“I believe [immigrants are one] of the most important sources of America’s greatness. We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people — our strength — from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation. While other countries cling to the stale past,…
The Rules Matter
I’m teaching courses on U.S. politics and Massachusetts politics this semester. When I talk about the national and state Constitutions, one of the things I stress is that these Constitutions are like the rules of the game, and the rules matter. Local charters are no different, and the events unfolding in Fall River over the…
Presidential Election 2020: How to Matter in Massachusetts
So you watched the debate last night. You’re pumped. You cannot wait to vote for one of those folks on the stage. Or you’re counting the days where you can vote for their opponent. Cool. …But you live in Massachusetts. The peculiarities of the electoral college, as we all know, make a relatively small number…
Conservative Coping Strategy in the Trump Era: Taking Refuge in Theory
Jeff Jacoby’s recent Boston Globe column [“Price gouging’ during natural disasters isn’t a problem — it’s a solution”] neatly illustrates the dilemma of conservative political commentators in the Trump Era. Jacoby’s endorsement of price gouging is a freshman Econ 101 essay that relies entirely on classical economic theory. It contains absolutely no empirical evidence whatsoever,…
CommonWealthMagazine Answers Reader Questions
Last week I posed a Reader Question to CommonwealthMagazine and lo and behold, CW answered the question. I wondered if online polls (CW had a story on one) are reliable. And the answer, according to CW’s Steve Koczela and Rich Parr, is yes. I recommend Koczela and Parr’s Polling, like everything else, is moving online…
Koch, Kennedy, Did I Miss Anything Else?
David Koch died, Congressman Joseph Kennedy announced he’s looking at a race to unseat Senator Edward Markey in a Democratic primary – did I miss anything else? The devastation of Hurricane Dorian and increasingly unstable weather patterns as climate change presses upon us serve as miserable reminders of the political legacy of David Koch. He…
Stand Falls: Public School Privatization Front Stand for Children Abandons Massachusetts
In 2011 Stand for Children CEO Jonah Edelman boasted to the Aspen Ideas Festival of a legislative win over unions in Chicago, crowing that Stand had been able to “jam this proposal down their throats.” He won’t be invited back to brag on Boston. Last Friday Edelman announced that Stand for Children would abandon Massachusetts….
Can Alex Morse Do What Ayanna Pressley Did?
Alex Morse, the 30 year old Mayor of Holyoke, will challenge Congressman Richie Neal in a Democratic primary next year. Observers are asking the same question about this race as they did about the 2018 challenges to Congressman Neal and Congressman Capuano. Is it about progressive insurgency or generational change in the Bay State’s establishment-friendly…
The Boston Globe’s Latest “Bold Types.” Or, How New England Aquarium Learned to Love Koch Industries
The Boston Globe’s latest “Bold Types” entry sponsored by Koch Industries is out and the phrase “jumped the shark” may need to be retired. The climate denying Koch Brothers paying for a puff piece with the ocean hugging CEO of New England Aquarium? On Tuesday afternoon I scrolled down my phone onto the home page…
How Will GreenWorks Fare in the Senate?
Roughly two months after its introduction, GreenWorks (H. 3987) passed the Massachusetts House with a unanimous vote on Wednesday. Although the bill makes a number of important investments in clean energy programs, it places special emphasis on climate adaptation and resilience. To achieve these goals, it authorizes the state to borrow $1.3 billion, which will…