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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Feb 3, 2012/ 10 Shevat, 5772
Romney's Risks in Clean Living --- Voters Expect a Little Sin on a Rap Sheet
By
Suzanne Fields
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
"I don't smoke, and I don't chew, and I don't go out with girls who do." My, how times have changed since kids amused each other with schoolyard doggerel like that one. Tobacco's out, but now nearly everything else is "in." Modern voters no longer pursue clean-living good boys, but good ol' boys with a little sin on their rap sheets.
If he is the Republican nominee — and he took a big step toward a coronation convention in Tampa, Fla., with that solid win in Florida — Mitt Romney's goody-goody-two-shoes reputation could hurt him worse than his flip-flops on abortion and health care reform. Or so observes Jonathan Tobin in Commentary magazine:
"It may well be the fact that he never smoked or drank that will be held against him by voters who don't think they can trust a person who won't have a beer with them, or who prefer the redemption stories of sinners who found the light."
It's a persuasive proposition. George W. Bush was a hard-drinkin' Texican before he found God and gave up the bottle, and the telling of his conversion story hurt him not at all when he ran first for governor of Texas and then for president. Nobody likes repentant sinners more than an American voter. You don't even have to sin big sins to be the man's man that many voters are looking for. Just a suggestion of having tasted the temptation of the dark side will do.
Barack Obama has lived a life in the sun, with a private-school education, full-ride scholarships and law-review editorships in the Ivy League, but he took pains in his autobiographies to spin tales of a fatherless childhood and the privations of growing up with an abandoned single mother. That struck a sympathetic note with voters. The birther accusations that he was actually born in Africa even lent a hint of intrigue.
He didn't make it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but John McCain's tough-guy fighter-pilot image, refined and hardened in the hell of the Hanoi Hilton, has served him well in an otherwise successful political career. Bill Clinton, having littered the battlefield of love (or at least of lust) with big-haired ladies by the score, is no parent's idea of a beau ideal, but his rapscallion reputation lent him a deadly charm with voters that led to two terms.
Ronald Reagan came to politics late, and maybe he was no Errol Flynn, but we've all heard of the fun and games in Hollywood. Bedtime was not necessarily always with Bonzo. The most memorable stories about Warren Harding, a handsome, upright Baptist who in certain respects resembles Romney, were told by his Secret Service bodyguards about their struggles to keep his wife apart from his mistress. This year, we've seen Newt Gingrich, not so much a lady-killer, but a bounder who leaves the ladies wounded and bloody, survive the stories of his three wives. (Newt finally foundered on too much Newt, not too much abusive wifery.)
Poor Mitt. It's true that women are attracted, like a moth to the flame, to men with a leer as well as a wink. The man whose appeal suggests a little danger can be irresistible. A girl who wants no potholes in a romance often relishes the thrill of sharing a pitfall with a rowdy stranger. When she grows up, she's likely to be a mama who won't let her boys grow up to be cowboys, but Jonathan Tobin's political point, as illustrated by the parade of presidential rascals and bounders, is well taken. The sawdust trail can be a path not only to salvation but to the White House, too.
Mitt grew up cosseted in comfortable affluence in Detroit, transiting through neither pothole nor pitfall from idyllic childhood to walking in his father's footsteps to success in business and politics. If he ever rebelled against the tight embrace of his strict Mormon upbringing, there is no public record of it. He never even banged up the family car after a bout of too much brew with his buds. He reached maturity with no sawdust between his toes because there were no public sins to repent and atone.
He seems to understand why this is not necessarily a plus, and sometimes he kids himself about it. He's fond of telling how he once asked his wife Ann whether "in your wildest dreams you ever imagined us in a race for the White House." She replied, "No, Mitt, you're not in my wildest dreams."
It's a good thing he's comfortable aiming jokes at himself. He's missing a lot to live down.
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Suzanne Fields Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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