“It’s the economy, stupid.” That’s the famous quote attributed to a top Bill Clinton aide in 1992, when he was trying to come up with slogan for the presidential campaign. It is still true. While the focus may be on immigration or President Trump’s problems, the issue facing the U.S. and underlying the next campaign […]
Who needs term limits? We got them this year without a law. Term limits are supposed to ensure turnover among elected officials, breaking the power of a few bosses and bringing in new legislators attuned to the popular will. They don’t exist at the federal level, and the Maine version needs a truth-in-labeling review. This […]
The country is torn by partisan conflict. Many blame President Trump, but he is exploiting a split that existed before he took office. One person deserves even more responsibility for the failure of the parties work together – Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican Senate Majority Leader. Winning partisan battles is his sole purpose. […]
President Trump is making the federal courts conservative. The effect could last for several decades. With the flood of his judicial appointments approved by the Senate and capped by the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, this view is widely accepted and feared by alarmed opponents. For them, a “conservative” court means judges […]
Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, thought a lot about elections. A mathematician as well as a writer, he disliked plurality elections. The candidate winning the most votes, but less than a majority, would have been rejected by most voters. That could happen with three candidates or more. Carroll, the penname of Charles […]
Whatever else that can be said about the 2018 elections, they are a picnic for pundits. They can find anything they want in the results. Trump won or he lost. There was no “blue wave” or the Democrats scored big gains in the House and governor’s seats. The president has gained a Democratic House to […]
Each year, on his statutory birthday, this blog pays tribute to George Washington. Now, in light of the Pittsburgh massacre of Jews at worship and the role of President Trump in creating the atmosphere for such actions, it joins with others across the country in recalling one of his writings. Rhode Island, fearful that is […]
“You can pay me now or you can pay me later.” Many people know that famous auto repair slogan. When it comes to public policy, people prefer to pay later. A U.N. Nobel Prize panel on climate change recently reported the earth’s temperature is climbing much faster than expected. It forecast that we are close […]
This weeks’ political quiz. One the following is true and one is false. (a) “All politics is local.” (b) Money is the lifeblood of politics. The correct answer is (b). It makes (a) false. The reverse was once true, with election campaigns conducted on a “retail” face-to-face basis on issues that were matters of state […]
Whether you liked it or not, Sen. Susan Collins’ speech on confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court mattered. The Senate is supposed to give its “advice and consent” to Court nominations, but there are no rules about just what it ought to take into account. Collins provided a clear statement on this point, important […]
