RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Andrew Reamer and Audrey Singer, November 06, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The Senate voted 60-39 to approve cloture on the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, effectively blocking the controversial amendment that would bar the 2010 Census, unless it collected data on citizenship and immigration status. Audrey Singer responds to this news, and shows that though the Census will continue, the issue still remains. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Justin Vaïsse, November 03, 2009, Le Monde
On the first anniversary of President Obama's victory, Justin Vaïsse explains the delay in enacting major domestic reform by pointing out the continuing partisan polarization and the importance of checks and balances, especially the power of the Senate. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Isabel V. Sawhill, November 03, 2009, National Journal
In light of the news that a group of ten senators has called for the creation of a bipartisan commission on the budget to create a long-term plan to reduce budget deficits, Isabel V. Sawhill cautions that failing to institute such a plan could lead to slower growth or an economic crisis, along with reduced flexibility to get the economy moving again or handle a new international threat. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Darrell M. West, October 28, 2009, Politico
"Opt-out” has become the most powerful phrase in the health care debate, thanks to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s decision to include it in Senate legislation. If particular jurisdictions do not like a public option, they simply can exit the government health insurance system for uninsured residents. This is a very American idea, writes Darrell West. However, from a governance standpoint, the public option creates a worrisome precedent for other policy areas. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Charles K. Ebinger and Lea T. Rosenbohm, October 27, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Charles Ebinger and Lea Rosenbohm say President Obama's decision to use $3.4 billion dollars of stimulus money to begin developing a smart grid is a welcome development. Ebinger and Rosenbohm look to how the smart grid will help benefit providers and consumers while noting additional steps that will be required moving forward. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Charles O. Jones, October 27, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Post-partisan politics is seen as providing a cure for whatever currently ails American politics. Charles Jones explores post-partisanship and the various forms of partisanship that currently exist in Washington. Although conventional wisdom tells us that we must move beyond partisanship, Jones concludes that partisanship continues to serve as the basis for the workings of American politics. Simply put, partisanship is the way lawmaking works in representative government. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William A. Galston, Noah Pickus and Peter Skerry, October 21, 2009, Roll Call
In a recent op-ed in Roll Call, the Brookings and Duke Immigration Policy Roundtable offered substantive recommendations on how to usher in immigration reform, including enhanced enforcement of workplace laws, new legalization standards, the establishment of an independent standing commission and engagement with the Mexico on cross-border population issues. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Peter W. Singer, October 20, 2009, The Washington Examiner
While the United States faces budget deficits and economic challenge of a scale not seen in decades, earmarks and wasteful "pork" continue to be built into defense policy bills. Peter Singer explains why, especially during a time of war and economic crisis, this wasteful behavior can hurt defense priorities while funding unneeded projects. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, October 14, 2009, New York Daily News
Henry Aaron argues that it is essential that the health care reform bill authored by Sen. Max Baucus and recently passed by the Senate Finance Committee undergo some modification if it is to truly expand coverage, improve care and drive down costs. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, October 08, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC
Comprehensive health care reform legislation is moving through Congress. Democrats and Republicans have relied on vast amounts of research, including public opinion polls, to shape their positions and formulate policy solutions. Pundits and legislators alike regularly cite what the American people want in the final reform package. But just how complete is this research? On October 8, Brookings and WorldPublicOpinion.org unveiled new survey research about public attitudes on health care reform. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mark Muro and Sarah Rahman , October 01, 2009, The Avenue, TNR.com
Senators Kerry and Boxer recently unveiled their climate bill calling for the creation and funding of a string of energy innovation hubs that are dedicated to clean energy technology development and deployment. Mark Muro and Sarah Rahman reviewed the bill—especially as it impacts metro and regional areas—and noted its similarities and differences with the House of Representative's climate bill, Waxman-Markey. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes, September 29, 2009, The Washington Post
President Obama's decision not to go to Congress for help in establishing reasonable standards for the continued detention of Guantánamo detainees is a failure of leadership in the project of putting American law on a sound basis for a long-term confrontation with terrorism, writes Benjamin Wittes. It is bad for the country, for national security and for civil liberties, and represents a virtually wholesale adoption of the failed policies of his predecessor. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, September 29, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Henry Aaron discusses the likely demise of the public option and laments that such a minor issue has continually diverted attention from reform issues that really count - how to create health insurance exchanges, what powers to give them, how much insurance people should have, what subsidies low-income households need to make that insurance affordable, and how to change health care delivery to realize the full potential of modern medicine. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, September 16, 2009, New York Times
After months of preparations and negotiations, Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Finance Committee, unveiled his health care bill. Henry Aaron offers a review of the proposed plan, observing that it is unclear whether enough Democrats will vote for the tax increases or spending cuts necessary to pay for any bill they are willing to support.
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BOOK
Forrest Maltzman and Sarah A. Binder, September 15, 2009
Advice and Dissent explores the state of the nation's federal judicial selection system -- a process beset by deepening partisan polarization, obstructionism, and deterioration of the practice of advice and consent. Read More