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For the first time, TIME has assembled a roster of this year’s rising political stars–40 candidates, strategists, leaders and office-holders under 40 years of age. You can check out the list, which includes micro-profiles and honoree interviews, here. Best choice? Worst choice? Who’d we miss?
(Bonus: Time.com has also put together a gallery of the Top 10 American Political Prodigies of all time, from Thomas Jefferson to a current West Wing leader. Though perhaps not the one you’d expect.)
When President Obama endorsed gay marriage earlier this month, the media grappled with two basic political questions: Was his personal “evolution” a case of a politician transparently following a national trend toward accepting same-sex unions (accelerated, perhaps, by his chatty number two), and would it hurt his re-election chances by alienating socially conservative voters like black churchgoers? Sure, there was a recognition that it marked a gratifying moment for gay marriage advocates—as well as some grumbling about the President’s view that it remains a state issue, not a federal one. But by and large, there were few suggestions that one man, even the President, would shift public opinion on the issue or affect public policy. Based on a new Public Policy Polling survey out of Maryland, it seems this possibility was underestimated.
Apparently, Massachusetts voters don’t mind that Elizabeth Warren foolishly identified herself as a Native American early in her academic career–it was, apparently, a case of family pride and wishful thinking about a Cherokee ancestor. That’s good. Warren may be the best public figure when it comes to explaining the depredations of the financial industry and [...]
