Hits and Misses
MISS: President Trump has a seemingly unshakeable core of support, but he’s been doing yeoman’s work throughout his tenure in alienating many other constituencies. Women, Muslims, Hispanics and a whole host of other Americans have been objects of his contempt. Now, he has found another group to insult – men who are not tall. In tweets and in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump made the unfounded claim that Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg had asked for a box to stand on during debates. He also has referred to Bloomberg as “Mini Mike.” But Bloomberg is 5 feet 8 inches tall, just an inch below the average height for an adult male in the United States. Besides, height is hardly a determinant of presidential greatness or even competence. James Madison was only 5 feet 4 inches tall, but is still considered one of our better presidents. Meanwhile, James Buchanan and Warren Harding, both of whom were 6 feet tall, are considered among our worst. Trump might want to take note.
MISS: Think things are chaotic in Washington, D.C.? Well, they probably don’t hold a candle to what’s been happening in Monessen lately. To recap: After a 20-month absence, Mayor Matt Shorraw finally turned up at a City Council meeting in January, and he and allies decided to fire the city solicitor and administrator, among other actions. Two lawsuits have already been filed in the wake of the meeting, and a third has now been filed by a Monessen resident and the Mon Valley Independent newspaper. The suit contends Shorraw altered the agenda for the meeting but did not let the public know, so the public had no opportunity to comment on any of the issues Shorraw and council were considering. The suit alleges the mayor and council violated the Sunshine Law, and asks that the actions at the meeting be nullified. Simply put, Monessen deserves much better than its current leadership.
HIT: If you were living in the region 10 years ago this week, chances are you were putting a lot of time and effort into shoveling snow. Wednesday and Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of “Snowmageddon,” the second largest snowstorm ever to strike the Pittsburgh region. Close to 22 inches of wet and heavy snow blanketed the region. Some households lost power for days, some streets were impassable and vehicles were lodged in deep drifts. It was a one-of-a-kind storm, and we are unlikely to experience anything like it in this mild winter we’ve been enjoying. The fact that so many snow shovels have gone untouched this winter is something we all can be thankful for.
MISS: Granted, if the Iowa caucus had occurred much later in the primary election process, the technical snafus that delayed the reporting of results would not have generated nearly as much press as they did. Still, it remains an embarrassment for Democrats that the season to pick a presidential nominee started this way. Just what were Iowa Democrats thinking when they decided to use an untested app created by a company just a few months old for their premier event? Iowa Democrats have some explaining to do.