Yesterday, Senate Republicans did as expected, followed Donald Trump’s bidding, and killed an immigration bill that gave them most of what they wanted. They did that because, far from wanting to resolve what they label a crisis, they want to preserve it as a campaign issue for the fall. On cue, they accused Majority LeaderContinue reading “GOP Votes Against What It Wants”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
What Did You Expect From Haley?
Nikki Haley wants to run for president in 2028. So, she did what she had to do and endorsed Donald Trump. While people like me admired Haley for standing up to Trump for as long as she did, it’s also true that people like me were never going to vote for her. Because, while IContinue reading “What Did You Expect From Haley?”
Reconsidering the Smoke-Filled Room
Maybe the League of Women Voters has been wrong all along. The progressive, wholesome, good government vision of our democracy is that everybody votes, that politicians fund their campaigns with small donations from civically-minded individuals and that nothing happens in a smoke-filled room. Well, we’ve pretty much achieved all that. Happy with what you’ve got?Continue reading “Reconsidering the Smoke-Filled Room”
It’s Only Fair If We Win
On the asphalt playing fields of St. Ignatius grade school and on the summer grass-dirt of Veterans Park I learned some important life lessons. The first, of course, was that I’d better find a way to make living that was not in the area of professional athletics. But I also learned to be my ownContinue reading “It’s Only Fair If We Win”
Why Can’t We Avoid Calamity?
If you put a gun to my head and made predict it right now I’d say that Joe Biden will win in November. But how confident am I in that prediction? Let’s put it at 50.01% I think Biden will win based mostly on faith that two things will happen that are far from certain.Continue reading “Why Can’t We Avoid Calamity?”
The Q&Q For 5/18/24
This week’s quote comes to us from none other than Rep. Matt Gaetz who, while appearing in support of Donald Trump at his trial in New York this week, said that he was: “Standing back and standing by Mr. Trump.” A) The American Legion. B) The Boy Scouts of America (now Scouting America). C) TheContinue reading “The Q&Q For 5/18/24”
The Dems Don’t Get Rural America
The Democrats have a good idea, but I’m not sure their execution of it is on the mark. The party is awash in cash so it has decided to spend $140 million on a campaign to better connect with rural America. That’s a good idea. But their strategy is questionable. Democrats have been getting pummeledContinue reading “The Dems Don’t Get Rural America”
Debatable
Pres. Joe Biden’s debate strategy is, well, debatable. For one thing, it’s telling that he’s so eager to debate Donald Trump. That’s usually the strategy of underdogs. They need to strike a blow to their opponents to pull them down while candidates confident of victory have no reason to take the risk. So, the veryContinue reading “Debatable”
Finish Hamas, Make Peace the Only Choice
Before October 7th I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about the Middle East. I was, generally speaking, for Israel and against Netanyahu. I also agreed with Barack Obama’s policy, late in his term, to deemphasize the region as an American foreign policy priority. With a decline in our dependence on Mid East oilContinue reading “Finish Hamas, Make Peace the Only Choice”
Breaking the Ivy Hold
We’ve argued in this space more than once that all the churn about the Ivy League is misplaced. Rather than obsessing about admissions to these alleged gatekeepers to power we should expand the gate to include a lot more schools while we also tear down unnecessary barriers for those without college degrees. Now comes someContinue reading “Breaking the Ivy Hold”
Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos 