Long-Form Dana

A log of my longer-form journalism around the Internets.

What Hillary Did for Women - The American Prospect
We don't have to wait to see how Hillary Clinton's campaign changed the role of women in politics. From the vice-presidential competition to punditry to Netroots activism, we're already seeing positive results.

The Battle of the Blogs- The New Republic
Will the fight between Daily Kos and MyDD have longer lasting implications than its founders realize?

Pedal Pusher
As gas prices rise and congestion worsens, cities and commuters alike are starting to embrace bicycles.

The Case of the Missing Education Policy - The American Prospect
Want to know what John McCain's plans are for fixing America's education system? Good luck. His last major statement was during his 2000 campaign.

The Pope's Free Pass - RH Reality Check and The American Prospect
American politicians missed a chance to criticize the pope for the church's opposition to the use of condoms to stem the spread of AIDS.

Should Clinton Consider Albany? - The American Prospect
The decline of Hillary Clinton's presidential prospects does not change the fact that she is a singularly hard-working, policy-focused politician. Now that Eliot Spitzer is out, perhaps she should consider running for governor of New York.

War With Ourselves - RH Reality Check
The prevalence of sexual violence against American women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is a national shame. U.S. servicewomen today are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire.

When Obama Voted "No" - RH Reality Check
Obama’s opposition to the “Born Alive Infant Protection Act” serves as the basis of anti-choice rhetoric against his candidacy. But BAIPA isn't really about protecting infants; it is anti-abortion rights legislation crafted by the hard right.

Canada Imports "School Choice" Ideology - The American Prospect
Toronto's current debate over whether to create Afrocentric public schools looks suspiciously like arguments over private school vouchers in the United States, with the same charged rhetoric and misleading data.

Fractures on the Far Right - RH Reality Check
Catholic anti-choicers were among the first members of the religious right to flock to the McCain campaign, in part because of suspicions of anti-Catholicism within Mike Huckabee's evangelical movement. Now McCain's Catholic supporters are incensed by their candidate's solicitation of an endorsement from a man who has long derided Catholicism

What's Missing From Democratic Exit Polls? - RH Reality Check
By including questions about abortion on Republican exit polls, but not Democratic ones, pollsters guarantee the media pays attention to how conservative, anti-choice voters feel about the issue, while overlooking the majority of Americans' support for broad access to abortion and contraception.

Obama's Demographic Problem - The American Prospect
Even some supporters worry that Obama is doing little to retool his message to reach the demographic groups that have challenged him -- working-class whites and Latinos.

The Fight for the Latino Vote - The American Prospect
Super Tuesday has brought the power of the Latino vote to the forefront of the campaign. Clinton and Obama are once again sparring over a slice of the demographic pie.

Whither Edwards Supporters? - The American Prospect
John Edwards has dropped out of the presidential race. The new questions is where his supporters -- and the candidate himself -- will go next.

Baby on Board - The New Republic
John McCain's adopted daughter, the great symbol of dirty tricks in 2000's South Carolina primary, is now being used by McCain himself in a ploy to woo evangelical voters.

The Real Caucus Coverage - The American Prospect
If more members of the national media left the safe confines of the campaign parties to cover how Iowa really chooses a nominee, maybe America would be more critical of the process.

The Appeal of the Second Tier - The American Prospect
Joe Biden supporters are wild about the senator's experience on the world stage. And deluded enough to think he can win the Iowa caucus.

Iowans Debate the Merits of Edwards' Populism - The American Prospect
Will the Iowa caucuses be a referendum on John Edwards' populist rhetoric?

Ladies Choice - The New Republic
Barack Obama's attempt to mount a feminist challenge to Hillary Clinton.

Reparations Anxiety - The American Prospect
Brown University announced that it will give a $10 million endowment to local public schools to atone for its involvement in the slave trade. But reparations alone will not address the ongoing segregation of the American education system.

Left Behind? - The American Prospect
Ossining, New York, was at the forefront of school integration. But as American law and public opinion turn against race-based programs, can the town continue to use racial targeting to close the achievement gap?

Race-Baiting on the Ballot - The American Prospect
Immigration isn't the only explosive racial issue facing voters in the coming election year -- the anti-affirmative action movement is pushing 2008 ballot initiatives across the country. Is economic populism the antidote?

Conservative Women and the GOP Gender Gap - The American Prospect
The Republican candidates' female staffers seem more concerned with one particular woman -- Hillary Clinton -- than with the American woman voter. It's hard to imagine them closing their gender gap any time soon.

Stupid White Men - The Guardian
The Democratic party shouldn't abandon its progressive agenda in pursuit of white male voters. For one thing, it doesn't need them.

Jenna Bush Reconsidered - The American Prospect
Forget the stories about drinking and partying. With her new book on the problems of poverty, AIDS, and sex abuse in Latin America, Jenna Bush seems to be growing up -- and outgrowing her family's conservative politics.

Segregated Schools Leave Children Behind - The American Prospect
NCLB ignored a key underlying sociological problem -- segregation -- that contributes to the achievement gap. We've known for a long time that separate cannot be equal, but as NCLB's supporters well understood, it is doubtful the bill would have passed had it imposed on privileged white people any substantive responsibility for the achievement of minority students.

Newt's New Spin on the Iraq War - The American Prospect
Think again before you tell your friends you've located one of those rumored "principled conservatives." When it comes to the Iraq War, Gingrich has a long history of flipping, flopping, and then flipping again.

The Motivations of Monsters - CampusProgress.org 
An interview with author Tara McKelvey about torture in Iraq

GOP Moms: Between a Rock and the Hard Right - The American Prospect
A Republican Congresswoman describes her life as a working mother to a room full of young conservative women. Mixed messages abound.

Will Conservatives Leave Education Reform Behind? - The American Prospect
At an American Enterprise Institute event yesterday, conservatives considered whether to throw their support behind reforming No Child Left Behind, or let the law continue to hobble along as an unfunded mandate.

Dr. Yes-Man - The American Prospect
Dr. James Holsinger doesn't inspire confidence that, if confirmed as surgeon general, he would be independent enough to withstand Bush's political and ideological pressure.

Genetic Disorder - In These Times
Parents with limited incomes are being denied access to genetic tests and the counseling that experts say should accompany them.

Second Tier Candidates, First Rate Ideas - The American Prospect
Good ideas on public education, criminal justice reform, and international law from second-tier Democratic presidential candidates.

Hillary and the Chick Factor - The American Prospect
The competing demands of identity politics were very much on the minds of young voters who came out to see Clinton in downtown Washington, many of whom described themselves as torn between the gravitas of Clinton's health care and diplomatic experience and the excitement surrounding the Barack Obama campaign.

Circumcision Promotion Divides AIDS Activists- In These Times
Many activists are concerned about extrapolating prevention methods for American high-risk men, many of whom are bisexual or gay, from the African circumcision studies, which were conducted primarily among heterosexual groups. Meanwhile, others question how a male partner’s circumcision affects a woman’s susceptibility to HIV.

Rally for the American Dream - CampusProgress.org
At an immigrant rights rally in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, the diverse grassroots movement that surfaced last year in a spate of street demonstrations reunited with clear legislative goals.

The Mommy Mantra - The American Prospect
Pelosi and Clinton's pandering to outmoded gender stereotypes doesn't assuage doubts about women ascending to the highest reaches of power. It reinforces them.

Her Next Bold Move - CampusProgress.org
It’s difficult for me to overstate the influence Ani Difranco had on my adolescence...

Anti-Choicers Get a Life - CampusProgress.org
I run into Sam Brownback at the Blogs4Life conference.

Five Minutes With Andy Stern - CampusProgress.org
The labor leader tells me about his plans to bring young professionals into the movement.

It's the Politics Stupid - The American Prospect
I got some crap for this piece, but I do still believe that the lack of women in electoral politics contributes to the lack of women in political opinion journalism.

Speaking of Choice - CampusProgress.org
The fetus is not the issue. The woman is.

Momma Said Help Me Out - CampusProgress.org
In the "mommy wars," men should do more than observe.

Very Civil Disobedience - CampusProgress.org
Behind the scenes of a new type of protest.

Not So Social - CampusProgress.org
Do young people support private accounts? I went to an empty room to find out