PostPartisan - Quick takes by The Post's opinion writers - October 24, 2010

At the Stewart and Colbert rally, define 'sanity'...

The first words Jon Stewart spoke at Saturday's Rally to Restore Sanity captured the uncomfortable tension that defined the event. "Who's ready to restore SANITY???" he screamed to cheers, his tone self-consciously unhinged. The rally was supposedly a contest...

By Stephen Stromberg | October 30, 2010; 6:05 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (129)
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Is there a liberal gene?

Researchers at Harvard and UCSD may have identified a liberal gene. The idea is that the 7R variant of the DRD4 gene is related to "novelty seeking," predisposing those who have it to be open to diversity in relationships...

By Stephen Stromberg | October 29, 2010; 3:27 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
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The victims of party sweeps

The problem with elections in which one party rides a wave is that many exceptional people from the other party get driven from office. When voters want to send a message, they often ignore the individual qualities of the...

By E.J. Dionne | October 29, 2010; 3:05 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
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Washington State's 'Robin Hood' tax

In an electoral development that must have Ayn Rand rolling in her grave, voters in Washington State will decide next Tuesday on I-1098, a.k.a. the "Robin Hood Initiative." With no state income tax, Washingtonians currently suffer under what the...

By Katrina vanden Heuvel | October 29, 2010; 1:27 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (13)
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Majority Leader Schumer or Durbin is fine by me

I wasn't going to write about this until the fate of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was sealed this Tuesday, but the New York Times story today about the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Schumer...

By Jonathan Capehart | October 29, 2010; 10:09 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (19)
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Friday p-Op quiz: '2010-2012' edition

This is the last quiz before everything as we know it in politics changes. Or not. Or not as much as we thought. Or way more than even the polls said. So, to prepare for that momentous occasion, see...

By Jonathan Capehart | October 29, 2010; 9:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Palin will run 'if there's nobody else to do it'?

Sarah Palin let it be known earlier this month in West Palm Beach that she would run for president in 2012 if "the American people" want her to. Now she's telling Entertainment Tonight that she'll hit the campaign trail...

By Jonathan Capehart | October 28, 2010; 3:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (23)
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Why the Anita Hill hearings matter

I was in the room 19 years ago when Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas testified about things I never imagined I'd hear discussed in public, no less before a congressional committee. The atmosphere was charged, the details sordid. Some...

By Ruth Marcus | October 28, 2010; 3:26 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (33)
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Obama begins shift on gay marriage

The one issue that puts President Obama to the right of Laura Bush, the Cheney family and Meghan and Cindy McCain is his opposition to same-sex marriage. But a meeting with progressive bloggers Wednesday gives hope that he's inching...

By Jonathan Capehart | October 28, 2010; 1:36 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (20)
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Over the river and into the trees (or New Jersey)

Several readers, mostly in a kindly way, have written this morning to take issue with a phrase in my column on the Pennsylvania Senate race suggesting that Delaware is "across the river" from Pennsylvania. "Nice column this morning," wrote...

By E.J. Dionne | October 28, 2010; 12:49 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Which Black America will turn out to vote?

By Joel Dreyfuss How black America feels about itself becomes increasingly important as we approach the crucial midterm elections. Recently, some experts have pointed out that a large African-American turnout could significantly reduce the expected losses among Democrats. This must...

By Joel Dreyfuss | October 28, 2010; 11:36 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Obama faces Stewart on the Daily Show

President Obama and Jon Stewart were themselves last night as the cerebral chief executive fielded questions from the comedically serious host of "The Daily Show." And thank goodness. Nothing is sadder than when someone not known for humor tries...

By Jonathan Capehart | October 28, 2010; 7:19 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
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With two women on the ballot, things that should be off-limits

Excuse me, Mary Fallin, did I just hear you say, "Woman up"? I believe I did. The next governor of Oklahoma will, for the first time, be a woman. Fallin, a Republican business executive, former lieutenant governor and currently...

By Ruth Marcus | October 27, 2010; 1:16 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (47)
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LeBron James grows tiresome

LeBron James is now officially working my last nerve. First, there was all that hype leading up to the basketball phenom's decision to bolt Cleveland for Miami. And the only redeeming value of the hour-long informercial announcing his decision...

By Jonathan Capehart | October 26, 2010; 3:48 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
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Is the 'New Elite' really so out-of-touch? Does it matter?

I'm pretty sure when Charles Murray talks of the "New Elite," he has something like me -- or at least many of my friends -- in mind. No blue blood in my veins, I still grew up comfortably, got...

By Stephen Stromberg | October 26, 2010; 2:40 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (35)
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Where does the SEIU get its money?

The first rule of holes: when you are in one, stop digging. This truth is lost on Jon Youngdahl, national political director of the Service Employees International Union. He digs the SEIU into an even deeper hole with his...

By Marc Thiessen | October 26, 2010; 2:24 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (20)
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Stewart, Colbert: Isn't there a better way to restore sanity?

After two harrowing years watching hope diminish and the Tea Party rise, progressives, liberals and quite a few moderates are tired and feel powerless. So I get why they are latching on to Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's real...

By Jonathan Capehart | October 26, 2010; 11:29 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (24)
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Can the United Nations create a Palestinian state?

On November 15, 1988, Yasser Arafat proudly read a declaration by his Palestinian Liberation Organization unilaterally proclaiming "the establishment of the State of Palestine on our Palestinian territory with its capital Jerusalem." Shortly afterward the United Nations General Assembly...

By Jackson Diehl | October 26, 2010; 11:15 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (30)
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The improbable President Palin scenario

Covering the world of politics requires having a fertile imagination. Figuring out all the angles and scenarios means you'll never be surprised when what was thought impossible actually occurs. But John Heilemann, the super-smart and colleagial co-author of Game...

By Jonathan Capehart | October 26, 2010; 8:54 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (26)
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PostPartisan: October 24, 2010 - October 30, 2010