As each increasingly tragic and dangerous day passes it becomes more likely that Andrew Cuomo will be drafted to become the Democratic Party’s candidate come November.  That is in part due to Cuomo’s ongoing stellar performance as New York’s and America’s de facto leader in response to Covid-19.  In equal measure, Cuomo’s ascendancy results from the deficiencies exhibited by Trump and the pre-plague presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. […]

As Crash Davis explained to Nuke LaLoosh “You’re gonna have to learn your clichés.  You’re going to have to study them.  You’re going to have to know them.  They’re your friends.” Platitudes are important, especially for leaders confronting a crisis.  That’s why we found Bernie Sanders’ and Joe Biden’s March 12 counter-COVID-19 leadership speeches and plans comforting.  Especially in comparison to Trump’s bumbling March 11 fireside chat, that he wheezed through on national TV and that had to immediately be corrected by his staff and his own tweet.  Like, but not limited to the European trade ban that wasn’t and wouldn’t be imposed. […]

When Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio’s Supreme Court correspondent, was asked to comment on what Senator Chuck Schumer said about Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh relative to June Medical Services v. Russo, the Louisiana abortion provider case argued last week at SCOTUS – but more pointedly to comment on what Chief Justice Roberts said in response and rebuke of Schumer – Totenberg’s response was that “it all began” with Trump attacking Justices Ginsberg and Sotomayor and demanding their recusal in cases involving him and his administration. […]

And seemingly deflating more each day. Thrice Pulitzer winner Thomas Friedman is a journalist who has made some very astute observations, as in his From Beirut to Jerusalem and The World is Flat.  But like many of us, Friedman has also loudly and persistently advocated some very bad positions.  Both because of his influence and the importance of the causes he has championed, good and bad, one can debate whether at this point Friedman is a plus or minus player in the grand game of whole life hockey. […]

Jack Weinstein, one of the greatest judges in American history, placed himself on inactive status eight days ago at age 98, after 53 years on the federal bench.  Until that day, February 10, 2020 Judge Weinstein carried a full load of cases – and a lucky load it was – for the litigants and their champions.  How is Jack Weinstein great?  Let others count the thousands of ways (and they will) but allow HL to mention a few personal and idiosyncratic. […]

Among the greatest political quotes of the 20th Century was Ross Perot’s October 19, 1992 presidential debate retort to Bill Clinton’s constant citation to his success in addressing problems that confronted Arkansas and its governor.  Perot, a Texas billionaire, when that was a lot of money, said: “I grew up 5 blocks from Arkansas . . . It has a population less than Chicago or Los Angeles . . . [w]hat he did as governor of Arkansas is irrelevant.” […]

The liberal world is divided about the efficacy and fairness of standardized testing.  But a valid standardized test with a single question will be on the Maine ballot in November – one that will accurately measure the gullibility of those who answer it.  Will you vote to return Susan Collins to the United States Senate for a fifth term? […]

Each of us had a first reaction when hearing Trump sex worker Alan Dershowitz respond to a Ted Cruz question with the answer “If a President does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.” […]

HL 90 is in praise of a certain sister and brothers over 70 years of age.  It is really not about whether the quintet of septuagenarians seeking the presidency (Warren, Trump, Biden, Sanders and Bloomberg) are too old for the job nor whether some among them are geriatricaly unfit. […]

The trade press headline read “Apple Pay . . . Tramples Google Pay and Samsung Pay.”  But the story was ignored in mainstream press such as the New York Times.  There the headline was “This Man May Be Big Tech’s Biggest Threat.” […]