As a rare convocation of America’s political nobility gathers to mark the opening of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, there is palpable relief that the […]
National Politics
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Waging the war on poverty
IN 2015, THERE are emerging signs of bipartisan energy to address poverty. While contemplating a third presidential run, Mitt Romney vowed that a potential campaign would include a pledge to […]
Posted inThe Download
Brian Williams’ Stolen Valor
Audiences and readers are down, followed out the door by advertisers, trailed by revenues, which in turn kills jobs. That is the tale of newspapers, magazines, and television network news, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Mitt out of luck
It turns out the third time isn’t charm after all. Or, if it is, we’ll never know. After flirting for a couple of weeks with another run for president, our […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Looking for the man or woman on a horse
A RECENT BOOK by Aaron David Miller argues that the United States should be satisfied with the great presidents we have already had – George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Warren’s clout grows
The clout of Sen. Elizabeth Warren continues to grow in Washington, as Wall Street banker Antonio Weiss asked the president to withdraw his nomination for a top job at the Treasury […]
Posted inPolitics
Advantage Democrats
THIRTY YEARS AGO this month marked the last time a Republican assumed the presidency with the approval of Massachusetts voters. Ronald Reagan won 49 states in the previous November’s election, […]
Posted inPolitics
Not your typical congressman
POLITICIANS DON’T TYPICALLY jump at the chance to mix it up in public with the chair of their state party. That should be doubly true for a young, no-name, first-time […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
A Romney redux?
If you take Elizabeth Warren at her (admittedly present-tense) word, that she is not running for president, it seemed as if our modest little Commonwealth could finally prepare for a […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Vivek Murthy and the ghosts of surgeon generals past
Brigham and Women’s Dr. Vivek Murthy finally becomes the US Surgeon General (if only due to procedural quirk in the often quirky Senate where old-timers like Harry Reid can get the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Cruz-ing for big-money backers
Texas Sen.Ted Cruz thinks he can get himself elected president, and he’s gone to a friendly media outlet to try to gin up good press, give his base a preview […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Warren on prez run: ‘No means no’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE If Sen. Elizabeth Warren breaks from her firm public stance and runs for president, she will have the backing of Congressman Michael Capuano, who said Monday […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
I am Warren, hear me roar
It really didn’t take Sen. Elizabeth Warren long to find her voice, as if anyone was concerned she wouldn’t, and now it looks like she’s using it to be the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
Boston police resist peer pressure on body cameras
As police forces across the country start saying “yes” to body cameras, can Hub police continue to equivocate? The Boston Globe finds that State Police are working on a body camera […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, Politics
How the new Congress will try to undermine the ACA
It’s no secret that the new majority Republican Congress will seek any and every opportunity to undermine the existence and operation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But how? One […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker and the RGA
Gov.-elect Charlie Baker, who ran for office in Massachusetts as a bipartisan policy wonk, is taking a break from his post-election vacation to attend a Republican Governors Association conference in […]
Posted inPolitics
Will the Warren wing take flight?
Whether it was an effort to tame some of the restive rebellious energy she has helped unleash, to tap into it at a time when the party’s fortunes have hit […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, Politics
Obamacare in the wake of the GOP romp
So Republicans won enough seats to take control of the US Senate in January for the first time since 2006. Given their continuing opposition to the Affordable Care Act (aka […]
Posted inPolitics
Warren slams PAC spending
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Wednesday that heavy super PAC spending in the Massachusetts gubernatorial contest should prompt a federal crackdown on unfettered political spending by outside groups. Corporations and wealthy […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
The politics of guns
Beacon Hill moved closer to passing a new gun control law on Thursday, but not before once again scaling back the proposed legislation to appease the concerns of firearm owners […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Elizabeth Warren, the presidency, and perils of a first-term senator
First-term senators are getting quite a bit of media attention, courtesy of the latest parlor game, “Is Elizabeth Warren running for president?” All the senior senator from Massachusetts had to […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Things are looking ducky for Elizabeth Warren
Politicians can proclaim their disinterest in an office all they want, especially president, but until the deadline passes – or they stop talking and acting like a candidate – they […]
Posted inPolitics
The guiding hand
mindy myers has never called New England home, but she’s nevertheless left her political mark on the region. The 37-year-old Washington insider has run the successful election campaigns of three […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Is Warren Democrats’ not-so-secret weapon?
US Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the country’s feistiest Democrat, goes where the once cool Barack Obama cannot, parachuting into Senate races around the country to try to shore up the party’s […]