Boston, MA
Editorial: Kamala Harris’s joy & hope are great, but America needs real leadership
The cheerleading is in overdrive at this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but behind all the hype, Democrats and the mainstream media are setting Kamala Harris up to fail.
Pundits and the press have tossed about the rollercoaster analogy in describing the campaign scene since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. The Hill had this breathless headline Thursday: “Stunning Harris rollercoaster reaches new apex at Democratic convention.”
The problem with rollercoasters is that they also go down.
Former President Bill Clinton hyped Harris as the “president of joy” during his Wednesday night speech. We’re all for joy. We’re also for a strong president who has the chops to lead the country.
Voters want to have a reason for joy beyond speeches and promises and declarations of love of country. Joy comes from being able to feed one’s family and pay the rent or mortgage without working two or more jobs. It’s thriving instead of struggling.
How will Harris make that happen?
Former First Lady Michelle Obama went all in on happy in her Tuesday night speech: “Something wonderfully magical is in the air,” she said. Obama spoke of “the contagious power of hope” and “the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day.”
“Hope is making a comeback, Obama said.
A question: where has it been since 2021? Wasn’t Build Back Better supposed to usher in recovery after the pandemic and offer hope for a better, stronger future?
With Harris’s rollercoaster in the up position now, she hasn’t been generous with the details of how she’ll bring joy to America, or what plans she has to get us all to share in that brighter day.
She did offer her Agenda to Lower Costs for American Families. Included are a measure beefing up the child tax credit (CTC) to provide a $6,000 tax cut to families with newborn children, and restoring an expansion to the CTC passed as part of a the American Rescue Plan, pressing up to $3,600 per child tax credit for some families, The Hill reported.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget weighed in and estimated Harris’s proposals to expand the CTC could come with a price tag of $1.2 trillion from fiscal 2026 through 2035.
Harris’s plan would also expand the earned income tax credit (EITC), set up a tax credit for first-time homebuyers, extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credit expansion and efforts to support affordable housing. That all could cost upwards of $700 billion during the same time frame, CRFB noted.
Here’s where the hope comes in. Voters should hope that Harris’s free-spending agenda doesn’t spike inflation as Biden’s trillion-dollar binge did. Voters also should hope that the Fed wouldn’t have to respond with more rate increases, pushing up interest rates on credit cards.
We hope that Kamala Harris will do the round of town meetings, interviews and rallies with clear answers about job creation, the economy, government spending, national security and the border crisis.
Voters want answers, and they want to envision a future that’s built on smart planning and solutions, and not just hype.
Or hope.
Boston, MA
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Boston, MA
Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe
Gray, acquired in a November trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, was one of Boston’s key rotation additions, along with Ranger Suarez, in the offseason. He was 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2025.
“He’s very specific about his work. Every day has a purpose,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Gray. “Two hundred strikeouts, that’s something that we were looking for. The competitor. Every five days, this guy is going to give you everything.”
In his five career appearances against the Reds, Gray is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA.
“It’s pretty much one of the only things that is continuing to push me, is to get to a World Series, to win a World Series, to pitch in big games,” said Gray. “I love the moment, and I am chasing that moment.”
Here’s the preview:
RED SOX (1-0): TBA
Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray
REDS (0-1): TBA
Pitching: RHP Brady Singer
Time: 4:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Singer: Wilyer Abreu 2-5, Roman Anthony 1-2, Willson Contreras 2-7, Jarren Duran 3-10, Caleb Durbin 0-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 6-16, Marcelo Mayer 0-1, Andruw Monasterio 1-4, Carlos Narváez 1-1, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-5, Trevor Story 0-4, Connor Wong 2-8, Masataka Yoshida 2-7
Reds vs. Gray: Will Benson 0-5, Elly De La Cruz 5-11, TJ Friedl 1-8, Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-17, Nathaniel Lowe 2-10, Noelvi Marte 0-5, Matt McLain 2-2, Spencer Steer 4-9, Tyler Stephenson 0-8, Eugenio Suárez 7-13, Jose Trevino 0-2
Stat of the day: Sal Stewart become the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 to record three hits on Opening Day.
Notes: Cincinnati sends righthander Brady Singer (14-12, 4.03 in 2025) to the mound … With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo already on the injured list to start the season, Singer is considered one of Cincinnati’s most durable pitchers, leading the Reds with 32 starts last season … Singer has made five career starts against Boston, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.88 ERA over 24 innings … His last appearance against the Red Sox, on July 1 in Boston, ended after just three innings when he allowed two earned runs on three hits.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.
Boston, MA
Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett
Nearly three months since assuming office as mayor of Everett, Massachusetts, Mayor Robert Van Campen isn’t wasting any time.
The former city councilor ousted 18-year incumbent Carlo DeMaria in decisive fashion last November, but even so, issues surrounding his predecessor still linger at City Hall.
A state-led salary audit of DeMaria found $180,000 in overpayment, a finding the former mayor disputes. Van Campen says the city is monitoring ongoing investigations.
“What I’ve conveyed to my partners in government here, locally, is to allow that state process to play itself out, and then we, as a community, will make a decision,” the mayor said. “In addition to that, I recently met with Inspector General Jeff Shapiro, who visited me at City Hall. We had a great conversation about transparency in government, best practices, putting in the right systems to ensure that that type of financial oversight doesn’t happen in the future.”
Beyond the audit, Van Campen is placing emphasis on school overcrowding.
“My objective is to try to implement solutions as quickly as I can,” he said. “Our high school today, which was built for I think 1,650 students, now houses around 2,200.”
The World Cup is creating buzz across Massachusetts, including in Everett, where the Kraft Group is looking to build a soccer stadium.
To alleviate that problem, the mayor is using federal ARPA funds to repair the old Everett High School and seeking out other spaces that could be used in the future.
“Would I like to build out new classroom space for the students of Everett in the next one to two years? Yes, that’s my ideal,” Van Campen said. “But I want to make sure that if we do it on a quick timeline, it’s done in a correct and proper fashion.”
Also in focus for the mayor is a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution on the shores of the Mystic River.
The Kraft Group, Boston, Everett and the state Legislature have all taken steps to make the project a reality, but Van Campen says there’s still more work to do.
“It’s a transformative project, it’s a breathtaking project,” said Van Campen. “But I’ve been clear with all the stakeholders around that project, and the other larger developments going on down there, that we have to make sure that transit issues are comprehensively addressed, that pedestrian access issues are comprehensively addressed, that all those issues have to be addressed to perfection in order for these projects to succeed.”
Tune in on Sunday, March 29 at 9:30 a.m. for our extended @Issue Sit Down with Van Campen.
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