All Commentary
OpinionVeterans Day: To regain trust, Congress should take a cue from US militaryThis Veterans Day, the military is one of America’s most trusted institutions; Congress is one of the least. Confidence in many public institutions is low because they lack a sense of duty, trust, loyalty, and teamwork – qualities US troops hold dear, and which all Americans can practice.
The Monitor's ViewElection winners and losersAmericans voted in large numbers. But voters need to be better served at the polls. Meanwhile, Republicans must pause to reflect.
OpinionHow President Obama can win over CongressHe may have won the election, but now President Obama faces enormous challenges in the House and Senate – among Republicans and Democrats. To succeed, he must do what does not come naturally to him: Spend lots of quality time with lawmakers of both parties.
OpinionWhat superstorm Sandy taught me about the failures of online learningWhen hurricane Sandy closed my campus for a few days, my students and I had to conduct our course online. It was wholly inadequate. Online learning cannot – and should not – replace the real-time dialogue of the in-person classroom.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveThank you, veterans
A Christian Science perspective: A Veterans Day tribute to veterans and their families.
The Monitor's ViewLook outward, ObamaThe president’s domestic agenda may consist of making compromises with Republicans. But overseas he is freer to act. And there’s much that needs his attention.
OpinionWhy Democrats have the tea party to thank for their winThe tea party had a huge impact on the election – but not the one it sought. It kept the Senate in Democratic hands by nominating far-right, losing candidates. It pushed Mitt Romney too far to the right. What Republicans need is their own Bill Clinton. Someone like New Jersey's Chris Christie.
OpinionMitt Romney's flip-flopping didn't hurt himThe Obama campaign labeled Mitt Romney a flip-flopper. But Romney's position shifts did little to fundamentally harm his election prospects. Obama only narrowly defeated Romney, and election day results closely mirror projections from June – before Romney’s move to the middle.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveWhen the other candidate wins
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewAfter Obama victory: Come together, right nowPresident Obama and Republicans need to work together, weather criticism from their bases, and make a tough, fair, and necessary deal to avoid the ‘fiscal cliff.’
OpinionExit polls show President Obama should go on listening tour, not take victory lapMitt Romney will be chastised for his missteps. But he isn’t the only one who was tone deaf. Voters are ambivalent about President Obama and his record. He needs to listen to the echoes from the exit polls, broaden his approach, and seek a new direction for his second term.
OpinionAs a region battered by Sandy braces for the nor'easter, I think of GrandmaWhen superstorm Sandy hit New York City, I made my way through a pitch-black hallway and down the stairs remembering Grandma – and the New York we had shared. And I thought of 9/11. That spirit of service and community has shown itself again in the aftermath of Sandy.
OpinionAfter Obama win, how civility can come to WashingtonAfter the election last night, President Obama and Mitt Romney rightly spoke of the need to reach out to the other side. But today's political divisiveness has been decades in the making and will take decades to undo. Here's how that can happen. It starts with citizens.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveDivine simplicity
A Christian Science perspective: When we clear the mental clutter, we find in its place the simplicity of the healing power of divine Love’s grace.
The Monitor's ViewChina’s backroom politicsWhile US presidential candidates openly campaigned to win votes, China’s new leaders were chosen in secret by a shadowy elite.
OpinionFinding uncommon community after superstorm SandyThe older Italian couple had narrowly escaped superstorm Standy. Their Staten Island home had not. As we carried debris with other volunteers, we came to know them. My friends and I spend most of our days emailing, but today, we worked – together. These encounters are too rare.
OpinionHurricane Sandy blows climate change back on the tableToday is election day in the US, but climate change should have been on the campaign agenda months ago. It shouldn't take a disaster like superstorm Sandy to finally bring it back into the conversation.
A Christian Science PerspectiveThe momentous versus the moment on Election Day, and afterA Christian Science perspective: The beneficent reign of divine Love is always near.
OpinionElection day: Most predictions of the next four years will be wrongAs President Obama or Mitt Romney will discover, the only predictable thing about foreign and domestic events is unpredictability. Woodrow Wilson didn't foresee World War I. Jimmy Carter called Iran an 'island of stability.' Terrorism got only brief mention in the 2000 Bush-Gore debates.
The Monitor's ViewElection Day: Voting is our ‘civic sacrament’Apathy keeps many Americans away from the polls. They figure their vote is meaningless among millions of others. But that’s not true. Go vote.
