Joe Klein

19 Stories

O'Donnell's Not 'Authentic,' She's Ignorant

Joe Klein thinks it's sad that our culture confuses those things

(Newser) - America loves the Mr. Smith Goes to Washington fantasy, the idea of a common person speaking common sense to power. But Mr. Smith knew his stuff. “Christine O’Donnell is not like that. She is attractive to some, because she doesn’t know anything,” writes Joe Klein of...

Please, Let 'Overblown' Sestak Story Go Away

It's a fairy tale, but it's just politics as usual

(Newser) - The story from the White House is that Bill Clinton, on Rahm Emanuel's behest, offered Joe Sestak an “unpaid advisory position” to drop out of the race against Arlen Specter. It's an obvious lie—come on, would Sestak even consider dropping out for so little?—and Joe Klein of...

Sen. Kyl: Jobless Benefits a 'Disincentive' to Find Work

If people are getting aid, they won't look for new job, he says

(Newser) - Federal unemployment benefits that expired over the weekend because of Republican objections in the Senate should maybe stay that way, says Sen. Jon Kyl, the minority whip. They don't “create new jobs,” he argues. “If anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them...

Palin Makes Good Copy, Not Good Candidate
 Palin Makes Good Copy, 
 Not Good Candidate 
opinion
Feb 12, 2010 11:41 AM CST

Palin Makes Good Copy, Not Good Candidate

Sarah Palin is good for business, but beware inflating presidential prospects

(Newser) - That Sarah Palin drives up TV ratings and online traffic is clear, but listen up, mainstream media—that doesn’t mean she’s the next big thing in Republican politics. Just look at the polls , Jim Vandehei and Jonathan Martin write for Politco . They say they “know we’re...

Teachers' Unions Strangling School Reform
 Teachers' Unions 
 Strangling School Reform 
JOE KLEIN
Jan 28, 2010 12:28 PM CST

Teachers' Unions Strangling School Reform

Obama must fight for accountability and neuter 'reactionary' lobbyists

(Newser) - New York could really use $700 million in federal Race to the Top education funding, Joe Klein writes, but it won’t get it thanks to intractable teachers’ unions. The federal funds require school choice and teacher accountability, so the powerful union lobby stymied it in the state legislature. The...

Pundits Rate the State of the Union
 Pundits Rate the 
 State of the Union 
OPINION Roundup
Jan 28, 2010 9:47 AM CST

Pundits Rate the State of the Union

Obama puts up his dukes in feisty speech

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s first State of the Union Address naturally has all the pundits talking. Here’s what they’re saying:
  • “It was a terrific performance,” writes Joe Klein of Time . “He seemed to be having fun up there,” ad-libbing and needling the “recalcitrant elephants
...

Afghan Rift? It's Just 'Smoke and Puffery'
Afghan Rift?
It's Just 'Smoke and Puffery'
OPINION
Oct 8, 2009 12:45 PM CDT

Afghan Rift? It's Just 'Smoke and Puffery'

McCain, others inflate controversy so Obama looks weak: Klein

(Newser) - There’s been much consternation recently about the supposed break between the White House and Stanley McChrystal over strategy in Afghanistan. But it’s really all “smoke and puffery,” a political ruse perpetrated by John McCain and some neocon compatriots, writes Joe Klein in Time. The furor has...

Obama Speech Effective, No Game-Changer
Obama Speech Effective, No Game-Changer
OPINION
Sep 10, 2009 12:01 PM CDT

Obama Speech Effective, No Game-Changer

Vitriol surrounding health care debate sure to continue

(Newser) - President Obama’s speech last night will probably prod Congress into passing health care reform, writes Joe Klein in Time. “But it will not end the public malignancy that has attended this debate, and threatens the democratic fabric of our nation.” Klein attended an Arkansas town hall recently...

Our Decrepit Democracy Can't Fix Health Care: Klein

(Newser) - Powerful special interests are killing health-care reform, which is par for the course in Congress, writes Joe Klein of Time. “We’ve gotten rusty at legislating,” says one Tennessee Democrat. That’s overly kind, Klein retorts. The only bills that pass these days are essentials like budgets and...

Obama Must Show Congress Who's Boss
Obama Must Show Congress Who's Boss
OPINION
Jul 9, 2009 12:48 PM CDT

Obama Must Show Congress Who's Boss

Lack of cooperation drags down domestic agenda: Klein

(Newser) - President Obama’s domestic agenda is in trouble, writes Joe Klein of Time, because of his “undue respect for the institution of Congress, a sclerotic body badly in need of creative leadership.” Obama is sitting on the sidelines while the Senate manhandles his health care and energy proposals....

Easy to Find Middle Ground on Gitmo: Klein
Easy to Find Middle Ground on Gitmo: Klein
OPINION
May 21, 2009 10:20 AM CDT

Easy to Find Middle Ground on Gitmo: Klein

Military courts wouldn't allow torture evidence, get civilian review

(Newser) - Lawyers and soldiers are divided on how to deal with enemy combatants, but “it shouldn’t be too hard to find a middle ground,” writes Joe Klein in Time, because both arguments “are being made by unappealing extremists.” It’s unrealistic to try detainees in open...

Time to Weed Out Marijuana Ban: Klein
Time to Weed Out Marijuana Ban: Klein
OPINION
Apr 2, 2009 9:18 AM CDT

Time to Weed Out Marijuana Ban: Klein

Costly US drug policy deserves serious look, not politics as usual

(Newser) - When President Obama dismissed a question recently about the legalization of marijuana, he was “taking the traditional path of least resistance,” writes Joe Klein in Time. In America, anyone who dares to speak seriously about the issue will “be cast into the outer darkness,” assumed forever...

Obama's Op-Ed Is 'Boilerplate' but Dead On
Obama's Op-Ed Is 'Boilerplate' but Dead On
OPINION
Feb 5, 2009 4:36 PM CST

Obama's Op-Ed Is 'Boilerplate' but Dead On

Klein: We need to move now on the stimulus package

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s Washington Post op-ed today arguing in favor of the stimulus is “a bit of a disappointment,” writes Joe Klein for Time. It’s "political boilerplate," and the president should probably stick to speeches. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that he's exactly...

'Sleazy' Cheney Has No Right to Talk Terror

(Newser) - Dick Cheney’s claim that a terrorist attack is more likely during an Obama administration “is sleazy in the extreme,” Joe Klein writes for Time. Even if you can “leave aside the fact”—which Klein cannot—“that if Dick Cheney and his alleged boss had...

Sorry, Caroline, We're Over Political Dynasties: Klein

Joe Klein comes out against Kennedy scion

(Newser) - Caroline Kennedy used to be described as “self-effacing,” but now that she’s signaled her interest in Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, she’s shown she has another “eminently New York quality,” Joe Klein writes in Time: chutzpah. Kennedy assumes that America still loves its dynasties, but...

Bush 'the Lamest of All Possible Ducks:' Klein
Bush 'the Lamest of All Possible Ducks:' Klein
OPINION
Nov 26, 2008 12:14 PM CST

Bush 'the Lamest of All Possible Ducks:' Klein

(Newser) - Joe Klein really wants to find something charitable and valedictory to say about George W. Bush. “His position on immigration was admirable,” Klein writes in Time. “He spoke well, in the abstract, about the importance of freedom. He is an impeccable classicist when it comes to baseball....

He's the Grown-Up We've Waited for
 He's the Grown-Up 
 We've Waited for 
OPINION
Oct 23, 2008 12:29 PM CDT

He's the Grown-Up We've Waited for

Obama is winning because he's mature

(Newser) - Barack Obama is an adult. That, writes Joe Klein in Time, is why he's winning—"the steadiness of his temperament and the judicious quality of his decision-making." In contrast, John McCain seems to lurch wildly, making a "peremptory selection" of a running mate and suspending his campaign...

This Boy's Off the Bus
This Boy's
Off the Bus
Oct 21, 2008 11:50 AM CDT

This Boy's Off the Bus

Citing logistics, McCain camp boots Time 's Klein from campaign planes

(Newser) - John McCain’s campaign won’t let Time columnist Joe Klein on its planes, Politico reports. Though he rode with McCain during the primaries, Klein hasn’t been allowed onto McCain or Palin jets since June, when he asked McCain a tough question about Iran. Though the campaign said he...

Bill: Obama Can 'Kiss My Ass'
 Bill: Obama Can 
 'Kiss My Ass' 
UPDATED
Jun 30, 2008 2:13 PM CDT

Bill: Obama Can 'Kiss My Ass'

Former president said to be still furious with future Democratic nominee

(Newser) - Barack Obama and Bill Clinton spoke on the phone this morning, but earlier the ex-president privately told friends the future Democratic nominee must “kiss my ass" to win his full support, the Telegraph reports. Clinton remains “very unhopeful” Obama can win in November, another source says, and is...

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