WASHINGTON — There was a time when ticket splitting was common. Voters would support one party’s candidate for president and the other’s for Congress. At its peak in 1972, ticket splitters represented 30 percent of voters, reports political scientist Alan Abramowitz of Emory University. Since then, the practice has gone into eclipse. In 2012, only […]
Op-Eds
Posted inOp-Eds
Municipal officials support Question 5
A recent article in the Sun Journal quoted some of our municipal colleagues on the issue of ranked-choice voting — Question 5 on the November ballot. None of the more than 100 municipal officials across Maine who have already endorsed ranked-choice voting were quoted. As two municipal elected officials who strongly support Question 5, we […]
advertisement
Posted inOp-Eds
Trump plays the victim card
“Why’s everybody always pickin’ on me?” — The Coasters from “Charlie Brown” Donald Trump has a victim mentality. If the term sounds familiar, it’s because it has long been the preferred conservative riposte when black people complain of being strangled by housing discrimination, economic injustice or police brutality. The likes of Bill O’Reilly and Rush […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Millennials show lack of historical perspective
Many millennials are OK with socialism, even communism, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Forty-five percent of those polled between the ages of 16 and 20 years old said they would vote for a socialist, while 20 percent said they could vote for a communist. Maybe that explains […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Arab leaders must look to make changes
NEW YORK — The battle for Mosul will soon demonstrate that the key to success is not that Washington should have surprised the Islamic State or “bombed the hell” out of it. Around 100,000 coalition forces are involved in helping liberate the city, backed by formidable American air power. They will face up to 5,000 […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Latest disclosures close case against Clinton
WASHINGTON — The case against Hillary Clinton could have been written before the recent WikiLeaks and FBI disclosures. But these documents do provide hard textual backup. The most sensational disclosure was the proposed deal between the State Department and the FBI in which the FBI would declassify a Hillary Clinton email and State would give […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Question 3 not relevant, fair or uniform for all individuals
Last week, my wife received a “Yes on 3” mailer. Maybe this slick, deceptively written advertising wasn’t sent to me because of my vocal opposition. It’s more likely that she was chosen through targeted demographics intended to turn out “yes” votes. I’m pleased to say that she isn’t buying their spin either. The headline on […]
Posted inOp-Eds
LePage has a point, citizen initiative is bad way to make law
Though I could have done without the personal attacks voiced by Paul LePage in his Oct. 13 address to the Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce, I found myself agreeing with a lot of the governor’s comments (since reiterated in other forums) on the misguided and capricious nature of citizen initiative ballots. The initiative is a poor […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Question 4: Use civility in discussions of wages issue
Have you ever experienced gawkers’ delay? Gawkers’ delay occurs when an accident in the southbound lane of I-95 slows traffic in the northbound lane, just because people want to see the accident. Accidents are horrible, sometimes very sad and frightening, yet many people cannot look away and cannot just move on. And the result is […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Question 3: Would criminalize innocent conduct
Question 3 will ask voters whether background checks should be mandatory for virtually all firearms “transfers,” except for transfers between certain family members. “Transfer” would mean not only to sell, but also to “furnish, give, lend, deliver or otherwise provide, with or without consideration.” Violation of the background check requirement would constitute a crime. This […]