Heritage at the conventions
August 27, 2008 | By Nathaniel Ward
Heritage Foundation blogger Conn Carroll is in Denver this week providing up-to-the-minute conservative reaction to the policy proposals from the Democratic National Convention. Next week, Carroll travels to Minneapolis to do the same thing when the Republicans convene.
Carroll’s prolific field reporting has touched on a variety of topics, including inane proposals for “green jobs” fueled by a massive government “investment” of taxpayer money, plans for a government takeover of health care, and the wasteful schwag given away by environmentalist groups.
On Monday, Carroll attended a discussion of progressives’ ongoing efforts to roll back conservative gains and advance their radical agenda. He reports that leading leftists like John Podesta are actively copying The Heritage Foundation’s proven model for policy reform.
Podesta announced he is working with Mark Green and tapping the resources at the Center for American Progress to write a progressive version of The Heritage Foundation’s 1981 “Mandate for Leadership.” Just as the Mandate was intended to be a blueprint for Ronald Reagan’s first administration, Podesta’s book is also intended to be a guide for Barack Obama to transform every federal department.
The media has taken note of Heritage’s presence at the conventions, and several news organizations have sought out Carroll’s expertise. Be sure to tune in to the Phil Valentine Show from 5-9 p.m. Eastern (or listen online) each day during the Democratic convention to hear Carroll’s take.
Get all the latest from the two conventions by checking back to the Foundry, Heritage’s blog.
Our members hear from the experts
During a conference call last week with thousands of Heritage Foundation members, Heritage President Ed Feulner joined energy expert David Kreutzer to explain the real reason energy costs are so high.
Listen to a full recording of the call on MyHeritage.org.
Heritage experts in the media
The news media continue to turn to The Heritage Foundation for the latest analysis of current events. On Wednesday, Heritage experts were cited five times by the four leading news wire services. These stories are syndicated in newspapers and web sites around the world.
- Stuart Butler explains to the Associated Press why employers are scaling back private health coverage.
- Brian Darling tells the AP about John McCain’s options as he considers a vice presidential pick.
- The Bush administration is “kicking the can down the road” on North Korea, Korean expert Bruce Klingner tells Reuters.
- America did not commit to remove North Korea from the terrorism blacklist, Klingner explains to Agence France Presse.
- Yevgeny Volk tells Bloomberg why Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway regions of Georgia.
Other Heritage work of note
- American Leadership. Three weeks after Russian troops invaded Georgia, the situation in the Caucasus remains uncertain and the diplomatic wrangling continues. As the discussions move to the United Nations, America must block any effort to endorse Russia’s violation of Georgian sovereignty, argue Heritage Foundation experts Sally McNamara and Brett Schaefer. McNamara points out in a separate analysis that Europe’s response to the crisis has been weak. The French-brokered cease-fire, for example, included no enforcement mechanisms.
- Protect America. The effectiveness of the Russian invasion demonstrates the need for the United States and its allies to maintain a strong conventional military, Heritage experts Ariel Cohen, James Carafano and Lajos Szaszdi argue. Carafano stresses this point in the Modesto Bee, where he warns that politicians may try to gut the military in the coming years—just as they did after the Vietnam war. These politicians “will argue that they can spend less on defense because they’re so smart. They know exactly what the future holds, what the threats will be, how to handle them - and, miraculously, the cost of this defense will be exactly the paltry amount of money they’re willing to spend.”
- First Principles. Presidential leadership is essential if America is to return to a proper constitutional discourse, scholar Andrew Busch writes in a new Heritage research paper. “As was shown in the mid-1990s, such a transformation cannot be led from Congress if the President is determined to prevent it,” he wrote. “After 2000, Congress became more apathetic, and the President did nothing to revive the effort. Throughout, presidential leadership was lacking.” Busch also noted the importance of institutions like The Heritage Foundation to guiding the debates.
In other news
- Immigration officials arrested nearly 600 illegal immigrants in Mississippi on Tuesday during what is described as the largest-ever immigration raid.
- The Washington Post reports some troubling news from America’s largest government-run health plan: “The rate of improper payments, including fraud, in Medicare’s purchases of wheelchairs and other home medical equipment is significantly higher than the government has estimated, according to a federal audit released yesterday.”
- Iraqi Prime Minister Nori al-Maliki is urging the United States to withdraw its troops from his country by 2011.
- The Bush administration is considering whether to ease environmental restrictions on seagoing vessels. To protect a species of whale, the rules established broad low-speed areas near many East Coast ports.
- A communications facility used by the government-run air-traffic control system broke down yesterday, causing widespread delays.
- An article in Congressional Quarterly (not online) suggests that the left, in a throwback to discredited ideas from the 1930s and 1940s, is looking to expand the definition of “national security” to cover economic issues as well. In other words, the government would have an obligation to provide for its citizens’ well-being, just as it does for their physical security.
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other events at Heritage please RSVP at Heritage’s website. Or you can view these events live online. All times are Eastern.
- On Tuesday, September 9 at 11:00 a.m., a panel of experts discusses ways to ensure America’s military is fully funded and does not become a “hollow force” like it did after Vietnam.
- On Tuesday, September 23 at 6:00 p.m., Heritage hosts a screening of Flunked, a film highlighting the common threads of successful education: strong leadership, high standards, excellent teachers, and solid curricula.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
