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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
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Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Nov. 20, 2008
/ 22 Mar-Cheshvan 5769
Job 1 for Obama: Governing from the center
By
James Klurfeld
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Just as he reached out to the middle of the political spectrum to gain his inspiring and historic victory, President-elect Barack Obama will now have to build a center to govern. If anything, it will be an even more challenging job.
Obama won the presidency with the wind of a global financial collapse at his back and the nation ready for change. That takes nothing away from the magnificence of his victory. He took advantage of the situation as any talented politician would. But building a center from which to govern in hard times, when sacrifice will be necessary and unpopular choices unavoidable, is going to be much harder to accomplish. Now that he has become president-elect, that wind is in his face.
Obama acknowledged as much in his victory speech election night, when he said what must be done might not be accomplished in the first days of his administration, or the first years or even in a first term. And he said it will take shared sacrifice by the American people. No American politician has been willing to ask for sacrifice, real sacrifice, since President Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Reagan's mantra was to cut taxes and reduce the size of government (except for the defense budget). President Bill Clinton's most controversial decision was to raise taxes in his first year in office, and many said the Democrats lost control of Congress as a result. President George W. Bush has tried to fight two wars without asking the people at home for a scintilla of sacrifice.
As I watched Obama eloquently talk to that throng of supporters in Chicago, I thought back to one of President John F. Kennedy's most-repeated lines from his inauguration speech: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." It's been a long time since any president has been willing to challenge us in that way. But Kennedy was speaking in the context of the Cold War, when the outside challenge from communism made it easier to unite the country.
If I read Obama correctly, his instinct is to move to the center. A recent public television show, "Frontline," examined his approach as editor of the Harvard Law Review, the first black person to hold that position. He was elected at a time when Harvard Law School was bitterly divided by a liberal-conservative schism. He surprised - indeed angered - many of his liberal friends by appointing conservatives to positions on the review. Looking back on it now, one classmate says Obama was determined to put out an outstanding publication and to try to heal the ideological splits at the school.
Of all the serious misjudgments by Bush, one of the most consequential was to govern from the far right. His election in 2000 was so controversial that he should have moved toward the center, to lead a deeply divided nation. He didn't, and he will go down in history as a divider, not a uniter. Even after he had a second chance to pull the nation together after the horrors of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he chose the most controversial course by invading Iraq.
Our national politics took a bitter turn when Richard Nixon had to resign his presidency in 1974, and they have become increasingly negative. Obama's election can be a turning point. But the challenge for him is to go beyond finding common ground, since too often that just means finding the lowest common denominator. He must inspire the country to do things it has been reluctant to do - with health care, energy policy, how we relate to the world at a time of fiscal crisis, and making sure we don't saddle our children or grandchildren with unmanageable debt. That's going to take leadership.
His election is a magnificent moment in American history, a stunning accomplishment not just for Obama but for the country. But, clearly, even bigger jobs lie ahead.
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Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
James Klurfeld is a professor of journalism at Stony Brook University.
Previously:
10/14/08: What about the economy Obama, McCain?
09/04/08: Palin stunningly wrong choice by McCain
05/01/08: Carter, Hart ... and Obama?
04/12/08: Election year politics and the cost of war
04/02/08: Time for a '30s-style government mortgage role
03/11/08: Power rightly belongs to Dem superdelegates
03/04/08: A neophyte looks like a pro, and vice versa
02/22/08: The allure of Obama for young people
02/19/08: Obama sounds good, but words aren't enough
© 2008, Newsday Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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