Mobilized by their outrage at President Trump and his Draconian policies, an unusual number of Americans — particularly women and people of color — are running for statewide or local offices in the 2018 midterm elections. Massachusetts doesn’t seem to be an exception. As voters head to the polls Sept. 4, Democratic voters seem torn over whether to elect younger voices or stick with proven incumbents. Similarly, Republican voters are asking themselves whether there’s room in their party for candidates like Governor Charlie Baker, who have bucked the party’s Trumpist turn. The Globe Editorial Board interviewed about 30 candidates running for their party’s nomination in 11 statewide and local contests — from the crowded Third Congressional race in the Merrimack Valley that attracted ten Democratic candidates in the primary, to the hard-fought state representative primaries in Boston, where some incumbent progressives face challenge from opponents … [Read more...] about A guide to the Editorial Board endorsements
Trumpists
McCain funeral offered a promise of deliverance at a dark moment in American history
When dictators took over countries such as Germany, Italy, Russia, Argentina and Venezuela, the body politic had usually already been weakened by war, depression or chronic misrule – and often all three. Today, the United States faces a threat from a would-be despot of its own: a president who incessantly undermines his own Justice Department, calls for his political opponents to be investigated and locked up, denounces the press as the “enemy of the people,” and lies incessantly while telling his followers that they must trust whatever he now says over what the media report or even over what he himself was previously recorded as saying on video. Our big advantage – what sets us apart from countries that have succumbed to authoritarianism in the past – is that the American body politic is relatively healthy. We have a 229-year-old tradition of the rule of law, the economy is strong, and robust checks and balances continue to operate. The most notable check … [Read more...] about McCain funeral offered a promise of deliverance at a dark moment in American history
A new way to slay Trumpism? The shocking Florida outcome sets up a big test.
Greg Sargent, The Washington Post Published 7:19 am PDT, Wednesday, August 29, 2018 The stunning victory of Andrew Gillum in the Florida Democratic gubernatorial primary sets up a test for one of the left's biggest propositions: That the most potent weapon against Trumpism lies in combining an unflinching vow to roll back President Donald Trump's inhumane and incompetently-executed ethno-nationalist agenda with unabashed progressive economics - including the promise of health care that is truly universal, as a matter of right. The general election will pit Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, an African American with a working class background, against GOP nominee Ron DeSantis, one of the most slavish, worshipful and virulent Trumpists in the country, which means this race will carry important implications for the 2020 presidential race as well. Gillum defeated his more moderate primary opponent on a platform that includes Medicare for All, abolishing ICE in its current … [Read more...] about A new way to slay Trumpism? The shocking Florida outcome sets up a big test.
Kathy Griffin messed up big-time with her Trump photo. Or did she?
By The Know | PUBLISHED: August 17, 2018 at 5:35 am | UPDATED: August 17, 2018 at 5:41 am Even for someone accustomed to charges of cheap shots and bottom-feeding, Kathy Griffin was taken aback by the swift, angry response to the photo of her holding a fake, severed head of President Donald Trump. She should have known better. “I am a comic. I cross the line, I move the line, and then I cross it,” she said in a statement shortly after tweeting and then deleting the provocative pic on May 30, 2017 — which she claimed was a spur-of-the-moment outtake. “I went too far. The image is too disturbing.” Apologies and hand-wringing aside, Griffin assumed the backlash would end her career, given the deeply divided political atmosphere in the United States. We should have known better. “It’s important for as many comics as possible to continue to do what they think is funny,” Griffin, 57, said over the phone recently. “Kevin Hart … [Read more...] about Kathy Griffin messed up big-time with her Trump photo. Or did she?
Harvard Professor Calls for Universities to Blacklist Trump Admin Officials
A professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government is calling for universities not to honor or hire Trump administration officials, essentially blacklisting them from opportunities to engage with the academic community. Dani Rodrik, a professor of international political economy at the Kennedy School, wrote in an op-ed for the Boston Globe Monday that Trump administration officials should not even receive “a semblance of honor or recognition” from universities.“Universities should uphold both free inquiry and the values of liberal democracy,” writes Rodrik. “The first calls for unhindered exchange and interaction with Trumpist views. The second requires that the engagement be carefully calibrated, with not even a semblance of honor or recognition bestowed on those serving an administration that so grossly violates liberal democratic norms.” Rodrik’s comments come after a number of Trump administration and campaign officials have left … [Read more...] about Harvard Professor Calls for Universities to Blacklist Trump Admin Officials