AnnotatedOpinions.com

Democrats Chris Dodd, Byron Dorgan and Bill Ritter announced Wednesday that yes, they can get out of politics before the voters ride them out.  

They won’t seek re-election. The sudden departure of a couple of senators from Connecticut and North Dakota and a governor from Colorado doesn’t necessarily spell doom for the Democrats, but it’s pretty clear what’s going on. There’s a great unease about the direction of the country and discontent about its political leadership. . .  

You don’t see a recognition from national leaders that people have lost confidence in their direction and their tactics.  

What you do see: Democratic leaders hellbent on hammering out a final version of this unpopular health care legislation in secret. . .  

[AO: The Chicago Tribune would have you believe that voters want to throw Democrats out of office due to what “Democratic leaders” at the national level are doing. This seems plausible. It’s possible even though it requires one to jettison the belief that voters vote for individual senators on their record. Alas, that’s where things falls apart.  

See, let’s take Senator Dodd as the counter example to the Tribune’s argument. Dodd is one Democrat who has decided to step down. According to the Tribune’s argument, Dodd has had to step down because, at least in significant part, of fears voters have about the direction of the country. But the problem with this line of argument, especially in the case of Dodd, is that voters are likely to replace him with another Democrat, allowing “Democratic leaders” at the national level to continue doing what they are doing.   

Somehow, it seems impossible to square this reality with the Tribune’s claims. Moreover, the fact that six republican senators have already announced their retirement makes this impossible task even more so.]

A year ago this month, the air over American liberalism was thick with champagne corks. Barack Obama the newly elected president was poised to be inaugurated, and he in turn would inaugurate the long-prophesized new progressive era. A year later, the champagne corks are hardly flying, and if this is to be morning in America for American liberalism, it seems to have come with a pretty nasty hangover. . .  

In 2008, liberals had more reason to hope. . . A little more than a year later, we surely have been hoing leftward. But it already seems as if the American people are sick of it. The 2009 off-year elections might not have been a repudiation of Obama, but they were definitely not an embrace of Obamaism. Meanwhile, by nearly 2 to 1, Americans say the country is on the wrong track. . . .   

[AO: We agree with the opinion’s writer, Jonah Goldberg: over the last year or so, there has been no giant leftward shift in U.S. politics. But the statistics he quote should be placed in context.  

Goldberg’s claim is that Americans are sick of Democrats. He marshals polling data to support that point. He insinuates that Americans want to put an end to Democratic control of government. But does the data really support this? Let’s take a look.  

Goldberg states that “by nearly 2 to 1, Americans say the country is on the wrong track.” This statement is based in part on an average of polls by RealClearPolitics.com. One of the polls showing the highest number of Americans saying the country is headed in the wrong direction is NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll. That poll shows that only 33% of Americans agree that the country is headed in the right direction (55% agreed that the country is on the wrong track. 10% said “mixed” and 2% responded “unsure”). After noting that, according to the poll, 55%, not 66% as some might be tempted to assume, of Americans agree that the country is headed in the wrong direction, the next questions that come up are (1) “is this unusual” and (2) “who do these people think are responsible.”   

The NBC/Walls Street Journal Polling data goes back to 1999. The data shows that excluding the Obama effect, a huge jump between January 2009 and February 2009, when the number of Americans agreeing that the country was headed in the right direction increased from 26% to 41%, the last time more than 33% of Americans agreed that the country was headed in the right direction was January 2005. That’s right, January 2005. In other years, during most of the booming years of the last decades, more Americans thought the country was headed in the wrong direction than do now, a time when we are still recovering from a very significant recession.  

The poll also has something to say about who respondents blame for the country’s problems. 47% of respondents approved of the job that Barack Obama is doing as president (46% disapproved). 43% want next year’s congressional elections to produce a Democrat-controlled Congress (41% favored a Republican controlled Congress).  

These polling numbers are close. There is no reason for complacency by Republicans or Democrats. However, the thrust of Goldberg’s argument, especially when considered in light of the data showing that slightly more Americans approve of the job Obama is doing and want Democrats to retain control of Congress, is not supported by the polling data. ]

The House Health Reform Bill: The bill unveiled Thursday would greatly expand coverage of the uninsured while reducing budget deficits. It deserves to be approved. [New York Times] 

Preferred option: Public option should be part of health care reform Crunch time is coming on health care reform. At ground zero is the hotly debated public option, a device backers say is necessary to offer competition with private health insurers. [Houston Chronicle]  

The Defining Moment: The health care legislation on the table isn’t perfect, but it’s as good as anyone could reasonably have expected. It is time for everyone to decide which side they’re on. [New York Times]

Reid’s desperate scheme: No one should be denied health care by virtue of their place of birth. [Washington Post]

Close Gitmo and give detainees their day in court: New legislation may make it easier for the Obama administration to keep its word and close the infamous detention center. Whether the detainees are to be tried in federal courts or military commissions would remain unresolved. [LA Times]

The Commander’s Duty Done: President Obama’s visit to Dover Air Force Base to pay tribute to the returning war dead was entirely appropriate as he faces the decision of what comes next in Afghanistan. [New York Times]

It’s Pakistan’s war too: As a car-bomb attack in Peshawar tragically demonstrates, Pakistanis and the U.S. have a common enemy in Islamist extremists. [LA Times]

Mrs. Clinton in Pakistan: To enlist Pakistan as a reliable ally, Washington and Islamabad leaders need to do a much better job of explaining themselves to the Pakistani people. [New York Times]

On the war’s front lines: Evidence from my trip to Afghanistan suggests Obama should send more troops. [Washington Post]

Development success in Afghanistan: We have seen real, measurable progress, says the president of the World Bank. [Washington Post]

Ethics probes may be least of Congress’ problems [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Women, if you’re happy and you know it … Feminism made me happy? Not, I assure you, in a permanent state of good cheer. It opened doors. It opened our eyes — to everything including what still needs to be done. [Boston Globe]  

Bashing Human Rights Watch: Devastating accusations by one of the group’s founder over criticisms of Israel are unfair, unfounded and dampen open discussion of solutions to Mideast violence. [LA Times]

Teaching the teachers: As aging baby boomers retire from the classroom, there should be plenty of newly trained teachers coming up to replace them. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Barriers to abortion rise [Boston Globe]

For stimulus, think cities: Metropolitan areas are the best places to spend federal money and spur growth. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Reality TV exposes parents exploiting kids: These days, Americans are quite familiar with the newest breed of disgraced celebrities: reality TV parents. From the unending tabloid drama of the Gosselin family to the bizarre chronicles of Nadya “Octomom” Suleman to the spectacle of Balloon Boy, never has more attention been lavished on such unabashed displays of bad parenting. [USA Today]

Don’t keep TV audiences in the dark: The risks associated with marketing drugs and other products in television storylines. [Washington Post]  

Swill or culture? Your choice: Groovin’ to ‘Monster Mash’ or listening to Bach’s cello suites [Chicago Tribune]

The Leo Frank case isn’t dead: The class warfare behind the story of his 1915 lynching keeps it tragically relevant. [LA Times]

Afterglow: NASA has detected a gamma-ray burst that is the oldest and most distant object discovered in our universe — an invitation for all of us to unfetter our imaginations. [New York Times]

Baseball’s long, long season: In the past, only war or terrorism has kept baseball’s world championship from being decided in October. Now we can add greedy networks and baseball owners to the list. [USA
Today]

Gov. races that teach: Lessons for Democrats and Republicans from Virginia and New Jersey. [Washington Post]  

Hillary Clinton: Corn tastes better in Karachi [Boston Globe]  

Michael Vick: a dog’s new best friend? The Humane Society’s arrangement with the convicted football player deserves the public’s support. [LA Times]  

Ongoing Agony of the Banks: If the federal government’s strategy to save the banks was meant to get them back into the business of lending, it has not worked yet. [New York Times]  

Suddenly, America digs farming: The Huffington Post’s ‘hot organic farmers’ and the Internet social game FarmVille may be signs of a growing interest in growing things. [LA Times]  

Democrats’ dodge on voting rights: D.C. representation in Congress isn’t being seen as the civil rights issue it is. [Washington Post]  

Block this music monopoly: Ticketmaster’s bid for a merger with Live Nation would hurt concert consumers. [Philadelphia Inquirer]  

Fitness: Marathon gripe session – Experienced runners are griping about how many slow pokes are signing up for marathons these days. [Boston Globe]  

Trust, Antitrust and Your Vote: If any one voting machine maker is allowed to dominate the market, there will be even greater reasons to worry about the vulnerability of future elections. [New York Times]  

Vaccine technology a recipe for disaster: Vaccine production relies on a time-consuming process that cannot be rushed, and therefore is completed too slowly to deal with new pandemics such as swine flu. [Boston Globe]  

A Watershed Decision: The Chesapeake Energy Corporation’s decision not to drill in New York City’s watershed is good news, but the threat has not disappeared. [New York Times]  

Food labels and unwise ‘Smart Choices’: Too many compromises — Froot Loops and Ritz Bits Peanut Butter Chocolatey Blast? — doomed a program to help consumers make nutritious selections in the grocery store. [LA Times]  

Israel must end provocative digs: The Netanyahu government should crack down on a group of extreme Israeli nationalists who are conducting provocative digs in East Jerusalem. [Boston Globe]  

September 11, 2001

• President Barack Obama on 9/11 anniversary: Every year on this day, we are all New Yorkers [New York Daily News]
• 9/11 showed us who we can be: The aftermath of the attack is filled with stories of ordinary people responding to disaster with calm, courage and compassion. It was a moment that we shined as a people, and we should not forget it. [LA Times]
• Sept. 11: Sacrifice and somber contemplation- It’s a day to remember those local people who were lost. [Boston Globe]
• 9/11: The horror of the day resists explanation or embellishment. It stands alone It has been eight years since the world awakened to the horror of skyscrapers crumbling to the ground in lower Manhattan on a crisp, clear September morning. [Houston Chronicle]
• Editorial: Remembering, forever It was eight years ago, and it was yesterday, and it is today, and it will be tomorrow. [New York Daily News]
• Eight Years Later: It is tragic that on this Sept. 11, when family members, politicians and visitors go to the ceremonies at ground zero, they will be gathering at an unfinished place. [New York Times]

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)

• Oh, Mr. Wilson: As a nation, we have entered a political era of uninhibited belligerence. [Washington Post]
• Screaming from the floor, Wilson proves Obama’s point: Joe Wilson’s outburst was indeed a sorry breach of decorum. But it was the best thing that happened to Obama on Wednesday, because it proved his point about health care being sidetracked by outrageous claims. [Boston Globe]
• Too far, Rep. Joe Wilson [Chicago Tribune]
• Before Joe Wilson, there was Preston Brooks [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
• . . . and an appalling outburst [USA Today]

Test of character: Obama has made a strong argument for going forward with health care reform It’s too soon to say whether his speech was a “game changer.” [Houston Chronicle]

In Georgia, GOP once embraced what it now condemns [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

A Clear Responsibility: Any critic who still questions the need for health care reform should look at the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates of the number of people without health insurance. [New York Times]

Health, personal responsibility aren’t so simple [Chicago Tribune]

An Un-American Display: Republicans behaving like spoiled first-graders was no way to treat a president. [Washington Post]

Meet the real Van Jones: Conservatives’ efforts to portray him as a radical have obscured the work of a practical environmentalist who wants to bring green jobs to ‘the poor part of town.’ [LA Times]

The Court and Campaign Finance: If a ban on corporate spending in political campaigns is struck down by the Supreme Court, elections could be swamped by special-interest money. [New York Times]

Health care speech yields a test for assessing reform [USA Today]

Immigrants, Health Care and Lies: Requiring proof of citizenship in emergency rooms to prevent undocumented workers from receiving care is unrealistic not only because it’s too expensive to enforce, but because it’s not smart. [New York Times]

Just grateful to have a job: The spotlight of the Great Recession has been properly on the nearly 10 percent of workers who are unemployed. But there has been far less said about the collateral damage on the 90 percent who “still have a job” but are looking at the empty seats. Fearfully. Gratefully. [Boston Globe]

Blagojevich’s 13 chapters of delusions [Chicago Tribune]

Obama’s healthcare address: The middle man returns [LA Times]

Goals in Afghanistan: Americans commemorate the eighth anniversary of 9/11 today amid concern that U.S. military action in Afghanistan is building with an uncertain purpose. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Secession is for losers [Chicago Tribune]

Torture and the Law: ‘Those methods’ are not just immoral but also illegal. [Washington Post]

Holding Up the Housing Recovery: Republican senators need to understand that a vote against bankruptcy reform is a vote against economic recovery. [New York Times]

Good Government and Animal Spirits: Every talented player understands the importance of a strong referee. [Wall Street Journal]

Obama’s Battle on the Hill: What the president and his administration really need is a strategy in dealing with Congress. [Washington Post]

Ricci vs. DeStefano: A firefighters exam in New Haven, Conn., poses some tough questions on discrimination for the Supreme Court.  [LA Times]

Yanks in Crisis: The economic downturn has produced a desire for change but not a philosophical shift. Americans are open to ideas from government, but remain skeptical and fiercely self-sufficient. [New York Times]

U.S. citizens caught in immigration net [USA Today]

Subsidizing Scrooge: Banks showered with federal largess are up to some old and unsavory tricks. [Washington Post]

Horrors! A Handshake! President Obama has pledged to mend relations with Latin America; the handshake with President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela was a good start. [New York Times]

High speed rails for  . . . Texas? [Houston Chronicle]

Winds shift for credit issuers [USA Today]

Reclaiming America’s Soul: The only way for the nation to regain its moral compass is to investigate how the government’s interrogation abuses happened, and, if necessary, to prosecute those responsible. [New York Times]

Has nuclear arms control worked? [LA Times]

Morning-After Pills: The Food and Drug Administration has wisely agreed to let 17-year-olds have access to emergency contraceptive pills without a doctor’s prescription. [New York Times]

The talk is over. Time to get tough with Iran.

Obama needs some FDR magic.

Detroit needs to retool its image.

A presidential commission on torture is necessary to make our country safer and strengthen our leadership position in the world.

Congress needs adult supervision.

Is a jump in the crime rate inevitable?

“President Obama’s biggest task at his news conference tomorrow will not be to defend Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner or to push aside the administration’s bungling of the AIG bonus imbroglio. It will be to challenge Washington’s habit of evading substantive issues by transforming them into procedural questions.”

Facing down the AIG mob.

The vote by Congress to tax Wall Street bonuses out of existence was economic populism run amok. This was legislating by rage, fear and panic. [AO: Sometimes, Congress is left with no choice. It was necessary to take immediate action to avoid the bonus payments disappearing.]

Dispensing with calm deliberation, they distorted the tax code into a political weapon as a way to blunt the fury of the American public as said fury was about to be aimed not at the greedsters of AIG, but at the whole incompetent lot in Washington. [AO: What does it mean to distort the tax code? Seriously. This is an honest question. Also, where is your crystal ball? How do you know that the American people were about to turn their fury on Washington? Perhaps this is wishful thinking on your part?]

Only recently, after all, the House and Senate approved bonus limits that had the effect of exempting the AIG payments. Both bodies okayed the exemption at the request of the Obama administration. Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd carried the ball – and damn if his career isn’t going up in flames.  [AO: Do you have kids? See, you don’t follow your kids around telling them what to do and what not to do at every given moment. Washington thought that AIG was smart enough not to hand out such lavish bonuses. Apparently, Washington gave them too much credit. Would you have written this column if AIG had paid $1B in bonuses even without limitations from congress? How about $10B? Point is, Congress doesn’t what to have to tell AIG how much it can pay its employees. But AIG has given Congress no alternative.]

The financial crisis has been widely interpreted as proof of the need for extensive government regulation of banks, insurance companies and other capitalist institutions. The antics of politicians now that they have a greater role, however, are a vivid reminder of why they can’t be trusted with such power. [AO: really? Tell us more about these antics.]

These days, every politician assumes that because he has a driver’s license and an ATM card, he must have all the necessary skills to run an automaker and operate a bank. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, for example, said Detroit should use its bailout money to become “a global, competitive leader in fuel efficiency.” [AO: Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have more than a driver’s license. They are our elected representatives. They have an obligation to speak on our behalf and fight for what we demand.]

Never mind that if we know anything from recent automotive history, it’s that the Big Three’s competitive advantage is in trucks and sport-utility vehicles. If they had spurned that segment during the decades of cheap gas, things would have been very different: They would have reached the brink of bankruptcy long before now. But Congress’ idea of a sound business plan is to build cars that suit its grand ambitions rather than, say, the tastes of consumers. [AO: Hold on there cowboy. Way to buildup a strawman while conflicting the past and future. First, the suggestion is not that the Big Three should spurn the truck and sport-utility market. Think about chewing gum and walking. Second, the suggestion is relevant to what the Big Three do going forward, not what they should have done in the past. Finally, look how Toyota and Honda faired not focusing on the truck and sport-utility vehicle market? See how well they did? Do you think the Big Three dominate only that market by choice? As if they said, we’ll take the truck and sport0utility vehicle market and other companies can have the rest?]