The Bristol Press (Conn.), July 16:
For years now, we’ve heard warnings about the effects of the “digital divide” ”“ the growing gap between Internet haves and have-nots. Sure, there are many who still don’t have connections in their homes and don’t want them (though, we’re guessing, they don’t really have any idea of what their missing!) But there are some for whom going without is not a choice and is, in fact, more serious than missing out on Facebook, cat videos and Amazon bargains.
As President Barack Obama explained Wednesday, for students (and, we’d add, job-seekers), it’s a 21st century necessity.
The lack of home access to the Internet simply contributes to that achievement gap that Connecticut has been battling for decades.
Some years ago, the government pushed to ensure that schools across America have computer banks for student use, as well as Internet connections. ConnectEd is a federal program that, Obama said, is on track to wire 99 percent of K-12 classrooms and libraries with high-speed Internet by the end of 2017.
That will help, certainly, but what about after school? What about homework assignments that require research ”“ and, yes, the kids can go to the public library. But how many live within reasonable walking distance? Meanwhile, their peers only have to log on and they’re already ahead, further widening a gap created by the birth lottery. More than 90 percent of households headed by a college graduate have Internet access, Obama said. But fewer than half of low-income households have similar access.
That’s why we were happy to see the president unveil a program to bring faster Internet connections to more low-income households, particularly to help students living in public and assisted housing stay ahead in school.
Under ConnectHome, the public, private and nonprofit sectors have pledged to work together to provide high-speed connections and digital devices to more families at lower cost, the Associated Press reported.
The new federal program is expected to begin in 27 cities, including Meriden, Conn. Obviously, we’re hoping that it will quickly expand throughout central Connecticut.
Because, as Obama said, “In this digital age, when you can apply for a job, take a course, pay your bills … with a tap of your phone, the Internet is not a luxury. It’s a necessity. You cannot connect with today’s economy without having access to the Internet.”
Rutland Herald (Vt.), July 10:
Successful completion of talks with Iran to curb its nuclear weapons program points to the ability of President Barack Obama to see beyond the horizon, pursuing his “long game” and looking past what one observer has called the “perpetual hysterics” of Washington.
Following the announcement of Washington’s deal with Iran, commentators have begun what seems like an about-face in their view of Obama’s success as president. Just a few months ago, the prevailing story was that Obama was suffering the second-term blues, that the Republican Congress had effectively stymied him, that all he could do was flail helplessly as he watched the clock run down.
The story has changed, and the Iran deal has capped it off with what ought to be a historic success. Other successes this year include a win in Congress to gain fast-track authority for a trade deal with Pacific nations; a climate agreement with China; reviving relations with Cuba; action undertaken on immigration; and two landmark Supreme Court decisions supporting Obama’s positions. These were the second decision upholding the Affordable Care Act and the decision requiring marriage equality for same-sex couples.
Further, Obama is taking a more active and vocal role on the question of criminal justice and violence against African-Americans. His eulogy in Charleston, S.C., was an inspiring moment, fulfilling the hopes of Americans that Obama could lead the nation in addressing the continually vexing problem of race. He continues to move the ball forward on issues of race, and with his visit to a prison in Oklahoma, he has moved it forward on the issue of mass incarceration.
Many of his important initiatives have required an ability to see the big picture. From the outset of his presidency, he made it known that he was willing to meet with our adversaries and to break free of hostility that had hardened over time. It has taken time, and it has required him to risk criticism. But Obama has always seemed to know what he believes and to know what he wants to do with his presidency.
He resisted the advice of his own advisers in pursuing health care reform at the outset of his presidency, and though his actions provoked fierce resistance, they have paid off with important reforms that the American people will be reluctant to turn away from.
In a long article on the website Politico, Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for Obama, said, “When it came time to actually govern, he put the history books ahead of the news cycles, and our politics will be better off if future presidents follow his example ”“ because thousands of words written since the midterms about how resigned and defeated Obama is now seem as insightful as the comments section of a blog.” Favreau was the observer who made note of the distracting hysterics that ordinarily dominate Washington.
The fierce and seemingly unthinking response of Republicans to Obama’s initiatives has stemmed in part from the weakness of their position. They understood that if Obamacare took effect, it would become popular. Therefore, they needed to kill it before the people had a chance to benefit from it. Otherwise, Obama would notch up a historic victory that would improve the Democrats’ position for the future.
The Republicans’ reflexive rejection of the Iran agreement falls in the same category. The American people are likely to see the logic that peace is better than war and that the nation is strong enough to take a chance on peace. The Republicans are left to argue that a pact by which Iran gives up the bomb is really going to gain them the bomb. It is a wild supposition based on fear, which is the only argument Republican critics have left.
Even as a candidate for president in 2008, Obama pursued the long game, even as friends and supporters succumbed to occasional fits about his methods and strategy. But he achieved a historic success, and as his presidency closes in on its final quarter, the successes are mounting.
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