The idea that Republicans can’t find a candidate to take on Debbie “Dangerously Incompetent” Stabenow is depressing enough. But Michiganders are not alone in their reluctance to oust a non-entity of a senator, as long as that senator is a woman. Here in Minnesota, the conventional wisdom is that Sen. Amy Klobuchar is unbeatable. It’s enough to make me wonder if Democratic female senators are […]
John LaPlante
About John LaPlante
Posts by John LaPlante:
A Modest Defense of Romney
As Henry Payne notes, Mitt Romney has not backed down on his defense of RomneyCare, or as I like to call it, ObamaCare 1.0 That’s disappointing, but I will give Romney credit for framing it in terms of federalism. If I recall correctly, his defense is that it’s not something he would advocate for the whole country, but it was something that reflects what Massachusetts wanted. […]
Have you driven a truck lately? All the time
Henry Payne frequently comments that Americans prefer large vehicles, much to the consternation of their “betters” in government and the Big Green lobby. Here’s another chapter of that story. The other day I pulled into a commercial parking lot. I noticed that the five cars on the other side of the parking median (the one directly in front, plus two on either side), had grill […]
Tim Pawlenty: A pro-growth candidate, with an asterisk
The Club for Growth, a group that promotes lower tax rates, less regulation, free speech, and school choice, has issued a review of the political career of Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota. As Manny Lopez notes nearby, Gov. Pawlenty has come out against ethanol subsidies. He’s not as principled about it as I’d like; in his announcement speech yesterday, his primary rationale was that they are too […]
I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike
Is the cure to what ails public health more bicycle riding? Well, it can’t hurt. View colleague Ingrid Jacques mentions that being in the Heartland of America need not be a hindrance to getting a high ranking on the American Fitness Index. Specifically, she mentions the Twin Cities of Minnesota, where I live. You might say that we have a “sports-recreational-industrial complex” here–in 2008, voters opted […]
Republicans should not expect another Reagan
As Republican activists start contemplating which candidate they will support for 2012, expect to hear more complaints about how there’s no Ronald Reagan. Such despair and longing is misplaced. Why? Reagan was not uniformly embraced by conservatives even during his tenure in office, so there’s a danger of putting on some rose-colored glasses before looking into the rear-view mirror. For another thing, the world is […]
The train guy and Amtrak schedules
One of my college classmates was someone I’ll call “Train Guy.” He hailed from the Northeast, where mass transit makes sense–or at least more sense than it does here in the Midwest. Some people memorize baseball statistics. Train Guy, by contrast, had the Amtrak schedule committed to memory. When a train rolled through town, just a few blocks from campus, he could tell you where […]
When will the bulb ban burn down a house?
Congress has ordered a gradual ban of the incandescent bulb, and its replacement has many defects–including the fact that it can catch on fire. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that some fluorescent bulbs are too dangerous to have in your home. Here’s what the CPSC had to say: “Telstar Recalls Energy-Saving Light Bulbs Due to Fire Hazard.” The Great Green bulbs are already a hazard […]
The Nerd is Governing as He Campaigned — Muddling Through
So Gov. Snyder wants to take $500 million in money to burn on Government Rail. Why am I not surprised? Perhaps the history so far of the Tough Nerd proves that O’Sullivan’s law applies to individuals as well as organizations. Here it is: All organizations that are not actually right-wing will over time become left-wing. As I recall, Snyder went out of his way during the campaign […]
GOP Smackdown, Round One
First impressions from Thursday’s first official presidential “debate” of the looooong 2012 season. The lineup: GOPers who have jumped in the presidential ring. Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico I want to like him, but he acted too much like an earnest professor (or worse, kindergarten-class teacher), often clasping his hands. He spoke a lot of sense, but got energized only when he was […]