Document text
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 ODOT to study I-5 viaduct's viability Emergency Services Man convicted in 1998 Wolf Creek carjack murder to be set free Clear skies ahead? Fire on Foots Creek Road near Rogue River destroys garage Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Man convicted in 1998 Wolf Creek carjack murder to be set free Fire on Foots Creek Road near Rogue River destroys garage Emergency Services Alert system kept parents in the loop during shooting threat Politics and Elections Mark L. Hopkins: What the next election should be about Senate race could be expensive Talent to consider taxing recreational, but not medicinal marijuana Candidate files false statements Just one seat will be contested for Central Point council Education Phoenix-Talent gets grant to create teacher-leaders Alert system kept parents in the loop during shooting threat Ink Out provides inexpensive tattoo removal for those trying to move on State tests show a mixed report card State assessment chart: 2013-14 Environment New disease strikes Roseburg deer herds Dredgers might return to the Rogue next year Dubs' auction preview draws bidders and gawkers OR-7's pups are true wolves ODFW director Elicker will step down State news Nation - World Obituaries Kimberly M. Boucher Robert Allan Burr Charles Robert Zarka Death Notices Charles O'Neil Lamoree Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Grizzlies register split in MWL (No heading) Americans take command in Davis Cup Mercury finish sweep of Sky for third WNBA title (No heading) Varsity 541 College Sports No. 2 Ducks not looking past Wyoming No. 25 BYU gets past Houston, 33-25 Ekpre-Olomu looks to define No. 2 Ducks’ defense Revenge on Raiders’ minds Biola blanks Raiders, 2-0 Pro Sports (No heading) Mercury finish sweep of Sky for third WNBA title (No heading) Horschel takes two-shot lead in Tour Championship Vikings’ Adrian Peterson accused of child abuse Community Sports Barry fires back into SOGC finals Super seniors strong at SOGC Crenshaw pulls off upset in SOGC Murphy claims victory in Stroke Play Championships South Korea downs Chicago for World Series title Business Latest Stories Blog: Busy Week Survival Tips Purchasers praise Harry & David's turnaround Back-to-back 66,000-plus months puts 2007 passenger record within sight Historic building owners get lessons in restoration Blog: So just what will those investigative law firms find beneath the Harry & David rock pile? Real Estate News Purchasers praise Harry & David's turnaround Historic building owners get lessons in restoration Pleasant weather, stable interest rates spurred summer home sales People In Business Transportation Agriculture Purchasers praise Harry & David's turnaround 1-800-Flowers.com buying Harry & David for $142.5 million Earlier than normal pear harvest coming up short of expectations Weisinger's Winery has earliest crush on record Amy's Kitchen begins expansion in White City Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Sept. 12 Obama does what must be done in the Mideast Michael Gerson: Obama's careful war against the Islamic State Matthew T. Mangino: Law enforcement options in domestic violence cases Our View: Good riddance to Super PAC attack ads Editorials Obama does what must be done in the Mideast Our View: Good riddance to Super PAC attack ads Fighting back against domestic violence Tablet computers are a tool, not a frill Other Views: The time is now to start disaster planning Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Sept. 12 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 11 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 10 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 9 We march for mental health on Saturday. Who’s watching? Guest Opinions Hazardous fuel treatments vital to protection from severe wildfires Wilderness for Kalmiopsis has served us well The summer of my discontent: An open letter to Bill Rauch The power of local philanthropy Lifestyle Latest stories Top horseback archers gather at Southern Oregon ranch Community blog: Rise to challenge of eating more local tomatoes Religion Briefs Fishing Report: Friday, Sept. 12 New app to help hunters in the field Food Community blog: Rise to challenge of eating more local tomatoes Quail Run Vineyards expands into Talent drainage A cook's contest Community blog: Dukkah dresses up hummus, spreads and dippers Community blog: Middle East's 'peanut butter' on the rise in U.S. Home and Garden Medford gardens to be showcased Saturday Trees aren't always the best companions for plants Hot tips for a cool (shade) garden An August checklist for your garden Green Scene: Diagnosing common tomato troubles Health Community blog: Menopause: What's it Good For? Community blog: A Fish Tale Community blog: A Healthy Way to Enrich the College Experience Community blog: What's Wrong With This Picture? Community blog: We Need to Talk Hiking Faith Religion Briefs Religion briefs Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements Ink Out provides inexpensive tattoo removal for those trying to move on Grange memberships going like hot cakes New Arrivals Engagement Wedding: Gibson-Hodnefield Columnist for a Day Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Thai House Creedence Clearwater Revival Jeff Fest to feature an all-star lineup of musicians ... named Jeff 'Cocktail Hour' shows at the Craterian Theatre Oregon Poet Laureate Peter Sears reads in Ashland Theater 'Cocktail Hour' shows at the Craterian Theatre CultureFest at Oregon Shakespeare Festival Musical 'Backwards in High Heels' opens at Oregon Cabaret Theatre Ashland Contemporary Theatre gets dialectic with "Freud's Last Session" 'Freud's Last Session" at Ashland Contemporary Theatre Music Creedence Clearwater Revival Jeff Fest to feature an all-star lineup of musicians ... named Jeff Live Music in Local Clubs Rob Zombie plays Lithia Amphitheater Jennifer Nettles plays Britt Community Events Oregon Poet Laureate Peter Sears reads in Ashland Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists 5 Things to Do This Weekend From business professor to artist Shady Cove Tie Days Swap Meet Dining Thai House Ami Sushi serves up Asian dishes Wild River Brewing & Pizza Co. NW Raw Kelly's Crepes Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Fire on Foots Creek Road near Rogue River destroys garage ... Serial arsonist gets 3 years ... Medford police found to be justified in killing armed man last month ... Fire on Foots Creek Road near Rogue River destroys garage ... Serial arsonist gets 3 years ... Medford police found to be justified in killing armed man last month ... ANOTHER VIEW Dana Milbank: The myth of Horatio Alger MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 11, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Sep. 11, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News Among many talents exhibited by Chuck Todd in the days since he replaced David Gregory as host of "Meet the Press" is his ability to turn a proper noun into a verb. "I'm not trying to Horatio Alger," Todd told my Washington Post colleague Ben Terris. "But it's an advantage that I grew up middle class in South Florida" — where, he said, his father wasn't always fully employed and the whole family at times shared a mattress. "I feel like I understand that resentment that can build when the New York perspective or the Washington perspective doesn't seem to understand what's going on in America. Tim Russert had that advantage because he grew up a middle-class kid. I do think that helps." Todd told Terris: "Most political journalism is insular to the Acela corridor, and my job is to channel that frustration of the rest of America." The clear implication: Venerable "Meet the Press," under Gregory, had become a captive of inside-the-Beltway elites, and Todd was going to restore Russert's common touch. NBC News' senior vice president Alexandra Wallace went so far as to say "I view Chuck as an outsider." To underscore the point, Todd launched a segment on his maiden show titled "Who Needs Washington?" The answer: We all need Washington. And though it's standard for politicians to campaign against Washington, it's a bit cynical for Todd and "Meet the Press" to be vessels of populist outrage against a Washington media elite of which they are very much a part. Todd is a big talent and a good guy. I've known him for 15 years, and I wish him success. But I hope he won't make it his show's role to perpetuate political Washington's self-loathing. Washington isn't dysfunctional because people who live here are out of touch. Washington is broken because of the increasingly belligerent assortment of 537 politicians the rest of the country sends here. The problem is not that Washington is too insular. If anything, Washington isn't insular enough. For most of the nation's history, lawmakers spent long stretches of time in the capital, getting to know each other as people rather than partisans. The friendships and goodwill they developed helped them to cut the necessary deals. But when "Washington insider" became a political liability two decades ago, politicians began jetting into town for three-day workweeks — long enough to demonize their opponents but not to know them. And what of this cloistered club of the privileged here that doesn't understand real America? Most of the supposed media elite are, in my experience, products of the middle-class, like Todd and Russert, but also like Gregory and me. Gregory grew up in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley; his mother struggled with alcoholism when he was young. He went to American University and worked in four Western cities and Chicago before covering politics in 2000. I am easily labeled as part of the Acela elite because I grew up on Long Island and went to Yale. I'm not trying to Horatio Alger, but I went to public schools, was brought up by a single mom (a schoolteacher who struggled to keep our house and car) and got through college on financial aid and a work-study job. Todd has been a Washington denizen longer than either of us, working as a political reporter here for 22 years. And there's nothing wrong with that: It made him the expert he is. NBC News President Deborah Turness appeared to embrace this in her announcement last month, writing that "there is no one with a bigger passion for politics than Chuck." But then came the positioning of Todd as an outsider. "Meet the Press" struggled for many reasons under Gregory, not least that he had the impossible task of succeeding Russert. But Gregory's trouble was not that he was a prisoner of the Beltway. He did shows from Afghanistan, Chicago and Des Moines, hosted the mayors of Atlanta and Baltimore, and did "Meeting America" segments from the road — but they weren't very popular. Americans are rightly disgusted with how Washington works. I'm disgusted, too. But the solution is not to engage in self-loathing because we live and work here, or to pretend we're outsiders. The role of political journalists is to ask tough questions of the powerful, to expose to Americans why their government isn't working. Todd does that well. He doesn't need to Horatio Alger. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 11, 2014 @ 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 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501