Hits and Misses
Associated Press
Mitt Romney
Matt Rourke/Associated Press
A shelf is emptied of Russian Standard Vodka at a Fine Wine & Good Spirits liquor store in Dresher, Pa., last month. Pennsylvania ordered the removal of Russian-made products from state-owned liquor stores.
Observer-Reporter
File photo from 2018 of a pothole at Jefferson Avenue and West Beau Street in Washington
A common criticism of Mitt Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts and the 2012 Republican presidential nominee is that you never really knew where he stood on many issues – he seemed to practice what one commentator called “finger-in-the-wind politics.” He has shown more steel and principle as a senator from Utah, however, voting twice to convict President Trump in his impeachment trials and consistently criticizing figures on his party’s far right who are, to put it politely, unhinged. Last weekend, he called out Republicans and media figures on the right who have been heaping praise on Vladimir Putin in recent weeks. He called them “almost treasonous.” Romney also had this to say about two members of Congress who spoke last week at a white nationalist event: “I’ve got morons on my team. And I have to think anybody that would sit down with white nationalists and speak at their conference was certainly missing a few IQ points.” Whether it’s age or the feeling that he has nothing to lose at this stage of his career, Romney’s candor is refreshing.
Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin correctly noted earlier this week that Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine is the one foreign policy issue that has most united Americans since 9/11. The overwhelming majority of Americans are completely repulsed, and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) responded to the national mood by removing Russian-made products from the shelves of the state’s wine and spirits outlets. Tim Holden, the board’s chairman, explained, “Given the evolving political-economic climate, it’s just the right thing to do.” The board is being careful, though, and not stopping the sale of Russian-branded products not sourced in Russia, saying that would “unfairly and adversely impact those brands,” according to a news release. The PLCB deserves kudos for going after Russian businesses while being careful not to impact those that are, in effect, bystanders.
More than one observer has stated that it’s hard to come up with congressional or legislative maps that satisfy everyone, particularly in the viciously partisan era we are enduring. The maps for the Pennsylvania House and Senate are still being challenged, but the congressional map appears to be set following its approval last week by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Pennsylvania is more or less evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, and that will be reflected in the new map, which will have eight seats with a Republican lean, six with a Democratic lean and three toss-ups. The 14th Congressional District will continue to encompass all of Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, while including most of Westmoreland and Somerset counties and part of Indiana County. The pity is that it took the state’s highest court to break the deadlock between Gov. Tom Wolf and the Legislature, since they could not come to an agreement on a map.
We’re in that awkward time of the year where you can put aside the winter jacket on some days but you’d best not put the snow shovel and bags of salt in the back of your garage just yet. The early part of March can yield days that are warm and sunny and hint at the spring to come, and oppressively cold and windy days that remind us that winter isn’t quite yet gone. This is also the season where traveling on local streets and highways becomes a game of Dodge ‘Em as potholes crop up like dandelions in May. It’s a seemingly unavoidable byproduct of the region’s infrastructure, which could be described as “mature,” and the freeze-thaw cycle, which has water seeping into cracks in the road, freezing when it expands, and causing the pavement to break apart. It’s estimated that potholes cause $3 billion in damage to vehicles in the United States every year, so be extremely careful out there.