Lawrence Meyer

Why was this year’s midterm election outcome such a surprise to so many—especially in the media? In the weeks before November 8, we were reading and hearing that the Democrats had surged during the summer because of the Supreme Court’s abortion decision, but that the ravages of inflation had brought voters back to renouncing the…

It has been an interesting summer, beginning with the House hearings of the January 6 committee and continuing with the revelations of how the 45th president pilfered classified documents when he left office 14 days after his failed attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Important as they are, neither of those events…

A person very close to me has been complaining a lot lately that Joe Biden—otherwise known as the President—can’t catch a break with the media. He’s too old, he’s too progressive, he’s not liberal enough, why isn’t he doing anything about inflation, why did he let the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, etc., etc.…

According to its Preamble, the Constitution was ordained and established “…to insure domestic Tranquility” and “promote the general Welfare” as well as securing “the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity….” Presumably nothing has altered that original intent. No amendment has been made to the Constitution saying that insuring domestic tranquility, promoting the general…

I want to say a word about Watergate, a word that became synonymous with scandal 50 years ago. I spent the entire two years between September 1972 and August 1974 covering Watergate for The Washington Post—the run-up to the Watergate break-in trial, the trial, the Senate Watergate hearings and the impeachment proceedings against Richard M.…

This week was a big one for the Supreme Court, although neither big decision—on New York’s gun carry law or Roe v. Wade—was a surprise. The abortion decision, of course, was telegraphed weeks ago when a draft opinion leaked. And the gun decision was widely anticipated when the Court agreed to take the case. Both…

I want to say a word or two about Barry Sussman who died June 1 at 87. Barry was my first editor at The Washington Post, and he was the best editor I ever had. He was also a friend for more than 50 years. Besides that he was the brains and driving force behind…

A few months ago I was lucky enough to find an old copy  of essays by E.B. White. The book had been discarded—put on a bookshelf where residents of my building (“our fancy building” Judy Woodruff, one of the residents, calls it) can put books they no longer want. Anyone can take a book off…

The Supreme Court’s draft opinion proposing to overturn Roe v. Wade brings to mind the Jewish telegram: “Start worrying. Letter follows.” The draft opinion, revoking a constitutional right that has existed for almost half a century, is bad enough. What the decision may portend, though, is even worse. So many dire possibilities are suggested in…

When I was a youth back in the 1950s, most of the movies on daytime television were old westerns. I personally was enamored with Hopalong Cassidy and a proud member of the Bar 20 Club. One of the popular clichés, when a character was considered to be a little off, was to say that he…