The Century Foundation - Taking Note

The Platform: What Would Peter Jennings Do?

Peter Osnos, The Century Foundation, 3/10/2010
At a mid-town Manhattan Japanese restaurant on the rainy night of September 10, 2001, Peter Jennings, then at the pinnacle of ABC News, joined a small group of us to toss around ideas about the radical reinvention of the nightly news. A good deal of sak� was consumed, and the evening ended with agreement to continue the discussion. The next morning, the World Trade Center was attacked, and that day--the coverage of which Jennings brilliantly anchored--and the continuing focus on terrorism, homeland security, and war overwhelmed any further consideration of what might be changed.

The Only Way Out Of Afghanistan Is With A Withdrawal Deadline

Stephen Schlesinger, The Century Foundation, 3/10/2010

Let me start by citing President Obama�s exact words on his much-publicized July 2011 deadline for American forces to start leaving Afghanistan. Obama stated at West Point on December 1, 2009, that �taken together, these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July 2011. Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground.�

Peggy Noonan vs. the New England Journal of Medicine

Maggie Mahar, The Century Foundation, 3/9/2010
Let’s put to rest, once and for all, the idea—or rather, the notion (it’s not even an idea, just a vague impression, based on hearsay)—that the health reform legislation now under discussion includes no plans for containing health care spending. The reform proposal now being debated in Washington would put a brake on health care inflation. As an eye-opening essay in the most recent (March 4) issue of the New England Journal of Medicine explains, Medicare would, at last, have the power it needs to lead the way, not by cutting benefits, but by restructuring how it does business.

The Snapshot: The Progressive Millennial Generation

Ruy Teixeira, The Century Foundation, 3/9/2010

The 2008 election was the first in which the 18- to 29-year-old age group was drawn exclusively from the Millennial Generation (birth years 1978-2000), and they voted for Barack Obama by a 34-point margin, 66 percent to 32 percent, compared to a 9-point margin for John Kerry among 18- to 29-year-olds in 2004. Behind this striking result, however, is a deeper story of a generation with progressive views in all areas and big expectations for change that will fundamentally reshape our electorate.

The Snapshot: Time for Comprehensive Health Care Reform

Ruy Teixeira, The Century Foundation, 3/8/2010

President Barack Obama made it very clear at the health care summit last Thursday that while he was open to ideas from every quarter, he was not willing to compromise away comprehensive health care reform where extending coverage and serious health insurance market reform are pursued at the same time. Baby steps, as he pointed out, just won�t do. He also pointed out that most of the components of comprehensive health care reform are popular with the public, suggesting that the bills in Congress would fare better if the public actually knew what was in them. Predictably, this claim was greeted with derision by conservatives.