Washington Monthly - September/October 2012 - (Page 8)

Departments Editor’s Note: Where Credit Is Due Letters Tilting at Windmills The enthusiasm gap … Clinton’s catch-22 … The Me-First Era by Charles Peters 10 12 14 Editor in Chief Paul Glastris Founding Editor Charles Peters ten miles square Do Presidential Debates Really Matter? by John Sides Remember all the famous moments in past debates that changed the outcomes of those elections? Well, they didn’t. 19 The Clintonites’ Beef With Obama It’s not his policies they complain about but his messaging. Is that fair? by Simon van Zuylen-Wood 22 Party Animals Any chance Romney might govern as a moderate? For a clue, look at his senior staff. by Jonathan Bernstein 24 Managing Editor: Amy M. Stackhouse Editors: John Gravois, Sebastian Jones Books Editor: Kukula Kapoor Glastris Senior Fellow and Project Editor: Phillip Longman Contributing Writer: Ed Kilgore Web Editor: Daniel Luzer College Guide Guest Editor: Kevin Carey College Guide Data Manager: Robert Kelchen Contributing Editors: Jonathan Alter, Steve Benen, James Bennet, Thomas N. Bethell, Tom Bethell, Katherine Boo, Taylor Branch, Matthew Cooper, Michelle Cottle, Kevin Drum, Gregg Easterbrook, John Eisendrath, James Fallows, T. A. Frank, Daniel Franklin, Joshua Green, Charles Homans, Mickey Kaus, Phil Keisling, Michael Kinsley, Christina Larson, Nicholas Lemann, Suzannah Lessard, Arthur Levine, Joshua Micah Marshall, Jon Meacham, Stephanie Mencimer, Matthew Miller, Rachel Morris, Timothy Noah, Joseph Nocera, John Rothchild, David Segal, Walter Shapiro, Joshua Wolf Shenk, Amy Sullivan, Nicholas Thompson, Steven Waldman, Benjamin Wallace-Wells, Robert Worth Editorial Advisory Board: Nicholas Lemann, Chair; Clara Bingham, Debra Dickerson, James Fallows, Steven Teles Founder’s Board: Charles W. Bailey (1929–2012), Russell Baker, James David Barber (1930–2004), Edgar Cahn, David Halberstam (1934–2007), Murray Kempton (1917–1997), Peter Lisagor (1915–1976), Richard Reeves, Richard H. Rovere (1915–1979), Hugh Sidey (1927–2005), James C. Thomson III (1931–2002) Art Director: Amy Swan Interns: Minjae Park, Danny Vinik Publisher Diane Straus Tucker Vice President Operations and Marketing Carl Iseli Advertising Director David Greene Chairman Jeffrey Leonard Vice President Circulation and Business Claire Iseli Business Manager Ryan Cooper on politiCal Books Why Aren’t Conservatives Funny? An academic’s doomed attempt to explain why there are no good right-wing comedians. by Joshua Green 90 First-Rate Temperaments Liberals don’t want to admit it, and conservatives don’t want to pay for it, but building character— resilience, optimism, perseverance, focus—may be the best way to help poor students succeed. by Thomas Toch 93 A Malevolent Forrest Gump Strom Thurmond’s loathsomeness on race obscures his larger role: he was there at all the major choke points of modern conservative history. by Michael O’Donnell 96 Board of Directors: Jeffrey Leonard, Chair; Steve Coll, Paul Glastris, Diane Straus Tucker President and Publisher Emeritus: Markos Kounalakis Web Site Development: Michael Murphy, Dean Pajevic Subscription Rates: U.S. and possessions: one year, $44.95; two years, $79.95; three years, $109.95. For Canadian and foreign subscriptions: add $20 per subscription year. Back issues, $6. Washington Monthly is indexed in the Book Review Index, Political Science Abstracts, Public Affairs Information Service, the Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature, and Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory and may be obtained on microfilm from University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Reprints: Please call 202-955-9010, or e-mail services@washingtonmonthly.com. Subscription Service: Please call our customer-service department toll-free at 888-238-0047, or e-mail washingtonmonthly@starrcorp.com. Advertising: Please contact David Greene at 202-304-0080 or by e-mail at dgreene@washingtonmonthly.com. Editorial Offices: 1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20036; telephone 202-955-9010; fax 202-955-9011. Unsolicited manuscripts can be e-mailed to editors@washingtonmonthly.com or sent to the editorial offices. Washington Monthly (ISSN 0043-0633) is published bimonthly by Washington Monthly LLC, 1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20036. Washington Monthly LLC is wholly owned by Washington Monthly Corporation, a District of Columbia 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Washington Monthly, 1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20036. www.washingtonmonthly.com © 2012 Washington Monthly LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Washington Monthly® trademark is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SPECIAl ThANkS TO luMINA FOuNDATION FOR EDuCATION FOR SuPPORT OF OuR hIGhER EDuCATION COVERAGE Broken in Hoboken How the poor used to live. by Jamie Malanowksi 99 Identity Politics Revisited By most accounts, economic issues are the real core of politics, and social issues are a distraction. A historian begs to differ. by Mark Schmitt September/October 2012 101 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com

Washington Monthly - September/October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Monthly - September/October 2012