Category: Politics and Government

Bipartisanship is Dead! Long Live Bipartisanship!

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Redefining Bipartisanship Could Revolutionize America’s Politics

Biden’s Hope and Toolkit

If anyone believes in and can make bipartisanship work, its Joe Biden. This approach is deeply embedded in his DNA. And just for the record, he is right – as a general guideline, better to get a 90% solution with bipartisan support than a 100% solution supported only by one party.

True to his word, he has been working this from the outset. SN Collins of Maine noted last week that she has spoken with the president four times in his first month in office.

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Thinking About Defense in the Biden Administration

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Every New Administration Relooks the Defense Posture. This is Not Easy

 

What a New Administration Needs to Do, Up Front

Any new administration, but especially this one, post Trump, need to relook everything. It is all important and it is all seems time sensitive. But arguably, none is more complex, expensive, or high risk than the defense posture.

A long history and recent events both reinforce that dilemma. Much of what any administration has to work with is legacy, with long lead times and extensive logistics tails. New threats are constantly arising,

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Admit It! We All Like It When a Big Guy Takes a Shot from the Little Guy

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Things are Seldom Black and White, But These Felt Kind of Good

David and Goliath

There is something in us all that likes it when an improbable match comes out with the Little Guy winning. As noted in the title, always some complications and areas of gray in evidence, but here are a few examples of recent weeks that please us to hear. A couple of them are true David vs Goliath, a couple are not quite so, but at least have that mic drop flavor to them.

GameStop Anyone?

If you have even the slightest interest in market dynamics,

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Helping Hands or Talking Heads? Trolling or Governance?

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Two Unrelated Events Share an Interesting Connection

 

Event 1: The Insurrection in DC

One of the still evolving consequences of the January 6 insurrection was the dismissal of QAnon follower Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from any Congressional committee assignments. When asked what she would now do with her time, she said this freed her up to do what she wanted to do – make more speeches, fundraising, etc.

Right after she spoke, newly elected embarrassment to his district NC Rep Madison Cawthorn indicated he understood Greene’s point. He said he had built his own staff around “communication”.

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Impeachment Takeaways

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Some Lessons are Obvious; Some, Not So Much

 

Before launching into today’s discussion, I want to offer you a referral.

A good friend of mine, Bill Jamieson, also produces a blog, Hope and Stone. It is consistently a good read, full of solid analysis and a thoughtful mindset that I really appreciate. Bill brings decades of experience at the state government level to these postings. He worked productively for many years with Republican legislators.

In a posting last week, Bill reflected on that, and lamented that the Republican party he knew is gone.

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Impeachment, Part II

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This Time, It’s Personal

Once More, with Feeling

Well, here we are again. Didn’t we just do this, last year? Lots of speculation is abounding about the Senate trial that starts today. This may all seem depressingly familiar, but there are some important differences to point out. One or more of them could affect outcomes.

What is Different This Time?

  1. This is Trump’s second impeachment, an historical first. In fact, there have only been four presidential impeachments in all of American history. Trump owns half of them. So much winning!
  2. The House Impeachment Managers apparently are putting together a powerful audio-visual presentation.

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A Friday Round Up – What’s Going On?

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Short Notes About Different, Interesting Things Recently Catching Our Attention

A Friday Tradition

We lived for several years in the Washington, DC area. This meant that WAMU was our PBS radio station. WAMU had a flagship program called The Friday Round Up, hosted by the legendary Diane Rehm. It featured a recap of things from the last week or so that merited highlighting. It was a favorite program of ours for many years.

With a tip of the hat to Diane and her successors, today introduces the Agents of Reason version of The Friday Round Up.

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It’s Shoot Out at the OK Corral Time for Would-Be Republicans

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Republicans are Now in Three Camps. Time to Make Some Choices and Settle Up

 How Many Types of Republicans are There? Let’s Count Them

At this point, one wonders why anyone would claim to be a Republican, but that is another conversation. Deciding who might carry such a mantle forward is important for all of us, as will be discussed shortly. Time for the principles to face off and settle matters. By my math, there are three groups that claim at least sometimes the title of “Republican.”

Group I is what we used to call Rockefeller Republicans.

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The Country is On a Hopeful New Path, But…

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But Serious Danger Runs Deep and Wide – This Will Not Go Away on Its Own

 

A Country Divided? It’s Worse Than We Feared

 For a long time, many of us felt that the country was not as divided as many said. The problem was so-called leaders who thrived on conflict; beyond them, people agreed on more than was apparent. I count myself among that chorus. It appears we were wrong.

If this past election taught us anything, it is that not only is the divide real, it is based in alternate realities.

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Pillars for a Better America: The Final Chapter

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A Series on Priorities for the Biden Administration

Joe Biden and company start work at noon tomorrow. Not that they have been idle in the runup. This is a team that is ready to hit the ground running. Good thing. There is so much to be done.  As this blog mentioned last week, pay attention – history is unrolling before us, in very big and unpredictable ways. Dramatic and dangerous times are ahead.

Pillars for a Better America – Pillars 19-21

Today’s entries complete the Pillars list. It certainly is not all inclusive, nor is it in any priority – all of it is Category A priority.

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