Truman Project Media

Susan G. Komen's Decision to Pull Funding from Planned Parenthood Creates Dangerous Health Environment for Women

staff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:45:52 -0700

The pink ribbon symbolizing breast cancer awareness represents something else this week: betrayal.

The Susan G. Komen foundation – a non-profit which has used the pink ribbon symbol since its inception in 1982 – announced Wednesday that it will cut funding to women’s health organization Planned Parenthood that would have been used for cancer screenings for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women.

The immediate result of this announcement has been intense backlash from political officials and women’s health advocates, as well as the resignation of a senior official at Komen. But the long term implications will be a more dangerous environment for women who cannot afford to pay for cancer screenings anywhere else but Planned Parenthood.

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

Israel's New Political Star

staff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:49:24 -0700

Israeli journalist Yair Lapid's decision to leave his spot as one of Israel's most popular broadcasters to enter politics has the potential to dramatically alter the Israeli political system. He recently ended speculation that he would join center-left Kadima (describing the party as "a gang of cynical rejects from other parties"), and probably foreclosed the possibility of joining the Labor party by describing them as having "traveled the whole way to the radical left." (His father had earlier served as a Knesset member and Justice minister with the secularist Shinui party.) Recent polling puts a newly formed Lapid party at 15 seats, beating Kadima, tied with Labor, and second only to Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. Israeli journalist Ron Maiberg described him as "the people's favorite, the center of the sublime consensus."

But Lapid's recent criticism of Kadima as "not having a clue about what, if anything, they believe" could describe the novice politician as well. Though he claims to have been moved by last year's massive social justice protests, little is known about his actual stance on issues and where exactly he'll fall on the Israeli political spectrum. His positions, gleaned mostly from a press conference last month, his weekly columns in Yediot Achronot (which he continues to write), and Facebook messages tend toward generalizations such as "waging an uncompromising war against vested interest groups, sector-based parties and tycoons, to change the distribution of resources."

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

Three Thoughts on the Brewer-Obama Spat

staff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:51:42 -0700

In case you've spent the last 48 hours hiding under a rock somewhere, you know about the -- what some would call animated -- exchange between President Barack Obama and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. You've probably seen the clips of finger-point-gate and formed an opinion on the matter. I thought last week's events fell in line with what seems to be Brewer's modus operandi. I've made a list of epiphanies that yesterday's event helped foster.

One: White privilege is real and white female privilege is too.

Gov. Brewer had the audacity to do something that most people simply would not do to a sitting president. Let's be honest here, if Brewer were a man, those actions would have been seen as extremely aggressive and maybe even violent in nature.

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, veterans groups defend President Barack Obama's record

staff — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:28:28 -0700

Left-leaning veterans groups met in Tampa with Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Monday in advance of Tuesday’s primary.

Her message: President Barack Obama’s record on veterans issues – from reducing the number of homeless veterans to giving incentives to businesses that hire vets – stands in "dramatic contrast" to those of Republican nominees.

[Truman Partner] Leo Cruz, a U.S. Navy veteran from Orlando, attended the event held in a conference room of the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. About 60 veterans attended.

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

The Antithesis of Charity: Investing in Our Future by Keeping Our Promise to Veterans

staff — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:05:21 -0700

Veterans have a distinct place in our society as those who have carried the heavy load of sacrifice. They have a distinct place in the world of philanthropy as well; they are the only social cause that is not charitable in nature.

Yes, there are charities that help veterans, but these charities only exist because the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) is charged with the all-consuming mission to care for all aspects of a human life.

Whether it is education, employment, benefits, health care, and housing the VA has been tasked with a difficult mission and when they fall short, nonprofits help to cover the gaps. These nonprofits are not doing this because of charity: They are ensuring that our nation honors the promise we have made to our veterans for their selfless service.

Yet, there is another pillar of veteran support which understands that we must not only keep our promises, but we must invest in our veterans much like we invested in them after WWII as a catalyst for national success.

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

GOP Candidates Ron Paul & Mitt Romney Should Realize Why We Need Foreign Aid

staff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:02:20 -0700

On Thursday, Bill Gates promised $750 million to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which recently has lost donor appeal — and, as of Tuesday, also it’s executive director — because of corruption in the countries it operates. Gates announced at the World Economic Forum that neither these charges nor the tough economic climate are an “excuse for cutting aid to the world’s poorest.” Gates’ commitment to foreign aid in any and all circumstances represents the opinion of most Americans who support foreign assistance for moral and national security reasons. Foreign aid costs only 1% of the federal budget, yet GOP candidates consistently criticize the practice, threatening to cut it off completely or, as in the case of Mitt Romney, imply that the U.S. should leave it to countries like China to “take care” of poverty. If current GOP candidates properly understood the American public and foreign aid, they would tone down their hawkish stance on overseas assistance and acknowledge the benefits of contributing to aid organizations like The Global Fund.

According to a recent World Public Opinion report and the 2010 Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll, a strong majority of Americans support the provision of “food and medical assistance” (74%) and “aid to help needy countries to develop their economies” (62%) even in economic downturns. U.S. citizens believe that developed nations have a “moral responsibility” to help poorer countries and to take measures that support their democratic ambitions. In addition, most respondents said that helping developing countries is good for the America’s own economic growth.

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

Post-SOTU Google+ Hangout and TweetUp Show Why President Obama Should Rely on Social Media in 2012 Campaign

staff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:59:42 -0700

The White House announced a packed engagement schedule in the lead up to and after Tuesday’s State of the Union Address, including a full week of “Office Hours” with senior officials, a White House TweetUp, and a Google+ hangout with President Barack Obama (on Monday, January 30th). This type of full court press may be new to American politics, but it’s standard for Obama, who made a name for himself as a trailblazer of citizen engagement by using social media. Amidst Republican concerns that the president does not uphold traditional American values, his campaign team would be well-served to highlight his signature contribution of taking the decision-making processes back to the people.

The Obama team wrote the book on social media in politics. Many analysts credit his victory to a skillful use of digital platforms – YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter — which attracted a relatively younger grassroots constituency and led to 66.8 million votes and $500 million in just online donations. To be clear, Obama’s campaign team was not the first to employ social media — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) raised $1 million online in 2000, and Howard Dean mobilized online support through Meetup groups in 2004 — but it was the first to effectively convert online engagement into actual votes. Compared to McCain, Obama’s social media hits in the 2008 election season were four times higher on YouTube and five times higher on Facebook.

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

A More Agile and Sustainable Military Posture

staff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:56:16 -0700

At a CAP event on January 25, Rudy deLeon, CAP Senior Vice President of National Security and International Policy, said that “after an extended Pentagon review of U.S. strategic interests and defense priorities, the Obama administration recently announced its decision to shift the U.S. military toward a more agile and sustainable posture for the 21st century.”

The event, hosted by CAP and the Truman National Security Project, discussed the merits and risks of this strategy shift, and analyzed both how the strategy addresses the strategic and fiscal realities facing the Pentagon and how it will allow the U.S. military to maintain its superiority.

“This shift is centered around two key strategic adjustments,” deLeon explained. “First, an increased reliance on U.S. naval and air superiority, to project power around the globe but particularly in the Asia-Pacific, and then second, a reduction in the size of ground forces back to pre-9/11 levels.”

Moderated by deLeon, the panel discussion included contributions from Michael Breen, vice president of the Truman National Security Project; Jim Arkedis, director of the national security project at the Progressive Policy Institute; and CAP Senior Fellow Lawrence J. Korb.

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

When the defense cuts hit home

staff — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:35:36 -0700

In Tuesday's State of the Union, President Barack Obama offered a robust vision of America's place in global politics, saying "America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs - and as long as I'm president, I intend to keep it that way."

It was his most succinct statement on his plans to "keep America on top" in a changing and more frugal world. The wars are ending, America faces new security challenges and, for the first time since the 1990s, the defense budget is under serious scrutiny. The administration has said it will save $487 billion, or 7.5 percent of its budget, over 10 years from the Department of Defense.

What is Obama's plan to lead the military in coming years? And how might changes affect southeastern Virginia?

Two documents lay out specifics. In early January, Obama's Pentagon released its Defense Strategic Guidance, the first plan to articulate new priorities. The second, to be released in mid-February, is the defense budget - the critical link between federal dollars and new priorities.

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.

Defense spending panel says sequestration wouldn't be disastrous

staff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:51:36 -0700

Automatically triggered budget cuts are unlikely to occur and would not be catastrophic to the Defense Department anyway, experts said Wednesday, adding that personnel expenses will prove the greatest burden on the agency's budget in coming years.

...

Michael Breen, vice president of the Truman National Security Project and a former Army captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said that trying to use ground troops to fight decentralized threats such as al-Qaeda is costly and counterproductive, and results primarily in an increased level of violent insurgents.

"Not only is it ridiculously expensive, it doesn't actually work. It multiplies your threats; it doesn't conserve your threats," Breen said.

He also emphasized the importance of talking about the Defense budget in the context of "an integrated national security budget," including funds allocated to the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development in order to promote stability in volatile regions where U.S. armed forces have intervened.

Jim Arkedis, director of the National Security Project at the Progressive Policy Institute, outlined the expenses that pile on with every soldier sent to battle, noting that the government must then provide care to these men and women for the rest of their lives.

"If we let this continue, the Pentagon is going to become a health care company that essentially fights wars on the side," Arkedis said. "Now, that's hyperbole, of course, but there's an underlying point there."

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.