Today's Best

Five Best Wednesday Columns

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Serena Dai 1,787 Views Sep 26, 2012

Harold Meyerson in The Washington Post on redistributing money upward Republicans have devoted themselves to redistributing wealth upwards. They've changed tax code and the rules of the market to favor Wall Street over Main Street, and it affects both income and worker health. "The market is not just redistributing income in the United States, then. It is redistributing life."

Cass R. Sunstein in Bloomberg View on how social dynamics affect success "We like to think that intrinsic quality produces success, and that in free markets, quality will ultimately prevail." But social dynamics and enthusiasm can "mark the line between stunning success and crashing failure."  From musicians to politicians, success is driven by popularity.

Dana Milbank in The Washington Post on Hillary Clinton's "hit man" Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Philippe Reines got testy with a journalist this week about the State Department's management of the Libya attack, and the lack of punishment for Reines shows how close he is to Clinton. "He is a throwback — an unapologetic loyalist in a town that no longer values loyalty."

John Dickerson in Slate on how to choose a president Most presidents are, by definition, good campaigners, but not all good campaigners have been good presidents. Part of the problem is that "campaigns reward fighters. Governing requires cooperation, compromise, and negotiation." Dickerson's solution: Choose a president like you might choose a CEO. "The qualities employers are seeking are the same ones voters should be looking for in presidential candidates."

Fran Tarkenton in Wall Street Journal on the NFL's fumbles The former NFL quarterback and Hall-of-Famer writes that "one game makes a huge difference in the NFL," and bemoans a season in which fans are talking about bad referees instead of the game. "This current batch is damaging the integrity of the game and putting players at increased risk of catastrophic injury."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at sdai at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

Subscribe to our email newsletter

Get Five Best Columns in your inbox each morning. (preview)

Topics:
Related Articles   More by Serena Dai

Five Best Thursday Columns

Five Best Wednesday Columns

Five Best Wednesday Columns

 

What Are They Saying About Obama's Victory?

Man vs. South African Penguins; Scientists Don't Like Jersey Shore's Fake Beaches

Elsewhere on the Web

User Comments

Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App