April 2008

The Case of the Missing Education Policy
The McCain Agenda: Want to know what John McCain's plans are for fixing America's education system? Good luck. His last major statement was during his 2000 campaign.
April 29, 2008 | By Dana Goldstein | web only

How Democrats Can Beat McCain
Democrats need not panic about running against John McCain. The war, the economy, and the Bush Legacy are aligned against him, and he's never had his centrist credentials attacked from the left.
April 29, 2008 | By Paul Waldman | web only

The Best Thing Not to Have Happened During the Bush Administration
With the stock market sinking and no end to our current economic woes in sight, aren't we glad we didn't privatize Social Security?
April 29, 2008 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

Does John McCain Stand for Anything?
Ideas have never been the Arizona senator's strong suit, even when the conservative tide was surging. McCain's calling card has always been his biography, and his platform is built on received conservative truths.
April 28, 2008 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

On the 2008 Primary and Black Anger
The Clintons do not seem to understand that the kind of revulsion they are generating in what was once the heart of their base is not your garden-variety political frustration.
April 25, 2008 | By Terence Samuel | web only

Benedict v. Islam
Was the pontiff's visit to Ground Zero a gambit in the Catholic Church's contest with Islam for the soul of the developing world?
April 25, 2008 | By Adele M. Stan | web only

The Pope's Free Pass
American politicians missed a chance to criticize the pope for the church's opposition to the use of condoms to stem the spread of AIDS.
April 25, 2008 | By Dana Goldstein | web only

Congress Tries New Tactic on Subpoenas
Congress, facing a Justice Department unwilling to enforce its subpoenas, is exploring a novel legal option that could vastly expand the power of the legislative branch. Or not.
April 24, 2008 | By Brian Beutler | web only

The Democrats' 60s Fixation
This year, the war and the economy may allow Democrats to transcend their internecine battles. Will Clinton and Obama rise to the challenge?
April 24, 2008 | By Harold Meyerson | web only

The Meltdown Lowdown
(No. 3)
McCain has a very odd definition of economic progress, Bush is confused about the definition of recession, and a massive new foundation takes aim at Social Security and Medicare.
April 24, 2008 | By Dean Baker | web only

The FundamentaList (No. 31)
This week in the religious right: Pentecostals cry "bigotry" while Grassley says "corruption," McCain makes headway with the religious right, and conservatives mock gay and lesbian teens.
April 23, 2008 | By Sarah Posner | web only

Knockin' You Out Like Rocky Balboa
Hillary Clinton has taken to calling herself the Rocky of the '08 primary. The analogy may be more apt than she realizes.
April 23, 2008 | By Ezra Klein | web only

TAP Talks with Lilly Ledbetter
The Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear overturned decades of employment-law precedent. Congress is considering legislation this week that would reverse the decision and help end discriminatory pay practices.
April 23, 2008 | By Ann Friedman | web only

Why the Pennsylvania Primary Will Register in November
The prolonged battle for the Democratic nomination has swelled voter registration rolls in states that don't usually get a say in the primary process.
April 22, 2008 | By Holly Yeager | web only

Pay No Attention to the Media Behind the Curtain
The press is convinced that badgering candidates about faux scandals is necessary because the issues, "will be raised" in the general election, but it ignores its own crucial roll in shaping the terms of debate.
April 22, 2008 | By Paul Waldman | web only

More Than a Mother-Daughter Debate
Feminists inevitably lose when they take a reductive approach to generational rifts, such as the current fracas over whether or not to vote for Hillary Clinton. It's time for a more complex conversation.
April 21, 2008 | By Courtney E. Martin | web only

Why Obama Will Win Pennsylvania
Barack Obama has shown himself capable under attack, and managed to rally support beyond Philadelphia. It may be enough to stop Hillary Clinton.
April 21, 2008 | By Terence Samuel | web only

The Middle Age of Wong Kar-Wai
Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai made his name chronicling romantic alienation with an unmistakable visual style. But his new film, My Blueberry Nights, is atmospherically innocuous and contentedly middle-aged. What happened?
April 18, 2008 | By Noy Thrupkaew | web only

The Meltdown Lowdown (No. 2)
McCain proposes giving tax dollars to oil companies and expanding the deficit, Sen. Alexander says we should give the money to rich people, and the Post thinks we should use it to make homes more expensive.
April 17, 2008 | By Dean Baker | web only

No Time For Neutrality
America's conversation about Israel has largely left out the voices of progressive Jews and often alienated them from their faith. It's time for them to stop feeling marginalized and start speaking out about the difference between Zionism and Judaism.
April 16, 2008 | By Ezra Klein | web only

What's the Matter With Bitterness?
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are battling not just over the working-class voters of Pennsylvania but over the legacy of the Democratic Party.
April 16, 2008 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

The FundamentaList (No. 30)
Evangelicals may have excluded political leaders from the drafting of a new manifesto, Huckabee launches a PAC, and the fight for religious freedom at the Air Force Academy.
April 16, 2008 | By Sarah Posner | web only

J Street on the Map
Today's announcement of a new Washington-based pro-Israel lobby is long overdue. Finally, there is a lobby working for what Israel and the U.S. really need: Middle East peace.
April 15, 2008 | By Gershom Gorenberg | web only

Don't Spend Your Tax Rebate!
Yes, we're all looking forward to the $600 check that should be coming our way now that we've filed our taxes. But here's a thought -- maybe we should stick it in savings.
April 15, 2008 | By Reid Cramer | web only

How Blue Is Your Collar?
The bloviating white men of political television are obsessed with maintaining their blue-collar cred. But their obsession with keeping it real blinds them to their own wealth and leads them to mindlessly victimize Democrats.
April 15, 2008 | By Paul Waldman | web only

Compassion Forum Falls Short of Mark
Last night's Compassion Forum was billed as a chance for the candidates to discuss how their faith affects their politics, but the journalist-moderators managed to leave out the politics part of the equation.
April 14, 2008 | By Sarah Posner | web only

A Middle East Report Card
With the clock running out on the Bush administration, can late efforts amount to actual progress in the Middle East? Is the Annapolis process doomed, or can Sec. Rice finally make some progress?
April 14, 2008 | By Daniel Levy | web only

Should Clinton Consider Albany?
The decline of Hillary Clinton's presidential prospects does not change the fact that she is a singularly hard-working, policy-focused politician. Now that Eliot Spitzer is out, perhaps she should consider running for governor of New York.
April 14, 2008 | By Dana Goldstein | web only

Oprah's Stale Definition of Charity
Her new show may promote creative philanthropy, but in the end "Oprah's Big Give" only underscores the dated view that everyone is either a giver or a receiver, a have or a have-not.
April 11, 2008 | By Courtney E. Martin | web only

The Meltdown Lowdown (No. 1)
Congress acts to worsen the foreclosure crisis, why we should hope investment banks move to England, and how ordinary Americans are subsidizing fancy yachts and private clubs.
April 10, 2008 | By Dean Baker | web only

Hamas: A Silent Partner for Peace?
Faced with internal political pressures and the hard fact of Israel's strength, Hamas has moderated its political positions significantly. The moment may be ripe for pushing Hamas further toward the center.
April 10, 2008 | By Gershom Gorenberg | web only

A Superman Approach to Foreign Policy
Those who would promote liberal values need also submit to them. This means, at times, restraining your power, and even accepting that your agenda can be impeded by the intransigence of your allies and, occasionally, your adversaries.
April 9, 2008 | By Ezra Klein | web only

The FundamentaList (No. 29)
Romney backers face angry followers, why Huckabee will be the next leader of the religious right, and how the focus on Catholicism misses Hagee's worst views.
April 9, 2008 | By Sarah Posner | web only

Is America a Center-Right Nation?
John McCain is counting on the idea that the country is center-right at heart. The Democrats are going to have to convince Americans that bad government is the result of conservative contempt for basic institutions of governance.
April 8, 2008 | By Paul Waldman | web only

Petraeus, Tell Us Something We Don't Already Know
General David Petraeus is appearing before Congress this week to continue the debate over the success of the surge. But the surge has already worked -- it's turned the Iraq War into the next president's problem.
April 8, 2008 | By Matthew Yglesias | web only

Goodbye, Mr. Penn
Mark Penn's ultimate conflict of interest was not between his role in the Clinton campaign and his private interests. It was between his roles as the pollster and the PR guy. It's a shame that didn't oust him from the campaign months ago.
April 8, 2008 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Did Liberals Cause the Sub-Prime Crisis?
Conservatives blame the housing crisis on a 1977 law that helps-low income people get mortgages. It's a useful story for them, but it isn't true.
April 7, 2008 | By Robert Gordon | web only

Dr. King, Forgotten Radical
Long before his death, white and black America began to forget the true legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He fought for economic as well as racial justice, attacked war, and criticized the very foundation of our society.
April 4, 2008 | By Kai Wright | web only

What Obama Could Teach the Treasury Secretary About the Economy
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson wants to expand the Fed's powers to bail out struggling investment banks. Obama understands that this would only encourage damaging speculation.
April 4, 2008 | By Robert Kuttner | web only

An Unfamiliar (Economic) Game
Wall Street has become addicted to taking enormous risks and sticking taxpayers with the bill. As a result, financial panics are causing real recessions and returning us to the 19th century.
April 3, 2008 | By Howard Gleckman | web only

Can Obama Make the Populist Case in Pennsylvania?
Barack Obama is fine-tuning his populism in order to gain ground in what has seemed like a Clinton stronghold.
April 3, 2008 | By Kate Sheppard | web only

The FundamentaList (No. 28)
Charismatics embrace Huckabee, Parsley calls the New Deal satanic, and the Supreme Court takes a new Ten Commandments case.
April 2, 2008 | By Sarah Posner | web only

Will Bush's New Nukes Program Bomb?
Buried in the administration's new budget is $10 million for the development of new nuclear weapons. Despite congressional opposition, and ongoing efforts to force other countries to abandon nuclear programs, the Bush administration refuses to let its dreams of U.S. nuclear expansion die.
April 2, 2008 | By Brian Beutler | web only

Rewards Without Risks for Wall Street
Our tax dollars are being used to protect Wall Street from the consequences of its own risky decisions. It's time to stop giving them a free ride.
April 2, 2008 | By Robert B. Reich | web only

True Confessions of a Superdelegate
One anonymous superdelegate opens up about being courted by campaigns, why the early primaries matter, and how to avoid an endless election next time.
April 1, 2008 | By Mori Dinauer | web only

Toward a More Nutritious Election
Every election cycle we bemoan the character-driven election coverage. But nothing seems to change.
April 1, 2008 | By Paul Waldman | web only