Disclaimer
The views expressed on this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Bipartisan Policy Center, its founders, or its board of directors.
June 18, 2013
Voters appear to have been motivated by domestic issues: personal freedoms and economic stagnation
The result of last Friday’s presidential election in Iran was unexpected in two ways: first, that the cleric Hassan Rohani, and not a candidate closer to Supreme Leader Khamenei, emerged victorious; and second that he gathered more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round of voting. With five other candidates in the running, this amounted to a landslide. Hope is high in Washington and European capitals that some of Rohani’s comments during the campaign—arguing that it is time that nuclear negotiations are handled by someone “with an understanding of diplomacy”—mean that Iran might prove more willing to make concessions on its nuclear program. But given how surprised Western analysts were by Rohani’s election in the first place, it is important to keep in mind how opaque the Iranian political system, and its motivations, remains. In particular, policymakers should take caution to avoid two potential missteps: one analytic, the other tactical.
Demarquin Johnson contributed to this post.
On June, 13, 2013, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) hosted a conversation [watch the video] on immigration reform between Governors Haley Barbour and Jeb Bush. As former governors and respected GOP leaders, Barbour and Bush shared their unique perspective on immigration and how reform legislation might affect the states, the nation, and the Republican Party.
Election season now seemingly stretches endlessly from election to election. The public exposure of running for office often forces candidates’ family and personal lives prominently into the judgment of the public eye.
Many great upcoming and recent events have been happening with the BPC Energy Project. As always, if you have any questions or would like to speak with someone affiliated with the Energy Project, do not hesitate to call 202-641-6209 or send me an email.
Hurricane Sandy and Energy Infrastructure. This coming Monday, June 17, the Bipartisan Policy Center will host Thomas King from National Grid U.S. and Christopher Baldwin from the Hess Corporation to discuss what they learned from Hurricane Sandy and what we can do to better prepare for the hurricane season already underway this year. We’ll begin at 10:30AM at the National Press Club. Members of the public and press are invited to attend; online registration is available here. Join the conversation on Twitter - @BPC_Bipartisan, @HessCorporation, @nationalgridus, #BPCEnergy, #sandy
By Kevin Clang
The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Commission on Political Reform is studying the critical role public service plays in our political process and evaluating the ways in which Americans serve their country. Below is a list of a few of our favorite service organizations and information on how you can stay connected with them.
By Loren Adler, Brian Collins, Meredith Hughes and Leah Ralph
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) recently released A Bipartisan Rx for Patient-Centered Care and System-Wide Cost Containment, an effort led by former Senators Tom Daschle, Bill Frist, Pete Domenici, and former OMB and CBO Director Dr. Alice Rivlin, that calls for a comprehensive approach to system-wide health care improvement and cost containment. As policymakers consider changes to federal health programs and the tax code, versions of many of the proposals included in our report have entered the national discussion. In a series of posts, we will provide a deeper dive into some of our proposals, along with comparisons to similar proposals, and, very importantly, how they fit into broader efforts for reform. Read the first and second entries in the series.
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) hosted a Twitter chat on federal student loans as part of our new Citizens for Political Reform effort.
Hosts: @BPC_Bipartisan l BPC Senior Vice President @billhoagland
View highlights of the conversation below.
The U.S. led a 24-nation sample in family-based immigration, but ranked 19th in employment-based immigration
By Matt Graham
Today, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released the International Migration Outlook 2013, which contains standardized statistics on permanent legal immigrants for 23 OECD countries and the Russian Federation. These statistics enable comparisons of how different countries prioritized different immigration categories in 2011. Among the 24 nations, the U.S. ranked first in total permanent immigration, but ranked 19th in permanent immigration as a share of its total population (0.34 percent).
By Shai Akabas and Matt Graham
Brian Collins, Kristen Masley, and Holt Dwyer contributed to this post.
The purpose of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is to reduce federal income and payroll taxes for workers with low to moderate incomes. The credit is particularly supportive to low-income workers because it is refundable; even if the credit’s dollar amount exceeds a worker’s income tax liability, the balance is still paid to the worker through the tax refund process. In this manner, the credit can offset or even exceed federal income and payroll taxes owed.
As the Commission on Political Reform’s July 23rd town hall on public service draws closer, we’ll highlight the best submissions to our Snaps of Service photo contest.
Setting a small but important precedent for bipartisan reform to reduce debt and improve efficiency
By G. William Hoagland and Shai Akabas
Peter Huff contributed to this post.
A bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate on June 6 to reduce overlapping unemployment and Social Security disability benefit payments. The proposal, submitted by Senators Angus King (I-ME), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and projected by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to save the government $1 billion over the next ten years, is an important step promoting bipartisan cooperation to address duplicative federal spending. While the legislation offers only small savings compared to the $2.3 trillion combined cost of these programs over the coming decade, the bill importantly portends sensible steps toward achieving budget savings finding support in both parties.
By Mel Martinez and George Mitchell
The legendary American inventor Thomas Edison once cautioned, “we shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.” Edison, of course, was warning that complacency, a satisfied acceptance of the status quo, could be the enemy of progress.
Existing standards and institutions may be inadequate to combat and respond to growing threats
By Joe Kruger and Carie Lemack
The electric power sector has features that make it a useful case study for cyber security governance. The electric grid is not an island unto itself -- it depends on critical infrastructure in the telecommunications, natural gas pipeline, water, and other sectors to keep the lights on. Numerous federal, state, and local agencies are involved in some aspect of cyber security, including standard setting, collection of intelligence on threats, information sharing, and response to cyber attacks. Furthermore, international consistency and cooperation is desirable because the U.S. electric grid is interconnected with grids in both Canada and Mexico. Notably, a significant portion of the grid (the bulk power system) already has cyber security standards developed and enforced by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The industry itself has extensive voluntary efforts underway and some power companies have already spent significant resources to protect customers from costly disruption of electric services.
Senators Tom Coburn, Jeff Flake, Angus King, and Joe Manchin introduce cost-saving legislation
By Steve Bell
A bipartisan quartet of United States senators started what we at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Economic Policy Project hope is a trend: they have authored a piece of simple, effective, and goal-oriented legislation that would save the federal government money that is currently being wasted. In particular, the senators’ legislation would stop abuse of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Disability Insurance (DI) programs.
By Kit Bond and Henry Cisneros
This post was originally published by the Ripon Society.
A 1996 Wall Street Journal article once described us as the “odd couple” of federal housing policy. While hailing from different backgrounds and holding divergent political views, we remain united -- some 17 years later -- in our belief that ensuring broad access to decent and affordable housing is a goal our country must never abandon. This sentiment has guided the work of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Housing Commission and is a key principle of the commission’s report, Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy. We are privileged to serve as co-chairs of the commission, along with former Senators George Mitchell and Mel Martinez.
High and rising health care costs consume a large and rapidly growing portion of the federal budget, crowding out investments in other crucial priorities such as education, defense and infrastructure and putting pressure on other priorities of households, businesses and governments.
Health Care Cost Containment Report
A Bipartisan Rx for Patient-Centered Care and System-wide Cost Containment
Washington Post Op-Ed
Daschle, Domenici, Frist & Rivlin: How to build a better health-care system
To solicit public opinion from around the country, the Commission on Political Reform will propose a series of questions in the weeks leading up to each of the national conversations. The best responses will be incorporated into the town hall programs in real time.
Latest Questions
How do we attract the best candidates to run for public office?
Should there be a mandatory service requirement for young people today?
How do we attract the top talent to serve in government and elected office?
Is civility in Washington important to you?
The President’s Budget: Now What?
Paul Ryan’s FY 2014 Budget
Patty Murray’s FY 2014 Budget
Automatic, across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration took effect on March 1, 2013.
Latest Updates
A Guide to the 2014 Sequester
How $85 Billion Became $80 Billion: The Story of the Shrinking 2013 Sequester
Thinking About A Second Sequester, Fiscal Year 2014, and Congress
The Continuing Resolution and What It Means for Sequestration
Mandatory Spending and Sequestration
Origins of the Sequester
