The Providence Journal (R.I.), June 8:
Hillary Clinton’s strong showing Tuesday night – including a surprisingly decisive victory in delegate-rich California – made it clear that she will be the Democratic nominee for president, and the odds-on favorite to capture the White House this November.
This is a historic moment. She will be the first woman ever to secure the presidential nomination for a major party in the United States. It appears another barrier to the advancement of women has been smashed.
Bernie Sanders, who appealed to idealistic millennial voters and won numerous states, including Rhode Island, pledged yesterday that he will remain in the race. “We understand our mission is more than just beating Donald Trump, it is transforming our country,” he said. “We are going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington, D.C., and then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia.”
But this is bluster. The air is out of Sanders’ balloon. And though he has pushed Ms. Clinton to the left during the Democratic primary battle, Tuesday’s results suggest he will not be as influential as he had hoped to be.
She can draw the party together without him, and he is too old and too extreme to be considered a reasonable choice for running mate. Ms. Clinton will no doubt go with someone younger who will carry a swing state or energize an important ethnic group – without endangering Democrats’ chances of capturing the Senate.
Ms. Clinton can now shift confidently to her battle against prospective GOP nominee Donald Trump, a real-estate mogul and reality TV star who clearly lacks the judgment, temperament and knowledge to be a successful president. Many establishment Republicans have been extremely reluctant to lend him their endorsement, while a number of leading conservatives seem to be in open rebellion against him, plotting his downfall.
Nevertheless, it has not been smooth sailing for Ms. Clinton, despite her enormous advantages in party support, fundraising and prominence, as a former secretary of state, senator and first lady. That a 74-year-old socialist improbably nipped at her heels through Tuesday was a measure, in general, of the public’s anger at establishment politicians this year, and Ms. Clinton’s difficulties, in particular, in connecting with voters. Her negative ratings have climbed as the campaign has dragged on.
While voters see her as competent, she fails to come across as warm and inspiring. And she has been dogged by questions surrounding the Clinton Foundation, her inappropriate use of a private server for her official emails and questions about her past. Scores of Federal Bureau of Investigation officials are reportedly investigating her, though the consensus of opinion is that the odds are low she will be criminally indicted.
In spite of these issues, she stands head and shoulders above Mr. Trump in experience and understanding of America’s role in the world. She also benefits from what appears to be the Democrats’ strong advantage in the Electoral College. In all of the last six presidential elections, Democrats have won 18 states totaling 242 electoral votes – a huge head start toward the necessary 270. (It is true, of course, that Mr. Trump is not a traditional Republican, something that could alter the map.)
All this leaves us with hope that America is on its way toward electing its first woman president.
The Hartford Courant (Conn.), June 10:
Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is the most important in the nation. But the stretch between Washington, D.C., and Boston has decayed. Fortunately, the U.S. Senate has passed legislation that, if it becomes law, will begin to get the track back into shape.
A key provision of the bill requires Amtrak to spend profits from its Northeast routes exclusively along the Northeast Corridor. That’s up to $400 million a year. The requirement is long overdue.
More than 2,000 trains carrying 700,000 riders on Amtrak, Metro- North and other commuter lines use the tracks every day, making it the busiest in North America. The lack of reinvestment in this crucial stretch has been bad policy.
One of the most crucial needs along the corridor is full implementation of a safety system known as positive train control, which allows dispatchers to stop trains if they exceed speed limits. The absence of it is said to have contributed to the derailment in Philadelphia last year that killed eight and injured nearly 200.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal has been critical of extended deadlines for implementing the technology all along the Northeast Corridor. This new funding could speed up that work.
But there is no shortage of other critical issues along the line. From outdated switches and signals to the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, which itself could cost $1.5 billion to replace, the corridor’s needs are overwhelming. Two years ago, Amtrak estimated that it would need nearly $800 million a year for 15 years to get the system in shape.
Any discussion about improving transportation infrastructure in Connecticut or anywhere in the Northeast has to begin with how to address those long-neglected needs.
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