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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories UPDATE: Man barricades himself inside trailer at Valley of the Rogue Driver sentenced after hitting bicyclist UPDATED: Suspicious fire at Jackson Elementary was set near La Clinica Convicted murderer a one-time "person of interest" in Grubbs slaying 10 things to know for Thursday Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Driver sentenced after hitting bicyclist UPDATED: Suspicious fire at Jackson Elementary was set near La Clinica Emergency services Medford car thefts and arsons were up in 2014 Bike thefts down 21 percent from 2013 Politics and Elections Oregon Legislature convenes, session starts Feb. 12 Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post Education UPDATED: Suspicious fire at Jackson Elementary was set near La Clinica Not as ready as they should be Medford schools superintendent announces sweeping administration changes Ashland schools expand chickenpox exclusion rules Former Medford school board member Paulie Brading dies Environment New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack Ashland trails up for changes Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure State News Democrats propose boost in education budget Avian flu outbreak prompts warning New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon Purchase will transfer large Central Oregon ranch to BLM Kitzhaber focuses on inequality in inauguration speech Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Harry Theodore Hertz Paulette "Paulie" Brading Death Notices Greg Brothers Grace A. 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Sports Latest Stories No. 1 Crater pins down Ashland North falls short Jordan, Clippers edge Blazers Hawks keep soaring in Boston UCLA beats USC for fourth straight win Varsity 541 College Sports UCLA beats USC for fourth straight win Oregon's Mariota going to the NFL Miami stuns No. 4 Duke, ending home streak Fans welcome back triumphant Buckeyes Jones 'not ready,' but NFL buzzing Pro Sports Jordan, Clippers edge Blazers Hawks keep soaring in Boston Source: Del Rio to be new Raiders coach 49ers name Tomsula new head coach Golfers barred from throwing items to fans Community Sports Business Latest Stories Erickson Inc. announces major contract Blog: Oregon in step with national foreclosure data Blog: Spending on arts and cultural still on the rise Economic future looking brighter Silvio Calabi: The cars of the year Real Estate News Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers People In Business Transportation Medford airport traffic flies to new heights Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Opinion Latest Our View: School district plan deserves a chance George Will: Obama and the Keystone catechism Dana Milbank: Cracks in the GOP's foundation Letters to the Editor, Jan. 15 Granlund cartoon: Cheap gasoline Editorials Our View: School district plan deserves a chance Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our View: Approaching college with a running start Our View: A pipeline should not run through it Other Views: ACLU leader helped change Oregon Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 15 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 14 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 13 Jan. 12 Letters to the Editor Jan. 11 Letters to the Editor Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Reforms needed to build upon John Day’s success Guest Opinion: FERC fails our planet Guest Opinion: East is east and west is west Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline Guest Opinion: Say yes to clean energy jobs, no to the LNG project Lifestyle Latest stories Religion news: Cologne Cathedral goes dark to protest anti-Muslim march Michelle Teheux: Pure luxury in a pastel blanket Andean condors can stop you cold Soda Mountain hike is tougher in winter Community blog: The �Art of Being Alone� Food Community blog: This pureed vegetable soup has a bit of a bite How to make vegetable stock — and why you should Valley View — It's all in the family Gail Ciampa: Modern quiche meets ancient grain Food for Thought: Give up gluten, but not all grains Home and Garden Dear Monty: Consider mediation in real estate disputes Home Help: Heighten your home’s style this year 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dear Monty: Eight great tips to ponder before investing in real estate Home Help: Timeless or trendy? Achieve both in your home decor this year Health Community blog: The �Art of Being Alone� Community blog: HOME TOURS R US Ashland schools expand chickenpox exclusion rules Community blog: Dont Let Fear Run Your Life Dr. Murray Feingold: Separation anxiety common in adults Hiking Biking Faith Old stained-glass windows face threats Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements 50 years and counting: Bulebar Wedding: Lindsey-Maria Rios New arrivals Since You Asked: Sheriff's Office sells off foreclosed homes Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Rogue Valley Symphony's concerts take listeners to China and Persia Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Ty Barnett and Ian Harris are 'Divided' 'Sonida alegre' Camelot's 'Spotlight' highlights life and music of Roy Orbison Theater Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Rent' Tangled up in Dylan OSF's 'Great Society' up for Kennedy Prize Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist Music Yuval Ron Trio at Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony's concerts take listeners to China and Persia 'Sonida alegre' Camelot's 'Spotlight' highlights life and music of Roy Orbison Live Music in Local Clubs Community Events Ty Barnett and Ian Harris are 'Divided' Elaine Witteveen's new exhibit 'Wings' opens at the Rogue Gallery Art Presence showcases 'Naked Art' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Dining Valley View — It's all in the family Patty Groth's Morning Glory is still a delight Entertaining with a gift of treasure Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW UPDATE: Man barricades himself inside trailer at Valley of the Rogue ... Driver sentenced after hitting bicyclist ... UPDATED: Suspicious fire at Jackson Elementary was set near La Clinica ... UPDATE: Man barricades himself inside trailer at Valley of the Rogue ... Driver sentenced after hitting bicyclist ... UPDATED: Suspicious fire at Jackson Elementary was set near La Clinica ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: Are Democrats stuck in 1979? Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 9, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Jan. 9, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News The passing of Mario Cuomo brought bipartisan tributes appropriate to a rare political figure with a developed inner life. He was Catholic educated, and it showed. How many other politicians grappled with Thomas Aquinas? Even the loser is dignified by such a duel. But the intensity of affection for Cuomo, especially among Democrats of a certain age, comes from his ideological clarity. In the history of American rhetoric, there are orators of national unity such as Martin Luther King Jr. There are orators of national purpose such as John F. Kennedy. Cuomo was an orator of ideological definition. His 1984 keynote at the Democratic National Convention provided progressives with the best version of themselves, as tribunes of the forgotten and excluded. Populists must have felt similarly stirred at the Democratic convention in 1896, when William Jennings Bryan declared war on "idle capital." Conservatives still regard a 1964 Ronald Reagan speech, "A Time for Choosing," in much the same category. Cuomo's "Tale of Two Cities" belongs in the company of speeches that defined a creed. But it is worth recalling that Cuomo's version of the liberal faith did not prevail, at least immediately. The year he gave that speech, a progressive Democratic presidential candidate lost 49 states. It was Bill Clinton's New Democratic overhaul of liberalism that ended his party's long slump in presidential politics. Democrats still debate if this was really an overhaul or more of a facelift. Like most effective party reformers, Clinton made significant shifts in tone and policy, without completely alienating his party's base. Rhetorically, Clinton emphasized growth and opportunity over equality. Substantively, he embraced community policing, strong defense, reinventing government and welfare reform — the latter a truly dramatic deviation from progressive orthodoxy. President Obama has now effectively undone everything that Clinton and the New Democrats did in the 1980s and '90s. Issue by issue, today's Democratic Party is about where it was in 1979. Obama's initial political appeal was personal rather than ideological; he would transcend ideological debates without actually engaging them in any creative or interesting way. He ran for office in 2008 on the aesthetics of politics rather than policy or political philosophy. But he has governed as an utterly conventional, backbench Senate progressive (which, in retrospect, he was). He won re-election by motivating a fundamentally liberal coalition of minorities, young people, women and the college educated. And he has fully embraced this strategy as a cause. His second inaugural address is among the strongest assertions of a progressive vision uttered by an American president in a century. In 2012, Obama demonstrated that the New Democrat accommodation is no longer required to win a national election — at least for him. It helped, of course, to face the CEO of Bain Capital in the aftermath of a financial crisis. It also helped that the Republican economic message was stuck in 1979 as well. But unlike a generation ago, when Obama's liberal record would have cost him dearly, he was able to win re-election easily. We are a different nation. Middle America has shifted on some social issues, and the white portion of the electorate has steadily decreased. Obama's political triumph has been mainly personal. Since 2009, Democrats are down 70 seats in the House and 14 seats in the Senate. Obama's positioning of his party has involved ceding groups and regions — particularly white voters in deep and border South — that once were coveted objects of New Democratic appeal. But Obama has demonstrated that a progressive can win a national election without making this outreach. He has proved, it seems, that Clintonism is no longer necessary. Just as another Clinton (Hillary) has become the Democratic front-runner. The American public regards her as nearly as liberal as Obama, while some progressive activists fear she is not. Her campaign is likely to be shaped by a series of questions: Can anyone other than Obama assemble the Obama coalition? Will she need to focus on doing better among white working-class voters in order to offset a downturn in minority voters? Would a return to New Democrat themes be helpful in places such as Florida, Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina, where moderate voters might make a difference? Can Democrats afford to write off those border states completely? During the leftist, sectarian controversies of the 20th century, the charge was leveled: "Lovestone is a Lovestonite!" Is Clinton a Clintonite? Or have the political achievements of her husband been washed away? Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 9, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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