Against The Grain

Thursday September 25, 2008

Opinion

Wall St. Moral Rot: Spreading To Politics, Main St.?

September 25, 2008 • How society responds to the current financial crisis, in the end, will depend more on intuitive assessments of public character and trust than savvy insights into market regulation or mortgage-backed securities.

Thursday September 18, 2008

Opinion

Obama, Race And Undecided Voters

September 18, 2008 • There's an unpleasant truth the Obama campaign may be avoiding: An important slice of voters who are still undecided about their presidential choice have some negative racial attitudes that could well be triggered before Election Day.

Thursday September 11, 2008

Opinion

Sept. 11 And The Non-Crisis Of Values

September 11, 2008 • While we Americans think our divisions over "moral values" or "traditional values" are great, they aren't in comparison with other countries. There may be a crisis of community, manners and culture, but not of values.

Thursday September 4, 2008

Opinion

Palin In Comparison

September 4, 2008 • As the media storm rages around the selection of Sarah Palin to fill out the Republican presidential ticket, it's time to demystify some conventional (no pun intended) wisdom. For example, never underestimate the voters' dislike of the press.

Wednesday August 27, 2008

Analysis

Eyes On The Pride

August 27, 2008 • The Democratic Party, as assembled and packaged at its national convention, does not seem especially proud that it is about to become the first major American political party to nominate an African-American to be president.

Wednesday August 20, 2008

Opinion

Cancer And Community

August 20, 2008 • Leroy Sievers' My Cancer blog had all the qualities of the word "community," though few of the people in the neighborhood ever met physically. While technology doesn't offer quite the same authenticity as direct conversation, a virtual community can be profoundly meaningful to those dealing with cancer.

Wednesday August 13, 2008

Opinion

John McCain And The Curse Of Reform

August 13, 2008 • John McCain is well-known as the champion of campaign finance reform. But now the Republican presidential candidate is claiming to be a victim of the kind of political marketing that the demise of party power gave rise to.

Thursday August 7, 2008

Opinion

Community, Choice And Faith

August 7, 2008 • Our mobile society means Americans find themselves with fewer social ties and close confidantes, less help raising children and shallower roots. That decline of community is a challenge to traditional, vibrant religious practice.

Wednesday July 30, 2008

Opinion

More News, But Less 'News'

July 30, 2008 • While the news business is shrinking — and shrinking fast — why is it that there's more news everywhere you look? To understand, it's important to know the difference between "news gathering" and "news product."

Thursday July 24, 2008

Opinion

The 35-Year Bad Mood

July 24, 2008 • Since the 1960s, Americans have lost respect for major institutions — both government and private — even as the nation seems to be better off than ever. In ways impossible to quantify, Americans have become down on America, allergic to much of what goes on in public.

Thursday July 17, 2008

Opinion

Fannie's Lesson: The Real Scandals Are Legal

July 17, 2008 • The lesson behind the Fannie Mae financial mess is about this old and ignored government truism: The worst scandals are the ones that are perfectly legal.

Thursday July 10, 2008

Opinion

Our Costly Blame Game

July 10, 2008 • One of the great tensions in the American spirit for the past century has been between traditional self-reliance and modern blamesmanship. Blamesmanship is winning, and the consequences are economic, not just moral.

Thursday July 3, 2008

Opinion

Consuming The 2008 Campaign

July 3, 2008 • As the marathon presidential campaign heads for the autumn stretch, voters should consider going on a media diet, be honest about their own biases and search out sources with views other than their own.