Before the recent French and British elections fade from the headlines, and before the maelstrom of our own unending political war, let’s take a moment to reflect on what happened in Europe. Britain On the surface the election in the United Kingdom went as predicted, but there are some interesting tidbits to glean from the ...
Back in January 2020, I posted a blog titled Musings on 2020. You can find it in the archives. It reviewed the candidates competing to take on Trump in the 2020 presidential race. Here’s what I said about Joe Biden 4½ years ago: “ Sanders and Biden are too old. I have said that until ...
With each day bringing more vexing news about the US presidential election, you may have overlooked some troubling election events rolling across Europe. There, like here, right-wing populist movements similar to MAGA mania are gaining momentum. The truth is, “vexing” and “troubling” aren’t heavy enough words for what’s going on on both sides of the ...
Before last week it didn’t much matter that Congressman Mike Johnson was a scary, far-right extremist — an ideological clone of fellow congressman Jim Jordan, without Jordan’s in-your-face demeanor. Johnson’s ultra-conservatism hadn’t attracted much attention because of his obscurity among 434 other members of the House. But now that he’s been elevated to the ...
For several reasons, I haven’t felt motivated to write for many weeks. First, there was my biannual move. Every fall I pack up my car, settle my dog into her seat beside me and drive to Louisiana where we’ll spend the next 7 months before returning to Rhode Island in May. Lucy flies down later ...
A few days ago my editor and friend, Fitz, suggested that I take a look at a somewhat under-publicized story — the downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt by Fitch, one of the “Big Three” credit rating agencies. Boring stuff, right? I thought so too until I read about Fitch’s reasoning for downgrading us from AAA ...
This morning on Morning Joe I heard GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie harrumph that inflation will cost Joe Biden his presidency, just like it cost Jimmy Carter his. Who knows whether former Gov. Christie is right, but his assertion underscores an indisputable fact: Inflation can bring down governments. People become uneasy — angry even — ...
Like many, many parents and grandparents around this country, Lucy and I had the experience of learning of a mass shooting in a school in the city where our grandchildren live. Fortunately, our son-in-law had the presence of mind to text us, before the news broke, that his sons were safe and that the attack ...
I have often written about my aversion to calling our United States “the greatest country on Earth,” as many politicians of both parties are wont to do. It’s an absurd statement to make. The statement begs the question, “by what criteria did we earn ‘greatest country’ status?” Did some respected international institution give us the ...
Because my dogs, Sia and Bubba, insist on getting me up by 5:30 in the morning this time of year, I was able to observe the final hours of Boris Johnson’s life as Prime Minister, on the BBC. OK, I know he didn’t actually resign as PM, but he’s toast and everyone knows it. ...
