and social change
How a populist Obama can win
President Barack Obama's polling numbers are so gloomy these days that if I were him, I'd feel like smoking again. But, considering what...
Get the full story >>Ron Paul's more kooky moments
So now it's Ron Paul's turn to be a top-tier Republican presidential candidate? It's about time. He deserves it. The Grand Old Party's...
Get the full story >>'Swing' voters are still partisan
Voters are a tough bunch to satisfy these days. The number of people who are registered to vote as Democrat or Republican has plunged by 2.5...
Get the full story >>Americans would benefit from a Muslim version of the Huxtables
A conservative Christian group has launched a boycott against "All-American Muslim." The TLC cable TV reality show about Muslim families...
Get the full story >>Requiem for a contrarian
Only once since my foolish adolescence do I recall actually feeling fortunate to be a smoker, a truly insidious addiction that I have...
Get the full story >>A Trump hijacking?
Karl Rove, a star political strategist, is outraged that Donald Trump, a star real estate mogul and reality show host, is staging a...
Get the full story >>Poverty: Gingrich's dual personality
'Tis the season, it appears, for Newt Gingrich to show his dual political personalities: naughty and nice.
Get the full story >>How to cut a deal
An old joke says that a camel is a horse designed by committee. That's more than I can say for the so-called congressional supercommittee....
Get the full story >>So long, tea party
If history tells us anything, the rise of Newt Gingrich to Republican presidential front-runner is a sign that the tea party movement is...
Get the full story >>An 'uppity' outrage
I don't know whose idea it was to send first lady Michelle Obama to a NASCAR race. But the reaction offers a timely lesson in political...
Get the full story >>JFK's 'Chicago' side
Chicago-style politics aren't always evil. That's what the more pragmatic old-timers told me as a young reporter. I was a newcomer to...
Get the full story >>Cain has another issue with women: Taxes
When I first heard Herman Cain call his tax plan 9-9-9, it sounded like something I might have heard a fraulein tell me years ago when I was...
Get the full story >>Scandal culture snagged Paterno
In a bracing understatement, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, 84, uttered a tragic epitaph to his abruptly ended legendary career:...
Get the full story >>Still fighting an old culture war
Members of an outraged liberal group have called for MSNBC to fire Pat Buchanan for what they call "white supremacist" views. I'd rather...
Get the full story >>America's real problem
Is the United States in decline? With protesters in the streets, Washington in gridlock and our economy on life support, it's easy to...
Get the full story >>When chaos can be a plus for Occupiers
After spending an afternoon with Occupy DC, the District of Columbia's branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement, I now understand why...
Get the full story >>GOP campaign vs. the world
How important is it to have presidential candidates who, when talking about Libya, know where Libya is?
Get the full story >>Barack Obama's lonely presidency
News media depict presidencies as long-running soap operas. The story doesn't end, but it goes through changes.
Get the full story >>Cain's racial offense
Tea partiers are delighted that their support for Herman Cain proves they don't hate black people. Unfortunately, judging by some of his...
Get the full story >>Rick Perry rides 'Ponzi' bull
Rick Perry's national debut sets him up to be the party's next Goldwater.
Get the full story >>Cain's scandal pain
Presidential candidate Herman Cain came to Washington to talk about his tax plans but ended up talking about sex. Welcome to the life of the...
Get the full story >>Citizen Cain: He's able but unelectable
To all of those readers who say I should give my attention to the rising presidential campaign of Republican Herman Cain, I am happy to...
Get the full story >>Obama's uncommon scold
An MSNBC commentator is in the doghouse over a mildly obscene on-air criticism of President Barack Obama. Fair enough. But to me his...
Get the full story >>Black voters' Obama blues
It is only in comparison to today's Republican Party, divided between its old-school establishment and its tea party zealots, that today's...
Get the full story >>Obama's Worst Week Ever
It didn’t take much guessing to predict who was going to win – if “win” is the right word--the Washington Post&...
Get the full story >>Obama's re-election budget
After hearing President Barack Obama's robust response to their budget-cutting proposals, Republican leaders seemed shocked to hear that the...
Get the full story >>Beautiful day couldn't distract Daley from the issues
My favorite Daley moment came on a beautiful summer day during the 1996 Democratic National Convention.
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About this blog
I'm an op-ed columnist who has too much to say about too much stuff to contain in my two columns-a-week. My views? I'm a proud factory-town liberal who nevertheless will surprise you from time to time - because liberals just l-o-o-o-v-e to criticize other liberals. Join the chat. I can't tell you what to think, but I'll offer you things to think about.