Jamie Stiehm Yesterday

The Army Deserves Better Than Afghanistan--and Fort Hood

By Jamie Stiehm, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Let's get real about the Army and Afghanistan. Now's not the season to study more war.

Let me count the ways, saving the Fort Hood tragedy for last.

Clearly, the Army has suffered enough in the Iraq War—so has the nation and the world since 2003. The president of peace, Barack Obama, has a historic opening to close out two conflicts started by the bellicose George W. Bush. The 43rd president's fingerprints are all over these scenes; let him own the failures in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nor is this a matter of sending 35,000 or 40,000 troops to take care of the problems in Afghanistan. Guess what: All those troops mean another 10 years on the ground (at least). Those troops cost more money and resources than our distressed economy can afford right now. We have lost so many lives—more than 5,000—in these cruel winters of war.

Mary Kate Cary Yesterday

Bill Clinton on the Berlin Wall and Why We Owe George H.W. Bush Thanks

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and I thought you might enjoy President Bill Clinton's take on what happened on November 9, 1989. He and President George H.W. Bush were both honored a few weeks ago by The International Crisis Group at a dinner in New York City. Lauren Bush stood in for her grandfather, and here's what 42 had to say, both about 41 and 43:

Lauren, thank you for coming for your grandfather. I love him very much and we have had the time of our lives in our dotage doing the work we've done in the tsunami, for Katrina. I can't tell you how much I admire him. 

And I want to emphasize something that means a lot to me and that made my job as President much easier. When the Berlin Wall fell, it was the product of nearly a half century of bipartisan American determination to protect the freedom of Western Europe and to stand up for our values. You can argue that not every call we made was right, but in the end I think we were on the right side of history. But whenever some momentous event like that happens, the question is always "Then what?"

Bonnie Erbe Yesterday

Women Don't Have More Family-Work Conflicts Than Men Do

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Now here's a study the results of which make me jump up and yell, "huzzah!"

According to the Academy of Management:

Bosses mistakenly believe female workers have more family-work conflict than men do, and that misconception stymies women's careers.

Just last week, I was seething over a different study that seemed to show the opposite. The second study showed that women were increasing, not decreasing, their share of household chores and child care, and that kids are being raised believing Mom does (and therefore should do) more work around the house than Dad.

Linda J. Killian Yesterday

Pelosi Jeopardized Vulnerable Democrats With Healthcare Vote

By Linda Killian, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

In all of the celebratory remarks by President Barack Obama and other Democrats about making history with this weekend's House vote in favor of healthcare reform nobody is really talking much about the fact that the Democrats did it by the skin of their teeth.

Thirty-nine Democrats voted against the measure which passed 220-215.

Shortly after the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership team gathered before reporters to take a victory lap. But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer couldn't help but let reality intrude on the celebration. "Much work remains," he said soberly.

Truer words were never spoken.

Peter Roff November 06, 2009

Voters Have Spoken: Stop Bailouts and Fix the Economy

By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Tuesday's exit polls, while far from an exact science, showed that nearly 80 percent of those who turned out to vote in both Virginia and New Jersey cited the economy as a major concern. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's mishandling of his state's economy certainly played a significant role in his ouster while Republican Bob McDonnell's "jobs, jobs, jobs" campaign clearly resonated with voters in Virginia.

If there is a message for the national politicians buried somewhere in the elections returns it is that Washington's handling of the economy needs to change, and quickly.

By all accounts, however, the Obama administration continues tacking to port, and at full speed. Not only is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi trying to rush a healthcare bill through Congress, the administration—despite the new 10 percent unemployment numbers—continues to hint that another stimulus package is in the offing, the first one having proven to be so successful.

Mary Kate Cary November 06, 2009

Wall Street's Swine Flu Vaccine Score Shows the Perils of Government Healthcare

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

The blogosphere and the cable news channels are full of outrage at the fact that Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs, Citi, and J.P. Morgan have received thousands of doses of H1N1 vaccine, while shortages across New York City have prevented pregnant women and high-risk children from receiving shots first. Believe me, as a parent of a high-risk child who had a heck of a time getting her a shot last week—I think this is outrageous.

But in the midst of all the anger at the bailed-out bankers getting their shots, no one seems to be noticing that the New York City government health authorities are the ones who sent the vaccines to the banks in the first place, after receiving their share of the state's shipment from the publicly-run Centers for Disease Control. Clearly we have a scarce supply of vaccines, with great demand nationally, and that supply is being rationed by the government.

Doug Heye November 06, 2009

Democrats Don't Have the Votes to Pass Healthcare Reform

By Doug Heye, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

We've been talking about the White House's healthcare proposal for how long now? Well, pretty much all year.

Democratic leaders promised a vote before the August recess. That deadline not only wasn't reached, it led to Democrats being savaged at local town halls that were covered live on national television. Then we were told a vote would occur in September. No dice. October? Ditto.

Now the World Series has passed (Way to go, Yankees!) and we're told a vote will be held on Saturday, a rare occurrence of Congress working on a weekend.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit with congressional Democrats tomorrow to urge support of the $1.2 trillion measure. That signals one thing: They don't have the votes.

Mary Kate Cary November 06, 2009

Democrats Should Focus on Unemployment, Not Healthcare

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

The unemployment rate raced into the double digits this morning, hitting 10.2 percent for the first time in more than 25 years. Earlier this week, voters in New Jersey and Virginia sent the White House a strong message that they're concerned about three top issues: jobs, jobs, and jobs.

So are the House Democrats proposing a jobs bill? How about the construction-heavy highway bill? No, they're pushing a trillion-dollar healthcare reform bill that will be voted on this weekend, despite the fact that over 10,000 Americans turned out to protest it on the Capitol steps yesterday. Those protesters are upset that the House plan includes a public option, in which government-run insurance would be an option for consumers. NPR is reporting that the Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the House bill showed that only 2 percent of Americans would be using the public option by 2019, when the legislation is fully implemented. That's an interesting fact that's gone unreported. Why are we running up a trillion-dollar bill to cover only 2 percent of the population and increase costs for the rest of us?

Bonnie Erbe November 06, 2009

If Fiorina and Whitman Weren't Committed Enough to Vote, Why Run for Office?

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

According to the Associated Press, two high-profile women running for California offices have spotty voting records. They are U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, who is challenging longtime incumbent Barbara Boxer, and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who is running for governor. I don't know about you, but I'd have a hard time voting for someone who didn't have the time to participate in the voting process at an earlier stage of their career: 

The former head of Hewlett-Packard, who is running for the seat now held by Democrat Barbara Boxer, said she has no excuse for not voting more often when people have died for that right.

"I'm a lifelong registered Republican but I haven't always voted," she said Thursday during an event in Sacramento. "And I will provide no excuse for it. You know, people die for the right to vote. And there are many, many Californians and Americans who exercise that civic duty on a regular basis. I didn't. Shame on me."

Fiorina's frank assessment of her inconsistent past appears to be a campaign strategy to blunt potential criticism after Whitman found herself in the middle of a political firestorm over her poor voting record.