Nov, 21, 2008 Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Money matters? Caroline B. Glick: Civilization walks the plank Nov, 20, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: Bronfman's blindness The Kosher Gourmet By Linda Gassenheimer: Portobellos add a hearty flavor to pasta with pesto Nov, 19, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Spread the wealth? Jewish tradition and income equality Elliot B. Gertel: 'Mad Men': Tackling prejudices or reinforcing them? Nov, 18, 2008 Dr. Debby Schwarz Hirschhorn: The End of the Age of Reason Jonathan Tobin: Does Barack + Bibi = Disaster? Nov, 17, 2008 Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The End of the Age of Reason Diana West: Gulling Americans into making terror legit? Nov, 14, 2008 Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: The Power of Spiritual Inertia Caroline B. Glick: The perils ahead Nov, 13, 2008 Stratfor Intelligence Briefing: How Bush and Obama together could change the Middle East dynamic The Kosher Gourmet by JeanMarie Brownson: Sweet and savory, crispy and meltingly tender bestilla Nov, 12, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Tyrannical Co-Workers Michael Doyle: High Court to consider today donated monuments that may have religious messages in public parks Nov, 11, 2008 Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Will Obama stop government officials considering institutionalizing financial jihad? Jonathan Tobin: They Will Decide Their Own Fate Nov, 10, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: $8 billion, modern-day Tower of Babel being built? Barry Rubin: A letter to the president-elect from a Middle East realist Nov, 7, 2008 Rabbi Francis Nataf: Of Children and Immortality Caroline B. Glick: Livni's Obama strategy Nov, 6, 2008 Rabbi Yonason Goldson: How I tricked a classroom of apathetic students into grasping the fallacy of moral relativism The Kosher Gourmet By Gina Kim: Tips for making the perfect soup --- includes recipes Nov, 5, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist By Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Destitute Debtors Bruce Weinstein: 'Religulos': Bad title,even worse movie Nov, 4, 2008 Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Treasury Dept. submits to Shariah law Frida Ghitis: A surprise for Obama in the Middle East Nov, 3, 2008 Jonathan Rosenblum: Who says Jews are Smart? Jonathan Tobin: Was He Wrong About Everything? Oct. 31, 2008 Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Our Immutable Noble Essence Caroline B. Glick: Running against Bush Oct. 30, 2008 Jonathan Rosenblum: The End of the Special Relationship? Steve Lipman: 'Kid Kosher' Gets A Title Shot Oct. 29, 2008 Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: GET US THE TAPE THE L.A. TIMES REFUSES TO RELEASE, AND WE'LL GIVE YOU CASH! Dr. Ari Korenblit: Making The Write Choice for President Oct. 28, 2008 Mona Charen: Denial runs through American Jewry Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Sell-off to capitalism or sell-out to Islam? Oct. 27, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Are tax deductions for charitable donations moral? Jonathan Mark: The Mystery Of The Arab-American Vote Oct. 24, 2008 'Why aren't all religious people vegetarians?': Response by Miriam Kosman Caroline B. Glick: Testing Obama's mettle Oct. 23, 2008 Daniel Pipes: Obama Would Fail Security Clearance The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A fast chicken dish with an Asian accent Oct. 20, 2008 Gary Rosenblatt: Still One Torah Jonathan Tobin: Government 'Gifts' Are Not Free Oct. 17, 2008 Jonathan Rosenblum: Sukkos and the Great Meltdown Caroline B. Glick: The disappearance of law Oct. 16, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Copying DVDs: RIP OR RIPOFF? Cal Thomas: Blaming the Jews (again) March 22, 2007 J-Rhythms with Avraham Rosenblum: JWR's cutting-edge music program showcasing performers -- singers, song writers, musicians, and bands -- who learn and live the Torah lifestyle (OUR NEWEST IGODCAST !) Oct. 29, 2003 Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Sept. 14, 2006 / 21 Elul 5766 McCain-Feingold is making political ads more mealy-mouthed than ever By James Lileks http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | What if they'd had political TV ads in the early days of the Republic? You might think the tone would be highbrow and civil: "Hark, fair citizen, and lend an ear to a tale of a fellow whose views on the Ambergris Tariff Act may agreeably intersect with yours." It would be in sepia, with fife music. Very civilized. Hah! Not likely. If they'd had TV ads 200 years ago, they'd have swung hard and wide: "What can one say of Obediah Phineous, except that he is plainly a rum-sodden Popish whoremonger who would sell his mother's honor to a gang of Turkish sailors? Foul as the gusts of hell may be, they compare not to the pestilential stench that roils the air when his name is spoken — horses faint, the very fish of the deep float dead to the surface, and the tender nature of any decent woman who hears the fearful name suffers a shock of such grievous force her womb seizes up, and becomes like granite upon which no seed may root. Obediah Phineous — wrong for America, wrong for Christendom, possibly Spanish, and wrong for the proposed Potomac Canal. Trade not thine soul for a vote! Elect Cyrus `Ol' Honest Dredger' Derrick, or forever turn in shame from the trusting gaze of children and dogs. (This message brought to you by the Potomac Canal Route Businessmen's Association.)" Politics has always been rough, but it took a genteel turn in the previous century. The famous LBJ "Daisy ad" was intended to make you think Barry Goldwater would fire off ICBMs on Inauguration Day, but it used clever Mad Ave implication, not screaming rhetoric. Except for a few edgy spots that ran once in tiny markets and did their damage by word of mouth, most ads make a Spongebob cartoon look like "Triumph of the Will." Standard banal example: "Bob Johnson says he's for tax cuts, but he voted twice to raise the price of stamps Working Families use to file their returns. That's why southwestern Ohio needs Bill Jackson. He'll fight for working families, and work for fighting families." Then there'd be a shot of the candidate with his dog, who, we presume, is trained to sniff out any working families who might be trapped in a building collapse. These ads treat the voters like Cub Scout den mothers who'll give everyone a timeout if the boys don't use their indoor voices. If there's one thing we've learned from these ads, it's that politicians frequently roll up their sleeves to shake hands with ordinary folk, and the event — believe it or not — is often captured on tape. Also, they're fighting for working Americans, which certainly sets them apart from politicians who run on a platform of extinguishing the lower classes. Bland as the old ads were, it's gotten worse in the current century thanks to the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act. Or, as some call it, the Incumbent Protection Act. In the name of cleanliness and decency, it forbade interest groups from running broadcast ads that attack a candidate by name within 60 days of the election. (You could spell out the name in a game of Charades, but the ad would run 20 minutes.) There was hope that the FEC would approve a provision to loosen the restrictions; you could mention an official if you didn't attack him. Oh, what a bareknuckle nightmare that would be, right? Don't worry. The proposal failed on a tie vote — three Democrats on the commission wanted to keep the restrictions, three Republicans wanted to relax them. So it's gauzy walk-the-dog ads for the foreseeable future. The battles have moved to the trenches of blogs and talk radio, where the tone is often much meaner than a weak-tea "attack" ad. That's how it works: limit speech over here, and it pops out over there. Unfortunately, the "reformers" usually respond by limiting freedom everywhere. Blogs and talk radio have been safe for a while, but expect another run at limiting how and when they can support a candidate. Clamping down on such things wouldn't be a violation of your constitutional rights. Haven't you read the Miranda decision? You have the right to remain silent. What did you think it meant? 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. JWR contributor James Lileks is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Comment by clicking here. ARCHIVES © 2006, James Lileks

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