Tag Archives: bernie sanders

What a difference four years made for Bernie Sanders in Maine

What a difference four years makes. In 2016, Maine’s Democratic caucuses saw around 48,000 party faithful — as well as die-hard supporters of a certain democratic socialist — turn out on a Sunday. Sen. Bernie Sanders trounced Hillary Clinton by nearly 30 points. However, in our largest city, the Portland Democrats’ caucus efforts were described […]

Be wary of politicians offering simple solutions

They say you should beware of Greeks bearing gifts. We should probably also be wary of politicians offering simple solutions. The Democratic presidential field is winnowing as we approach “Super Tuesday.” For the most part, there isn’t much distinction between the candidates. Even the non-Democrats — socialist Bernie Sanders and recently-independent technocrat Michael Bloomberg — […]

Punxsutawney Phil 2020

I can’t believe I let such a momentous occasion pass without comment. Three weeks ago,  Punxsutawney Phil failed to see his shadow. So an early spring is on its way. Days get longer. Weather gets warmer. And things come into bloom. Like Michael Bloomberg. The former New York City mayor has made quite a splash […]

If we want to reduce student loan debt, we have to look at college costs

I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. — J. Wellington Wimpy. If you’re of a certain age, that quote probably seems familiar. You might even be part of the generation at the heart of one of the world’s newest memes. OK, boomers? That said, Wimpy’s quip is informative to one of the greatest policy […]

Bernie Sanders was right: David Koch’s death is not cause for celebration

I’ve got to give Bernie Sanders credit. Last week, one of the favorite boogeymen of the American left passed away. David Koch was a phenomenally successful business leader and generous philanthropist who also happened to be politically active. He espoused a strongly libertarian philosophy, even running for vice president under the Libertarian Party banner in 1980 […]

The government we deserve should sometimes say “No”

One of the most difficult — yet most necessary — things in politics is telling your supporters “no.”  You beseech everyone for votes and contributions during campaigns, hoping to receive enough of each to earn electoral success.  If it works, you take office; those supporters then proffer their preferred policy prescriptions to the issues of […]

Poverty is bad. Work is good.

Hungry? I can offer you a round, red, big apple, or a big, round, red apple. Do you have a preference? If you say those two phrases out loud, you will probably find the first one hits your ear wrong. It is one of the “secret” rules of English; there is a “correct” order for […]

Let’s take the first step this Christmas on corrections reform

It’s a first step. No, not Gov.-elect Janet Mills’ cabinet announcements. Or the budget template that Gov. Paul LePage will leave on the desk upon his departure. Rather, it is the so-called First Step Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation supported by everyone from Donald Trump to Bernie Sanders, George Soros to the Koch network. […]

Shooting the messenger

“Ready, aim, fire!” “We’ve done it, sir. The messenger has been shot.” That seems to sum up the current state of political discourse. This past week, a libertarian-leaning think tank released a report about Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare For All” proposal. The bottom line of the study? “Medicare For All” would cost the federal government […]

Remember the Civil War; return civility to politics

“And now we are engaged in a great civil war.” Abraham Lincoln’s words from the Gettysburg Address echo through the ages. That war — and the death of hundreds of thousands of Americans it brought — tested whether any nation “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal … […]