It was a disconcerting year. Politics — national, state and local — were dominant until coronavirus seeded itself among us. And then the mighty force of social justice strode to center stage, reminding the country that we were not as equal as too many of us had complacently assumed. This was painfully so when it came to the police. One way or another, GBH News commentary writers shed unique light on the unsettling year we know as 2020.
1. Though Few In Number, Black Trump Voters Exist
Callie Crossley, with sensitivity fortified by common sense, explored the seeming paradox of African Americans who supported President Donald Trump. Her conclusion was tough minded, but her piece reminded us all that the intellectual journey one takes is just as important as the emotional destination arrived at.
2. Conspiracy Nation: Why Trump Jr.'s Smear Of Biden Was Even Worse Than It Seemed
Dan Kennedy spent much of the last twelve months hacking his way through the thicket of lies sown by Trump, his cronies and his family. It was an exhausting job. But Kennedy never faltered, becoming in the process an expert on which lies were worse than others and why.
3. Markey-Kennedy Senate Race May Be Decided This Week
David S. Bernstein tackled what turned out to be the biggest Massachusetts political story of a generation: The race between incumbent U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and his Democratic primary challenger, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy. We know that Kennedy lost, becoming the first member of his storied family to go down in a local general election. Bernstein didn't predict that, but he did give readers a road map to follow so they could understand the end game.
4. Even If Reelected, Trump Is In Trouble
Harvey Silverglate, as shrewd a legal mind as can be found in and around Cambridge, long contended that federal investigations into Trump would not remove him from office or uncover federal crimes. Several months ago, he put his keyboard where his mouth was and explained with convincing simplicity that if Trump were to be gotten, it would be authorities in New York City and New York State who would do so. Perhaps that is why Trump has been so unwilling to surrender his groundless claims that he won the 2020 election.
5. To 'Demilitarize' Police, First Ban Assault Weapons
Chip Goines, a brand new GBH News opinion contributor, brought a helping of intellectual rigor to the highly emotional debate about how the police should operate in general, and how — in particular — they should police minority communities. Central to that debate was the issue of the continued militarization of police throughout the nation. By stepping back and tracing the roots of an American problem, he came to an actionable conclusion that was as valid in Berkley, Calif., as it was in Boston, Mass.
