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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 10 things to know for Friday Emergency services Expanded library hours begin today Churches start new year with messages of hope Get Up & Go: Jan. 2 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Emergency services Community blog: Mentoring=Crime Prevention Two Eagle Point men charged in Lake Creek Road poaching case MADGE bust at Medford Walmart nets meth, $20,000 in cash Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change Education Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Oregon fans get married Rose Bowl parking lot Earthquake off coast shakes Humboldt County Stranded sea turtle recovers at Oregon aquarium Oregon minimum wage rises to $9.25 Storm brings snow, cold to West Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Jeannine Gardiner Dr. Kenneth Emerson Janet E. Leonard Lyle Roberts Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories And then there were two Challengers’ late charge falls short Buckeyes stun Alabama in Sugar Bowl Soft label fuels UO fire Rose, Bulls down Nuggets Varsity 541 College Sports And then there were two Buckeyes stun Alabama in Sugar Bowl Soft label fuels UO fire One to go Arizona at top of Pac-12 Pro Sports Rose, Bulls down Nuggets Capitals top Blackhawks 3-2 in Winter Classic LeBron to miss two weeks with injuries Ravens head of security charged with sex offense Lions’ Suh refuses to talk about incident Community Sports Business Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Positive Steps Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Milken economist headlines Southern Oregon Business Conference Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate People In Business Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Palestine statehood bid Michelle Teheux: Lucky to be alive (and white?) Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Michael Gerson: Clear choice, or clear trauma? Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 Editorials Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Our View: Help clear the air for the new year Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait Other Views: Oregon incomes still lag behind Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 1 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 30 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Lifestyle Latest stories Frank Mulligan: Some resolutionary weight-loss tips Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Lost in Suburbia: You’ve been blocked Fishing report: Jan. 2, 2015 Hobart Bluff offers top-notch views Food Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Food for Thought: Tips for cooking when you have food allergies Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Home and Garden Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Health Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Dr. Murray Feingold: Have a happy and stress-free holiday Hiking Biking Faith (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Little Yaretzi is county's first baby of 2015 Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer Top 10 CDs of 2014 Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Theater Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning Music Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Top 10 CDs of 2014 A tribute to Joe Cocker Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Community Events New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dining Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Expanded library hours begin today ... Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open ... Unnatural corridor ... Expanded library hours begin today ... Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open ... Unnatural corridor ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: Clear choice, or clear trauma? Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 2, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Jan. 2, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News One outcome of and proof for ideological polarization is the way it has made stalwarts appear like centrists. In what world is Hillary Clinton — feminist heroine, author of Hillarycare, sworn enemy of the vast right-wing conspiracy — not progressive enough? In what parallel universe is Jeb Bush — a tax-slashing, school-voucher-supporting, pro-gun former Southern governor — some kind of moderate? George Wallace, who managed to be foolish on an amazing variety of topics, claimed there wasn't "a dime's worth of difference" between the Democratic and Republican parties. It wasn't really true in 1968. It is dramatically less true today. The political parties have sorted themselves both regionally and ideologically. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that across a variety of policy issues, "Democrats now give uniformly liberal responses, and more Republicans give uniformly conservative responses than at any point in the last 20 years." Clinton and Bush are each, roughly, in the mainstream of their respective parties. But those streams have dramatically diverged. A Clinton-Bush presidential contest would be among the clearest choices in modern political history. Yet for some — who prefer an ideological palette consisting entirely of neon colors — the contrast is not nearly vivid enough. The main question for Democrats in 2015: Will there emerge a credible challenge to Clinton from the populist left? There were hints of mutiny in Sen. Elizabeth Warren's opposition to the recent omnibus spending measure. There are whispers of rebellion in Sen. Al Franken's opposition to Antonio Weiss — President Obama's nominee to a senior Treasury Department post — for the crime of coziness with Wall Street. There is open mutiny over at MoveOn.org, which is circulating a draft Warren petition. "The establishment Dems need to be punished," says the leaked email of one progressive activist, "and the best way for that to happen is for Warren to beat Hillary in the primary on a populist message." It is difficult to imagine the Zuccotti Park progressives gaining much traction without Warren making a determined run at the nomination. But they have an advantage and a precedent: Clinton is a politician of average skill, and she was defeated in 2008 with the help of the anti-war left. The main question for Republicans in 2015: Will they use their midterm victory to address serious gaps in their public appeal and set the stage for a credible nominee? With control of both the Senate and House, Republicans will need to advance a popular version of their agenda — on health care, welfare reform, higher education — knowing that their efforts will be killed by a filibuster or a veto but trusting they will present their best face to the public. The strategy involves conducting small, carefully orchestrated fights over policy rather than forcing cataclysmic battles over funding. This is what control of Congress allows: defining advantageous issues on which to argue rather than treating government as a yes-or-no question. But the approach presupposes a broad Republican belief that they have an image problem in the first place. After the GOP's 2010 congressional victory, many conservatives thought that all that was required was greater ideological daring and the country would follow along. Then came the 2012 presidential election and the 2013 government shutdown. "They scoffed that the American people would rise up," said Sen. Ted Cruz after a shutdown that most Americans opposed, and which pushed favorable opinion of GOP to historic lows. After a convincing 2014 victory, will Republicans use the opportunity for necessary repositioning on issues that help (and are perceived to help) middle-class families? Or will they seek ideological showdowns on issues — debt, immigration, Obamacare repeal — that they present as apocalyptic struggles over the future and nature of the republic? The tests will come early. A significant portion of the Republican House caucus wants bold action in February to challenge Obama's executive order on immigration. Some conservatives (against the advice of their leaders) may want to demand White House concessions in exchange for a debt-limit increase. Both of these issues could be traps — games of chicken with a president who has little left to lose. And they could end up wounding rather than helping the GOP presidential nominee. Those who judge a Bush-Clinton race to be a tired retread or disturbingly dynastic should consider the more novel and dynamic alternatives. A Warren-Cruz race would be less of an electoral choice than a national trauma. It's been said that too much clarity darkens. Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. 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