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 Emergency services Sheriff's deputies arrest two after pursuit on Table Rock Road Judge dismisses four of Ron Kramer's claims against SOU OSF's 'Great Society' up for Kennedy Prize OSF taking applications for Green Show Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Sheriff's deputies arrest two after pursuit on Table Rock Road Laser strike on jet entering Medford delays flight Emergency services VIDEO: Wrap Up, week of Jan. 2 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 Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions 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 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 Dianne Sarvis Marri Young-Wellbaum Severta Shipley Death Notices Jeannine Gardiner 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 Tornado, Pirates shine at RV Championships Panthers' defense overwhelms Cardinals Florida rides big plays to 28-20 win over East Carolina Young QBs lead Colts, Bengals today Romo, Stafford driven for playoff victory Varsity 541 College Sports Florida rides big plays to 28-20 win over East Carolina Cowboys run roughshod over Huskies NCU putback beats buzzer, sinks SOU Utes rout Trojans in Pac-12 opener Tyner’s Time Pro Sports Panthers' defense overwhelms Cardinals Young QBs lead Colts, Bengals today Romo, Stafford driven for playoff victory Rondo comes back to haunt Celts Watt, Gronkowski unanimous All-Pro picks Community Sports Business Latest Stories Irrigation system upgrade gets a forum Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Positive Steps Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers 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 Other Views: Oregon's GMO battle is far from over 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? Editorials Other Views: Oregon's GMO battle is far from over 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 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 Community blog: Get the New Year off to a Great Start Hobart Bluff offers top-notch views Fishing report: Jan. 2, 2015 'Wild' about hiking Churches start new year with messages of hope 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 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 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 Live Music in Local Clubs Generation Jones plays Paddy Brannan's Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker play 2Hawk Winery Paul Turnipseed Trio at Belle Fiore Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' 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 Live Music in Local Clubs Generation Jones plays Paddy Brannan's Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker play 2Hawk Winery Paul Turnipseed Trio at Belle Fiore Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' 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 Sheriff's deputies arrest two after pursuit on Table Rock Road ... Laser strike on jet entering Medford delays flight ... Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions ... Sheriff's deputies arrest two after pursuit on Table Rock Road ... Laser strike on jet entering Medford delays flight ... Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions ... ANOTHER VIEW Dana Milbank: The myth of Horatio Alger Comment 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 2015 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