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The_Week_USA_-_15_November_2013 THE BEST OF THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA WWW.THEWEEK.COMALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS PEOPLE How Bullock recovered from divorce p.8 INTERNATIONAL THE MAYOR WHO SMOKED CRACK p.13 BRIEFING China’s pollution nightmare p.9 GOP...

The_Week_USA_-_15_November_2013
THE BEST OF THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA WWW.THEWEEK.COMALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS PEOPLE How Bullock recovered from divorce p.8 INTERNATIONAL THE MAYOR WHO SMOKED CRACK p.13 BRIEFING China’s pollution nightmare p.9 GOP savior? Why Christie is the 2016 front-runner p.4 Toronto’s Rob Ford N O V E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 1 3 IS S U E 6 4 3 R e u te rs , M is s P h ili p p in e s E a rt h U S A /F a c e b o o k The main stories... 2 news What happened Political moderation was the big winner in off-year elections this week, as Democrat Terry McAuliffe narrowly defeated a Tea Party con- servative to become governor of Virginia, and New Jersey’s moderate Republican Gov. Chris Christie was re-elected in a landslide. McAuliffe beat Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in Vir- ginia by just 3 points, in a race that was widely seen as a national bellwether. Cuccinelli ran a deeply conservative campaign, condemning im- migration reform and Obamacare, and pledg- ing to restrict access to abortions. McAuliffe, a former business executive and ally of Bill and Hillary Clinton, out- spent Cuccinelli by as much as 10–1, and positioned himself as a “business-friendly” pragmatist who could work with Republicans. Cuccinelli credited his comeback from double-digit deficits in the polls to a voter backlash against President Obama. “Despite being outspent by an unprecedented $15 million, this race came down to the wire because of Obamacare,” he said. In an Alabama congres- sional primary, state Sen. Bradley Byrne—the choice of establish- ment Republicans—defeated Tea Party challenger Dean Young. Christie’s huge, 22-point victory in New Jersey installed him as the Republican to beat in the 2016 presidential primaries (see page 4). Across the Hudson River, Bill de Blasio was elected the first Demo- cratic mayor of New York City in 20 years, defeating Republican candidate Joe Lhota with a defiantly progressive platform. De Blasio built his campaign on a “tale of two cities,” saying he wanted to narrow the gap between the city’s wealthy elites and the 46 percent of New Yorkers near or below the poverty line. What the editorials said These results “hold important lessons for the GOP,” said USA Today. The party might easily have won in Virginia without an outspoken extremist like Cuccinelli on the ballot. This “longtime culture warrior” alienated female and moderate voters with hard- line policies such as personhood laws that would have banned abortion and some kinds of contraception, and a push to restore the state’s ban on sodomy. The message to Republicans who wish to become a majority party again is clear: “Stop nominating candi- dates who are far out of the political mainstream.” Christie may be the “new hero of main- stream Republican conservatives,” said The Washington Post. But Bill de Blasio has be- come the standard-bearer for the Democratic left, embodying the liberal anger at President Obama’s failure to address income inequality and stand up for the 99 percent. De Blasio’s challenge “now goes from electioneering to governing,” said the New York Post, and there’s little to be optimistic about. Progressive mayors overspent and overtaxed this city into an economic morass in the 1970s and ’80s and let criminals run amok. De Blasio will erase 20 years of progress if he follows that same course. What the columnists said Democrats have little reason to celebrate, said Jonathan s. Tobin in CommentaryMagazine.com. Yes, the government shutdown en- gineered by the Tea Party put Cuccinelli in a deep hole. But even in “purple” Virginia, growing voter anger over the various betrayals in Obamacare “wound up turning a rout into a narrow election.” Cuccinelli lost for a simple reason, said Dahlia Lithwick in Slate .com. As an activist attorney general, he tried to impose on all Virginians “a social and religious code” that was “extreme, hate- ful, and intrusive.” He opposed abortion even for rape and incest victims, advocated transvaginal ultrasounds to intimidate women seeking abortions, and insisted on abstinence-only sex educa- tion. Female voters swung for McAuliffe by 14 points, sending a message to all would-be conservative lawmakers that attempts to control women will be “met with a ‘no.’” Just do the math, said Jennifer Rubin in WashingtonPost.com. In a country in which just 35 percent of voters identify as conservatives, “a center-right candidate is going to do a lot better than a far-right candidate.’’ Still, it’s an ominous sign for Democrats that McAuliffe barely won, said nate Cohn in NewRepublic.com. He was running under “all but ideal conditions,” with a vast money advantage in a state where many federal government workers are still fuming over the Republican shutdown. If Democrats struggle to beat a seriously flawed candidate like Cuccinelli, Republicans should be “feeling relatively confident heading into 2014.” THE WEEK November 15, 2013 A bad election Day for the Tea Party On the cover: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Illustration by Howard McWilliam. Cover photos from Corbis, Getty, Reuters McAuliffe: A narrow victory ■■ A girl with a condition that causes baldness has over- come the trauma of losing her hair at age 12 and won a beauty pageant. Angelica Galindez, 19, applied for the Miss Philippines Earth pageant with a picture of herself in a wig, but got the organizers’ approval to compete without it and embrace her natural look. The teenager, who has alopecia areata, won one of six crowns and will now travel to the Philippines for the contest’s next round. “If you have confidence, and the judges see that, then that’s more beautiful than anything else,” she said. ■■ A midair collision between two planes packed with skydivers over Superior, Wis., had a miraculous outcome this week, as all passen- gers and pilots survived the fiery crash with barely a scratch. Four daredevils were thrown from the first plane when it hit the other aircraft, breaking into pieces and catching fire. The second plane went into a steep dive, but five jumpers were able to exit. All nine skydivers landed safely, and the first plane’s pilot escaped using an emergency parachute. The other was able to land his damaged plane unhurt. “We were all very, very lucky,” said jumper Michael Robinson. ■■ When local Fox reporter John Charlton discovered a water- logged home video in Fairfield, Conn., last year in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, he vowed to find its original owner. The newscaster had the footage cleaned up and transferred to DVD, then showed some of it on air in the hope that someone would recognize the im- ages. Within a day, John McKean called in to the studio to say it was his. “The sentimental value is huge,” said McKean, who lost his house in the storm. “For it to come back like that, it’s just amazing.” It wasn’t all bad Galindez wears the crown. WorldMags.netWorldMags.net WorldMags.net ... and how they were covered THE WEEK November 15, 2013 news 3 Visit us at TheWeek.com. For customer service go to www.TheWeek.com/service or phone us at 1-877-245-8151. Renew a subscription at www.RenewTheWeek.com or give a gift at www.GiveTheWeek.com. A P What makes human beings the most successful of all earthly crea- tures? Earlier this year a book advanced the theory that it’s our sin- gular ability to deny reality when it’s staring us in the face. Ajit Varki and Danny Brower argued that consciousness brings no evolutionary advantage if it awakens us to the depressing fact that we’re doomed to die. The frst person to have that “all-encompassing, persistent, terror-flled realization,” they wrote, would likely lose out in the struggle to fnd a mate and pass on his or her genes. So unlike self-aware chimpanzees, dolphins, and orcas, said the authors of Denial: Self-Deception, False Beliefs, and the Origins of the Human Mind, humans developed “neural mechanisms for denying reality.” That’s why we’re running the show on this planet, but it’s also why we eat in ways we know will kill us and keep spewing out enough carbon to cause the seas to rise. This intriguing theory came to mind this week, thanks to the lavish feast of denial laid out by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford (see page 13). After months of insisting he didn’t use drugs, Ford fnally admitted that he had smoked crack cocaine in “one of my drunken stupors.” He said he would rein in his excessive drinking in public, while insisting that he’s no alcoholic and will keep right on drinking in his basement. His half-defant explanation—“I’m only human”—may be cause for some sympathy. But it’s a poor excuse for chronic misbehaving. As Varki and Brower wrote, “It is only by understanding reality denial as an enemy within that we might be able to overcome it.” To Ford and the rest of us reality-deniers, I say good luck with that. THE WEEK The CIA’s drone program claimed one of its highest-profile scalps last week when the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, was killed by a missile strike in the country’s lawless northwest tribal area. Vowing to avenge their leader’s death, the Taliban said, “Every drop of Ha- kimullah’s blood will turn into a suicide bomber.” The CIA had been hunting the Islamist extremist since 2009, when he orchestrated a suicide bombing in Afghanistan that killed seven of the agency’s employees. Although the Pakistani Taliban and their allies are estimated to have killed more than 17,800 civilians and almost 5,500 security personnel in Pakistan since 2003, the country’s government condemned the drone strike as sabotage, saying the U.S. wanted to “murder” forthcoming peace talks with the militant group. A major threat to the U.S. has been eliminated, said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. Mehsud was the brains behind the failed 2010 plot to detonate a car bomb in New York City’s Times Square, which could have killed and maimed hundreds. Pakistan may protest that we violated its security. But so long as it “allows terrorist enclaves on its soil, the U.S. has every right under the rules of war to use drones to protect Americans.” Mehsud was a cruel and effective terrorist leader, said samira shackle in TheGuardian.com. But his death will make little difference to the militants’ bloody cam- paign. Mehsud took over the group in 2009 when his predecessor was killed in a drone strike, and already the Taliban is moving to appoint a new boss. Which raises the question: “What hope is there for peace?” Not much, said Paul shinkman in USNews.com. A negotiated settlement is unlikely, since the Tali- ban are demanding the implementation of brutal sharia across the nation. Pakistan’s government, which privately supports drone strikes, won’t launch a ground offensive to root out the Taliban from their mountainous hideout, out of fear of killing huge num- bers of civilians. For combating these fanatical jihadists, U.S. drones are still “the only tool in the toolbox.” A bill banning workplace discrimination on the basis of sex- ual orientation or gender identity cleared a hurdle in the Senate this week, but Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) may block the proposal by refusing to let it come up for a vote by the House. Seven Republicans joined with Senate Democrats to overcome a filibuster against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would bar employers from firing, refusing to hire, or discriminating against workers based on their being les- bian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The bill was last on the floor in 1996, when it failed to pass by just one vote. The crucial vote this week came from Nevada Republican Dean Heller, who said, “Discrimination must not be tolerated under any circumstance.” But as the bill advanced toward final passage, Boehner suggested an up-or-down vote was unlikely in the House. “The speaker be- lieves this legislation will increase frivolous litigation and cost American jobs,” said his spokesman. House Republicans should listen to their constituents, said Zoë Carpenter in The Nation. Nearly three quarters of Americans support ENDA—including most GOP supporters. In fact, 80 percent of those polled said they thought such workplace protec- tions were already in place. How wrong they are: Half the states still offer no legal protection for LGBT workers, who are regu- larly discriminated against, “from earning less than their straight colleagues to being fired based on their sexual orientation.” It’s perfectly fine to ban discrimination based on objective grounds, like “race, religion, sex, or national origin,” said Ralph Reed in USAToday.com. But expecting employers to adhere to “an often fluid standard” regarding sexual orientation and gen- der identity will only lead to endless litigation. Democrats only pushed this flawed measure toward the House—where they knew it would be “dead on arrival”—in order to make Republi- cans look “intolerant.” Actually, LGBT lawsuits are rare, said Marc Tracy in New Republic.com. Connecticut has had a discrimination law since 1991, and only 53 of the 1,740 employment-based complaints since then have dealt with sexual orientation. Of course, there’ll always be the occasional person who tries to “sue disingenu- ously.” But Americans have clearly decided to take that risk if it helps us to create “a society that doesn’t unjustly discriminate.” Drone takes out Taliban leader Discrimination bill advances Mehsud Editor-in-chief: William Falk Executive editor: James Graff Deputy editor/International: Susan Caskie Deputy editor/Arts: Chris Mitchell Senior editors: Theunis Bates, Sergio Hernandez, Dan Stewart, Hallie Stiller, Jon Velez-Jackson, Frances Weaver Acting art director: France D. Salvosa Photo editor: Loren Talbot Copy editors: Thomas Berger, Jay Wilkins Chief researcher: Emily Shire Contributing editors: Ryan Devlin, Bruno Maddox, Dale Obbie Chief executive officer: Steven Kotok EVP, sales: Tim Koorbusch Marketing director: Tracy Monahan National advertising director: Jamie Altschul N.Y. managers: Allison Hudson, Steven Mumford Mid-Atlantic/Southeast director: Suzy Jacobs Midwest director: Erin Sesto Detroit director: James McNulty Southwest director: Matt Estrada Director, strategic sales: Julian Lowin Integrated marketing director: Yasir Salem Marketing coordinator: Jessica Estremera Digital sales planner: Christopher Vitale Chief financial officer: Kevin E. Morgan Director of financial reporting: Arielle Starkman Group consumer marketing director: Sara O’Connor New business director: Peter Corbett Digital and print production director: Sean Fenlon Production manager: Kyle Christine Smith HR/Operations manager: Joy Hart Directors: Robert G. Bartner, Peter Godfrey Chairman: Felix Dennis U.K. founding editor: Jolyon ConnellJames Graff WorldMags.netWorldMags.net WorldMags.net Controversy of the week4 news Christie: why he’s already the GOP’s 2016 front-runner After this week’s election, Republican insid- ers agree on one thing, said Chris Cillizza in WashingtonPost.com. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the GOP’s “best—and maybe only— hope to win back the White House in 2016.” With the rest of the party roiled by ideological infighting and suffering from new lows in popu- larity in national opinion polls, the combative, charismatic Christie cruised to re-election in a blue Northeastern state, winning 60 percent of the vote. No other candidate for the GOP nomination can boast Christie’s level of cross-party appeal, least of all the Tea Party–backed Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, his most likely rivals. The exit-poll results make an emphatic case for a Christie presidential bid, said John Avlon in TheDailyBeast.com. Though his record is distinctly conservative, he won Hispanics by 6 per- cent, independents by an eye-popping 31 percent, and women by 15 percent—against a female challenger. If Christie can do half as well nationally, he could extricate the GOP from its “demographic trap” and put a Republican back in the White House. “Hold off on the coronation for now,” said Reid wilson in WashingtonPost.com. The Republican establishment may love Christie, but the conservative base dominates the primaries. To hard-right, Tea Party supporters, Christie is suspiciously moder- ate. This is a governor, after all, who signed a law banning gay conversion therapy, signed 10 gun-control bills into law, dropped his appeal of a court ruling legalizing gay marriage, supported free tuition for illegal immigrants, and—most unforgivably of all— publicly praised and hugged President Obama for his response to Hurricane Sandy just days before the 2012 election. Christie’s bul- lying, Tony Soprano–like personality won’t stand up to the pres- sure of a national race, said Peter Keating in NYMag.com, and neither will his record. Despite cutting corporate taxes by $600 million a year and giving business $2 billion in tax credits, Christie has failed to revive New Jersey’s economy, with the state ranking 44th in the nation in job creation. He’s played games with the state’s budget, too, defer- ring pension obligations until he’s out of office, and cutting aid to schools and municipalities. Newark Star-Ledger columnist Tom Moran calls Christie “America’s most overrated governor.” In the end, though, what will matter to Republicans is that Christie shares their indignant rage, said Joel Mathis in PhillyMag.com. In the final days of his gubernatorial campaign, when any prudent politician would have been playing it safe, Christie got in a shouting match with a middle-school teacher who was protesting his education cuts. Jabbing his finger in her face, he bellowed, “I’m tired of you people!” To conservatives in the age of Obama, that refusal to take any guff is a badge of authenticity—proof that Christie, like them, seethes with “good old-fashioned resentment of pointy-headed liberals who think they’re smarter or better or more compassionate than you.” It’s worked in Democrat-heavy New Jersey, so why not in the rest of the nation? asked David Harsanyi in TheFederalist.com. Christie’s struggles with his weight, his explosions of temper, and his willingness to shout “shut up” at reporters, union members, and critics have actually endeared him to his constituents, even if they don’t always agree with him. He seems real, with no patience for the niceties of modern politics. Given the current level of public disgust with politicians, Chris Christie “might not be what conservatives want, but he may be what they need.” Only in America ■■■ A Texas man was jailed for failing to return a library book he checked out in 2010. Cop- peras Cove law allows police to arrest anyone who has not returned an overdue book within 90 days. “Nobody wants to get arrested over a library book,” said Municipal Court Judge Bill Price. “[But] people that go to our library and can’t have these materi- als, they’re put out too.” ■■■ A student in a ninja Hal- loween costume caused a panicked lockdown at Central Connecticut State University. Senior David Kyem triggered reports of an “armed” intruder when he returned to campus in his costume, with a mask over his face and a sword strapped to his back- pack. The lockdown ended after three hours, and Kyem was arrested and charged with breach of peace. Boring but important Anti-fracking initiatives fare well in Colorado Voters in three Colorado cities passed initiatives against fracking this week, pav- ing the way for a statewide referendum on the drilling technique, which uses water and chemicals to break open dense rocks and extract oil
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