From the Executive Editor



A few years ago, I saw an analysis of the most widely syndicated newspaper columnists in the country and realized that while we coastal elites often obsessed about the latest thing Charles Krauthammer or Thomas Friedman had written, most of the country was reading completely different voices -- among them, Kathleen Parker's. Now that Parker is known even to readers of The Washington Post, Kerry Howley, a first-time contributor to the Prospect, looks back at many years' worth of Parker's columns to figure out just where this quasi-conservative, provocative columnist fits in the current debate. And Paul Waldman, who writes a popular weekly column on our Web site, debuts in print with an examination of the peculiar economics of the op-ed columnist and the future of this odd literary form.



Elsewhere in this issue, Sarah Laskow and I explain some of the lobbying and political forces that have shaped the health-care reform debate. Tim Fernholz explains why "too big to fail" is not a helpful way of thinking about risky financial institutions. And Dana Goldstein notes how the words "innovation" and "innovators" pervade the language of the Obama administration. It's easy to let them pass by as innocuous buzzwords, but as Dana writes in this issue, they represent real choices with real consequences. 



Sadly, it's also with this issue Dana leaves the Prospect to join The Daily Beast in New York. Dana has written numerous classic stories for this magazine and has been one of the main voices on TAPPED, our blog. She has also been a talented editor and -- dare I say it -- innovator on both the Web and print magazine. -- Mark Schmitt


Brown's Non-campaign for Governor

Joe Mathews' profile ("See Jerry Run. Again.") of former Gov. Jerry Brown of California "delves further into Brown's un-campaign for gover...

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