TheNextReport

It's still October. For those who follow the election of 2016, the month will be remembered as the time when American voters learned that the lurid details of Donald Trump's twisted libido were more important to the electoral discussion than the candidates' positions on a few minor considerations such as: the economy, jobs, the ongoing war in the Middle East, climate change, immigration, energy, domestic and foreign terrorism, trade, healthcare, education funding, tax policy, minimum wage, the budget deficit, and so on. Yet, it's still October and anything could happen. Now, most of the country is familiar with the term "October Surprise."  It refers to a potentially damaging news event or piece of controversial information that is deliberately timed for public release close to election day in order to scuttle an adversary's candidacy. The Surprise is a well-worn tradition in the circus of American politics. A noted example in the race for president is G

One of the fundamental tenets of the rapidly disintegrating Republican party is opposition to government regulation. Those on the Democratic team need to make sure that Hillary (and other party leaders) talk more about the relationship between Republican party philosophy and the near catastrophic financial meltdown of 2008. In fact, that should be done at every available opportunity.  Deregulation of the banking system and risky practices in the mortgage industry were directly responsible for creating the conditions that resulted in the global financial crisis. A greater collapse was prevented only by the intervention of the government led by George W. Bush's Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act brought order to the chaos with a life raft of  bank bailouts and corporate rescues. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama in 2009, providing an unprecedented $832 billion for a vast program intende

The country is in an uproar.The release of an audiotape last weekend highlighting Donald Trump's crude behavior toward women has enabled  many Americans to believe that it is just what they have been waiting for:  that sucking you hear is the sound of the last straw... or is it? Obtained by a source at the Access Hollywood TV show, the tape made clear that the Donald believed he could behave with women any way he wanted to because he's a big celebrity. After all he has done for the sake of the nation during his run for the White House, Trump now has the country examining in intimate detail his predatory behavior, debating the meaning and impact of "dirty words" and what can sometimes be their criminal implications.  But don't count out the Sultan of Scowl yet. He has defied the authors of his political obituary many times before. With this latest scandal, Trump has touched a real nerve in the moral psyche of America. General Potty Mouth can clearly see the ima

With post-debate poll numbers moving positively for Hillary Clinton, it is clear that congressional Democrats should waste no time in augmenting efforts to wage the battle for control of Congress. During her campaign for president, Hillery has emphasized her ability to work with Congress to "get things done."  Could putting another Democrat in the White House spell the end of the hyper-partisan atmosphere that has crippled Washington for the past eight years, or would an electoral victory for Ms. Clinton be seen by Republicans as a clarion call to resurrect the "government by obstruction" regime that right-wing Tea Party conservatives forced on the American people during the Obama administration. As envisioned by Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell in 2008, the GOP response to the election of Barack Obama would be to march in lockstep to the political right. The Republican strategy of strangling legislation in its infancy, blocking judicial appointments, cutting spen