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Once A Popular Alaska Governor With A Modest Record Of Accomplishment, Palin Could Conceivably Revive Her Reputation In This Era Of Short Memories. But It's Hard To Imagine Her Name Atop The Gop Ballot In 2016, When A Cast Of Heavyweights Who Sat Out 2012 Will Be Vying For The Nomination.

-Ron Fournier

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Once A Popular Alaska

Ron Fournier

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Once A Popular Alaska Governor With A Modest Record Of Accomplishment, Palin Could Conceivably Revive Her Reputation In This Era Of Short Memories. But It's Hard To Imagine Her Name Atop The Gop Ballot In 2016, When A Cast Of Heavyweights Who Sat Out 2012 Will Be Vying For The Nomination.

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The Failure Of The White House And Congress To Seriously Address The Nation's Fiscal Situation Is Certain To Broaden The Belief Among Many Voters That The U.s. Political System Is Broken.

Obama Does Not Need To Worry As Much As Past Democratic Presidents About Being Labeled Soft On National Security - Not After Giving The Order That Led To The Assassination Of Osama Bin Laden. No, His Biggest Concern Is Being Labeled Tone Deaf On Joblessness And Debt.

We, The People. Manifest Destiny. Conceived In Liberty. Fear Itself. Ask Not. Morning In America. United We Stand. Yes, We Can. In Times Of Great Change And Tumult, Presidents Seek To Inspire Beleaguered Americans By Reminding Them Of Their National Identity.

Obama Considers Himself Above Deal-making And Back-slapping, Political Necessities He Often Delegates To Vice President Joe Biden And Other Lesser Sorts.

Ap Promoted Me To The White House Beat Because I Knew Clinton, His Family, Friends, And Staff Better Than Anybody In The National Press Corps. Those Contacts Helped Me Break A Few Stories And Get My Career In Washington Jump-started.

Washington's Answer To A Self-inflicted Financial Crisis Reminded Americans Why They So Deeply Distrust The Political Class. The 'fiscal Cliff' Process Was Secretive And Sloppy, And The Nation's So-called Leadership Lacked The Political Courage To Address Our Root Problems: Joblessness And Debt.

It's A Deft Trick To Turn American Exceptionalism Into An Exceptional Political Tactic.

A Presidential Debate Is A Job Interview. And Voters Look For Certain Traits In People Applying To Be President.

I'm Hearing Echoes Of Bill Clinton, Circa 1996, In President Obama's Reelection Rhetoric.

Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln And Roosevelt Faced Adversities That, In Their Times, Seemed Impregnable. Great Presidents Overcome Great Odds.

According To A Public Policy Polling Survey, Most Americans Find Lice And Colonoscopies More Appealing Than Capitol Hill.

Mandates Are Rarely Won On Election Night. They Are Earned After Inauguration Day By Leaders Who Spend Their Political Capital Wisely, Taking Advantage Of Events Without Overreaching.

The 2016 Presidential Election Is Ripe For The Emergence Of A Game-changing Political Leader Who Either Dramatically Reforms One Of The Existing Parties Or Mounts An Independent Bid.

Most Political Journalists Come To Washington Because They're Snappy Writers, Big Thinkers, Or News Breakers. Me? My Ticket To The Big Leagues Had Little To Do With Talent. It Was Mostly About The Governor I Was Covering, Bill Clinton.

Most Tea Party Activists Consider Obama A Big-spending Liberal. Some Even Question His Eligibility To Be President.

Sitting In The Oval Office, Beneath A Painting Of George Washington, With A Bust Of Martin Luther King Jr. Over His Right Shoulder And A Bust Of Abraham Lincoln Over His Left Shoulder, Obama Told 'national Journal' That The Country's Economic Woes Are Deep And Endemic.

One Of Obama's Most Impressive Attributes Is His Quiet Confidence: Voters Sense That He Is Comfortable In His Own Skin, A Dedicated Father And Friend Who Won't Waste Time With The Phony Rituals Of Washington.

Romney And Democratic Rival President Obama Have Led Their Partisan Backers Down A Trail Of Lies, Negativity And Vacuous Policies That Seem Certain To Guarantee An Angry Electorate Four More Years Of Gridlock.

In Washington, Compromise Has Become A Dirty Word.

Climate Change Was A Point Of Division Between Obama And Republican Rival Mitt Romney. The President Declared Climate Change A Global Threat, Acknowledged That The Actions Of Humanity Were Deepening The Crisis, And Pledged To Do Something About It If Elected.

Perhaps We Should Wait Until His Second Term Begins Before Carving Barack Obama's Face In Mount Rushmore. Is That Asking Too Much?

If History Is A Guide, A Victory For Obama Means He Faces The Prospect Of A Second Term Dogged By Scandal Or Inertia.

Obama Ran A Hard-edged And Negative Campaign Against Romney, Hoping To Convince Recession-weary Voters That His Rival Was Unworthy Of The Job.

I've Been Leading Newsrooms For A While Now And It's Been An Honor Serving As Editor In Chief Of N.j., But I Really Think That My Best Shot At Moving The Needle In Politics Is By Getting Close To It - By Reading, Reporting, Tweeting And Writing.

Clearly, The Obama Presidency Hasn't Wiped Out Racial Prejudices.

Racial Prejudice

Anything May Be Possible In America, But A Palin Presidency Is Virtually Implausible.

Obama Will Learn From His Mistakes.

Obama Is Capable - As Evidenced By His First-term Success With Health Care Reform. But Mandate-building Requires Humility, A Trait Not Easily Associated With Him.

Political Consultants Are Pugilists, Masters In The Dark Art Of Negativity. Which Is Why It's Surprising To Hear Democrats Such As Steve Mcmahon And Republicans Like Rich Galen Urging Their Presidential Candidates To Be More, Well, Positive.

Anything Can Go Wrong In A Debate, And Obama Is Not A Perfect Debater.

White House Operatives Went To Great Lengths To Show Obama Shifting Focus From Wars Abroad To Domestic Issues At Home.

If Mitt Romney Is Vanilla, Chris Christie Is Three Hefty Scoops Of Rocky Road Topped With Whipped Cream, Red Bull, And Gravel.

If You Like Your Health Insurance Plan, You Can Keep Your Health Insurance Plan

Obama Won The Presidency On The Strength Of His Message And The Skills Of The Messenger. Now The Talk Of Hope And Change Feels Out Of Tune When So Many Americans Are Out Of Work, Over-mortgaged, And Worried That Life Will Be Even Tougher For Their Children.

Don't Kid Yourself. President Obama's Decision To Withdraw 33,000 Troops From Afghanistan Before He Stands For Reelection Is Not Driven By The United States' 'position Of Strength' In The War Zone As Much As It Is By Grim Economic And Political Realities At Home.

Shock, Confusion, Fear, Anger, Grief, And Defiance. On Sept. 11, 2001, And For The Three Days Following The Worst Terrorist Attack On U.s. Soil, President George W. Bush Led With Raw Emotion That Reflected The Public's Whipsawing Stages Of Acceptance.

President Obama Is Casting His Lot In The Middle Of A Debate As Old As America Itself: Are We Rugged Individualists Pulling Ourselves Up By The Bootstraps? Or Are We A Nation Of Community, All Connected And Counting On One Another?

Republicans Would Have Preferred The Court Overturn The Health Care Bill, An Act That Would Have Underscored Obama's Biggest Liability - The Perception Among Voters, Including Those Who Like And Trust Him, That He Has Been Ineffective.

Blending Hard-bitten Realism With Long-view Optimism, Obama Said That Every 20 Or 30 Years Brings A New Cycle Of Pessimism In America.

Every Now And Then, A Presidential Candidate Surprises Us With A Truly Human And Honest Moment.

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This Is Romney's Biggest Political Weakness. His Policy Flip-flops And The General Sense That He's Not Comfortable In His Own Skin Leads Voters, Including Many Supporters, Wondering About His Core Values.

Somebody Must Be Up And Somebody Must Be Down. Trouble Is, Campaigns Are Messy, Subtle Creatures That Don't Follow Convenient Narratives.

At His Best, Obama Promised To Work With Republicans To Reduce The Deficit In A Way That Honors Both Individualism And Community.

A Concrete Agenda And Landslide Victory Might Not Even Guarantee A President His Mandate In A Capital As Polarized As Washington.

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We're Living In An Era Of Unprecedented Change, And I Want To Be A Part Of Documenting It.

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If Acknowledging That Racial Misgivings And Misunderstandings Are Still A Part Of Politics And Life In America, I Plead Guilty.

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'argo,' 'lincoln,' And 'zero Dark Thirty,' Three Films Honored With Best Picture Oscar Nominations, Lionize Their Washington-anchored Protagonists As Crafty, Competent, And Virtually Incorruptible.

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Secretary Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Is The Most Influential Woman In Washington - For What She Has Accomplished And For What She May Yet Do: Win The Presidency.

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Like A Cowboy Saddling A Bucking Stallion, Republican Leaders Tried To Tame The Tea Party While Riding It To Victories.

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Once A Popular Alaska Governor With A Modest Record Of Accomplishment, Palin Could Conceivably Revive Her Reputation In This Era Of Short Memories. But It's Hard To Imagine Her Name Atop The Gop Ballot In 2016, When A Cast Of Heavyweights Who Sat Out 2012 Will Be Vying For The Nomination.

It's A Bit Unfair To Accuse Obama Of Dividing The Nation When The Facts Show That It Already Is.

At The Start Of His Second Term, One Wonders Less About Obama's Fitness Than His Willingness: Why Doesn't He Do More To Build And Maintain The Relationships Required To Govern In Era Of Polarization?

Obama Shows No Sign Of Easing Up On Negativity.

In Times Of Tumult, Voters Are Likely To Forgive A President, If Not Reward Him, For Compromises Made In Service Of Solutions.

Election Night Is The Easiest Time To Act Like A Grownup.

Got Good News And Bad News For You, Mr. President. The Good News Is That Chief Justice John Roberts Just Saved Your Legacy And, Perhaps, Your Presidency By Writing For The Supreme Court Majority To Rule Health Care Reform Constitutional.

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