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% ...

After Senate acquits Trump, what’s next?

February 4, 2020

Just because the Senate is about to acquit President Trump of charges Republicans believed never rose to the level of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” don’t think Democrats will raise the white flag of surrender. They (and their media allies) have only just begun. Next is a campaign to defeat enough of the 23 Republican senators up for re-election and, if possible (it doesn’t look possible, but this is February), keep President Trump from winning re-election. Democrats have virtually no issues on which to run, except the promise of free stuff — from Elizabeth Warren’s ...

Even democracy’s partisan now

February 4, 2020

As it marks its centennial this month, the League of Women Voters shows how difficult it is for a political organization born and bred in nonpartisanship to navigate the cratered road of partisan destruction. The ascendance of President Trump, the decline of the Republican Party and the reaction against them both have rendered “nonpartisan” and “political” as effective antonyms. Not that the league was ever immune to partisan complaint. Too prim and complacent for the left, it was too feminist and fluoridated for the right. When William F. Buckley launched National Review in ...