Should Biden step down?

Since some of you asked, Iā€™m going got to sum up my thoughts about whether Biden should continue as our presidential candidate with links to my earlier posts. The most important point I want to make is that this is not an easy call. So I would simply discount the views of anyone who thinks itā€™s obvious one way or the other. If they are adamant that he be replaced they either have an agenda or they are ignorant. If they are adamant that he stay they are taking loyalty to someone who has been in most respect been a very good president to an extremeā€”or they are ignorant. There are a couple of critical questions. First, is Biden demented or incapable of being president. I think the answer to this pretty clear. As I pointed out here https://marcstier.com/blog2/?p=10999 heā€™s not demented. He had a bad night which, as Iā€¦ Continue reading

Biden’s Talents and His Achievements.

One reason I think Biden has been such a good president. He doesn’t get swept up in the last moment but thinks ahead. He did that in getting out of Afghanistan early. I know many of you disagree but I think his policy in the Israel-Gaza war has been setting the stage for a new push to a peaceful settlement. (If only an Israel government would arise willing to grasp that possibility!) And on domestic policy he has been just brilliant . The way he maneuvered Manchin into support the inflation reduction act was absolutely and totally masterful, not just as a matter of political strategy but in adopting a very different policy strategy that Manchin would accept. He challenged his policy people to figure out a way to attack climate change with tax credit carrots instead of regulatory sticks in the IRA. By doing that he won over Manchin.ā€¦ Continue reading

Dave Davies: On His Retirement from Print

Like a lot of folks who are deeply engaged in Philly and PA politics my initial reaction upon hearing that Dave Davies is retiring from reporting on politics on a regular basis was dismay and sadness. He is really the best political reporter in the state and one of the best I’ve ever read. My second reaction was to stop and think about why Dave is so good and what we could all learn from him. The first two things that come to mind is that Dave is a decent man who tries to see good in people. Unlike a lot of political reporters, he is not snarky about politicians; does not think that he’s better than them; and ins’t ways trying to play gotcha with them. Now you might think s not a good quality in a reporter who might be better at his or her job if heā€¦ Continue reading

Donna Reed Miller without tears

Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller announced her retirement last week. I though this would be a good time to repost a slightly revised version of this piece, which I originally posted May 22, 2007. Iā€™ve been meaning to write a long piece about Donna Reed Millerā€™s role in the eighth district for a awhile. It is a fascinating story with all kinds of complications that provides an interesting view from which to explore race and class issues in our city. This is not it. But it is a brief sketch for those who want to know more about the Eighth district. I can sum Councilwoman Miller up with a story. I once met with her to discuss public financing of political campaigns. This was before Councilwomen Tasco and Verna with the encouragement of state representative Dwight Evans, decided to hold hearings on the subject. She was interested enough, but our conversationā€¦ Continue reading

Hannah Miller on tour

As many of you know, for her new positionĀ with the Media and Democracy coalition, Hannah Miller is going to be working all over the country from a new base in Washington, DC. There was a going away party for Hannah on Friday that I missed because I was very late in getting back from Harrisburg. I was sorry to miss it because, though we said goodbye earlier in the week, I believe in the power and importance of public ceremony. And when someone who is not only one of my best friends but an important part of the progressive movement in our city leaves for a time, that event should be marked publicly. So I had hoped to be there to say a few things about what Hannah has meant to all of us. Iā€™m a little reluctant to post this, undoubtedly much much longer more formal version, of whatā€¦ Continue reading

Retirement letter from Thomas Paine Cronin

Tom Cronin recently sent the following letter to some his friends and allies among community and labor leaders in the city. It is worthy of a wide readership among progressives. As a preface, let me just say that Tom has been one of the most important voices among labor leaders in favor of progressive public policy. And he has done more than anyone else in the labor movement to forge broad coalitions. I’ve worked closely with Tom on a number of issues–especially transit funding, raising the minimum wage, and most recently inclusionary housing. I’ve learned a great deal from him about coalition building and the importance of militancy. More than one one he has encourged us to push our politicians as hard as possible–to the extent of engagining in sit-ins in their offices. I would say that he will be greatly missed. But, while he won’t be leading DC 47,ā€¦ Continue reading

RIP Red Auerbach

Red Auerbach, the greatest sports executive in history and a great basketball coach as well, died yesterday. He has long been one of my heroesā€”because of his ability to thoughtfully break through the conventional wisdom and develop innovative ways of building and coaching a basketball team; because of his wisdom about human beings and the variety of things that motivate them; because he was a good man who helped break down racial barriers in sports; because he was incredibly funny and did not take himself too seriously; and because one of my other great heroes, Bill Russell, loved him. I didn’t know Red but did meet him twice. The first was at basketball camp when I was twelve. He gave an incredible talk and I followed him around the rest of the day soaking in every word he said. He said something that day that has always stuck with me:ā€¦ Continue reading

I have seen the future of progressive politics in Philadelphia and her name is Cherelle Parker

I have seen the future of progressive politics in Philadelphia and her name is Cherelle Parker Cherelle won a special election for State Representative in the 200th district in September. Come see her tonight (Thursday, February 9) at her reelection campaign kick-off at 7:00 pm at Lakey’s Restaurant, 8215 Stenton Ave, Philadelphia, PA. Continue reading

Athens and Betty Friedan

On Tuesday I will conclude my teaching of “The Funeral Oration of Pericles” to my students in Temple’s Intellectual Heritage Program. (IH is a great books program required of all students.) I will spend a significant portion of the class talking about people who are barely mentioned in the text, the women of Athens. I do this because no other female citizens of a political community in all of Western history were more oppressed than the Athenian women. Continue reading