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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: pragmatism

pragmatism stories: 8 news summaries

Supreme Wish List: Pragmatist, Easy to Confirm, 'Home Run'

As Obama vetting begins, 4 women lead

May 10, 09 9:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama's choice to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court will be a pragmatist unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom, insiders tell the Washington Post. While Obama will not play it safe, they say, neither does he want a provocative choice that will create another partisan confirmation battle. "... More »

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Barack Obama • pragmatism • Jennifer Granholm • US Supreme Court • David Axelrod • David Souter • Elena Kagan • Sonia Sotomayor • Diane Wood

analysis

 After Big 
 Promises, 
 Has Obama 
 Gone Soft? 

Prez seems quite willing to compromise—"even capitulate"

Apr 19, 09 7:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - During the campaign, President Obama promised sweeping changes and a new way of doing things in Washington—but in the Oval Office, he’s been noticeably willing to compromise, write David Herszenhorn and Jackie Calmes in the New York Times. While he’s not dropping his chief concerns, “The... More »

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pragmatism • compromise • Obama administration • President Obama

OPINION

Bush's Failures Show the Need for Pragmatic Prez

Like Hoover, Dubya stuck to his principles rather than compromise

Jan 14, 09 4:06 PM CST
(Newser) - What exactly made George W. Bush such a terrible president? His unwavering commitment to his principles, Alan Brinkley argues in the New Republic. Most Americans favor idealists over realists, in theory, so the criticism might seem strange. But the presidents we remember for their lofty goals and convictions—such as... More »

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depression • pragmatism • Abraham Lincoln • Franklin D. Roosevelt • free markets • George W. Bush • Herbert Hoover • idealism

OPINION

 With Obama, 
 Introspection 
 Makes a Comeback 

President-elect is pragmatic, but his thinking is mysterious

Jan 14, 09 11:38 AM CST
(Newser) - Looking at President Bush gets John Dickerson wondering, in Slate, if anything complex is going on behind the simple facade (Answer: Probably not). President-elect Obama prompts a different question: “How much of his true thinking is he actually sharing with us?” Obama, unlike Bush, is deeply self-reflective, and seems... More »

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Barack Obama • pragmatism • George W. Bush • President Obama

analysis

 Obama Cabinet Picks: 
  Seasoned and Centrist

Obama goes for pragmatism over ideology: NY Times

Nov 22, 08 7:13 AM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama swept into office on a wave of left-wing support, but his appointments thus far point to a centrist governing style, writes David E. Sanger in the New York Times. In choosing Hillary Clinton for secretary of state and Timothy Geithner for Treasury, Obama seems ready to “govern... More »

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Hillary Clinton • pragmatism • experience • Obama administration • transition team • President Obama • Timothy Geithner

The Tug of War Over John McCain's Soul

Neocons, pragmatists battle for influence with Republican candidate

Apr 10, 08 1:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - Republican “pragmatists” are growing uneasy seeing John McCain consorting with prominent neoconservatives, the New York Times reports. They fear McCain’s foreign policy isn’t as crystallized as it seems, and could be influenced by neocon advisers like John Bolton. “It might be too strong to say a... More »

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John McCain • pragmatism • campaign adviser • John Bolton • neocon • foreign policy • Henry Kissinger • McCain 2008 • Election 2008

The Executive vs. The Visionary

Democratic race offers a competing views of the presidency

Jan 24, 08 11:29 AM CST
(Newser) - The choice between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama boils down to two fundamentally different views of the presidency, writes the New Yorker's George Packer—the political pragmatism of Clinton or the inspiration of Obama. Clinton embraces nuts-and-bolts governance and scoffs at political naivety. Obama has a far more visionary view,... More »

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Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • White House • Bill Clinton • pragmatism • Democratic nomination • visionary • Election 2008 • Robert F. Kennedy

Philosopher Richard Rorty Dies at 75

Influential thinker blasted the existence of truth, espoused patriotism

Jun 11, 07 6:21 AM CDT
(Newser) - Richard Rorty, a celebrated intellectual whose ponderous body of work spanned the gamuts of philosophy, politics, and literary theory, died of pancreatic cancer Friday, at 75. Rorty was known both as a resplendent thinker and as on old lion of the left. “At 12, I knew that the point... More »

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cancer • Stanford University • Richard Rorty • philosophy • John Dewey • pragmatism • American pragmatism • obituary • William James • pancreatic cancer

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