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February 10, 2012
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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
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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)
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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?
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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
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Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
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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
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
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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
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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
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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
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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
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
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
May 3, 2005
/ 24 Nisan, 5765
The Perils of Obstructionism
By
Michael Barone
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
While trying to understand the flow of events, it's a good idea to keep
in mind the basic fundamentals that tend to guide the players and point
to different outcomes.
The first is that the 2004 election reshaped the electorate. Total
turnout was up 16 percent, an extraordinary amount, matched in magnitude
only four times over the last 108 years. John Kerry's vote total was 16
percent higher than Al Gore's, while George W. Bush's vote total was up
a huge 23 percent from four years before.
The NEP exit poll
(http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/epolls/ ) showed voters
with a party identification of 37 percent Republican and 37 percent
Democratic, the first time Republicans have equaled Democrats since
random sample was invented in 1935. No American under age 80 has ever
seen such a Republican electorate.
The second fundamental is that in the 2004 cycle, Old Media influence
declined, while New Media influence increased. Old Media /The New
York Times/, CBS, ABC, NBC is staffed mostly by liberals, and their
work product inevitably reflects this. New Media talk radio, Fox News
Channel, the Internet Web logs, which together are called the
blogosphere are in many cases staffed by conservatives, and their
work product reflects this.
In the old days, when Old Media had an effective monopoly on what most
voters learned about politics and government, you would not have heard
much about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth charges against John Kerry
and you would not have seen any questioning of the forged documents Dan
Rather relied on in his "60 Minutes II" broadcast aimed at undermining
George W. Bush. But in 2004, thanks to New Media, the Swiftvets got a
hearing and Dan Rather's documents were proved dubious by the
blogosphere in less than 24 hours.
For the last several weeks, George W. Bush and the Republicans have been
taking a beating in Old Media. Yet when you look at the state of play,
you find that they're not doing as badly as that coverage suggests.
The Republican Congress has passed bankruptcy and class action
legislation with plenty of Democratic support. Last week, it passed a
budget resolution with room for tax cuts and that seems to ensure oil
drilling in the tundra of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The House Republicans backed down and rescinded their ethics rules
changes, but they did so in the confidence that Old Media's target,
Majority Leader Tom DeLay, has done nothing that violates House rules.
The Senate Republicans seem to be moving ahead toward a rules change
that would allow a majority of senators, not 41 Democrats, to determine
who will or will not be a federal appeals court judge or the real
stakes a Supreme Court justice.
Back in January, Senate Democrats were saying that they would shut down
the Senate if Republicans made this rule change. Now they are singing a
different tune. Minority Whip Richard Durbin, one of the most partisan
Democrats, assures everyone that they're not really going to obstruct
very much at all.
The reason is that Democrats know that obstruction does not play well at
the polls. Voters at some point ask what you stand for. Old Media are
not going to paint Democrats as obstructionists. But New Media can. For
years, Sen. Tom Daschle received positive coverage in the Sioux Falls
Argus Leader, South Dakota's dominant newspaper. But during the 2004
campaign, several local anti-Daschle blogs took on Daschle and the
paper, and circulated stories that put him in a less favorable light.
Daschle had won seven elections in South Dakota. He lost in 2004.
In his press conference last week, George W. Bush pointed the way to a
progressive solution for Social Security. You pay for low-income
workers' personal accounts by cutting high-income workers' future
benefits. You let low-income workers accumulate wealth as most Americans
already do over the course of a lifetime, and the cost to high-income
workers is low because they depend less on Social Security anyway.
At the moment, Democrats seem determined to reject this progressive
approach. But even Old Media's polls, often slanted on this as on other
issues, show that voters recognize there is a problem. So far as I can
tell, no Republican was defeated in 2002 or 2004 by a Democrat who
pledged "no change in Social Security." Republicans who had a plan beat
Democrats whose plan was a blank piece of paper.
How this issue will play out in Congress is unclear. But do Democrats
want to face this reshaped electorate with our reconfigured media with
no other message but obstructionism?
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
BARONE'S LATEST
Hard America, Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation's Future
America is divided into two camps, according to U.S. News and World Reports writer and Fox commentator Michael Barone. No, not Red and Blue, though one suspects Barone may taint the two groups in the hues of the 2000 presidential election. Barone's divided America is one part Hard, one part Soft. Hard America is steeled by the competition and accountability of the free market, while Soft America is the product of public school and government largesse. Inspired by the notion that America produces incompetent 18 year olds and remarkably competent 30 year olds, Barone embarks on a breezy 162-page commentary that will spark mostly huzzahs from the right and jeers from the left. Sales help fund JWR.
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JWR contributor Michael Barone is a columnist at U.S. News & World Report. Comment by clicking here.
Michael Barone Archives
© 2005, US News & World Report
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