Category Archives: election campaign

Not a sanctuary, but safer

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Bennett Minton

On day 5 of a different America, Portland feels safer than most places I could be. Oregon Democrats won most of the races, flipped a U.S. House seat, retained all three statewide offices on the ballot, and captured a state … Continue reading →

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Vignettes of Las Vegas

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Bennett Minton

Alexis was sitting on the stoop. A 28-year-old registered Democrat, my data informed me, he affirmed he was voting the straight ticket. His English, through a Spanish accent, was flawless. I asked him where he was from. Southern Mexico. And … Continue reading →

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Advice to a (small ‘d’) democrat, round two

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Bennett Minton

I called an old friend at the urging of his daughter, who told me her dad was undecided about voting at all. We caught up for an hour and exchanged views on this election. Below is the follow-up I wrote … Continue reading →

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Advice to a (small ‘d’) democrat

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Bennett Minton

A friend asks for facts about Joe Biden, without mentioning Donald Trump, to help her decide. Not comprehensive, but this is what I wrote her after spending 15 minutes on the question (and a few more refining for this post): … Continue reading →

Posted in election campaign, Joe Biden, presidential election 2020, Uncategorized, Voting Rights Act | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Blue Virginia expels the Confederacy

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Bennett Minton

A link here to my column in The Washington Post, the day after Democrats captured both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly for the first time since 1992. And the text for those who don’t pony up for a subscription: … Continue reading →

Posted in election campaign, Uncategorized, Virginia legislature, Voting | Tagged , | 2 Comments

‘Change’ vs. our ossified process: It’s no contest

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Bennett Minton

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Martin Luther King’s distillation of abolitionist Theodore Parker’s sermon is one of his most famous quotations. It resonates with us because we assume the universe is moral … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, election campaign, Electoral College, gerrymandering, U.S. Constitution, Voting | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Buchanan, Trump and the high-water mark of the tea party

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Bennett Minton

In the summer of 1992, I walked the floor of the Republican National Convention as Pat Buchanan roused the delegates with his “culture war” speech. Embracing the experience as the reporter I was, I felt their fury at having been … Continue reading →

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Donald Trump gives the GOP its comeuppance

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Bennett Minton

Upon signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Bill Moyers related decades later, President Johnson said, “I think we just delivered the South to the Republican Party for a long time to come.” It’s a popular story (though its truth … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, election campaign, gerrymandering, Uncategorized, Voting Rights Act | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Which path toward a more perfect union?

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Bennett Minton

I’m glad I don’t vote in Iowa – for a ton of reasons, including I don’t have to make a choice today. Most quadrennials, I’m neutral in the primaries, focused on the end game. Eight years ago I was passionate … Continue reading →

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A political phenomenon crashes the season of hope

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Bennett Minton

Donald Trump is just the hired help. A canary in a coalmine, the reality-show star is a measure of our civic health. Trump has held up a mirror, and his polling finds a slice of the electorate angry about our … Continue reading →

Posted in election campaign, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments