"What Happened?" It's a question many have been asking at least daily for the last ten months. So it's an apt title for Hillary Clinton's new book, a reasonably clear-eyed analysis of the 2016 presidential election debacle. While she glosses over a few issues, she shows a surprising self-awareness and candor. In the end, "What …
Category: Politics
Joe DeNucci, Contender for the People
Joe DeNucci won most of his fights in the ring and in politics. In a long series of majority decisions, he won his fight for the hearts of the people. But on Friday, at the age of 78, the state’s longest-serving auditor and before that five-term State Representative, lost his fight with Alzheimer’s disease. He …
Warning: watching polls may be hazardous to your health
Last Sunday, when the Cubs were down 3-1 to Cleveland, celebrated prognosticator Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight proclaimed that the Cubs had a smaller chance of winning the World Series than Trump did winning the presidency. More recently, he’s been soberly covering his bases, indicating why more reassuring predictions of a definite Clinton victory could be wrong. The …
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Slouching to November 8th
I voted early yesterday. Ten minutes before the City Hall polling place was to open a line was forming. Quickly 50 or 60 people joined the line. The stream was constant. To the extent that there was conversation, it was in dribs and drabs about this exciting new opportunity to cast ballots before election day. …
Moulton takes North-South Rail Link to New Level
Decades ago, a rumpled state rep from Brookline would go from event to event, largely Democratic political gatherings and journalist venues, and tout the concept of a North-South Rail Link, connecting North and South Stations and hence the entire northeast corridor from Maine to Virginia. He was dismissed as a crank. People would say yeah, it …
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Why more kids should have access to charter schools
The Neighborhood House Charter School in the Dorchester section of Boston is a prime example of why more children should have access to charter school education. That's the goal of Question 2 on the November ballot, allowing the state Board of Education to approve up to 12 new charter schools a year. If more than …
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Is grassroots democracy under attack in Newton?
Newton has always prided itself on being a well run city with high degrees of citizen participation. But now it seems that, as part a special commission's review of the decades-old city charter, grassroots democracy may have to take a back seat to some notion of streamlining and efficiency. A case in point: the commission's toying …
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Finally, movement on Sal DiMasi
It's about time. Federal prosecutors have finally asked for the early release of former Mass. House Speaker Sal DiMasi from a federal prison in Butler, North Carolina. DiMasi was convicted on seven out of nine corruption charges and sentenced to federal prison for eight years. Di Masi used his office to enrich himself to the tune of $65,000, securing $17.5 …
Trump, Clinton “revelations” show nothing new
Last night's video of Donald Trump, showing lewd behavior, coarse language, gutter-level attitude toward women and boasts of Bill Cosby-like predatory actions, shows nothing new about this extreme misogynist. Perhaps the video shocks because it so starkly portrays his fundamental character writ large. Is the video analogous to Monica Lewinsky's semen-stained blue dress? Incontrovertible evidence of the character we're dealing …
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Pence wins on looks; Kaine, on facts
The Vice Presidential debate never matters much in the selection of our Chief Executive. Given what's at stake in choosing between the Democrat and Republican Presidential nominees, it perhaps matters even less this year. But at least for a few days, last night's Mike Pence/ Tim Kaine head-to-head could influence the national conversation. Even that could …
