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Seize the initiative

Given that Mike Johnson once again had to humble himself to keep his job as Speaker of the House, the Republican party appears weak as Washington prepares to usher in Donald Trump as President. Once again a motley group of Representatives managed to muddy the waters in what should have been a routine event. It was a gratuitous action that could only lift Democratic spirits. Since Trump is President in days, these antics are a wasted maneuver. When a party wins the White House whatever importance congressional leaders had in opposing Democrats is diminished. Trump smartly backed Johnson ...

What can be done about rural schools?

The news that Harman School will not be closed brings mixed reactions among local people. Of course, some are pleased if they live or work in Harman or like to stop at that brave little school library that also served as a public library and visitors’ center for tourists in Randolph County. However, others believe this decision will disadvantage all the children who go to schools in other parts of the county. Many parents with children in public schools resent the idea that more money should be spent on children in one small school and less should be paid per student in larger ...

Justice delay in resigning makes sense

Some people continue to be upset that Gov. Jim Justice is waiting until Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 13, to resign and take is place in the U.S. Senate to avoid having a total of four governors (two of those being senate presidents acting as governor) in a 10-day span. However, there is at least two good reasons for the delay. First of all, it allowed former state treasurer Riley Moore to take his U.S. House of Representatives seat Friday when Congress returned from recess. While both the House and U.S. Senate have narrow GOP majorities for the new ...

Difference between ‘deep state’ and ‘the swamp’

Donald Trump has promised to do many things once he reoccupies the White House. Among the most famous, and most desired by his biggest fans, is his vow to “drain the swamp” and “demolish the deep state.” The first and arguably most important challenge for such a project is definitional. What is the deep state? And what is the swamp? Are they different? How so? Trump doesn’t have a clear answer. He often uses the terms interchangeably. And he’s not alone. Many in the media do the same. That’s understandable if you try to put yourself inside Trump’s head (something I ...

Lost Majority

New Year’s Day is a good time to take a long look backward with a cautious eye toward possible futures. My guide here is RealClearPolitics analyst Sean Trende’s 2012 book “The Lost Majority,” whose bold thesis was unduly neglected by political scientists spinning tales of a permanent New Deal Democratic majority. Trende’s thesis instead was that Democrats’ big 1930s majorities were not enduring. Their 1940s presidential victories owed more to Franklin Roosevelt’s wartimes and Harry Truman’s Cold War leadership than to big-government domestic policies, which no Congress ...

Life of service

Jimmy Carter’s passing is mourned because of his life of service, honesty, and faith. He is unquestionably the most successful of the “ex-Presidents” in that he achieved much after he left office. His work with Habitat for Humanity and nearly eliminating the guinea worm that caused blindness in Africa were outstanding successes. Carter’s presidency, however, was adjudged by some as a failure given Ronald Reagan’s victory in 1980. True, Carter left office after suffering the worst re-election defeat since Herbert Hoover’s loss to Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. Moreover, Carter ...