Cleveland Plain Dealer
Chief political reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer
PROFILE
Henry Gomez
Guest
FROM Henry Gomez
To the Point
Politics and the power of a word There's a new word in this year's political vocabulary: "deplorables" -- first used by Hillary Clinton to describe "half" of Donald Trump's supporters. Trump seized on it as a mistake that betrayed her elitist detachment from the beleaguered working class — and many pundits agreed. But Clinton's not backing away, claiming that elements of Trump's fan base are demonstrating his appeal to racism, sexism and other forms of bigotry. Now the word "deplorables" is fueling both sides of the campaign, appearing on t-shirts, twitter memes and advertisements. Did Clinton commit a gaffe that might cost her dearly or has Trump fallen into a trap that reveals more than he wanted?
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To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?