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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
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The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
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May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
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Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
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The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
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Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
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The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
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Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
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Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
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Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
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Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
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May 14, 2012
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Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
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May 11, 2012
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Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
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The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Nov. 14, 2006
/ 23 Mar-Cheshvan, 5767
The basic political balance
By
Michael Barone
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
A couple of numbers from the EMR exit poll. Party identification was 38 percent Democratic, 36 percent Republican. That's only a point different from 2004's 37 percent Democratic, 37 percent Republican. Republicans did worse because they had less support from independents this time.
On ideology, 36 percent identified themselves as conservatives and 21 percent as liberals. This is in line with the long historical trend. The liberal label hasn't been an advantage since the early 1960s, when most voters had living memories of the Depression of the 1930s and the New Deal. Such voters are almost all gone today.
The exit poll has the popular vote at 53 percent Democratic and 45 percent Republican. A tally of the returns in Thursday's paper showed them at 51-47 percent Democratic. Final results won't be in for weeks from Washington and California, which will give Democrats a higher percentage than the latter number. Whether it ends up as 53-45 or 52-46, it will look very much like the Republicans' 1994 advantage of 52-45.
Does this represent a revolution in party strength? A significant change, I think, but not a revolution. The Democrats never dipped below 200 members in the House, except for one moment in the Gingrich revolution when there was a vacancy, and now they're up to about 231, the number of seats in which they currently hold a lead as the counting in some races continues.
The Immigration Issue
Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard makes the case that immigration restriction wasn't a plus issue for House Republicans. In Arizona, with the biggest illegal border crossing crisis in the nation, two loud advocates of immigration restriction and opponents of guest-worker and legalization provisions lost: incumbent J.D. Hayworth in the Scottsdale-Tempe Fifth District and open-seat primary winner Randy Graf in the Eighth, which includes the east side of Tucson and Cochise County, site of most of the illegal border crossings. In 2004, Graf won 43 percent in the primary against incumbent Jim Kolbe, who favored guest-worker and legalization provisions. With Kolbe retiring, Graf won the same 43 percent in the primary again, but that was enough to win a three-candidate race. I tend to agree with Barnes's take. If an anti-immigration candidate can't win in these two districts, where can he win? As I said on Fox News on election night: "Nativism and protectionism are political weapons that in a certain light look very strong, which seem to be gleaming swords that will slay all before them. But, again and again, they crack like glass in your hand."
Proof comes from an exit poll: "Should most illegal immigrants working in the United States be (a) offered a chance to apply for legal status or (b) deported to the country they came from?" Legal status was favored by 57 percent, deportation by 38 percent. Those favoring legal status voted 61-37 percent Democratic; those favoring deportation voted 56-42 percent Republican. You might object to the wording of the question, but the results suggest to me that anything perceived as a harsh stance on immigration is not an electoral winner and that even those who agree with the harsh stance are not very likely to be propelled to vote Republican because of it.
Mickey Kaus takes a different view. He cites evidence that a lot of Democrats, including successful challengers like Sen.-elect Jim Webb in Virginia, took the enforcement-first stance. But before the election, Kaus was touting opposition to immigration as a strategy for Republicans. It doesn't seem to have worked for them, whether you look at Hayworth and Graf, who were high profile on the issue, or for challenged incumbents like Rick Santorum, who wasn't able to make it a salient issue in his race.
As for protectionism, well, yes, that was a position long emphasized by Sherrod Brown, who won big in the Ohio Senate race, and a position taken to one extent or another by most Democratic candidates. Almost all incumbent House Democrats voted against a free-trade measure as innocuous as the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Protectionism has become a partisan issue, with virtually all Democrats for and most Republicans against. So you can score a Democratic victory, like this year's, as a victory for protectionism. It will certainly have consequences. Trade promotion authority lapses on June 30 next year, and the chances that the Democratic Congress will renew it are close to zero. The Doha round of world trade talks is currently stalled and unlikely to be renewed in time for an agreement to be sent to Congress. In any case, the fact that the Agriculture committees will be chaired by Tom Harkin from corn-growing Iowa and Collin Peterson from the wheat-growing Minnesota Seventh District means that the 2007 farm bill will not meet the standards of any Doha agreement that could conceivably be reached. The lapsing of trade promotion authority will doom the regional and two-country trade agreements that special trade representatives Robert Zoellick, Rob Portman, and Susan Schwab have been negotiating. We won't be moving toward more protectionism, probably. But we're going to miss many chances to advance free trade.
It's interesting that a party so many of whose members pride themselves on their sophistication and mental superiority is taking a strong stand against the one thing that has always been taught in Economics 1, whether the instructors are Keynesians or Friedmanitesthat free trade is better for everyone. Chalk that up to the AFL-CIO, whose massive turnout efforts achieved much success: Twenty-four percent of those surveyed in the exit poll said they were union members or that there was a union member in their households. That's a pretty big chunk of the electorate, considering that only 8 percent of private-sector workers and slightly under a majority of public-sector workers are union members.
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JWR contributor Michael Barone is a columnist at U.S. News & World Report. Comment by clicking here.
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