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Dan Balz
For Dan Balz's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 6, 2013
For divided GOP, election proves no end to debate
Tuesday's elections, which produced a resounding Republican victory in New Jersey and a dispiriting loss for the GOP in Virginia, highlighted the challenges ahead for a badly divided party — and will probably intensify an internal debate about how to win back the White House in 2016.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 20, 2013
New York readies for a left turn at City Hall
After two decades under the leadership of Michael Bloomberg and Rudolph Giuliani, New York appears headed for a sharp left turn when voters select a new mayor in November.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2013
Deep political divisions at root of U.S. shutdown
The government shutdown did not happen by accident. It is the latest manifestation — an extreme one by any measure — of divisions long in the making and now deeply embedded in the country's politics.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 2, 2013
U.S. shutdown damages political system, but Republicans seen at greater risk
There will be plenty of collateral damage from the government shutdown that began early Tuesday — from federal workers to ordinary citizens — but the most serious effects are likely to be felt inside a Republican Party that appears divided and in need of leadership.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 5, 2013
Clinton's Syria stance may be key in 2016 race
Hillary Rodham Clinton was a senator from New York the last time the U.S. Congress was asked to authorize military action in the Middle East. Friends believe her 2002 vote giving President George W. Bush the power to invade Iraq may have cost her the presidency in 2008.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 21, 2013
Obama gives voice to what it still means to be black in U.S.
President Barack Obama's comments Friday about the killing of Trayvon Martin were remarkable in many respects, but not least because of the distance he has traveled since the equally notable speech he delivered in 2008 during the controversy about his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2013
Detroit renews urban policy debate
A national urban policy would not have saved Detroit, but the city's bankruptcy filing Thursday was a vivid reminder of how the problems of America's cities have long ceased to be a focal point of the political debate in presidential campaigns or on Capitol Hill.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 14, 2013
Passage of strict abortion bill highlights Democrats' uphill fight in Texas
The politically charged battle over whether to restrict abortions in Texas ended late Friday night when the state Senate passed legislation and sent it on to Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, for his signature. In the end, the fight underscored the challenges Democrats face as they look to break the Republicans' grip on the state.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2013
Can Republicans take lessons from Cameron's struggles in Britain?
Three years ago, newly elected British Prime Minister David Cameron was seen as a possible model for Republicans looking to update their party after losing the 2008 presidential election. Today, he provides an object lesson in the stumbling blocks that can lie in wait.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 29, 2013
Bush library revives focus on maligned presidency
George W. Bush returned to the spotlight last week for the dedication of his presidential library, an event that has triggered fresh public debate about his eight fateful years in office. But he has re-emerged with a better public image than when he left Washington more than four years ago.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 18, 2013
Stronger U.S. gun law fails to pass in Senate
The Senate's rejection of a bipartisan bill to expand background checks for gun purchases reveals the difference in power between public opinion and a united minority.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 8, 2013
Can GOP governors save their ailing party?
The Republican National Committee (RNC) task force report painted a stark portrait of a party divided between its struggling federal wing and its thriving gubernatorial wing. The GOP's path to rehabilitation may indeed run through the states, but some of the report's assertions about the governors' successes are questionable at best.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 25, 2013
Can GOP learn something from Democrats past?
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus deserves credit for launching a reclamation project for his beleaguered party. The report by the RNC's Growth and Opportunity Project lays bare the depth of the problems of a party that has lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections and that is on the wrong side of the demographic forces that are changing the country.

Longform

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