Joseph Sabino Mistick Columns category, Page 3
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Harris and Walz may have the last laugh
It has been a very long time since we have heard the word “joy” associated with politics. But, when Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke in Philadelphia last week, he reintroduced America to the notion that we should happily embrace and celebrate the political struggle for the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Trump’s sideshow is back, and it’s grown old
I was determined not to lose any friends during and after the 2020 presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and my plan was moderately successful. You want to be challenged if you write a weekly newspaper column about politics and government, but my email during the Trump years...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Now it’s the Democrats who are energized
When Frank Sinatra sang, “You’re riding high in April, shot down in May” — a lyric from his 1966 hit song “That’s Life” — he was describing the sudden ups and downs of life. In politics, as we have seen in the past few weeks, fortunes can change even faster...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Assassins can’t steal our elections
We are all sickened by the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump. Public policy is to be decided by the voters in this Republic, not by assassins. Those of us who were around during the 1960s remember too clearly the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. His...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: In search of a silent majority
When President Richard M. Nixon appealed to the nation for support of his Vietnam War policy in a televised address, he called on the “silent majority” of Americans to side with him. The term “silent majority” has come and gone and been used in various ways, but it suited Nixon’s...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Cicero offers guidance on growing old without giving up
Since I first encountered Cicero in school, my admiration for him has grown and grown. I was drawn even closer to him when I found out the Roman lawyer and philosopher summered in Treglia — ancient Trebula Balliensis — my family’s village in southern Italy. When I suggest to my...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Dry spell may be Gainey’s defining moment
There are moments in every big-city mayor’s administration that define the mayor’s performance and values better than anything else. For the administration of Pittsburgh’s Mayor Ed Gainey, the failure to turn on the city’s over 200 drinking fountains in this hot summer may be such a moment. As first reported...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: We have all the information we need for November
In January, along with former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, I joined a few dozen state advisory board members of Keep Our Republic at a two-day conference near Washington, D.C. Keep Our Republic is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that is working to identify problems that could come up in our presidential...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: A safer Pittsburgh needs more eyes on the street
When the Allegheny Conference shared its ideas for a reimagined Downtown Pittsburgh this month, there were no actual proposals, just what were called “aspirational” and “visionary plans.” Downtown tax revenue is tanking, and the city administration continues to discourage and block new development. If the Allegheny Conference is going to...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Remembering when Americans fought for freedom
As the nation remembered D-Day last week — with what was likely the last big gathering of American heroes in Normandy, France — the world was reminded of the value that America once placed on freedom. The numbers are staggering. On June 6, 1944, nearly 7,000 Allied ships and landing...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Faith in our justice system after Trump verdict
The trial of Donald Trump was both extraordinary and ordinary at the same time. Never before has a former president of the United States been charged, tried and convicted of crimes. But, once charged, Trump was treated like everybody else. With apologies for this lawyer’s view — without the passion...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Justice denied
When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned 55 years ago this month, he was facing congressional calls for his impeachment. He had been on the court for less than four years and had controversially remained a confidant of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. The cause of his resignation was a...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Cyril Wecht’s unforgettable life
For as long as any of us around here can remember, Dr. Cyril Wecht made headlines everywhere. The renowned forensic pathologist, physician and lawyer died at 93 last week. But he lived a life that we will never forget. Dr. Wecht invented the role of the celebrity forensic pathologist. He...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: A not so beautiful day in the neighborhood
WQED television was established in 1954 — right here in Pittsburgh — as the first community-sponsored educational television station in the nation. The station was truly Pittsburgh, originally funded in part by 200,000 $2 donations from local families. WQED is in our community’s genes, and our genes are in WQED....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Trump’s plans for an imperial presidency
The last time we had a close look at what an imperial American presidency might resemble, President Richard M. Nixon had decided that guards assigned to the White House should wear fancy uniforms befitting a European monarchy. After official European visits marked by ceremonial pomp, Nixon decided to change the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: In Pittsburgh, a small race offers a big lesson
The big news from last week’s primary election was Democratic incumbent Summer Lee’s victory over Bhavini Patel in the race to represent the people of the 12th Congressional District. But a little-noticed race for a much smaller state legislative seat may offer an important lesson locally. As a member of...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Flip-flop season for Republicans
The problem with speaking for the record in this social media age is that your words are out there forever, and I realized some time ago that I was too tough on Mitt Romney when he ran for president in 2012. I regret that now. We all had our fun...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Looking to the heavens, together
It took a major astronomical event, but we learned last week during the solar eclipse that Americans are still capable of standing together. Tens of millions watched the eclipse from Arizona and New Mexico to Maine and New Hampshire. Many folks here watched a partial eclipse from home. Some of...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: April in America
America’s leaders have often come through with fine words and excellent phrases to remind us that it is hard work to keep the promise of America. For some reason, many important speeches were delivered in the month of April. On April 3, 1968, the night before he was assassinated, Martin...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: An Easter message of hope and faith
Easter is a celebration of rebirth, and, since it coincides with springtime in many places, new beginnings are everywhere. Crocuses and daffodils are popping out of the recently frozen ground, and magnolia trees have burst with blossoms overnight. The sun has reappeared where it has been cold and dark for...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: A great tradition reborn at Duquesne
Victories are always sweet. And when Duquesne University’s basketball team qualified for this year’s NCAA Tournament, everyone who loves an underdog celebrated. The Duquesne Dukes have been great before, but it has been a while, and this revival was unexpected. In 1988, in his Los Angeles Times article “Remembering When...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Remembering Roddey’s political gusto
It is not often that we are surprised when someone dies at age 91, but it seemed like Jim Roddey would live forever. When Jim arrived in Pittsburgh in 1979, he was a Republican businessman with a Southern accent. When he died this month, he was a true Pittsburgher, a...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Gainey must be a convener to save Pittsburgh
As Downtown Pittsburgh property values continue to go down along with the tax revenue that the city needs to maintain essential services, Mayor Ed Gainey and the city are at a crossroads. Pittsburgh is not alone in this post-pandemic urban struggle, but Pittsburgh does not seem to be headed for...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Trump vs. Biden, chaos vs. calm
There will be no shortage of important issues in the 2024 presidential election — the crisis at the southern border, the Dobbs decision, freedom for Ukraine and war in the Middle East, just for starters — but it may be the choice between chaos and calm that will move many...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Think bigger than ‘tiny homes’ to aid our homeless
As most American cities grapple with record numbers of homeless citizens, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials continue to struggle to provide temporary and permanent housing for our region’s homeless population. Now, there is a city zoning amendment being proposed to allow a scattering of “tiny home” communities throughout Downtown and...
