May 2012
27 posts
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In Writing CleanTech’s Obituary, is Washington...
Whether it’s major Capitol Hill media Web sites or Congressional hearings, many in Washington seem consumed these days by the question of whether the clean technology sector is viable. The real issue is not whether solar, wind, biofuels or other cleantech will succeed. They will not only succeed; globally, these new technologies will come to dominate the power sector on a long-term basis. The...
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Fuel Costs Squeeze Defense Budget
The Department of Defense is the largest consumer of liquid fuels in the world, and as this digest makes plain, its fuel costs are rising at an alarming rate.
Fuel efficiency is a national security priority. Without it, DOD will spend an ever-increasing percentage of its budget on fuel at the expense of other priorities. In this digest, we:
Outline the fiscal challenges to DOD posed by rising...
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Who's the Boss?
By Bill Schneider
Will Mitt Romney or the Republicans in Congress define the Republican message this year? That’s a big problem for the Romney campaign. It’s beginning to look like congressional Republicans want to put Romney in office so he can sign off on the Tea Party agenda — their agenda, not his.
“We’re not a cheerleading squad,” a freshman House...
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Cut Medical Mistakes in Half by 2017 to Save Lives...
By David B. Kendall
Malpractice liability plays only a limited and inconsistent role in doing what it should: giving doctors an incentive to practice safely.
Medical mistakes are dangerous, costly, and often hidden until it’s too late. Patients do their best not to think about them, because of their need to trust in their doctors. Who wants to study a surgeon’s error rates right...
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4 Senators Propose Easing Visa Limits for Highly...
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
A bipartisan group of four senators proposed on Tuesday easing visa limits for highly skilled immigrants and foreign students, a move that challenges Congressional leaders on their fixed positions on the issue of immigration during an election year.
Two Democrats, Senators Mark Warner of Virginia and Chris Coons of Delaware, and two Republicans, Senators Marco Rubio of...
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Fire Sale: The End of American Ownership of Clean...
With Congress seeming to have abandoned the clean energy sector, American companies are fighting for capital, and survival. Others are moving in.
Third Way has found that this capital hole is beginning to be filled by funds from outside the United States. Chinese investment in the U.S. market jumped 130% in 2011 and a French company took control of the second-largest U.S. solar panel maker.
...
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Five myths about independent voters
By Linda Killian, The Washington Post
1. Independent voters aren’t really independent.
Perhaps the biggest myth about independents is that they are closet partisans or “leaners” who are independent in name only but regularly vote with one party. True, about half of independents do fit into this category, but the rest are truly independent; their allegiance swings from election to election. They...
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Study: Democrats Must Win Moderates to Hold Senate
By David M. Drucker, Roll Call
In a study that could annoy Democrats and perturb proponents of the “base election” theory, a centrist Democratic think tank is arguing that its party’s hold on the Senate hinges on political “moderates.”
Third Way, in a report set for release today, asserts not only that ideological moderates will determine control of the Senate in November, but that Democrats...
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WatchWatch Third Way’s Lanae Erickson on CNN talking about Rev. Wright and Moderate voters.
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“One of people’s major concerns about extending marriage to gay couples is...”
– Third Way’s Lanae Erickson to AP.
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Will the middle say ‘I do’ to gay marriage?
By: Lanae Erickson Hatalsky and Jim Kessler
President Barack Obama’s announcement Wednesday in support of marriage for gay couples answered one key question: Where does he — and so his party — stand? Now the big question is: Are Americans in the middle ready to accept this?
That answer can be yes, based on our four years of extensive research into that precise question — if marriage...
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“71% of voters ages 18-29, another crucial group for Obama, said they favored...”
– Lanae Erickson Hatalsky, Third Way’s Director of Social Policy & Politics in USA Today
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How to 'evolve' a.k.a. change positions on...
By Domenico Montanaro, Deputy Political Editor, NBC News
The think tank Third Way offers this guide to legislators on how to change positions on “marriage.”
Among the tips: “Don’t say ‘gay marriage” or even “same-sex marriage.” These terms can reinforce the notion that gay couples are seeking a different kind of marriage, rather than simply trying to join the tradition...
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Third Way Salutes President Obama's announcement...
We salute the President for his announcement today in support of marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
This is an historic moment for the nation for which we express our deepest appreciation to the President.
As an organization that both supports allowing gay couples to marry and strives to understand and reach ideological moderates, we believe the center of the electorate is ready to support...
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WatchWHAT A HISTORIC DAY!
Today, President Obama became the first sitting President of the United States to publicly support the freedom to marry for LGBT Americans.
On behalf of Third Way, thank you, Mr. President!
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WatchWatch Senator Claire McCaskill, a Third Way Co-Chair, talk about PACs and campaign finance on last night’s Colbert Report.
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Tim Kaine Calls for Same-Sex Marriage Support in...
By Katelyn Polantz, PBS NewsHour
Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine inched toward an endorsement of gay marriage Tuesday and said his party should take a stance on the issue.
The Democratic Senate candidate and former Virginia governor told reporters he believes that gay couples deserve the same “legal rights and responsibilities” as straight couples. He also...
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Flight to the Center - Voter Registration 6 Months...
6 months out from Election Day, how has the electorate changed? Today, we have released the third of our periodic updates on voter enrollment in presidential battleground states. We found that Democratic registration has fallen sharply since 2008, Republican registration is down modestly, and Independent registration has soared.
The long primary slowed the GOP hemorrhaging. But Independents still...
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In picking VP, just find someone to help win
By Bill Schneider
Predicting a vice presidential choice is a mug’s game. How many people predicted Sen. John McCain’s choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2008? Who predicted that George H.W. Bush would pick Dan Quayle in 1988? Or that his son would pick Dick Cheney — the man he put in charge of the selection process — in 2000?
There are 10 reasons why you pick a running mate. Reason No. 1:...
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