Ezra Klein, now a regular New York Times’ columnist, argues that the Democrats have the next “two years to prove that the American political system can work.” [1] Therefore, according to Klein, “First, . . . [Democrats] need to help people fast and visibly. Second, they need to take politics seriously, recognizing that defeat in … Continue reading Democrats Have Two Years To Prove U.S. Political System Can Work
Minneapolis’ StarTribune published an editorial criticizing the apparent failure of Congress to pass a bipartisan immigration reform bill. A similar editorial appeared in Bloomberg News. The bill also was supported by columnist George Will.[1] The Bipartisan Bill The bill was developed by U.S. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (ex-Democrat & now Independent, AZ) and Thom Tillis (Rep., … Continue reading Apparent Failure of Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill
On February 25, the Washington Post published an open letter to the U.S. Senate from 70 former senators (by my count, 48 Democrats, 18 Republicans and 4 Independents), including three from my State of Minnesota (Dean Barkley (Ind.), Mark Dayton (Dem.) and Dave Durenberger (Rep.)). [1] The Letter’s Contents “Congress is not fulfilling its constitutional … Continue reading Open Letter to U.S. Senate from 70 Former Senators
As of 5/4/20 # Date Title 2 04/04/11 My Political Philosophy U.S. Presidency 420 04/24/13 Evaluations of President Obama 467 02/07/14 President Obama Speaks Out for Religious Freedom 467A 02/07/14 Comment: President Obama Criticized for Not Addressing U.S. Religious Freedom 485 03/27/14 President Obama’s Audience with Pope Francis 829 05/11/16 President … Continue reading List of Posts to dwkcommentaries—Topical: United States (POLITICS)
Harvard professors of government, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, make a convincing case that the structure of the U.S. government has permitted minority rule in the U.S. and they propose ways to change that structure to reduce the enabling of such minority rule.[1] We will examine their arguments about structure and reform. Then a couple … Continue reading The Need To End Minority Rule in U.S.
Peggy Noonan, a Wall Street Journal columnist, offers her thoughts on what we are learning in the coronavirus pandemic. Here are her main points along with reactions thereto. Noonan’s Observations[1] She says we have learned a lot. “How intertwined and interconnected our economy is, how provisional, how this thing depended on that. And how whisperingly … Continue reading Pandemic Journal (# 24): What We Are Learning in the Pandemic
A prior post reviewed the recent Ezra Klein column (and related book) that argued for “reducing the polarization of American politics by democratization, including “proportional representation and campaign finance reform; . . .[making] voter registration automatic and. . . [giving] Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico the political representation they deserve.” https://dwkcommentaries.com/2020/02/14/u-s-needs-more-democratization/ Two respected political commentators–Norman … Continue reading Responses to Ezra Klein’s Democratization Thesis
At the May 1st Memorial Service for former Vice President Walter Mondale, Presidential Historian Jon Meacham delivered the following remarks.[1] “The story begins the year before he was even old enough to vote. It was a late July afternoon in 1948, and Fritz Mondale, then all of 20, had been put in charge of the … Continue reading Presidential Historian Jon Meacham’s Remarks About Walter Mondale at His Memorial Service
Previous posts documented Congress’ earlier failure this Session to adopt (a) the Afghan Adjustment Act to improve the legal status of Afghan evacuees in the U.S. and (b) important bipartisan immigration reform, one of which was offered by Senators Kyrsten Sinema (ex-Democrat & now Independent) and Thom Tillis (Rep., NC) that would have addressed the … Continue reading Congress Fails To Adopt Important Immigration Legislation
On May 15, Oprah Winfrey gave an inspiring online commencement address to all graduating high school and college members of the classes of 2020, the pandemic classes. Here is what she said.[1] “[N]ever has a graduating class been called to step into the future with more purpose, vision, passion, and energy and hope.” “Every one … Continue reading Pandemic Journal (# 20): Oprah Winfrey’s Challenge to the Pandemic Classes of 2020
