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Veep Flop

By Jeremy Derfner
Updated Friday, Nov. 3, 2000, at 8:30 PM ET

Economist

Economist, Nov. 4

The editorial endorses George W. Bush. He has the mettle to reform out-of-control entitlements, and he won't reverse globalization in the event of recession. He lacks foreign policy experience, but so do most presidents at the start of their terms. … An article reports that corrupt Peruvian security chief Vladimiro Montesinos has sped Peru's transition to democracy by returning from exile. To fend off critics who say he is still influenced by Montesinos, President Alberto Fujimori has been forced to bargain with the opposition. It now seems inevitable that clean elections will take place next year.

New Republic

New Republic, Nov. 13

The cover story argues that welfare reform has driven northern Republicans to the left. In the 1970s and 1980s, Democrats' redistributive policies fed a racial resentment among white suburbanites. But welfare reform prevents Republicans from playing the race card, and the GOP now must cater to Northeastern voters who favor gun control and the environment. … A piece explains why the conventional wisdom about the vice-presidential candidates has flip-flopped. Dick Cheney, once an agonizingly bad campaigner, has improved, while Joe Lieberman has suffered from unrealistically high expectations. His religiosity, which plays well on the stump, infuriates the pundits, and he has been grilled for normal political compromises because he seemed too pure at the outset. … An article questions Bush's strategy of campaigning extensively in California in the closing weeks of the campaign. His aides want him to look confident because they believe the undecideds break with the winner. But Bush is wasting valuable time he could be spending in battleground states he has a chance to win. (Mickey Kaus explains Bush's California con game in this Slate "Kausfiles.")

New York Times Magazine

New York Times Magazine, Nov. 5

The cover story looks back over Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan's career. He was the last great intellectual senator, a brilliant writer and thinker who brought scholarly respectability to the deliberations on the Senate floor. But he accomplished very little in terms of legislation or constituent service, and his arrogance and hypersensitivity about perceived slights often led him to seek petty revenge. (The piece is by Slate political correspondent Jacob Weisberg.) … A profile of Jean-Bertrand Aristide finds the formerly humble theologian has become a luxury-loving cynic. Aristide lost his political innocence after being unseated in a coup and exiled. But he controls the still-failing government remotely through a puppet and has made enemies of the reformist leaders who were once his allies. … An article describes "the know-it-alls," a coterie of professional quiz show contestants who spend their time boning up on trivia and sharpening their buzzer-finger reflexes. Leszek Pawlowicz has won the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, all of Ben Stein's money, and $1 million at GoldPocket.com. He lost Millionaire but is practicing feverishly for a rematch with Regis.

Time and Newsweek

Time and Newsweek, Nov. 6

Similar presidential election covers. Time explains why, even though both candidates are fighting for centrist swing voters, Bush advertises his huge tax cuts and Gore talks like an old-time populist. Both learned from their fathers: Bush's father lost because he raised taxes, and Gore's father made his career as a raging populist. The problem is that the candidates are so inconsistent that voters don't know what they're getting. … Newsweek says this is the least inspiring election in years. The race has lacked lofty rhetoric, bold policies, and defining moments. As it winds down, Gore appears desperate and Bush is being extra cautious.

A Time piece analyzes AT&T's self-imposed divestiture plan. Its vision of providing bundled telephone, cable, and Internet service failed badly, and investors demand a shakeup. However, the breakup plan has not impressed industry experts, and the real problem is that deregulation has decimated AT&T's long-distance profits. … An article reports that Israel is considering radical separation if Yasser Arafat unilaterally declares a Palestinian state. Israel would pull its troops from the territories, heavily guard its borders, and cease economic contact with Palestinians, which would cripple the already struggling economies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

A Newsweek article explores the controversy surrounding basketball incorrigible Allen Iverson. Chronically late, lazy, and abusive, he was passed over for the Olympic team, and his coach almost quit because of his tantrums. Now the NBA is upset because his upcoming rap album promises to be extra violent and misogynistic. … A piece reports that Hollywood will go on a moviemaking spree in preparation for more actor and screenwriter strikes next year. As a result, no-name actors are getting big breaks, and next summer's crop of movies could be the worst in a long time.

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report, Nov. 6

The cover story praises the new workplace, where the employee is boss. The article echoes the conventional wisdom that America is a free-agent nation: As jobs are created and eliminated in record numbers, workers hop from job to job. They use their mobility to negotiate better contracts but care more about flexible schedules and challenging work than money. … A piece reports on some of the 204 state ballot referendums. Many address key issues that national candidates have mostly ignored, including school vouchers and gun control. … A stock market primer predicts that the market will settle down into a moderate bull market.

The New Yorker

The New Yorker, Nov. 6

An article criticizes the presidential candidates for a terrible campaign. Bush has lied endlessly to escape tight policy squeezes, and Gore jettisoned his instincts for polling data and focus-group research. It is a race between a mediocre candidate and one who has not lived up to his potential. … An article chronicles the Carpentras Affair, the recent desecration of a Jewish cemetery in a provincial French city. France, haunted by its Nazi-friendly Vichy legacy and by the increasing power of the far right, was fascinated by the mystery of who attacked the cemetery and why. Loony theories abounded, but when it turned out to be a run-of-the-mill neo-Nazi crime, everybody seemed disappointed and lost interest.

Weekly Standard

Weekly Standard, Nov. 6

A piece blasts the Republican Congress for ignoring its own spending limits by larding up the farm bill with subsidies. The Gingrich Republicans stood on principle when it passed the Freedom to Farm Act, which aimed to eliminate subsidies. Current Republicans simply want to curry favor with swing voters, making them no better than tax-and-spend liberals. … An article explains why Bush has barely responded to Gore's increasingly vehement attacks on his Social Security privatization plan. Bush believes Social Security is no longer the third rail of American politics. The Democratic base still cares about it, but swing voters understand the need for reform.

New York Review of Books

New York Review of Books, Nov. 16

An article argues that the Web has not revolutionized politics as many Internet cheerleaders predicted. Televised conventions and debates moved the polls, and late-night talk shows may have been the most important source of political news during the race. The lasting effect of the Internet on politics may be a new antitrust regime. As media conglomerates gain control over telephone, cable, and the Internet, the government may impose new regulation on them. … A review says Richard Ben Cramer's new book is too hard on Joe DiMaggio. True, he may have been a horrible human being, but he was a great baseball player, and that's what people care about.

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Jeremy Derfner is a former Slate editorial assistant.
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