Republicans in the Hood
"With barbecues, rallies and visits to schools, Mr. Jindal has blazed a trail through rural areas, trumpeting his conservative views and winning the support of the same, mostly white parishes that 12 years ago sent David Duke, a former Klansman, into a runoff for governor."
- Jeffrey Gettleman on Republican and Indian-American gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal, November 2, 2003.
Missing Communism
"For the vast majority of Russians, life is worse than it was in Soviet times. But I don't think most people would choose to go back, though they remember the past with great fondness. They miss feeling like a great superpower, and they've had to swallow this bitter pill of being weak."
- Sabrina Tavernise in an interview for her Frontline special "Rich in Russia," which aired on PBS in October.
But Finding It In the GOP
"The former president is certainly a suitable subject for public debate. His supporters credit him with forcing down the Iron Curtain, so it is odd that some of them have helped create the Soviet-style chill embedded in the idea that we, as a nation, will not allow critical portrayals of one of our own recent leaders."
- Times editorial page on conservative pressure over the CBS miniseries "The Reagans," November 5, 2003.
"Evolving" to Favor Gay Rights and Abortion
"Mr. Gephardt's decision to turn the spotlight on his daughter underscores his own evolution in 27 years in Congress. In the early 1980's, he opposed abortion, school busing and federally financed legal services for gay men and lesbians. Over the years, he has changed those positions and today is hailed by gay and lesbian rights groups for sponsoring legislation against hate crimes and discrimination and for being the first presidential hopeful to give a gay relative such a prominent and public platform."
- Rachel Swarns, November 1, 2003.
Starring Schwarzenegger As "The Burning Man"
"A report is circulating among Indians that a white may have started the blaze, someone who harbored bad feelings against Indians after the recent election that led to the recall of Gov. Gray Davis. During the campaign, Indian tribes donated millions of dollars to Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and a lesser amount to Governor Davis. Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who went on to be elected governor, criticized Indians as the type of special interests that had hamstrung state government."
- Charlie LeDuff, November 5, 2003.
Maybe Arnold Can Play the Villain In This One, Too
"Suppose that over the next decade or two the forecasts of global warming start to come true. Color has drained from New England's autumns as maple trees die, and the Baltimore oriole can no longer be found south of Buffalo. The Dust Bowl has returned to the Great Plains, and Arctic ice is melting into open water. Upheavals in weather, the environment and life are accelerating around the world. Then what?"
- Kenneth Chang, November 4, 2003.
Proposition 13 Killed California Education
"After Proposition 13 was passed in 1978, capping taxes, California's spending on public education plummeted and never recovered. A new study by the Public Policy Institute of California says that even with relatively high teacher salaries, California spends '9 percent less per student than schools in the rest of the U.S.'"
- Education columnist Michael Winerip, November 6, 2003.
Reality Check:
Lance Izumi of the Pacific Research Institute show real per-pupil spending in California was 60 percent higher in 1994-95 than in 1969-70.
The Republican He-Man Woman Haters Club
"Before calling onto the stage with him the bill's main Congressional supporters, all men, he vowed to fight court challenges and promote a 'culture of life' defined by the protection of vulnerable children."
- Richard Stevenson, November 6, 2003.
