Ellen Goodman

Goodman is a nationally syndicated columnist for the Boston Globe, and a Pulitzer Prize winner.

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Q: What has been the Republicans’ biggest mistake?

A: They were mistaken about what people were willing to trade off. Ask people, “Would you like to reduce the size of government?” and they’ll all say, “Yeah!” But give them a checklist — “Do you want to reduce this? Do you want your mother to pay more for Medicare?” — and they’ll check off three or four things, but they won’t be the same things. There’s no consensus. The Republicans so overplayed their hand, between Gingrich and orphanages and cutting the safety net, that people said, “Uh-oh, I don’t think this is what we voted for.”

Q: What role has Gingrich played in the decline of this Congress and of the GOP?

A: He came in sticking his foot in his mouth at every opportunity. And he seems like such a smug little boy. That whole thing about shutting the government down because the president was pissy to him on the plane — it really didn’t sit well with people.

And, ideologically, people just didn’t trust him. Would you buy your mother’s health care proposal from Newt Gingrich? I’ll pass on that. He just didn’t look like a trustworthy guy, somebody to entrust with your Social Security, your health care, the fate of your children.

Q: How have liberals responded to the Gingrich revolution?

A: This Congress scared liberals into talking about values. They had virtually given the whole conversation about families and values to the right wing. In some way, liberals got the message and got it together, and they’re talking about values and families in ways that they should have been.

Q: How did that happen?

A: Liberals could no longer talk like policy wonks, because they weren’t in charge of policy. They couldn’t put in welfare reform or childcare policy, because they didn’t have the votes. What they could talk about was, “How should we behave toward our children? Are we working too much and neglecting each other? What has happened to the sense of community?” Some of this is V-chips and curfews, which is not public policy, but still resonates and makes people feel that liberals at least know what they’re worrying about.

Q: What do you think of the GOP’s government-vs.-family concept?

A: That’s their whole shtick: Get the government out of the family, and you will be able to control everything that affects your children.

First of all, people want the government to do certain things. The Clinton administration says the government can be on your side; it can be a force to help you, in terms of watching out for your kids. The Democrats still say there are things the government can do for your family, whereas the Republicans have said the only thing government can do for your family is get out and leave you in charge.

When the Republicans suggest it should all be your responsibility, women react very strongly, because personal responsibility for the family means, “It’s back on you, Mom.” When they talk about doing away with the regulations about nursing home care, or say that families should take care of their own elderly, they’re talking about a middle-aged woman taking care of her parents while she’s taking care of her children and holding down a full-time job so her family can survive. And women know that. That’s part of the gender gap.

WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

payment methods

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