Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy, who fought a bitter primary battle in 1980, both did something nearly unheard of American politics following their face-off and the devastating loss each suffered that year: both got back up and went on to build enduring legacies of service, transforming setbacks into decades of meaningful work that shaped the nation and the world.Â
Peter Ubertaccio
Posted inOpinion
Cancel political party conventions permanently
POLITICAL PARTY CONVENTIONS have finally adopted the advice parents have been giving children for ages — just be yourself. Since the 1970s, conventions have been pretending to be something they aren’t: newsworthy events where delegates from around the country gather to discuss, debate, and compromise on party nominees and the platform. Newsworthy they are not; all […]
Posted inOpinion
Baker faces big challenges on education, transportation
NO REPUBLICAN in more than 60 years has governed Massachusetts for two full terms. Charlie Baker has been pretty clear about what he plans to do with the next four years, but far less forthcoming on how exactly he’s going to accomplish it. GOP governors William Weld, Paul Cellucci, and Mitt Romney all felt the […]
Posted inPolitics
The antiquated Electoral College
WHEN THE FOUNDING generation realized the Electoral College they created contained serious flaws, they changed it to reflect emerging norms of democracy. We should follow their example. The method of choosing the president was not designed for popular elections but for the deliberation of wise and accomplished men who were capable of discerning the qualities […]