Month: December 2008
-
The insanity of employer-based health care
Today’s New York Times featured a chilling anecdote about the consequences of linking health insurance to employment: ASHLAND, Ohio — As jobless numbers reach levels not seen in 25 years, another crisis is unfolding for millions of people who lost their health insurance along with their jobs, joining the ranks of the uninsured. The crisis
-
Journalists who put their lives on the line
I was honored to be interviewed yesterday by a journalist in Iraq who was writing a story about provincial elections in Iraq and the role of the media in political campaigns. He called me because of my work as a press critic, but it’s hard to be critical of the media when you’re talking to
-
Michael Lewis on the financial crisis
If you haven’t read it yet, this Michael Lewis piece on the financial meltdown is a storytelling classic matched only by the This American Life episode on the crisis.
-
Brookings panel on 2008 election
If you want to understand what happened in the election, the best single place to start may be this transcript (PDF) of an all-star Brookings Institution panel featuring the eminent political scientists Larry Bartels, Gary Jacobson, and Jim Stimson along with Thomas Mann of Brookings and John Harwood of CNBC/New York Times — make sure
-
Obama vs. pants
Charles Homans of the Washington Monthly has my favorite Obama celebration anecdote so far (article not online): We walked to the White House. It wasn’t far away, and it seemed like the thing to do. The crowd we met on 17th Street looked like they were in a nocturnal Fourth of July parade, but with