Clik here to view.
The Man Who Should Terrify Everybody in Congress for 11/23/2013
In the U.S. House of 435 members where seniority still counts, Republican Vance McAllister is last in seniority, 432nd to be precise. That's because there are currently three vacant seats. He was sworn...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Voters Will Be Looking For ... for 11/30/2013
A check of this year's record shows that in Galesburg, Ill., Palo Alto, Calif., Los Angeles, Miami Beach, Boston and on several occasions, Washington, President Barack Obama made the following...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Time to Fight for Citizen...
In the historic struggles to extend and guarantee civil rights for African-Americans, women, workers, gays and lesbians, those with disabilities, and immigrants, American liberals have provided truly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is the Pope Catholic? for 12/14/2013
As a practicing — but manifestly imperfect — Catholic, I am pleased Time magazine has named Good Pope Francis its 2013 Person of the Year. Also cheering is the most recent Wall Street Journal-NBC News...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Idea to Unite America for 12/21/2013
We finally have good news from and for our broken, polarized and dysfunctional capital city. One modest proposal from a small independent federal agency — with about half as many employees as the White...
View ArticleClik here to view.
2014 Resolutions and Predictions for 12/28/2013
As the first (and maybe still the only) individual with a press pass to have boldly predicted that after his upset win in the 2000 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, "President" John McCain...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When Political Loyalty Mattered for 01/04/2014
After having worked in or reported on the last 12 U.S. presidential elections, I am convinced that successful politicians who regularly run for and win public office possess an extra olfactory nerve...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bridge to Somewhere for 01/11/2014
There are legitimate reasons why we voters have been a lot more willing to trust the tough job of president to governors — 11 separate times, with Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Jimmy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Needed: One Really Smart Tiger for 01/25/2014
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 — which dramatically cut individual rates, lowering the top rate paid from 50 percent to 28 percent, while closing down nearly $200 billion in tax loopholes — stands...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Rich as Underdogs for 02/01/2014
Tom Perkins, a venture capitalist with a net worth of reportedly $8 billion, sits on the board of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which owns The Wall Street Journal. So it was not surprising that when...
View ArticleClik here to view.
High School Confidential for 02/08/2014
As my savvy precinct committeewoman used to say, "A month is a lifetime in politics, and six months is an eternity." On Jan. 9, the Quinnipiac Poll stated: "New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie is the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Public Lesson in Personal Humility for 02/15/2014
It probably would be fair to say that in early 1981 I was more than a little self-satisfied. Having worked in four presidential campaigns before becoming an editorial writer for the Washington Post...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Minimum Wage Threatens Republicans for 02/22/2014
A frank admission: Political reporters, including yours truly, absolutely cherish exit polls of voters. Why? Because the people who are interviewed in an exit poll on Election Day have just voted and,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Iron Rule of Religion and Politics for 03/01/2014
There is one iron rule regarding religion in American politics, and here it is: With only one exception, ministers, priests, rabbis, and imams — men and women of the cloth — should stay out of American...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Peril of Ignoring Change for 03/08/2014
According to the Census Bureau, for the first time in more than a century, the annual number of deaths among white Americans exceeded the number of births. Add to that the facts that Asians are now the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Washington Actually Laughs at Itself for 03/15/2014
How unpopular is Washington in the rest of the country? While it's true that Congress as an institution has never been highly prized by most Americans, many of us continued to hold a soft spot for our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mr. Chairman, RIP for 03/22/2014
In the two presidential elections, immediately preceding Bob Strauss's becoming the national chairman of the Democratic Party in 1973, Democratic presidential nominees — Hubert Humphrey and George...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Spring of Shrinking Hopes for 03/29/2014
Joseph Napolitan, who essentially created the profession of campaign consultant and who departed these earthly precincts this past December, was a wise man. He used to tell Democratic candidates and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If Only One of Them Had Ever Run for Sheriff for 04/05/2014
In his 1972 epic on the origins of the U.S. war in Vietnam, the great journalist David Halberstam told of then-new Vice President Lyndon Johnson's coming back from his first meeting with the top people...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If Hypocrisy Were a Felony for 04/12/2014
To be fair, most Republicans have never hidden their distaste for campaign-finance laws that place limits on how much someone can give to a political candidate or campaign, or how much the candidate or...
View Article