Political desk: Without Obama, Democrats Flounder

Former President Barack Obama’s absence from the 2018 midterm elections has some Democrats frustrated. At The Hill, Amie Parnes reports that with a “lack of alternatives,” strategists are asking Obama to take a more central role in leading the party on to the 2020 elections. “Bill Clinton is toxic, [former President] Carter is too old, and there’s no one else around for miles,” a frustrated Democratic strategist said. Other possible leaders for Democrats include Sens. Bernie Sanders and Liz Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden — but all are contemplating presidential runs. Parnes notes that Obama “pledged to take a back seat to make room for other Democrats in the party to shine.” But: “Nearly 17 months later, that’s proving to be an impossible task.”

From the right: Children of Divorce at Disadvantage

The children of divorced parents do worse in school, according to a new study. “26.9 percent of children of divorce achieved at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 49.6 percent of children of continuously married parents,” reports Charles Fain Lehman at The Washington Free Beacon. “12.2 percent of children of divorce were ever or currently enrolled in a graduate/professional degree program, compared to 19.6 percent of the children of the continuously married.” At the high school level, children of divorce have “lower math and reading scores, lower GPAs, and engage less in school.” [I don’t understand what point this last is trying to make!!!–>] Lehman notes, however, that the study’s criteria don’t account for factors not related “to measures of wealth or social capital.” As Lehman notes, “The study’s results contribute to a voluminous literature on the negative effects of divorce on educational outcomes.”

From the left: Stop Hating on Trump

Getting angry at President Trump is the perfect way to get him re-elected, writes Frank Bruni at The New York Times. In an open letter to “Robert De Niro, Samantha Bee, and other Trump haters,” he warns outraged celebrities: “You’ve chosen cheap theatrics over the long game, catharsis over cunning. You think you’re raising your fist when you’re really raising a white flag.” Instead of railing against Trump, Bruni advises critics to have “maturity, pragmatism and plain old smarts” to win elections. Calling Trump an “idiot,” “moron,” or “Hitler” won’t win voters, he warns, but the reverse: “What you’re saying isn’t what they’re seeing. It’s overreach in their eyes.”

Libertarian: Politics Rules Everything in 2018

In 2018 America, everything is political, writes Nick Gillespie at Reason. Using the latest outcry over Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey eating at Chic-fil-A during “Pride Month,” he cautions that every piece of American life is tied up in a political cause or movement. “Whether we recognize it or not, we remain on a sort of Cold War footing that attacks complexity, nuance, and engaged conversation and replaces it with simplicity, slogans, and shouting matches,” he argues. “It happens at pro football games, on college campuses, on cable TV, and, of course, in Congress and legislatures everywhere.” Gillespie thinks the president lies at the center of this politicization: “Trump is an acknowledged master not just of being divisive but of fouling everyday life with politics.”

Conservative take: Boston Tries To Crush Airbnb

Boston voted this week to “impose strict limits and fees” on people who rent out rooms using Airbnb, notes Jazz Shaw at Hot Air. But the hardest hit will be low-income renters, he argues. “Boston has flat-out banned anyone who doesn’t own the property from earning extra money this way, regardless of what sort of arrangement they may have with their landlord.” Plus, “if you are an investor who has a rental property you will not be allowed to rent it out on a nightly basis through the popular gig economy app. Only those who own and reside in a residence will be able to do so, and even then they will be charged an annual fee and have limits placed on rentals.” Shaw charges that Boston is appeasing lobbying groups like the American Hotel and Lodging Association, who “don’t like the competition from Airbnb and they’ve had a plan in place to try to thwart the gig economy for a while now.”

— Compiled by Nicholas Rowan