A Failure to Connect the Dots Citizens United is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court regarding campaign finance laws. The ruling held that certain campaign finance restrictions are inconsistent with the free-speech clause of the First Amendment. It was a 5 - 4 decision handed down in 2010. And since that time the money in politics has become the wild, wild west. For those who believe, as I do, that the amount of money that sloshes through our political sy

I don’t mean the holiday season. I mean football season! Professional football. College football. High School football. Pee Wee football. I love it all. But I tend to prefer pro football. My NFL awakening occurred when I was a young boy in the 1970’s. The team of that decade was the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was easy to root for a team with players like Franco Harris, Lynn Swan, Jack Lambert, Met Blount and of course “Mean” Joe Greene. Throughout those Super Bowl winning se

I like Michael Smerconish. His Saturday morning show on CNN is appointment TV for me. His commentary is thoughtful and reasonable, and I find myself agreeing with his take on things most of the time. But in a recent episode he said something that struck me as off base. It was shortly after Democratic Socialist of America candidates had won primary elections in congressional districts around New York City. In response, Smerconish said that that Democratic establishment would

Joyce Beatty is my new hero. Who? U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty represents Ohio’s 3rd congressional district. It was the lawsuit brought by Rep. Beatty and supported by lawyers from Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group, that led to US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper’s ruling reversing the unlawful renaming and halting the planned closure of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, reaffirming the rule of law. Without showboat

I have a very good friend who is a local elected official. Her head and heart are in the right place. She is intelligent, talented and compassionate. In short, she embodies the qualities that anyone would want in a public servant. I have often joked with her that if she ever became President of the United States, I would be honored to serve as her Vice President. In response she usually just rolls her eyes at me and tells me that I am “being crazy.” In my continued advoca

In 1961, when President John F. Kennedy proclaimed, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do the other things. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” it was not clear how we were going to do that. But he chose to act boldly. Consequently, years of hard work and ingenuity by many talented and dedicated people made it happen. Yet in matters here on earth, especially in the areas of foreign policy and war making, JFK’s actions demonstrated self-restr

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The Importance of Succession Planning US Senator Chuck Grassley (R – Iowa) is 92 years old. In addition to serving his constituency, he is also the current President Pro Tempore of the Senate which places him in the presidential line of succession behind the Vice President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. If I make it to 92 years old, I hope that I am doing at least half as well and a third as much as Senator Grassley. Clearly, he is an old man. But, wheth

Dear Friends: Thank you so much for your support of this newsletter over the past year or so. This forum has afforded me the opportunity to share some of my thoughts without the constraints of being in elected office. And it has been awesome!! Additionally, your feedback has been welcomed and appreciated. Consequently, this publication will most certainly continue. But today I am pleased to announce the continuation of this journey as I enter the world of podcasting with

A Remarkable Woman A campaign for President of the United States is an order of magnitude that is hard for me to comprehend. Even under ideal conditions it must be an extraordinary endeavor. In the case of Vice President Kamala Harris, she was dealt a very difficult hand that she played about as well as she could play it. Her book 107 Days chronicles her sprint for the White House in 2024 in a fast paced and compelling narrative that I enjoyed reading. Kamala Harris has

Between a Rock and a Hard Place Events continue to move fast, and the recent episode on funding bill that nearly caused a government...

Respect From a Distance Until recently I had never heard of Danielle Sassoon. Why would I? She is a 38-year-old lawyer from New York. By...

Pacing Myself I ran cross country in high school. I never accomplished anything of note in that space. But the experience did underscore...

Football is Great! I love pro football! In recognition of this fact, last fall my wife was kind enough to take me on a trip to visit the...

Electing A New DNC Chair As the Democratic National Committee (DNC) prepares to elect a new chairperson in the coming days, it is...

Bracing for 47 In a few days Donald J. Trump will take the oath of office for the second time and become the 47th President of the United...