Is the presidential campaign already boring or confusing? The pundits endlessly ponder, “Who won the last debate? Who’s ahead in the Democratic caucus in Iowa? Can Trump win again?” As usual, people following politics are being treated to a campaign covered like a sports event. But this may be a landmark election. Despite appearances, it […]
Americans are not great theater-goers. But the theater is now coming to us. It is a major national show: “The impeachment and trial of Donald J. Trump – in three acts.” We already have a pretty good idea of the plot, but we remain fascinated by the leading character. Act 1 is the impeachment inquiry. […]
“Judges are like umpires,” said John Roberts, the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. “Umpires don’t make the rules; they apply them,” he continued. “It’s my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat.” An academic study showed that home plate umpires make an average of 14 bad calls in […]
There’s more at stake in the Trump impeachment process than the fate of the president. For the Republicans, saving Trump, like him or not, is a matter of saving today’s Republican Party, the party that Trump has made. Contrast President George H.W. Bush with President Trump. Contrast Maine Gov. John McKernan with Gov. Paul LePage. […]
When it comes to health care, Democrats may try to do the right thing, but they may be doing it the wrong way. The party’s presidential candidates support a health insurance system for all Americans. They believe health care is a right. President Obama’s Affordable Care Act is the closest the country has come to […]
Before President Trump, three of the previous 44 presidents faced impeachment and possible removal from office. Mainers played key roles in all three cases. When the U.S. was still a century and a half in the future, a classic case of impeachment occurred in England. It is similar to what is done now, though the […]
Important and worrying truths, even for people far from retirement, are hidden behind in the plentiful advice about Social Security benefits. Some experts suggest delaying the start of taking benefits, because the payments will be higher if you wait, rather than beginning the year you are eligible for full benefits. That could be helpful advice, […]
People can mistake politicians’ bluster for boldness and wisdom. Making political assertions without substance has created myths often mistaken for political truth. Time for some myth-busting. The “deep state” is running the country, according to one myth. The country is secretly under the control of unseen, unelected people. Who are they? Powerful corporations and faceless […]
A country with nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, increasingly ready to use them, last week abruptly broke off negotiations with the U.S. Nobody noticed. Possible impeachment of the president has nudged other stories from the top spot in the news. Meanwhile, North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal and American inability to prevent it got the silent […]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a plan: no impeachment of President Trump. As the highest-ranking elected Democrat, she could impose her plan on her fellow Democrats, even over the objections of a wing of the Party anxious to attack. Why did she prevent an impeachment inquiry? The Mueller report revealed Trump’s effort to block the […]
