VIDEO
Henry J. Aaron, November 23, 2009
In the wake of the Senate's vote to allow the health care reform debate to proceed to the Senate floor, Senior Fellow Henry Aaron cautions that any legislation to revamp the system must be fiscally responsible and should improve the quality of care. He says lawmakers have many long discussions ahead of them.
VIDEO
Benjamin Wittes, November 18, 2009
The decision to prosecute alleged 9/11 master-mind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-conspirators in a civil trial in the Southern District of New York sparks debate on how to best try terrorism suspects. Benjamin Wittes offers his views on the significance of trying terror detainees in the U.S. civilian judicial system.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael Fullilove, November 18, 2009, The Financial Times
Michael Fullilove comments on the new autobiographies by Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate, and Carrie Prejean, the former California beauty pageant contestant. Despite the surprising similarities between these two conservative women and their books, Fullilove argues that, while Prejean's book may not be of great consequence, Palin's prominence in the Republican party makes her book an important read. 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
Mwangi S. Kimenyi, November 03, 2009, The Brookings Institution
On October 26 Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, announced that the U.S. was revoking the visa of a top Kenyan official because of his role in blocking reforms in the country. Mwangi Kimenyi discusses this approach and urges that the focus should be on overhauling institutions, not targeting individuals. 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 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, October 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The “Black Tuesday” stock market crash of 1929 still haunts us on its 80th anniversary this Thursday. William Galston describes the actions taken over this past year to avert a second Great Depression and suggests that the flap over Wall Street bonuses signals a return to business as usual. Our political system has a duty to act against the obvious abuses, he writes. 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
PAST EVENT
Friday, October 09, 2009
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
On October 9, the Brookings Institution will host Harvard Public Policy Lecturer Elaine Kamarck for a discussion of her new book, Primary Politics: How Presidential Candidates Have Shaped the Modern Nominating System (Brookings Institution Press, 2009), which explains how the presidential nomination process became the often bewildering system we have today. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William A. Galston, Steven Kull and Clay Ramsay, October 08, 2009, The Brookings Institution, WorldPublicOpinion.org
To dig deeper into what the American public really thinks about health care, experts at Brookings and WorldPublicOpinion.org gathered and interpreted polling research about public attitudes toward reform of the country’s health care system. Their results offer a new and complex portrait of how Americans view health care reform and the policy debate surrounding the polarizing issue. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Justin Vaïsse, September 23, 2009, ForeignPolicy.com
Irving Kristol, regarded by many as the "godfather" of neoconservativism, passed away on September 18 at the age of 89. Justin Vaïsse examines the history of the movement and explains why Kristol was not a neocon in the modern sense of the word – partly because of Kristol’s consistently realist foreign policy approach. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William A. Galston, September 22, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Despite months of negotiations, Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus was forced to introduce his long-awaited health reform bill without gaining the support of even one Republican senator. At first glance this outcome seems puzzling, but party polarization—the ideological gap in Congress between Democrats and Republicans–is at its highest level in more than a century, writes William Galston.
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RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Stephen Hess, September 18, 2009, Politics Daily
The current controversy over the number of "czars" in the Obama administration enjoys the rare distinction of being a political fight in Washington that everybody wants to have. However, Stephen Hess is confounded by the controversy since presidents have always had close advisers with powerful portfolios who did not require Senate confirmation. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Eswar Prasad, September 14, 2009, The Wall Street Journal
The Obama administration's decision to impose tariffs on imports of Chinese tires has been met with a swift and sharp response by China. Eswar Prasad discusses the implications of protectionist measures and warns this U.S.-China spat could have global consequences. Read More