AUTO BAILOUT

Led by General Motors, Detroit's so-called Big Three continue to push for a federal bailout. The United Auto Workers union has teamed up with management to press the cause. Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has babbled approvingly of a rescue plan, most reports suggest the push has stalled -- and that a package, if one is to be enacted, will await a new Congress and a new presidency. Yesterday the industry made its plea. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson also explained the administration's reluctance to pump more into the pipeline.

 

PERENNIALS

Two recent items from Henrico have implications that transcend the county -- and we're not talking about the Board of Supervisors' 3-2 vote against a proposed mosque. <li>In a mail-in survey this year, Henrico citizens with addresses in certain ZIP codes approved changing their envelopes from Richmond to Henrico. Officials sought the change because the county was losing its fair share of sales taxes as revenue generated by stores located in Henrico but with Richmond addresses was being distributed to the city. Other Virginia jurisdictions confront similar dilemmas. At the time of the Henrico "vote," we said state tax authorities bore ultimate responsibility for cleaning up the mess.

 

Senate Democrats acted wisely in refusing to remove Joe "The Best Senator" Lieberman from his position as chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

 

RESOUNDING VICTORY

PAUL WALDMAN

In the wake of the presidential election, innumerable commentators have sought to plumb the meaning of Barack Obama's historic win. The strangest part of this discussion, however, has to be what some have been saying about the election's ideological meaning. To hear some in the media, you would never know that Democrats had achieved such a clear triumph.

 

SIMPLE EXPLANATION

L. SCOTT LINGAMFELTER

WOODBRIDGE. Sometimes politics can be parsed too much. Yet there is no end to the complex, pseudo-intellectual explanations by the liberal media for President-elect Barack H. Obama's victory. They are besotted with joy and very satisfied with their role in boosting Obama's electoral fortunes almost as much as their efforts to belittle and ridicule President George W. Bush, a man who has kept America safe from terror attacks for seven years. But I digress.