I don't doubt it. Senator John Kerry could be a close to perfect Secretary of State. All aspects of his life have prepared him for the job, save for running a large bureaucracy. UN Ambassador Susan Rice has been touted as the President's first choice. They have been close allies since she started advising him on foreign policy …
Tag: Mitch McConnell
Election outcome clearcut; the future, not so much
Last night's outcome was clearcut and gratifying, but the future is as complicated as ever. President Obama performed beyond many expectations in the electoral votes, garnering nearly 100 more than Romney before final numbers are in from Florida. Obama carried all the swing states but North Carolina. He won among women, minorities and young people - everyone but whites, …
Continue reading Election outcome clearcut; the future, not so much
Loosen up, Lizzie
When Elizabeth Warren walked out on the convention stage last night, smiling and waving, ebullient, she seemed to radiate personality and warmth. That sparkle dissipated when she got into her stump speech, slightly expanded for the occasion. Except for some references to small business owners in Malden, Franklin and Worcester, it was nevertheless a perfect …
Partisan debt ceiling politics exasperating and dangerous
Former Senator Alan Simspon, a Wyoming Republican, just about summed up my reaction to the debt ceiling impasse. He said that the extent to which pettiness has overcome patriotism is nothing short of disgusting. Despite Republican longstanding charges about Obama’s failure to embrace “American exceptionalism,” it is not he who is prepared to risk the …
Continue reading Partisan debt ceiling politics exasperating and dangerous
Scott Brown is at once appealing, appalling and even a cause for optimism
Scott Brown drew a huge crowd to a New England Council breakfast this week. His speech was a reminder of the regular-guy appeal that won him the seat last January and the power he is currently relishing as the 41st vote in the U.S. Senate, a guy who can stop a filibuster or put a …
Continue reading Scott Brown is at once appealing, appalling and even a cause for optimism
Winners and Losers from Health Reform Summit — (posted late due to 2-day Comcast outage)
Seven hours of discussion at Thursday’s health summit did produce some winners and losers on both sides of the table. The Republicans were winners because they were able to present themselves as having ideas, rather than just being naysayers. They had a wider audience for their versions of tort reform, expanding health savings accounts (nothing …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 