The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has announced it will no longer endorse political candidates, except in some rare undefined instances. What a travesty! Let's face it. A newspaper or television station's endorsement of a candidate probably has little impact on how most people cast their ballots on the highest visibility races. But that newspaper or television …
Continue reading Leading newspaper wimps out on editorial endorsements
The Mitt Romney who showed up at last night's foreign policy debate agreed with President Obama on the majority of issues discussed and points raised. And, because the President has been dealing with them on the ground for nearly four years, he spoke with greater specificity, authenticity and authority. But, even though Mitt Romney did a …
Continue reading Obama wins on substance; Romney, on strategy
South Dakota Senator George McGovern's 1972 run for the White House was the last Presidential campaign I ever worked on. My journalistic career appropriately barred political involvement. But, as a good and decent man who stood up for what he believed in and never wavered, he remained in my heart. His shattering loss to Richard …
Continue reading George McGovern a rare model of courage and commitment:R.I.P.
Recently I wrote a blog indicating I was tilting yes on Question 3 on medical marijuana. I'm still leaning that way, but I was given pause by a response I received from an individual in law enforcement in California whom I respect but who, because of his position, does not want to be identified. According …
President Obama woke up. In last night's debate, he was feisty and factual, conveying that he actually wants another four years and that he is engaged enough to do the job. Mitt Romney, stylistically, didn't give an inch. He was aggressive, bordering on rude and offensive (to the President and the moderator) but, on most issues, …
When it comes down to the last weeks and days of an excruciating dying process, it's all about options. If I am terminally ill, determined by my physician to be within six months of dying from an incurable and irreversible disease, then I want my physician to be able to prescribe medication that will allow …
Last night's vice presidential debate, expertly moderated by ABC's Martha Raddatz (a former Channel 5 colleague), was engaging, high energy, substantively revealing, stylistically contrasting, and reassuring to partisans on both sides. (David Brooks' piece in today's NY Times see this as a generational divide.) Vice President Joe Biden had facts, passion, authenticity, and an often …
Elizabeth Warren turned in her best performance yet in last night's debate against Senator Scott Brown, and he, in turn, also largely focused on the issues, with just half the snarky "professor" labels as in the last debate and, thankfully, no return to the tired Cherokee attacks of past encounters. The result was a distillation …
For years, as an editorialist, I supported the medical use of marijuana. I anguished when a cancer-stricken friend, deathly ill from the side effects of chemotherapy, was afraid to smoke pot because it was illegal, notwithstanding reports that doing so could significantly alleviate her symptoms. That's just not fair. Access to marijuana for medical purposes …
Continue reading Tilting yes on medical marijuana referendum
Someone shook the Etch-a-Sketch, and Mitt Romney 1.0 showed up at last night's debate. After years of running away from his time as Massachusetts governor, he re-embraced his home state. He bragged about its #1 ranking in education and said Romneycare (though he didn't name it as such) would be a good model for the …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 