A Baker’s Dozen – 13 Reasons Why You Might Vote for Trump & Vance

A Sarcastic Posting on Voting for the Orange One

About This Posting

No one who is a regular reader of this blog would be fooled into expecting to find an endorsement for the most famous felon in America to again soil the Oval Office. This posting is in the spirit of a Borowitz column, in the spirit of fun.

That there are still people out there who actually think Trump is a good idea is both baffling and sad. I hope many of them seek out the professional help they need. If anything in this posting encourages you to vote for Trump,

Two Trump Failures to Never Forget

This is a Man of Many Flaws. Two Cited Here Infuse All The Others

Recent Reminders

Two matters are in the news a great deal of late, one called up by the Trump, the other inflicted by Trump. Both highlight what an unworthy person this is.

The Afghanistan Withdrawal

Trump has tried mightily to blame Biden for a terrible withdrawal from Afghanistan. He has done so with some success. Biden’s public ratings took a beating after the withdrawal and never fully recovered. But the fact is, as we shall discuss momentarily, that this lies squarely on Trump’s shoulders,

A Tale of Twos

Two Conventions, Two Platforms Speak Volumes

Did You Hear That?

As we closed out last week, I heard (metaphorically) the sounds of a race beginning. Someone said, “Drivers, start your engines.” Or was it a voice saying, “Get ready, start, go!”? Maybe a starters pistol fired?

Labor Day is right around the corner and so the presidential race has truly begun. I am actually a bit surprised both sets of candidates are not campaigning the weekend just past. No doubt they are working (at least some of them….) in other ways. Lots of things are different in this election,

You Are There

We Are in a 90 Day Benchmark in History

Remember That Show?

Those of a certain age may recall a pretty darn good radio/TV show called You are There. It ran on CBS radio starting in 1947, then transitioned to TV in 1953, continuing through 1957, for a total of 90 episodes. There were a couple of years of reruns in the early 1970s. In each show, the viewer was transported to a “newsroom” in another era, where reporters were covering some historic event which was happening around them right now.

I barely remember any of it as a small child,

Trump Still Has The Lead on Two Issues

Helping People See How Mislead They Have Been

The Campaign Overview

By now, it should be obvious to just about everyone that the Harris- Walz lead is not just a honeymoon bubble. This level of interest, engagement, commitment, and enthusiasm is something rarely seen in national politics. A new coalition is forming, building around parts of the Biden and Obama coalitions that could be really strong. Especially encouraging is the patterns being witnessed among youth, minorities, and Hispanics. Impressive stuff.

But we still have 83 days to go, and that is forever in politics.

Ten Thoughts on Ten Topics

A Lot Has Happened in the Last Week or So

The Middle East Muddle

Israel killed a prominent Hamas leader last week – in Iran. They also took out a Hezbollah leader, in Beirut. I personally have no issue with Israel taking out their sworn enemies who are responsible for atrocities and attacks. But one must question the wisdom of killing the Hamas official who was leading the peace talks, making any progress on that front most unlikely for the foreseeable future. The only senior Hamas leader still standing is the worst of the lot.

The risk of a two front war for Israel is getting uncomfortably close,

Two Letters to Read And At Least One That Is Missing

 Plus, Reflections on the Harris Effect

There Are Some Special People Among Us

I had the pleasure and the opportunity to work with some of them over the years. Some were political appointees, but most were career civil servants, government leaders, or military officers. A couple of characteristics made them special over the long haul.

One, they were dedicated to the principle of service to the country. They were, without exception in my experience, leader-servants. They all believed passionately in the country. Most had a copy of the constitution with them pretty much always (me,

I Have Good News and I Have Bad News

American Democracy is Conflicted, Clumsy, Inefficient – That is the Good News

That’s The Good News?

Yes, it is – and the results are largely what the Founders intended – for good reason.

It is worth recalling that those who first organized this country brought some very through research and reflection to the task, framed by their own experiences.

The thought was to form a democratic republic, for several reasons too long to articulate here. Know that they worked this hard. I often marvel in reflection that we were at that time a tiny group of Europeans,

Some Weekend, Eh?

A Very Few Notes on the Biden Decision and All That Follows

What Happened and Why?

The truth is that we really don’t know what all happened that led to the Sunday decision, although there is a ton of speculation and slowly some reliable leaks and back stories are coming out. There was a lot going on in public and behind the scenes and it likely will take some time to sort it all out. But in candor, all that is of interest, but is not especially important. What is important is what happens the next 100 days or so.

You May Have Heard About A Shooting Last Weekend?

Tragedy, Opportunity, Accelerator, Brake? Yes, Likely All of the Above

What This Blog is NOT About

Everyone and their brother started writing about the PA shooting within minutes of the event. Like the debate we talked about earlier, I find it useful to give things a couple of days to sort out at least a little. This blog will not recap the event, blow by blow. We have all had more of that than we need. I remember when it broke on tv, I found myself thinking-

“Oh great. This will be continuous coverage by everyone everywhere for at least the next 24 hours,