From the right: Why Dems Suddenly Love ObamaCare
It’s “hard to begrudge Democrats a little self-satisfaction as they watch Republicans struggle to overhaul” ObamaCare, admits Noah Rothman at Commentary. In fact, the GOP is “getting a taste of what Democrats endured in 2009 and 2010.” Surprisingly, “public polling appears to suggest that the Affordable Care Act is enjoying a renaissance” since the election and now boasts a net positive for the first time. But a closer look shows “Democrats drive much of that shift,” while Republicans’ and independents’ views remain “virtually unchanged.” Which suggests Democrats consider ObamaCare “a proxy for their support of the outgoing president as they stare down the barrel of a Trump administration,” and “the boomlet of favorability ratings” is merely “chimerical.”
Dem lawyer: No Good Reason To Oppose Gorsuch
As Supreme Court Justice-designate Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation hearings approach, veteran attorney David Frederick in The Washington Post fears “lingering” political resentments “will cloak a fair consideration of him.” By which he means the GOP’s “mistreatment” of President Barack Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland. Yet he says Gorsuch, his former law partner, “is brilliant, diligent, open-minded and thoughtful” and should be confirmed “because there is no principled reason to vote no.” As a lawyer, he showed “independence of mind and spirit.” And as a judge, he “has not been the reflexive, hard-edged conservative that many depict him to be.” As a justice, Gorsuch will “approach cases with fairness and intellectual rigor.”
Conservative: Chelsea Clinton Is Not the Great Dem Hope
Her media coverage notwithstanding, “Chelsea Clinton is not fascinating,” complains Jim Geraghty at National Review. Yet every time “she opens her mouth” on Twitter, “it is treated as inherently newsworthy.” Sure, she’s the scion of Democratic royalty, but though the party’s key issue is inequality, “she’s the living embodiment of inherited privilege.” With no experience in journalism, she wangled a $600,000 part-time job at NBC, then was named “an assistant vice provost at NYU at age 30.” But “what does she herself bring to the table that any other educated 37-year-old doesn’t?” Still, she’s being primed for a run at political office. Which makes sense only “if you believe that she is a natural leader, waiting in the wings for the right opportunity to save a Democratic party in ruins.”
Economics writer: An Answer to College Tuition Woes?
Jillian Berman at Marketwatch reports on an innovative — but controversial — program at Purdue in which students can “finance college by selling a share in their future selves.” It allows them to sell “a percentage of their future income to a backer,” usually for 10 years, “instead of paying outright or taking on debt.” Students “who go into more lucrative fields pay a smaller percentage” of their figure income, while those “who go into less lucrative fields pay a larger share.” Though increasingly popular, they’re mostly “an alternative to private loans or parent loans, not federal student loans, which offer relatively low interest rates and many protections.”
Culture critic: Trump’s Getting Dictionary-Trolled
Say goodbye to the “dusty old tome” that was the family dictionary, says Chelsea Samelson at Acculturated. “America’s dictionary, Merriam-Webster, has transformed itself into a social media troll, regularly courting controversy by mocking” President Trump on Twitter. For months, its editors “have fired not-so-subtle shots at Trump and his administration, and publications of every political persuasion have noticed.” M-W’s editors have “regularly ridiculed Trump for his every spelling mistake, grammatical error and verbal gaffe.” And they’re “clearly partisan. They didn’t harass Hillary Clinton, and they don’t needle sports stars, celebrities, or, well . . . anyone else like they needle the President and his people.” Says Samelson: “If even the dictionary loses its objectivity, it means politics in America has become entirely inescapable. That’s not just dangerous, it’s sad.”
— Compiled by Eric Fettmann