Inside Politics Weekend: Papa-palooza

Father’s Day offers something even querulous Republicans and Democrats can agree on. TV dads.

Both parties said that their favorite TV dad is Cliff Huxtable of “The Cosby Show,” according to a Harris Poll of 2,681 adults conducted May 11 and 18.

Well, that’s something, anyway. Congratulations.

Coming in at second place for Republicans is Ward Cleaver of “Leave it to Beaver.” And the runner-up for Democrats is Jim Anderson of “Father Knows Best.”

The Harris pollsters, however, noted that the nation appears to be soaking itself in warm nostalgia — oldies but goodies dominated the roster of dads, which included Ozzie Nelson of, well, Ozzie Nelson fame, and Andy Taylor of Mayberry RFD.

“Of the top 15 television dads, seven of them are from shows from the 1950s or 1960s and 2 were set in the 1950s or earlier. Maybe it is the economic crisis or just a desire for the days of old, but it seems when picking their favorites, Americans are looking back to simpler times and maybe even happier times.”

Queen of NOW

Feminists don’t have former President George W. Bush to trod upon any more. Oh, heavens no. Their man of choice is now in the White House.

But that doesn’t mean the ladies have quieted down.

“After years on the defensive during the Bush administration, the National Organization for Women is elated to have a president sharing many of its goals,” observes Davis Crary of the Associated Press.

The organization is heading for its own showdown, however.

“Kim Gandy, a savvy former prosecutor, is stepping down as NOW president after eight years leading the battle against many Bush-era policies,” Mr. Crary says.

The election of her successor during NOW’s national conference this weekend sets the stage for raucous change. Mr. Crary politely describes it as “both an unusual clash of generations and an opportunity for activists to confront some of the challenges facing the feminist movement.”

Uh-huh.

The opponents are Latifa Lyles, 33, one of Ms. Gandy’s three vice presidents, and Terry O’Neill, 56 — a former law professor at Tulane University, former NOW vice president and most recently chief of staff for a county council member in Montgomery County.

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