The Economist: on Principles & Values
Al Gore:
Practical Idealism: centrist on most issues
Gore’s motto is “practical idealism,” and he is, broadly speaking, a centrist. Some important distinctions are that Gore is a meddler [in dealing with government reform]; Gore hedges his enthusiasm for free trade with conditions;
and Gore has kept his powder dry on pledges against raising taxes. Gore is inclined to keep Medicare and Social Security solvent by spending budget surpluses on them.
Source: The Economist, p. 13
Jul 3, 1999
Doug Jones:
Christians take care of people, without discriminating
If your culture means that you would discriminate against somebody, that you would not treat anybody in the same way that Christ would do, then I'm not going to protect that. I'm not going to protect discrimination of any sort, in any way, whether
it's race, religion, sex orientation or whatever. What I'm hoping to see is that if they are truly religious and they are truly Christian in the same way that I am, that my faith is, well, we take care of everybody.
Source: The Economist on 2020 Alabama Senate race
Nov 16, 2017
George W. Bush:
Bush's centrism: free trade; private IRAs; no new taxes
Bush is, broadly speaking, a centrist. Some important distinctions are that Bush believes in keeping government in check; Bush is an unabashed free trader; and Bush has pledged not to raise taxes.
Bush may be willing to privatize Social Security by introducing individual retirement accounts but he may well succumb instead to an across-the-board tax cut.
Source: The Economist, p. 13
Jul 3, 1999
Joyce Dickerson:
For various reasons, I won't campaign for Hillary in 2016
I just don't feel the excitement I used to feel about Hillary. She should have admitted her error over the e-mail scandal; instead she dragged it out before apologizing. At the first hint of a challenge from Senator Sanders, she should have become
more visible, voluble and open to interrogation, as he is. Instead she became more distant and controlled. I really have no plans to campaign for Mrs. Clinton. She didn't make calls for me, so I'm not going to make calls for her.
Source: The Economist on 2016 South Carolina Senate race
Oct 3, 2015
Mark Begich:
Reputation as mayor for getting things done
Since being elected mayor of Anchorage in 2003, Mark Begich has acquired a reputation for getting things done. On his watch a shiny new convention centre has gone up. Roads are being repaired and heating elements laid under pavements to melt snow during
the long Alaskan winter. Miraculously, much of this has been paid for by bonds, not federal earmarks.On Aug. 26th Begich sailed through a primary election. Now all he has to do is defeat a man who will soon go on trial for failing to report gifts from
oil companies and he will become Alaska's first Democratic senator for 28 years.
40% of all Alaskans live in Anchorage, so Begich has a strong base of support. He also has a good surname: his father, Nick Begich, was a popular congressman who
disappeared in 1972 while flying in a small plane.
Best of all, Begich is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and supports drilling in the ANWR. Woe betide any Alaskan politician who stands in the way of guns and oil.
Source: 2008 Alaska Senate Debate reported in The Economist
Sep 4, 2008
Ted Stevens:
Uncle Ted voted "Alaskan of the century"
Begich was just six years old when his opponent, Ted Stevens, was appointed to the Senate and began to shower money on his home state. Some years ago Stevens was voted "Alaskan of the century". In the run-up to the primary,
Stevens's supporters put up more and bigger signs than Begich's, even in Anchorage. It is a measure of "Uncle Ted's" popularity that Begich has so far tiptoed around the federal indictment, issuing bland statements of regret.
Stevens's opponents in the Republican primary were much harder on him, and he beat them handily.A day after Stevens's indictment on July 29th, polls put Begich 13 points in the lead. Astonishingly, it also revealed that two-thirds of
Alaskans believe Stevens to be at least as ethical as most politicians. This seems to prove that Alaskans do not care much about corruption, as long as their representatives keep the dollars flowing.
Source: 2008 Alaska Senate Debate reported in The Economist
Sep 4, 2008
Xi Jinping:
Moral review councils use public shaming for enforcement
[On "China's New Reality"]: "Moral review councils" and "moral clinics" are enforcing orthodox behaviour using public shaming. Although there is as yet no prospect of anything as awful as the Cultural Revolution,
Chinese people are becoming less free to think and talk. As well as promoting his own doctrines, Mr Xi has played up Red nostalgia and cast Maoism as a vital stage in building a New China, broadening his support before the party congress.
Source: The Economist on Foreign Influences: "Rife with Danger"
Oct 2, 2021
Page last updated: Sep 29, 2024