Monday opinions are fresh and occasionally hot.
Leading off today are two good ones from EJ Dionne:
On the Obama-GOP Q&A session:
But if the meeting was good for Obama with his base, it was also useful for his effort to win back middle-of-the-road voters. Obama was occasionally tough in his repartee, but his overall style was friendly, and he repeatedly spoke respectfully of Republicans. For example, he praised Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) as "a pretty sincere guy." But underscoring his overall point of how demonized he was in Republican circles, Obama immediately noted that he didn’t want his kind words to be used against Ryan in a Republican primary. So he added: "I didn’t mean it. Don’t want to hurt you, man." Even the Republicans had to laugh.
Both this and SOTU had plenty for the middle of the roaders.
EJ on Alito and the SCOTUS:
The nation owes a substantial debt to Justice Samuel Alito for his display of unhappiness over President Obama's criticisms of the Supreme Court's recent legislation -- excuse me, decision -- opening our electoral system to a new torrent of corporate money.
Alito's inability to restrain himself during the State of the Union address brought to wide attention a truth that too many have tried to ignore: The Supreme Court is now dominated by a highly politicized conservative majority intent on working its will, even if that means ignoring precedents and the wishes of the elected branches of government.
NY Times: Changes coming to NCLB, including federal apportionment of money.
Ross Douthat: Speaking of education, let's talk sex ed.
Liberals hated almost everything about George W. Bush’s presidency, but they harbored a particular animus toward a minor domestic policy priority: abstinence-based sex education.
Let's especially fail to acknowledge that abstinence only is a massive failure (it's all in Angry Mouse's Sunday Kos essay.) Or that Bush and conservatives insisted on it to the exclusion of other, more effective measures. To Douthat, it's all explained away as "community values". Really? You mean these values?
Many American youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only programs have been taught over the past three years that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, and that touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy," a congressional staff analysis has found.
Paul Krugman: But enough about sex, let's talk economics. It's just like sex, only more expensive. Except for the sex. Which there isn't any.
In times of crisis, good news is no news. Iceland’s meltdown made headlines; the remarkable stability of Canada’s banks, not so much.
Yet as the world’s attention shifts from financial rescue to financial reform, the quiet success stories deserve at least as much attention as the spectacular failures. We need to learn from those countries that evidently did it right. And leading that list is our neighbor to the north. Right now, Canada is a very important role model.
Want economics really explained? Go here (2009 video):
Al Hunt:
President Barack Obama’s inability to practice this art over the past year is a major factor in some of his difficulties. While winning legislative victories on the economic stimulus and health care, the administration allowed the opposition to define the measures.
"There’s a disconnect," says Bill Carrick, a top Democratic strategist in California. "They’re doing some good things and people don’t know it."