An outbreak of racism, as well

February 11, 2020

The images out of Wuhan are chilling. In the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, health officials in white hazmat suits hover over the body of a victim. Crowds of ordinary people, their faces obscured by surgical masks, try to carry on as normal. As the United States, Australia, Russia, Japan and many other countries announce travel restrictions to and from China, it was only a matter of time before paranoia about coronavirus and Asians would spread as well. On Jan. 30, Los Angeles officials warned that a fake letter circulating on Facebook and email falsely claimed that five people ...

GOP playing game by different rules

February 10, 2020

Let’s try a thought experiment. Suppose your friend invites you to play Monopoly. But suppose she insists on a set of special rules applicable only to her. Like when she lands on your property, she only has to pay half the required rent. And for every house she buys, she gets one free. And when she passes “Go,” she gets $500. How legitimate would you consider that game to be? How long would it be before you quit? Might you not even overturn the board on the way out? Who could blame you? Which of us would stay in a contest where one side felt free to make up its own rules? You ...

State of Union a campaign speech by another name

February 10, 2020

Even if Republicans in the House chamber hadn’t begun shouting “Four more years,” it would have been obvious that President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address was a campaign speech by another name. It was also — Democrats take note — an effective one, despite exaggerations and dubious claims that are already being dissected by fact-checkers. Granted, Trump’s emphasis on optimism and his talk about “building the world’s most prosperous and inclusive society” was laced with familiar resentment and score-settling. “The days of our country being used, taken ...

Black votes also matter in 2020

February 7, 2020

One would think that the State of the Union address would be the ultimate barometer of America’s current state of politics, but it’s not. This year, that distinction belonged to the Super Bowl. In a game featuring two teams fighting for the right to be called champions, I watched with the hope that former Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid would win the title that had eluded him here. In between, I watched the commercials — specifically the political ads — and realized I was witnessing more than a game. I was watching two presidential campaigns acknowledge that blacks will be ...

Fresh fun for all at the Pennsylvania Farm Show

February 6, 2020

The first time Mee Cee Baker went to the Pennsylvania Farm Show, in Harrisburg, she was a 12-year-old 4-H member whose pig got loose during the market show and took off into the center of the massive complex. A chaotic scene emerged as the frightened animal ran haphazardly among the large equipment, tractors and people. Everyone in attendance, at least in Baker’s 12-year-old eyes, seemingly chased it down or ran away. The next year, Baker, who later worked in education and outreach in former Gov. Ed Rendell’s agriculture department, said she found herself traumatized again but in ...

Donors are a lousy way to gauge political support

February 5, 2020

To get onstage at the last Democratic debate, a candidate had to have received contributions from at least 225,000 donors. That disqualified Mike Bloomberg. He has only one donor: Himself. That rule sounded nice and democratic with a small “d,” but actually, it is a highly flawed way to measure a candidate’s ability to win a national election. The Democratic National Committee has wisely just removed that requirement from the next debate, scheduled for Feb. 19 in Nevada. This will almost certainly give Bloomberg a place at the podium in Las Vegas. All he has to do is reach 10% ...