 |
|
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon With its colorful cache of purples and oranges and reds, COLLARD GREEN SLAW is a marvelous mood booster --- not to mention just downright delish
April 18, 2014
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology
John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain
The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious
April 14, 2014
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time
Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic
Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships
Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin
Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate
Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
April 11, 2014
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden
Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does
Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer
Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You
April 9, 2014
Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?
Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
April 8, 2014
Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease
Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear
April 4, 2014
Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children
John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet
John Ericson: Why 50 million Americans will still have spring allergies after taking meds
Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves
April 2, 2014
Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?
Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities
Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Nov. 13, 2006
/ 22 Mar-Cheshvan, 5767
The rise of the Mommy Party
By
Michael Goodwin
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
With Democrats seizing control of the House and Senate, a debate has started over how significant their victory was. Does it potentially mark a generational power shift? Was it more a repudiation of George Bush and the GOP than an embrace of Democrats? What does it mean for the presidential election in two years?
My answers: Yes, yes and Hillary.
To start with the last, I think the mood of the country has shifted so sharply that Hillary Clinton has gone from being the front-runner for her party's 2008 nomination to being virtually unstoppable. The odds of her being elected President are greater today than they were a mere week ago.
Her own reelection landslide is a big reason, but not the only one. So many Americans, I believe, are so disgusted with the Republican Party that they are open to electing a Democratic President — even if that Democrat is a woman. There's a clear gender and cultural issue in politics today and it favors Democrats.
Republicans, with their macho men and muscular policy prescriptions, are in decline because they are out of answers. Dems are getting better at seizing their opportunities, and doing it with women playing a leading role.
Put another way, Mommy is taking over because Daddy screwed up.
Nancy Pelosi is a case in point. Despite attacks on her fitness to lead in a time of war, voters made her the first female speaker of the House. The belief that Dems, as the "nanny" party, are squishy on security was trumped by fury at the Bush administration's incompetence in Iraq. Voters now view the parties almost equally in terms of security. Even the best Republican candidates in 2008 — John McCain and Rudy Giuliani — will have an uphill battle because of Bush's legacy.
The extent of the new Dem power goes beyond the congressional results. State politics across the country went decidedly blue, with over 275 seats and nine legislative chambers switching from GOP to Democratic control. Dems took six governors' chairs from Republicans, giving them 28 of 50, their first majority since 1994.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is a kingmaker after helping to pick more centrist Dem candidates for Senate and matching the GOP in fund-raising, loves the results, but worries they're tenuous. "If we don't produce for people, we could blow it in 2008," he told me. "The public is up for grabs. We still have a lot to do, but if we succeed, the next election could provide a lock for a generation." He's finishing a book that aims to lay out the party model. Titled "Positively American," its subtitle is "Winning back the middle class majority, one family at a time."
Schumer's right that this election did not guarantee a realignment. We're in a transition phase, and Dems are on political probation on a host of issues, security among them. Yet their victory and the GOP vapor lock puts them in the driver's seat for 2008. Indeed, of the 33 Senate seats up for election then, 21 are held by Republicans. Some of those GOP seats are safe, but it's still a lot of turf to defend.
Then there's Hillary. The baggage is there, but her reelection race showed how far she has come. Actually, it was a race only in that she was competing against herself. Her opponent was a joke, and the only issue was whether she would hurt herself with unforced errors. She didn't, she played it safe and spent money like a drunken sailor — $29 million, more than any candidate in America. The result was a whopping 67% of the vote.
And she pulled it off by keeping one eye on 2008. She traveled the country to raise money for herself and others and avoided any New York-style liberal positions that could haunt her in a presidential race.
So she's ready. If her party plays it smart for two years, America could be, too.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Michael Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
Archives
© 2006 NY Daily News Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services
|
