James Madison and the Philadelphia Gang of Six have taken quite a beating lately. Recent tirades have focused more on amendments to the Constitution than the original document. Particular topics of debate include: The establishment clause of the First Amendment. The right to bear arms in the Second Amendment. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment … Read more
If nothing else, Joe Scarborough is consistent when it comes to his schadenfreude over Donald Trump’s promise to his followers, “You will get tired of all the winning.” Before viewing the following Tweet or tuning into today’s edition of “Morning Joe,” I knew how he would begin his recap of last night’s off-year elections. He … Read more
At first it was just aberrant behavior. One can argue it began with Richard Nixon and his 1972 re-election campaign’s “dirty tricks.” Their success by bending the rules is best described by Mark Felt (aka Deep Throat) in the film All the President’s Men. based on Bob Woodward’s and Carl Bernstein’s book of the same title. … Read more
NOTE: My absence the past couple of weeks is, as is often the case, due to a convergence of two or more situations. First, today I am posting entry #800 and wanted to make sure the content matched the milestone. Second, I am finally recovering from a bout with the flu which has made it … Read more
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. ~George Santayana It was August 1999. Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan hosted the National Governors Association annual meeting in St. Louis. I was there. I ran into PBS NewsHour political commentator Mark Shields on an elevator. He asked if I knew why the Republican … Read more