API tools faq
paste
Advertisement
Guest User

A Mandate for a Mandate?

a guest
Nov 30th, 2016
613
0
Never
Add comment
Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!
text 42.00 KB | None | 0 0
raw download clone embed print report
  1. <article class="column at8-col8 at12-col11 at16-col15" id="article-contents" maincontentofpage="">
  2.  
  3. <header class="article_header module">
  4.  
  5. <div class="zonedModule" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/articleHeadline" data-module-zone="article_header" data-module-id="18">
  6. <div class="wsj-article-headline-wrap ">
  7. <div class="category">
  8.  
  9. <span class="article-breadCrumb-wrapper">
  10. <ul itemtype="http://schema.org/BreadcrumbList" itemscope="">
  11. <li class="article-breadCrumb" itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem" itemscope="" itemprop="itemListElement">
  12. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/news/opinion" itemprop="item">Opinion</a>
  13. </li>
  14.  
  15.  
  16. <li class="article-breadCrumb" itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem" itemscope="" itemprop="itemListElement">
  17. <a class="flashline-category" href="/news/types/best-of-the-web-today" itemprop="item">
  18. Best of the Web
  19. </a>
  20. </li>
  21.  
  22.  
  23. </ul>
  24.  
  25. </span>
  26.  
  27.  
  28. </div>
  29.  
  30. <h1 class="wsj-article-headline" itemprop="headline">A Mandate for a Mandate?</h1>
  31.  
  32. <h2 class="sub-head" itemprop="description">The meaning of Mrs. Clinton’s (putative) victory.</h2>
  33.  
  34.  
  35.  
  36. </div>
  37.  
  38. </div> <!-- data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/articleHeadline" -->
  39.  
  40. </header>
  41.  
  42. <div class="column at8-col8 at12-col7 at16-col9 at16-offset1">
  43. <div class="module">
  44.  
  45. <div class="zonedModule" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/articleBody" data-module-zone="article_body" data-module-id="17">
  46. <!-- articleBody16u -->
  47. <div class="article-wrap" id="wsj-article-wrap" itemprop="articleBody" data-sbid="SB11771317420586403750804582400253459449094">
  48.  
  49. <div id="cx-articlecover" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: none; z-index: 20;"><iframe name="cxWidget_0.5961009699333428" width="0" height="0" id="cxWidget_0.5961009699333428" src="http://cdn.cxpublic.com/wsj-article-cover.html#media=html&amp;sid=9222318613852486900&amp;width=0&amp;height=0&amp;meta=%7B%22hasAd%22%3A%22n%22%2C%22isHP%22%3A%22n%22%2C%22referrer%22%3A%22googlecom%22%2C%22retina%22%3A%22n%22%2C%22subscriber%22%3A%22nonsubscriber%22%2C%22userExp%22%3A%22google_fcf%22%2C%22template%22%3A%22full%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22BestoftheWebToday%22%2C%22access%22%3A%22paid%22%2C%22section%22%3A%22Opinion%22%2C%22edition%22%3A%22naus%22%2C%22bucket%22%3A8%2C%22hasUid%22%3A%22n%22%2C%22pwTag%22%3A%22default%22%2C%22pwPlacement%22%3A%22cx-articlecover%22%2C%22pwCampaign%22%3A7%2C%22pwType%22%3A%22free%22%7D&amp;resizeToContentSize=true&amp;ctx=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fa-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417&amp;usi=iw5f5pplmx9zibm4&amp;rnd=1450826097&amp;prnd=iw5f6cpiu6fxxr3z&amp;tzo=420&amp;parentElementId=cxWidget_0.5961009699333428" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: none;"></iframe></div>
  50.  
  51. <div id="articlebody-i18n" data-i18n-advertisement="Advertisement" data-i18n-show-caption="SHOW CAPTION" data-i18n-hide-caption="HIDE CAPTION"></div>
  52.  
  53.  
  54. <div class="is-lead-inset">
  55. <div class="media-object&#10; header&#10; header" data-layout-mobile="" data-layout="header&#10; ">
  56.  
  57.  
  58.  
  59. <div class="media-object-image enlarge-image renoImageFormat-GR img-header" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  60.  
  61.  
  62. <div class="image-container responsive-media loaded" style="padding-bottom: 65.21%;" data-layout-ratio="65.2174%" data-mobile-ratio="65.2174%">
  63.  
  64. <meta content="https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QM435_botw10_GR_20161027113811.jpg" itemprop="representativeOfPage contentUrl">
  65. <meta content="Mrs. Clinton (center right) and Huma Abedin on the “Stronger Together” campaign plane." itemprop="caption description">
  66.  
  67. <img title="Mrs. Clinton (center right) and Huma Abedin on the “Stronger Together” campaign plane." alt="Mrs. Clinton (center right) and Huma Abedin on the “Stronger Together” campaign plane." src="https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QM435_botw10_GR_20161027113811.jpg" data-enlarge="https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QM435_botw10_M_20161027113811.jpg" data-in-at4units-src="https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QM435_botw10_GR_20161027113811.jpg" data-in-base-src="https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QM435_botw10_GR_20161027113811.jpg" data-intent="">
  68. <!--[if ! lte IE 8]-->
  69. <span class="image-enlarge">
  70. ENLARGE
  71. </span>
  72. <!--[endif]-->
  73. </div>
  74.  
  75. <div class="wsj-article-caption" itemprop="caption">
  76. <span class="wsj-article-caption-content">Mrs. Clinton (center right) and Huma Abedin on the “Stronger Together” campaign plane.</span>
  77. <span class="wsj-article-credit" itemprop="creator">
  78. <span class="wsj-article-credit-tag">
  79. Photo:
  80. </span>
  81. Getty Images
  82. </span>
  83. </div>
  84. </div>
  85.  
  86.  
  87.  
  88.  
  89.  
  90.  
  91.  
  92.  
  93.  
  94.  
  95.  
  96.  
  97.  
  98.  
  99.  
  100.  
  101.  
  102.  
  103.  
  104.  
  105.  
  106.  
  107.  
  108. </div>
  109. </div>
  110.  
  111.  
  112. <div class="clearfix byline-wrap">
  113.  
  114.  
  115.  
  116. <div class="byline">
  117.  
  118.  
  119. <span>By</span>
  120. <div class="author mobile-scrim hasMenu" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope="" itemprop="author" data-scrim='{"type":"author","header":"James Taranto","subhead":"The Wall Street Journal","list":[{"type":"link","icon":"bio","url":"http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/5474","text":"Biography"},{"type":"link","icon":"twitter","url":"http://twitter.com/jamestaranto","text":"@jamestaranto"},{"type":"link","icon":"email","url":"mailto:James.Taranto@wsj.com","text":"James.Taranto@wsj.com"}]}'>
  121. <span class="name" itemprop="name">James Taranto</span>
  122. <ul class="author-info">
  123. <li class="tri"></li>
  124. <div class="info-name">James Taranto</div>
  125. <div class="info-title">The Wall Street Journal</div>
  126. <div class="close-button-container">
  127. <a class="close-button" href="#">CANCEL</a>
  128. </div>
  129. <li><a class="author icon bio" href="http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/5474">Biography</a><a style="display: none;" href="http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/5474" rel="author" itemprop="url">James Taranto</a></li>
  130. <li><a class="author icon twitter" href="http://twitter.com/jamestaranto" target="blank">@jamestaranto</a></li>
  131.  
  132.  
  133. <li><a class="author icon email" href="mailto:James.Taranto@wsj.com" itemprop="email">James.Taranto@wsj.com</a></li>
  134. </ul>
  135. </div>
  136.  
  137. </div>
  138.  
  139. <time class="timestamp">
  140. Oct. 27, 2016 1:30 p.m. ET
  141. </time> <div class="comments-count-container">
  142. <a class="comments_header" href="#renderComments" rel="nofollow">
  143. <span class="comments_count_icon"></span>
  144. 729 <span class="comments-count-word">COMMENTS</span>
  145.  
  146. </a>
  147. <meta content="UserComments:729" itemprop="interactionCount">
  148. </div>
  149.  
  150.  
  151. </div>
  152.  
  153. <!--
  154. --> <p> <em>(Note: We’ll be off tomorrow, to return Monday.)</em> <br> <br> Mandates are in the news this week, in more ways than one. ObamaCare’s 2017 sticker shock prompted <a class="icon none" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/10/26/obama_architect_jonathan_gruber_obamacare_is_not_imploding_working_as_designed.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> to track down Jonathan Gruber, the ObamaCare “architect” <a class="icon none" href="http://bit.ly/1unAZih" target="_blank">last seen</a> crediting “the stupidity of the American voter” for the passage of the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.</p> <p>“ObamaCare’s not imploding,” Gruber told CNN’s Carol Costello Wednesday. He elaborated at some length, but she wasn’t completely buying it. “OK,” she said. “So let’s talk about how exactly you can fix ObamaCare.” His reply:</p> <blockquote>Look, once again, there’s no sense of “Oh, it just has to be fixed.” The law is working as designed; however, it could work better, and I think probably the most important thing experts would agree on is that we need a larger mandate penalty. We have individuals who are essentially free-riding on the system. They’re essentially waiting until they get sick and then getting health insurance. The whole idea of this plan, which was pioneered in Massachusetts, was that the individual mandate penalty would bring those people into the system and have them participate. The penalty right now is probably too low and that’s something ideally we would fix. </blockquote><div class="wsj-body-ad-placement" id="realtor"></div> <p>Meanwhile, some liberal commentators are starting to worry that if (or, as they would have it, when) Hillary Clinton is elected president 11 days hence, she won’t have a mandate.</p> <p>As the New Yorker’s <a class="icon none" href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/hillary-clintons-mandate-problem" target="_blank">Ryan Lizza</a> puts it, Mrs. Clinton may be “on track” for a landslide, “but it’s not entirely clear that Americans will be voting <em>for”</em> her. She has “lower favorability ratings than any major-party nominee in history,” save only for Donald Trump.</p> <!--
  155. --><div class="media-object&#10; wrap&#10; wrap" data-layout-mobile="" data-layout="wrap&#10; ">
  156.  
  157.  
  158.  
  159.  
  160.  
  161.  
  162.  
  163.  
  164.  
  165.  
  166.  
  167.  
  168. <div class="media-object-rich-text">
  169. <h4>More James Taranto</h4>
  170. <p>
  171.  
  172. <a class="icon none" href="https://twitter.com/jamestaranto" target="_blank">Follow James on Twitter</a></p>
  173. <ul class="articleList">
  174. <li>
  175. <a class="icon none" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-tweets-the-darnedest-things-1480446638" target="_self">Trump Tweets the Darnedest Things</a>
  176. <span class="date">Nov. 29, 2016 </span>
  177. </li>
  178. <li>
  179. <a class="icon none" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/pelosi-gets-one-right-1480357625" target="_self">Pelosi Gets One Right</a>
  180. <span class="date">Nov. 28, 2016 </span>
  181. </li>
  182. <li>
  183. <a class="icon none" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/ronald-and-donald-1480096293" target="_self">Ronald and Donald</a>
  184. <span class="date">Nov. 25, 2016 </span>
  185. </li>
  186. <li>
  187. <a class="icon none" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/weird-science-1479926495" target="_self">Weird Science</a>
  188. <span class="date">Nov. 23, 2016 </span>
  189. </li>
  190. <li>
  191. <a class="icon none" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-socialist-squirrel-1479841482" target="_self">The Socialist Squirrel</a>
  192. <span class="date">Nov. 22, 2016 </span>
  193. </li>
  194. </ul>
  195. </div>
  196.  
  197.  
  198.  
  199.  
  200.  
  201.  
  202.  
  203.  
  204.  
  205.  
  206.  
  207.  
  208.  
  209. </div>
  210. <!--
  211. --> <p>Since she would have won largely “by successfully disqualifying her opponent,” the GOP “will quickly argue that her election was not a referendum on her immigration-reform plan, her infrastructure spending ideas, or her childcare and family-leave proposals.” If Republicans hold majorities in Congress, as still seems likely in the House at least, they will claim that Americans “voted for congressional Republicans to serve as a brake on her agenda.”</p> <p>Let us pause here to note the disjunction between the two political meanings of “mandate.” For an ordinary citizen, a mandate is a burden, something the government is forcing him to do. For a politician, a mandate is a license to do what he wishes.</p><div class="wsj-body-ad-placement" id="unruly"><div class="wsj-body-ad "><div class="wsj-responsive-ad-wrap wsj-ad-article-body" id="wsj-body-AD_G3" data-tracking="interactive.wsj.com/opinion_bestwebtoday" data-ad-options='{"adId":"AD_G","adUnitPath":"/2/interactive.wsj.com/opinion_bestwebtoday","adSize":[[2,2]],"adSizeMap":null,"autoRefresh":false,"adTargeting":{"metazone":null,"msrc":null,"circ":"snippet_free_pass","bkuuid":"apip/b8e99ydqyhr","p39":null},"disableRefresh":false}'></div></div></div> <p>Some of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters are already getting aggressive in defending her against the no-mandate claim. The other day MSNBC’s <a class="icon none" href="https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/789218961938415616" target="_blank">Chris Hayes</a> tweeted: “If Clinton wins, from day one the GOP’s contention will be that she is illegitimate. Trump was a fluke and she has no mandate.” Commentary’s <a class="icon none" href="https://twitter.com/jpodhoretz/status/789219385139400704" target="_blank">John Podhoretz</a> promptly toppled that straw man: “Having no mandate and being illegitimate are two different things and you shouldn’t conflate them unless you want to HARM OUR DEMOCRACY.”</p> <p>The New York Times’s <a class="icon none" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/opinion/hillary-clintons-resounding-mandate.html" target="_blank">Frank Bruni</a> has a column boldly titled “Hillary Clinton’s Resounding Mandate.” He acknowledges that “her election might not be any validation of her prescriptions for health care, the Middle East or trade.” So what’s the mandate?</p> <blockquote>If voters hand [Trump] an overwhelming defeat, it’s a bold statement, with undeniable messages.</blockquote> <blockquote>They’d be saying that sexism like his is intolerable.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.</blockquote> <blockquote>This gives Clinton a mandate to make sure our public discourse and laws never treat women as subordinate to men.</blockquote> <blockquote>Voters who weren’t intrinsically anti-Trump but ended up in that column are punishing him for the way he attacked the Khan family, Alicia Machado and so many others before and since.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.</blockquote> <blockquote>There’s a mandate for Clinton in this as well. It’s to rise above and push back at the corrosive politics of insult, and she did more to betray than to honor this with her “basket of deplorables.”</blockquote> <p>To sum it up, Mrs. Clinton would have a mandate to be not Trump—more specifically, not to be obnoxious like Trump. That shouldn’t be that hard, but her “deplorables” digression—let’s remember, she also called them “irredeemable” and “not America”—raises questions about whether she even has it in her to do that. Resounding!</p> <p>New York’s <a class="icon none" href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/08/hillary-clinton-cant-win-a-mandate-and-thats-okay.html" target="_blank">Jonathan Chait</a> argued two months ago that the whole mandate question is overblown:</p> <blockquote>The obsession with a mandate, in which the style and scope of a Clinton victory has crucial ramifications, complicates what is actually a simple series of binary questions. If Democrats control only the presidency next year, Clinton will direct foreign policy and implement federal regulations. If her party adds the Senate, she will also have the ability to nominate judges to open seats. If Democrats win the above plus the House of Representatives, they will be able to pass major legislation for two years (after which Republicans would almost certainly regain their House majority during the midterms). Clinton’s “mandate” is irrelevant. All that matters is the levers of power she commands.</blockquote> <p>That’s true as far as it goes, but why should we think the Republicans would “almost certainly” win back the house majority in 2018 if they lose it this year? Yes, the president’s party usually loses congressional seats in midterm elections, but there have been exceptions, in 1998 and 2002. Who’s to say Mrs. Clinton and congressional Democrats couldn’t govern from the center and hold or even expand their (still-hypothetical) majorities?</p> <p>Chait seems to assume they wouldn’t do that—that Mrs. Clinton would overreach her mandate and voters would punish her for it two years hence. Which is, of course, what President Obama, along with the Democratic congressional majorities, did in 2009-10.</p> <p>It seems fair to say that while Obama might have had a mandate, even a resounding one, after his victory in 2008, that mandate did not extend to the imposition of “comprehensive health-care reform.” Polls during and since that period, as well as the 2010 election results, make clear that ObamaCare’s enactment was against the wishes of most of the electorate. Even Chait, still an ObamaCare cheerleader, admitted as much this week in a piece titled “<a class="icon none" href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/10/obamacare-is-a-policy-triumph-and-a-political-failure.html" target="_blank">Obamacare Is a Policy Triumph and a Political Failure</a>.”</p> <p>True, “comprehensive health-care reform” was an Obama 2008 campaign promise. But during that year’s primaries, he and Mrs. Clinton differed on what turned out to be ObamaCare’s central feature—and he was the one who opposed it. “What’s she not telling you about her health-care plan?” asked an April 2008 Obama ad quoted by <a class="icon none" href="http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Obamacare-Clinton-mandate-court/2012/03/29/id/434199/" target="_blank">NewsMax</a> in 2012. “It forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can’t afford it, and you pay a penalty if you don’t.”</p> <p>At the very least, Obama did not come to office with a mandate for the mandate. Jonathan Gruber notwithstanding, neither would Mrs. Clinton. </p> <p> <strong>We Blame George W. Bush</strong> </p> <ul class="articleList"> <li>“Mystery Solved: P&amp;G Responsible for Competitors’ Woes”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/mystery-solved-p-g-responsible-competitors-woes/306454/" target="_blank">AdAge.com</a>, Oct.&nbsp;25</li> <li>“Texas Voters Say Votes Changed, Officials Blame User Error”—video title, <a class="icon none" href="http://video.foxnews.com/v/5185804118001/texas-voters-say-votes-changed-officials-blame-user-error/" target="_blank">FoxNews.com</a>, Oct.&nbsp;26</li> </ul> <p> <strong>Make That 11</strong> </p> <ul class="articleList"> <li>“10 Takeaways From Hillary Clinton’s Interview With ‘The Breakfast Club’&nbsp;”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.41025/title.10-takeaways-from-hillary-clintons-interview-with-the-breakfast-club" target="_blank">HipHopDX.com</a>, Oct.&nbsp;26</li> <li>“Woman in Indefinite Detention”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/news/10418-woman-in-indefinite-detention" target="_blank">New Dawn</a> (Liberia), May&nbsp;17</li> </ul> <p> <strong>The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations</strong> </p> <ul class="articleList"> <li>“Catholic Biden Says He’s More Jewish Than Clinton”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/catholic-biden-says-hes-more-jewish-than-clinton/" target="_blank">Times of Israel</a>, Oct.&nbsp;27</li> <li>“Clinton’s Allies Promise a Tougher Line on Iran”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-10-26/clinton-s-allies-promise-a-tougher-line-on-iran" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, Oct.&nbsp;26</li> </ul> <p> <strong>Hypothesis and Proof—I</strong> </p> <ul class="articleList"> <li>“No One Is Deplorable, No One Is Irredeemable”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="https://fee.org/articles/no-one-is-deplorable-no-one-is-irredeemable/" target="_blank">FEE.org</a>, Sept.&nbsp;12</li> <li>“Pariah No More? Mel Gibson Gets Standing Ovation at ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ Screening in Beverly Hills”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.thewrap.com/pariah-no-more-mel-gibson-gets-standing-ovation-at-hacksaw-ridge-screening-in-beverly-hills-video/" target="_blank">TheWrap.com</a>, Oct.&nbsp;25</li> </ul> <p> <strong>Hypothesis and Proof—II</strong> </p> <ul class="articleList"> <li>“Making Decisions Is About Trusting Your Gut, Even in Business”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/10/making-decisions-is-about-trusting-your-gut-even-in-business.html" target="_blank">NYMag.com</a>, Oct.&nbsp;26</li> <li>“Struggling Chipotle Still Can’t Get That E. Coli Out of Its System”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.salon.com/2016/10/26/struggling-chipotle-still-cant-get-that-e-coli-out-of-its-system/" target="_blank">Salon</a>, Oct.&nbsp;26</li> </ul> <p> <a class="icon none" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/27/world/europe/franco-statue-barcelona-spain.html" target="_blank"> <strong>Generalissimo Francisco Franco Is Still Dead</strong> </a> <br> “Franco Took Decades to Leave the World Stage. His Statue? Only Days.”—headline, New York Times, Oct.&nbsp;27</p> <p> <strong>Question and Answer—I</strong> </p> <ul class="articleList"> <li>“The Least Useful Place for a Republican Nominee to Go?”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/opinion/campaign-stops/the-least-useful-place-for-a-republican-nominee-to-go.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> website, Oct.&nbsp;26</li> <li>“Trump Goes to War With the GOP”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2016/10/12/trump-gop-at-war" target="_blank">WBUR-FM</a> website (Boston), Oct.&nbsp;12</li> </ul> <p> <strong>Question and Answer—II</strong> </p> <ul class="articleList"> <li>“B1G Basketball Media Day: Is the Future Now?”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/2016/10/14/13275220/b1g-basketball-media-day-is-the-future-now-iowa-bhgp" target="_blank">BlackHeartGoldPants.com</a>, Oct.&nbsp;14</li> <li>“Larsa Pippen Cheated on Scottie Pippen With Future, Sources Claim”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/larsa-pippen-cheated-on-scottie-pippen-with-future-sources-w446937" target="_blank">USMagazine.com</a>, Oct.&nbsp;26</li> </ul> <p> <strong>News of the Tautological</strong> </p> <ul class="articleList"> <li>“Goldman Sachs: Don’t Expect Brexit-Type Surprise in Presidential Race”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/26/goldman-sachs-dont-expect-brexit-type-surprise-in-presidential-race.html" target="_blank">CNBC.com</a>, Oct.&nbsp;26</li> <li>“Where the Elderly Die Can Vary by Region, Study Shows”—headline, <a class="icon none" href="http://bit.ly/2eGSOZ4" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a>, Oct.&nbsp;27</li> </ul> <p> <a class="icon none" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/27/opinion/the-corrosive-election-and-the-new-abnormal.html" target="_blank"> <strong>Those Who Forget History</strong> </a> <br> Linda Greenhouse, the New York Times’s longtime Supreme Court correspondent and now an opinion columnist, claims that Republicans have destroyed the old norm of deference to the president on Supreme Court nominations. The rejection of Robert Bork’s nomination back in 1987, she claims, was but a lark:</p> <blockquote>The Bork battle remains the outlier, not the standard. Judge Bork, let’s not forget, got a hearing, a committee vote, and a floor vote. Months after defeating the Bork nomination by a bipartisan vote of 58 opposed to 42 in favor, the Democratic-controlled Senate voted 97 to 0, a month into the 1988 presidential election year, to confirm Anthony M. Kennedy to the seat Judge Bork was to have filled. The next two Supreme Court nominees, Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1993 and Stephen G. Breyer the next year, were confirmed by votes of 96 to 3 and 87 to 9. It is only by a distorted view of history that the Bork battle can be said to have ushered in or authorized flat-out obstruction of a Supreme Court nomination.</blockquote> <p>After we <a class="icon none" href="https://twitter.com/jamestaranto/status/791652886769983489" target="_blank">pointed out the error</a> on Twitter, the words “the next” were replaced by “Bill Clinton’s” and a correction appended. We guess we can understand forgetting David Souter’s nomination, but Clarence Thomas’s?</p> <p> <em> <a class="icon none" href="http://twitter.com/jamestaranto" target="_blank">Follow @jamestaranto on Twitter.</a> </em> </p> <p> <a class="icon none" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BOTWT/" target="_blank"> <em>Join Fans of Best of the Web Today on Facebook.</em> </a> </p> <p> <em> <a class="icon none" href="http://online.wsj.com/public/page/email-setup.html?sub=best_of_the_web_today">Subscribe to the Best of the Web email with one click.</a> </em> </p> <p>(Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web. Thanks to Michele Schiesser, Debbie Wells, Macrena Sailor, Tony Lima, Daniel Lepanto, Irene DeBlasio, Mara Gold, Bruce Goldman, Robert Lamoureux, Steve Thompson, Kyle Kyllan and James Benenson. If you have a tip, write us at <a class="icon none" href="mailto:opinionjournal@wsj.com" target="_blank">opinionjournal@wsj.com</a>, and please include the URL.)</p>
  212.  
  213. <!--
  214. -->
  215. </div>
  216.  
  217. </div> <!-- data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/articleBody" -->
  218.  
  219. </div>
  220.  
  221. <div class="module">
  222.  
  223. <div class="zonedModule" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/articleContentInjection" data-module-zone="contentCarousel" data-module-id="13">
  224.  
  225.  
  226.  
  227. </div> <!-- data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/articleContentInjection" -->
  228.  
  229. </div>
  230.  
  231. <div class="module hide12 hide16 share_tools">
  232.  
  233. <div class="zonedModule" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/shareTools" data-module-zone="article_tools" data-module-id="23">
  234. <ul class="article_tools clearFix">
  235. <li title="Facebook" class="icon facebook sharrre" aria-label="Facebook" data-text="#BestoftheWeb A Mandate for a Mandate? The meaning of Mrs. Clinton’s (putative) victory, by @jamestaranto" data-url="http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417">
  236. </li>
  237.  
  238. <li title="Twitter" class="icon twitter sharrre" aria-label="Twitter" data-text="#BestoftheWeb A Mandate for a Mandate? The meaning of Mrs. Clinton’s (putative) victory, by @jamestaranto" data-url="http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417">
  239. </li>
  240.  
  241.  
  242. <li title="Email" class="icon email mobile-scrim" aria-label="Email" data-url="http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417" data-emailimgsrc="https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QM435_botw10_D_20161027113811.jpg" data-timestamp="Oct. 27, 2016 1:30 p.m. ET" data-headline="#BestoftheWeb A Mandate for a Mandate? The meaning of Mrs. Clinton’s (putative) victory, by @jamestaranto" data-sharetext="Share via email or copy link" data-scrim='{"type":"email","header":"Email this article","list":[{"type":"mailto","icon":"email","url":"http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417","text":"Email Article","subjectText":"#BestoftheWeb A Mandate for a Mandate? The meaning of Mrs. Clinton’s (putative) victory, by @jamestaranto","bodytext":"Here is something from WSJ.com that might interest you:"}],"info":{"image":"https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QM435_botw10_D_20161027113811.jpg","headline":"#BestoftheWeb A Mandate for a Mandate? The meaning of Mrs. Clinton’s (putative) victory, by @jamestaranto","timestamp":"Oct. 27, 2016 1:30 p.m. ET"}}'>
  243. </li>
  244.  
  245. <li title="Save Article" class="icon article-save mobile-scrim hasMenu contextualMenu" id="article-save" aria-label="Save Article" data-scrim='{"id":"article-save", "header":"Save Article","list":[{"type":"link","text":"Log In to Save", "url": "https://id.wsj.com/access/509b1a086458232f6e000002/latest/login_standalone.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fa-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417"},{"type":"link","text":"Subscribe to WSJ", "url": "https://subscribe.wsj.com/default"}]}'>
  246. <menu>
  247. <li class="tri"></li>
  248. <li class="menu-header">Save Article</li>
  249. <li class="option sign-in"><a href="https://id.wsj.com/access/509b1a086458232f6e000002/latest/login_standalone.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fa-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417" ref="nofollow">Sign In to Save</a></li>
  250. <li class="option subscribe"><a href="https://subscribe.wsj.com/default">Subscribe to WSJ</a></li>
  251. </menu>
  252. </li>
  253.  
  254. <li title="Evernote" class="icon evernote evernote-clip-button" aria-label="Evernote" data-url="http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417" data-headline="A Mandate for a Mandate?" data-summary="The meaning of Mrs. Clinton’s (putative) victory." data-date="Oct. 27, 2016 1:30 p.m. ET" data-authors="James Taranto" data-id="SB11771317420586403750804582400253459449094"></li>
  255.  
  256.  
  257.  
  258. <li title="Text Resize" class="icon text-size mobile-scrim hasMenu contextualMenu hide4" id="text-size" aria-label="Text Resize" data-scrim='{"id":"text-size","header":"Text Size","list":[{"type":"option","class":"selected regular","text":"Regular"},{"type":"option","class":"medium","text":"Medium"},{"type":"option","class":"large","text":"Large"}]}'>
  259. <menu>
  260. <li class="tri"></li>
  261. <li class="menu-header">Text Size</li>
  262. <li class="option regular selected">Regular</li>
  263. <li class="option medium">Medium</li>
  264. <li class="option large">Large</li>
  265. </menu>
  266. </li>
  267.  
  268. <li title="More" class="icon more mobile-scrim hasMenu" aria-label="More" data-scrim='{"header":"More Tools","list":[{"type":"share","icon":"google","url":"example_url","text":"Google+"}&#10; &#10; &#10; ,{"type":"link","icon":"print","url":"javascript:window.print();","text":"Print"},{"type":"tool", "icon":"text-size","text":"Text Size",&#10; "options":[{"type":"button", "class":"selected", "value":"regular", "text":"Regular"}&#10; ,{"type":"button", "value":"medium", "text":"Medium"}&#10; ,{"type":"button", "value":"large", "text":"Large"}]}]}'>
  269. <menu>
  270. <li class="tri"></li>
  271. <li title="Google+" class="icon google sharrre" aria-label="Google+" data-text="#BestoftheWeb A Mandate for a Mandate? The meaning of Mrs. Clinton’s (putative) victory, by @jamestaranto" data-url="http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-mandate-for-a-mandate-1477589417">Google+
  272. </li>
  273. <li class="border"></li>
  274. <li title="Print" class="icon print" aria-label="Print">Print</li>
  275. </menu>
  276. </li>
  277. </ul>
  278.  
  279. </div> <!-- data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/shareTools" -->
  280.  
  281. </div>
  282. </div>
  283.  
  284. <div class="column col4 hide4 hide8 at16-offset1" id="ad_and_popular">
  285. <div class="ad_col_a sticky_item" id="in_ad_col_a" data-track="in_ad_col_a">
  286.  
  287. <div class="sticky_target" id="wsj-body-ad-main">
  288. <div class="module">
  289.  
  290. <div class="zonedModule" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/responsiveAd" data-module-zone="rightRailAd1" data-module-id="9">
  291. <div class="wsj-responsive-ad-wrap" id="AD_G" data-cb-ad-id="TopRectangle" data-tracking="interactive.wsj.com/opinion_bestwebtoday" data-ad-options='{"adId":"AD_G","adUnitPath":"/2/interactive.wsj.com/opinion_bestwebtoday","adSize":[[336,280],[300,250],[336,850],[300,600],[300,1050]],"adSizeMap":null,"autoRefresh":false,"adTargeting":{"metazone":null,"msrc":null,"circ":"snippet_free_pass","bkuuid":"apip/b8e99ydqyhr","p39":null},"disableRefresh":false}'>
  292. </div>
  293.  
  294. </div> <!-- data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/responsiveAd" -->
  295.  
  296. </div>
  297. </div>
  298.  
  299. <div id="deloitte_content_area">
  300. <div class="column hide col4 at8-col8" id="deloitte_column">
  301.  
  302. <div class="zonedModule" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/deloitte" data-module-zone="deloitte_insights" data-module-id="21">
  303.  
  304.  
  305.  
  306. </div> <!-- data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/deloitte" -->
  307.  
  308. </div>
  309. </div>
  310.  
  311. </div>
  312.  
  313. <div class="column col4 at8-col8" id="trending_now" intent="" in-at8units-append="#trending_now_sector" in-at4units-append="#trending_now_sector" in-base-append="#ad_and_popular" append="#ad_and_popular">
  314.  
  315. <div class="zonedModule" data-module-name="resp.module.trendingNow.DesktopModule" data-module-zone="trending" data-module-id="33">
  316. <div class="module trending_now ">
  317.  
  318. <div class="trending_videos">
  319. <div class="strap secondary">
  320. <h2 class="subhead">Most Popular Videos</h2>
  321. </div>
  322. <ul class="video">
  323. <li class="clear" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  324. <meta content="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/291116snakes/291116snakes_167x94.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  325. <div class="video-hover-container">
  326. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/video/monster-snake-caught-in-sydney-australia/7D2BC484-031F-45BE-B556-2EB7D8A79454.html?mod=trending_now_video_1">
  327. <div class="video_play"></div>
  328. <img alt="[https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/291116snakes/291116snakes_167x94.jpg]" src="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/291116snakes/291116snakes_167x94.jpg">
  329. </a>
  330. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/video/monster-snake-caught-in-sydney-australia/7D2BC484-031F-45BE-B556-2EB7D8A79454.html?mod=trending_now_video_1">'Monster' Snake Caught in Sydney, Australia</a></h4>
  331. </div>
  332. </li>
  333. <li class="clear" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  334. <meta content="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/112916snapchatspectacles/112916snapchatspectacles_167x94.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  335. <div class="video-hover-container">
  336. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/video/snapchat-spectacles-review-the-dos-and-donts/8F3F3E42-B7A3-492D-A572-D003D0EFC5CA.html?mod=trending_now_video_2">
  337. <div class="video_play"></div>
  338. <img alt="[https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/112916snapchatspectacles/112916snapchatspectacles_167x94.jpg]" src="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/112916snapchatspectacles/112916snapchatspectacles_167x94.jpg">
  339. </a>
  340. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/video/snapchat-spectacles-review-the-dos-and-donts/8F3F3E42-B7A3-492D-A572-D003D0EFC5CA.html?mod=trending_now_video_2">Snapchat Spectacles Review: The Dos and Don’ts</a></h4>
  341. </div>
  342. </li>
  343. <li class="clear" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  344. <meta content="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161130/113016mnuchin1/113016mnuchin1_167x94.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  345. <div class="video-hover-container">
  346. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/video/who-is-steven-mnuchin-trumps-treasury-pick/D87552C9-E1F6-4DD8-A9A1-895A0C724F96.html?mod=trending_now_video_3">
  347. <div class="video_play"></div>
  348. <img alt="[https://m.wsj.net/video/20161130/113016mnuchin1/113016mnuchin1_167x94.jpg]" src="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161130/113016mnuchin1/113016mnuchin1_167x94.jpg">
  349. </a>
  350. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/video/who-is-steven-mnuchin-trumps-treasury-pick/D87552C9-E1F6-4DD8-A9A1-895A0C724F96.html?mod=trending_now_video_3">Who Is Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s Treasury Pick?</a></h4>
  351. </div>
  352. </li>
  353. <li class="clear" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  354. <meta content="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/112916consumervote/112916consumervote_167x94.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  355. <div class="video-hover-container">
  356. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/video/trump-voters-like-samsung-clinton-voters-like-apple/73985F23-0029-4B38-BC3A-EE6CEF33C69C.html?mod=trending_now_video_4">
  357. <div class="video_play"></div>
  358. <img alt="[https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/112916consumervote/112916consumervote_167x94.jpg]" src="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161129/112916consumervote/112916consumervote_167x94.jpg">
  359. </a>
  360. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/video/trump-voters-like-samsung-clinton-voters-like-apple/73985F23-0029-4B38-BC3A-EE6CEF33C69C.html?mod=trending_now_video_4">Trump Voters Like Samsung; Clinton Voters Like Apple</a></h4>
  361. </div>
  362. </li>
  363. <li class="clear" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  364. <meta content="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161130/113016romney/113016romney_167x94.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  365. <div class="video-hover-container">
  366. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/video/mitt-romney-speaks-after-dinner-with-donald-trump/A1A718C1-68E3-4F48-BFA4-1A511394E9B3.html?mod=trending_now_video_5">
  367. <div class="video_play"></div>
  368. <img alt="[https://m.wsj.net/video/20161130/113016romney/113016romney_167x94.jpg]" src="https://m.wsj.net/video/20161130/113016romney/113016romney_167x94.jpg">
  369. </a>
  370. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/video/mitt-romney-speaks-after-dinner-with-donald-trump/A1A718C1-68E3-4F48-BFA4-1A511394E9B3.html?mod=trending_now_video_5">Mitt Romney Speaks After Dinner With Donald Trump</a></h4>
  371. </div>
  372. </li>
  373. </ul>
  374. </div>
  375.  
  376. <div class="trending_articles">
  377. <div class="strap secondary">
  378. <h2 class="subhead">Most Popular Articles</h2>
  379. </div>
  380. <ul class="clear">
  381. <li class="clear " itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  382. <meta content="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ823_STUDLO_C_20161130094102.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  383. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-forgive-at-least-108-billion-in-student-debt-in-coming-years-1480501802?mod=trending_now_1">
  384. <img width="111" alt="U.S. to Forgive at Least $108 Billion in Student Debt in Coming Years" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ823_STUDLO_C_20161130094102.jpg">
  385. </a>
  386.  
  387. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head">
  388. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-forgive-at-least-108-billion-in-student-debt-in-coming-years-1480501802?mod=trending_now_1">U.S. to Forgive at Least $108 Billion in Student Debt in Coming Years</a>
  389. </h4>
  390. </li>
  391. <li class="clear subPrev" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  392. <meta content="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ320_WORKFA_C_20161129105800.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  393. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-build-instant-rapport-in-an-interview-1480436936?mod=trending_now_2">
  394. <img width="111" alt="How to Build Instant Rapport in an Interview" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ320_WORKFA_C_20161129105800.jpg">
  395. </a>
  396.  
  397. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head">
  398. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-build-instant-rapport-in-an-interview-1480436936?mod=trending_now_2">How to Build Instant Rapport in an Interview</a>
  399. </h4>
  400. </li>
  401. <li class="clear " itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  402. <meta content="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ602_riley1_C_20161129174029.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  403. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-trumps-education-pick-scares-unions-1480464943?mod=trending_now_3">
  404. <img width="111" alt="Why Trump’s Education Pick Scares Unions" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ602_riley1_C_20161129174029.jpg">
  405. </a>
  406.  
  407. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head">
  408. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-trumps-education-pick-scares-unions-1480464943?mod=trending_now_3">Opinion: Why Trump’s Education Pick Scares Unions</a>
  409. </h4>
  410. </li>
  411. <li class="clear " itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  412. <meta content="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ606_MNUCHI_C_20161129174254.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  413. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-plans-to-name-steven-mnuchin-as-treasury-secretary-1480459950?mod=trending_now_4">
  414. <img width="111" alt="Treasury Pick Bet on Trump and Won" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ606_MNUCHI_C_20161129174254.jpg">
  415. </a>
  416.  
  417. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head">
  418. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-plans-to-name-steven-mnuchin-as-treasury-secretary-1480459950?mod=trending_now_4">Treasury Pick Bet on Trump and Won</a>
  419. </h4>
  420. </li>
  421. <li class="clear " itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemscope="">
  422. <meta content="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ684_1130CM_C_20161129223124.jpg" itemprop="contentUrl">
  423. <a class="image" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/opec-deal-to-curb-production-in-doubt-oil-prices-rebound-1480481281?mod=trending_now_5">
  424. <img width="111" alt="Oil Soars as OPEC Agrees to Cut Output" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-QZ684_1130CM_C_20161129223124.jpg">
  425. </a>
  426.  
  427. <h4 class="headline no-key truncate-head">
  428. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/opec-deal-to-curb-production-in-doubt-oil-prices-rebound-1480481281?mod=trending_now_5">Oil Soars as OPEC Agrees to Cut Output</a>
  429. </h4>
  430. </li>
  431. </ul>
  432. </div>
  433.  
  434. </div>
  435.  
  436. </div> <!-- data-module-name="resp.module.trendingNow.DesktopModule" -->
  437.  
  438. <div class="module trendingAd">
  439.  
  440. <div class="zonedModule" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/responsiveAd" data-module-zone="trendingAd" data-module-id="11">
  441. <div class="wsj-responsive-ad-wrap" id="AD_G2" data-tracking="interactive.wsj.com/opinion_bestwebtoday" data-ad-options='{"adId":"AD_G","adUnitPath":"/2/interactive.wsj.com/opinion_bestwebtoday","adSize":[[1,1]],"adSizeMap":null,"autoRefresh":false,"adTargeting":{"metazone":null,"msrc":null,"circ":"snippet_free_pass","bkuuid":"apip/b8e99ydqyhr","p39":null},"disableRefresh":false}'>
  442. </div>
  443.  
  444. </div> <!-- data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/responsiveAd" -->
  445.  
  446. </div>
  447. </div></div>
  448. </article>
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement
Public Pastes
Advertisement
We use cookies for various purposes including analytics. By continuing to use Pastebin, you agree to our use of cookies as described in the Cookies Policy.  OK, I Understand
Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!