The rising tide of campaign advertising is a sure sign that the days dwindle down to the national elections. November 3 is less than 100 days ahead and massive campaign money means that American voters risk being drowned in campaign ads and mail. Maine’s U.S. Senate race will set a new state record for spending […]
The war about reopening the economy is being fought about as fiercely as the war against Covid-19 itself. Maine is caught in this war between public health officials and open economy advocates. The conflict can be partisan. The unanimous Legislature gave Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, authority to fight the spread of the virus. She […]
Would Joe Biden as president merely be the un-Trump? Would his presidency be all about undoing Trump’s moves? For many people, that would be satisfactory. They have enough experience to judge Trump and enough confidence, if not enthusiasm, to prefer Biden. To accomplish even a Trump rollback, Biden would need a cooperative Congress. The Democrats […]
President Trump may be right in saying Confederate generals are part of American history, but he gets their role wrong – intentionally. After the Civil War, southerners erected the statues of leaders of what they called “the Lost Cause.” To sanitize their rebellion, they claimed their intent had been to preserve states rights and was […]
Suppose you live next door to a police officer. He’s also a birdwatcher and keeps a video camera on his front porch to record birds at his feeder. Each morning, as you go out your front door on the way to work, you know that his video catches you. Sometimes, you give him a wave. […]
We have just attended the birth of a “wedge issue.” Its father is Donald Trump. Its name is “Reopen now.” The issue is about whether to wear masks and restrict business operations as ways of limiting the spread of Covid-19. The purpose of the wedge is to create a new voting bloc out of the […]
The U.S. Supreme Court is clearly divided on the issue of abortion rights. Five justices, considered to be conservatives, do not favor the right to an abortion. This right was not established by Congress; it is embodied in the Roe v. Wade decision. Four justices, considered to be liberals, support Roe v. Wade. The Court […]
Since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the term “systemic racism” has come into wide usage. To many people, this term may seem both new and confusing. Yet, if opposition to it can be sustained, it could bring a basic and far-reaching change in attitudes and action on race relations. Racism itself is obviously […]
Federal-state relations have reached a new low. Previously, I have shown how the powers of one-time sovereign states have been worn away by the federal government. Finally, in reacting to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trump administration has treated the states almost as if they were foreign governments. The problem is rooted in the belief that […]
Covid-19 is a bad dream, and we’ll soon wake up. That is the false claim of President Trump and many of his top supporters who say that we are already emerging from that dream and should get on with life as it was before our coronavirus nightmare. Vice President Pence has been trying to sell […]
