Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
Here is one difference between the generations of reporters. The older generation was (and is) skeptical of big business and trusted government more to provide protection from the cold blasts of laissez faire. The younger, Dow generation, while cynical of government and almost everything else, believed that stocks and property values will always go up. [...]
Posted in 2008 Elections, Bush Administration, Journalism | Comments (5)
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
If I may interrupt the campaign for a moment to bring up a mega-issue that is barely discussed but will confront the next several presidents–the aging of America and its consequences. Older people, according to most polls, are the most diligent voters. And according to a September Pew Research study, people 50 years and older [...]
Posted in 2008 Elections, Journalism | No Comments
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
Conventional political wisdom keeps saying that people have lost interest in the Iraq war, that it’s no longer an issue. It’s the economy again, stupid. Well I know at least eight American families who would disagree. They are grieving for eight soldiers killed March 10 in separate incidents in the non-Iraq war. Another four were [...]
Posted in 2008 Elections, Bush Administration, Iraq, Journalism | Comment (1)
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
If race is not an issue in this presidential contest (and I believe it is and will be), then how come virtually every mainstream black columnist has been effusively and unabashedly supporting Sen. Barack Obama, and highly critical of and even caustic towards Sen. Hillary Clinton? Columnists have every right to their views, even if [...]
Posted in 2008 Elections, Journalism | Comments (44)
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
For this election season, I would like to be a television pundit, commentator, consultant or whatever title seems appropriate (and pays well). I have the credentials: I do not have a steady day job. I have not covered or been involved in politics in a generation. I am white, generally liberal, and Jewish. I can [...]
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Sunday, December 30th, 2007
I often wonder why most of the mainstream reporters and editorialists don’t make the connection between the first two most basic guarantees in the First Amendment and their own responsibilities for making them whole: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of [...]
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Sunday, December 9th, 2007
Just the title of the bill making its way through the Congress ought to frighten hell out of us or at least prompt a reporter worth his or her computer to find out more: “The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism and Prevention Act.” Yet so far no one in the Main Stream Media–newspapers, television or [...]
Posted in Journalism, Miscellaneous | Comments (6)
Monday, November 12th, 2007
When will the American press grow up and realize that America may at last be adult enough to catch up with the 21st Century and elect a woman as president. One doesn’t have to support the candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton, or her positions to take a little pride in that possibility and to consider [...]
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
As I predicted here in July, George W. Bush, the president of all the people, is once again vetoing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), despite its overwhelming (75 percent) support among Americans, health care professionals and members of Congress. The basic reason was and is ideological; he’s against government sponsored health care. White [...]
Posted in Bush Administration, Journalism | No Comments
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007
Reporters and editors who are about to cover the 2008 presidential and congressional campaigns will almost certainly have to deal with the issue of Social Security, which won’t go away. But they’ll do it badly, unless they get a few facts straight. Here is an example of what I mean. On Bloomberg.com, which is supposed [...]
Posted in 2008 Elections, Journalism | Comments (55)