NDN Blog

This is an important day for our nation.  The US House of Representatives took a critical step towards bringing the failed foreign policy of the Bush era to an end, and have offered America a new and better path.  Though there is much to do in the years ahead to bring greater peace, prosperity and stability to the Middle East, the passage of the US Troop Readiness, Veteran's Health and Iraq Accountability Act is a responsible step in the right direction. 

I congratulate Speaker Pelosi and the entire Democratic leadership for having the courage to challenge our current course in Iraq, and for bringing the Democratic caucus together on such an important issue.  There should be little doubt that the Democrats heard the message sent by the voters last year, and are working to offer America a brighter future. 

MoveOn's "Stop the Falsiness" campaign is a light-hearted mockery of Steven Colbert's send-up of conservative cable news (that's a spoof on a spoof for those of you keeping score at home) and of their own political earnestness.  It's pretty funny stuff, or at least it was until Viacom demanded it be taken off YouTube for alleged copyright violations.  You can watch the video on the satirical campaign's homepage here: http://falsiness.org/ and click here learn more about how MoveOn and the Electronic Frontier Foundation's efforts to get Viacom to stop muzzling online free speech.  You can also read our recent NPI paper on making video for the internet.

It's a sign of how fast the technology and politics are moving that what was meant to be a relatively silly diversion has turned into a flashpoint in the debate over who owns video in the age of the global network. 

Update:  Viacom backed down in a kind of sleazy way.  Whatever, now we can watch the funny:

“I applaud today’s introduction of the STRIVE Act of 2007.  It is a significant step forward.

“It reflects a strong commitment by a bipartisan group of House Members toward realistic and comprehensive immigration reform.  It provides an excellent framework for Congress and the President to begin work on the vital task of immigration reform, collaboratively and on a bipartisan basis.  The President should embrace this framework.

“Our priorities on immigration reform are clear.  Our first responsibility to the American people is their safety.  We must secure our borders and enforce our laws, while also protecting against discrimination and adhering faithfully to the rule of law.  At the same time, we must enact immigration reform that is humane and honors our American tradition of being a nation of immigrants and a land of opportunity for all.

“Today, the House has begun the hard work of addressing immigration reform.” 

Democratic Caucus Vice Chair and good friend of NDN Rep. John Larson, speaking in passionate defense of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act.  It's truly time for a better way forward in the Middle East.   

A new poll from the Pew Research Center for People and the Press shows that the number of Americans identifying with the Republican party has dropped steadily since 2002, when the the two parties were even in voter allegience.  Democrats now lead 50% - 35%. 

"Iraq has played a large part; the pushback on the Republican Party has to do with Bush, but there are other things going on here that Republicans will have to contend with," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center. "There is a difference in the landscape."

Read more about the poll...

Read the NDN memo "The End of the Conservative Ascendency"

I spent a little time this morning looking at the 2006 census numbers that were just released, and they were, dare I say it, pretty exciting.  Exciting, because they strongly support the demographics arguments NDN has been making, by showing that the fastest growing states are by and large concentrated in the Southwest and have the highest percentage of Hispanics relative to total population.  Three important conclusions:

• The two fastest growing states between July 2000 and July 2006 were Nevada and Arizona, fourth and fifth respectively in Hispanics as a percentage of population.  Nevada's population increased by 24.9% and Arizona's by 20.2%.  That compares to a national average of 4.7% population growth.

• The seven states with the highest percentage of Hispanics relative to total population (New Mexico, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Florida) make up seven of the top fifteen fastest growing states and five of the top eight.

• Those seven states, mentioned above, grew by an average of 13.8% between July 2000 and July 2006.  The average growth for the rest of the country over the same period was 4.7%.  That means that these states, where Hispanics comprise 16.8% to 42.1% of the population, are growing three times as fast as the rest of the country.

Awesome.  The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.  If Al Gore is a rock star, this is the power ballad at the end of the concert.  I think Ed Markey is holding a lighter...

NDN, a progressive think tank and advocacy organization, today issued the following statement in support for the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, scheduled for a vote on the House floor tomorrow.
 
As the war in Iraq enters its fifth year, it now clear that President Bush’s strategy to bring democracy and stability to the Middle East is not working.  The centerpiece of that strategy, the war in and the occupation of Iraq has cost our nation American lives, money and prestige, and left the region more volatile and dangerous than before.  Our nation, and the world are less safe as a result.
 
NDN believes that the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, scheduled for a full House vote tomorrow, offers a better path forward, and we endorse its passage.
 

Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT) told members of the media that White House Counsel Fred Fielding and the chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees had agreed to have Karl Rove and Harriet Miers meet with the committees about the US Attorneys scandal, without resorting to a subpoena.  Unfortunately, it looks like they will not be under oath, the meetings will be closed to the public and there will be no testimony.  Sounds like fodder for Bob Woodward's next book. 

Meanwhile President Bush is making a statement on the scandal at 5:45pm tonight.

That was the message Accenture CEO William Green (with a name like that you pretty much have to be a CEO) brought to Congress in his testimony today.  He told the Senate Finance Committee about his own experience at a junior college outside Boston:

“I am a shameless advocate for junior and community colleges because I am an example of what they can accomplish.  There is no doubt that my two years at Dean College not only prepared me for advancing my education and gearing up for a career, but also transformed me as a person. Our nation’s network of junior and community colleges can produce these results. I am living proof.“  

Green also talked about the need to make higher education more affordable by making all education expenses tax deductable, not just tuition, and re-doubling our efforts to teach math and science:

“To build a truly competitive workforce, every company needs people who know how to learn; people with skills in critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving and communications; and people who have ambition and self confidence. In essence, we need people who are great raw material.”

Greeen closed by asking Congress to reform the H-1B visa process for foreign-born, highly educated workers.  Hopefully, as head of the Business Roundtable’s Education and the Workforce Task Force Green will agree that there is no seperating H-1B visa reform from the broader issue of comprehensive immigration reform, and that it is time for the business community to join the broad coalition supporting its passage.