho Ming

Best Holiday Books on Democracy and the Constitution

As we search for gift books to give this holiday season, our escapist summer reading lists may still appeal. But two new “serious” books offer positive, reflective relief.

Good history informs the present as well as describes the past, but great history also frames the future. That’s what Jeffrey Rosen and Jill Lepore accomplish in their respective gems, The Pursuit of Liberty and We The People. They animate our nation’s founding principles and the U.S. Constitution in ways that are encouraging and fascinating.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. Capitol.

As government shutdowns drag on, a novel idea emerges: use arbitration to break congressional gridlock and fix America’s broken budget process.

Getty Images, Douglas Rissing

Arbitration Could Prevent Government Shutdowns

The way that Congress makes decisions seems almost designed to produce government shutdowns. Senate rules require a three-fifths supermajority to close debate on most bills. In practice, this means that senators from both parties must agree to advance legislation to a final vote. In such a polarized political environment, negotiating an agreement that both sides can accept is no easy task. When senators inevitably fail to agree on funding bills, the government shuts down, impacting services for millions of Americans.

Arbitration could offer us a way out of this mess. In arbitration, the parties to a dispute select a neutral third party to resolve their disagreement. While we probably would not want to give unelected arbitrators the power to make national policy decisions, arbitration could help resolve the much more modest question of whether an appropriations bill could advance to a final vote in the Senate. This process would allow the Senate to make appropriations decisions by a majority vote while still protecting the minority’s interests.

Keep ReadingShow less
An illustration of a megaphone with a speech bubble.

As threats to democracy rise, Amherst College faculty show how collective action and courage within institutions can defend freedom and the rule of law.

Getty Images, Richard Drury

A Small College Faculty Takes Unprecedented Action to Stand Up for Democracy

In the Trump era, most of the attention on higher education has focused on presidents and what they will or won't do to protect their institutions from threats to academic freedom and institutional independence. Leadership matters, but it's time for the rank-and-file in the academy — and in business and other institutions — to fulfill their own obligations to protect democracy.

With a few exceptions, neither the rank and file nor their leaders in the academy have stood up for democracy and the rule of law in the world beyond their organizations. They have had little to say about the administration’s mounting lawlessness, corruption, and abuse of power.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025