Word: methodic
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Goodgame uses the same common-sense method to analyze the Clinton plan's chances of being passed. "Hardly anything a President does goes through Congress the way it is presented," he notes. "The question is whether Clinton will be able to use the bully pulpit to preserve the essentials of his plan. He's been a very good salesman so far." As the economic drama unfolds in Washington, we are delighted to have Dan covering all the acts...
...does offer firm predictions, he falls into the trap of most consensus forecasters: projecting current trend lines ad infinitum. There are few surprises in Kennedy's universe -- no new ideologies galvanizing the masses of the Third World; no medical breakthroughs to forestall the graying of the developed world; no method to recycle wealth from North to South. Global population pressures represent the strongest aspect of Kennedy's bleak portrait of life in the next century. Small wonder that he begins with a tip of the hat to Thomas Malthus' dire -- but ultimately incorrect -- late 18th century prediction of worldwide starvation...
Moyers then repairs to the U.S. for the rest of the series. His first stop is with doctors who study the biology of emotion. Using Method actors to portray extreme anger and fear, the researchers show that even these artificially conjured emotions produce telltale changes in blood chemistry...
That is not to say Moyers is never taken in. He is amazed that a woman can undergo brain surgery with acupuncture, perhaps not realizing that Western doctors have long recognized that the method can be as effective as chemical anesthetics. But in the end, Moyers presents a convincing case that conventional medicine still has much to learn...
...problem here is that delay is prudent, but so is Clinton's desire to move swiftly on all fronts. The President routinely quotes F.D.R.'s 1932 observation that "the country needs bold, persistent experimentation," but he rarely completes Roosevelt's thought: "Take a method and try it; if it fails, admit it and try another." But time is not Clinton's best friend. In an era when the citizenry's collective attention span can be measured in nanoseconds (and without a full-scale depression to guarantee patience), the President has confected his best chance to change course. If he fails...