More on the Reagan frenzy
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by David Sirota, Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and Jonathan Baskin
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June 10, 2004
TAKE ACTION Kick Corporate Tax Dodgers Off the Dole
REAGAN Conservatives' Tribute Ideas Are Off The Money
STEM CELL RESEARCH A More Meaningful Tribute TAKE ACTION
Kick Corporate Tax Dodgers Off the DoleThe Financial Times reports, "a House of Representatives committee approved a proposal that would block Accenture from securing a $10 [billion] Homeland Security contract because of its Bermuda incorporation." The bill would "prevent companies based in tax-havens from winning homeland security contracts." Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who sponsored the proposal, said, "It is outrageous and wrong to reward these companies for abandoning our country, particularly from the very department charged with safeguarding our homeland security as we work to pay for the ongoing war on terrorism." But "the bill must still navigate changes and votes in the full House." Two years ago, DeLauro successfully attached the same proposal to the bill, creating the Department of Homeland Security, but it was stripped out by House leaders in the final bill. Write to your representatives and tell them to vote for the DeLauro proposal and make sure your tax dollars stop rewarding corporate tax dodgers.
REAGAN
Conservatives' Tribute Ideas Are Off The MoneyAs tens of thousands gathered around the Capitol to pay tribute to the legacy of Ronald Reagan yesterday, a president revered for his "humble words" and "modesty," conservatives in Congress launched competing proposals to memorialize Reagan which "seem just as motivated by politicians' eagerness to piggyback onto Mr. Reagan's popularity as they are by any genuine desire to honor him." Washington's airport and the largest federal building built since the Pentagon are already named after Reagan, as well as "dozens of roads and schools across the country," but now conservatives in Congress are pushing to put Reagan on U.S. currency. Such proposals could cost U.S. taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and go against the wishes of former first lady Nancy Reagan. Nevertheless, the effort backed in part by the Grover Norquist-headed Reagan Legacy Project continues to move forward with a misplaced effort to rename anything and everything for the 40th president. Read this American Progress backgrounder on the misguided push for Reagan monuments.
REAGAN PRAISED PRESIDENTS HE'D REPLACE: Efforts to place the former president on currency have focused on the $10 bill (Hamilton), the $20 bill (Jackson), and the dime (Roosevelt). But all three of the faces conservatives would have Reagan supplant were praised and often quoted by the former president. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wants Reagan to replace the nation's first treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton, but it was Reagan who frequently quoted Hamilton and called him a man "of enormous intellectual capacity and courage." Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) wants to replace Andrew Jackson—Reagan repeatedly praised Jackson because he "spoke for the average man and fought the vested interests," saying he "was a president who cared about the average American." And several conservatives have been involved in an effort to replace Franklin D. Roosevelt on the dime; FDR was a personal hero of Reagan's; the Gipper called him "one of history's truly monumental figures…an American giant, a leader who shaped, inspired, and led our people through perilous times."
NANCY OBJECTS: The former first lady, Nancy Reagan, has joined prominent Reagan aides and top conservatives in objecting to many of the renaming projects. Asked about putting Reagan on the dime, she said, "While I can understand the intentions of those seeking to place my husband's face on the dime, I do not support this proposal and I am certain Ronnie would not." Former aide and Reagan loyalist Lyn Nofziger said on 6/10/01 the renaming frenzy was "silly in the extreme. Reagan didn't care about such things. He was a modest man." Marshall Wittman, an analyst with the conservative Hudson Institute, said the effort to rename everything for Reagan "is all very un-Reagan and it actually trivializes his legacy." And columnist George Will said on MSNBC he was against gratuitous renaming "because it is the spirit of Leninism and Saddam Husseinism, and all the other countries in which the maximum leader smears his image all over the place."
LEGACY PROJECT WANTS (RUSH)MORE: Not satisfied with hundreds of sites nationwide named after Reagan, the Reagan Legacy Project continues to push for more, including malls, airports and the "establishment of one significant monument in each state to be named after Reagan, as well as some dedication in every county in the United States and in every formerly communist country." Said Norquist of the group's ultimate ambitions: "Do I think in 20 years Reagan could be on Rushmore? Maybe. Or we could have our own mountain." Reagan biographer Lou Cannon believes the former president "would be very uneasy" about the naming crusade. According to the 6/17/01 WP, Cannon said, "They're doing something that Reagan himself would not have wanted done, and they're doing something that is unnecessary... The conservative movement may be in trouble, but I don't think Reagan's reputation is."
STEM CELL RESEARCH
A More Meaningful TributePresident Ronald Reagan's battle with Alzheimer's has motivated lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to call on President Bush to reverse his deeply flawed stem cell policy as a true monument to the 40th president. In recent years, first lady Nancy Reagan has become a staunch advocate for embryonic stem-cell research, which leading scientists believe could be the key to breakthroughs in treatment for Alzheimer's disease as well as for other ailments such as spinal injuries, Parkinson's and diabetes. Although much of Mrs. Reagan's work has been behind the scenes, last month she finally spoke out, saying, "Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him. Because of this, I'm determined to do whatever I can to save other families from this pain. I just don't see how we can turn our backs on this."
THE BACK STORY: In August 2001, under pressure from conservatives, President Bush announced he was limiting federal funding of stem cell research to the "more than 60" lines already in existence. It turned out to be a drastic overstatement, as only a fraction of those lines are actually usable. The National Institutes of Health admitted in March that the number was far fewer; in fact, only about 23 lines might ever be available under Bush's policy. (In an American Progress column, Chris Mooney charged, "This was, arguably, the biotech equivalent of failing to find Saddam's WMD.") The result: Stunted research into treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal injuries, heart disease and muscular dystrophy; a lack of government oversight; and brain drain, as top scientists leave the United States for countries making progress in the research. As a leading director of stem cell research in Britain put it, "I look at the stem cell policy in the US and I don't understand it whatsoever. It is the most intellectually incoherent policy you could possibly have."
STEM CELL 101: An embryonic stem cell is not a fetus, not a baby; it's a cluster of about 150 cells, known as a "blastocyst," which forms a few days after the joining of a sperm and egg, and is no larger than the period at the end of this sentence. Within the center of this cluster are stem cells, which have the potential to become any of the 200 kinds of cells that make up the human body. To get to the stem cells, the blastocyst must be destroyed. Here's the thing – they're being destroyed anyway. Thousands of these cell clusters have been created as part of in vitro fertilization; once a couple becomes pregnant, their extra embryonic cells currently are just thrown away. There are about 400,000 blastocysts in fertility clinics, most of which will be destroyed instead of used for research.
CONSERVATIVE AGENDA TRUMPED SCIENCE: Earlier this year, President Bush "dismissed two members of his handpicked Council on Bioethics -- a scientist and a moral philosopher who had been among the more outspoken advocates for research on human embryo cells." In their places, he "appointed three new members, including a doctor who has called for more religion in public life, a political scientist who has spoken out precisely against the research that the dismissed members supported, and another who has written about the immorality of abortion and the 'threats of biotechnology.'"
THE GENIE IS OUT OF THE BOTTLE: No funding equals no oversight. The primary result of President Bush's denial of federal funds to stem cell researchers is to make government powerless to regulate the science, which is marching on in the private sector and abroad. Researchers from Harvard, Sweden, South Korea, Britain, India and more are all pushing forward, and the U.S. government is left out of any conversations about the limits and use of bioresearch. In an article titled "Beyond Therapy," the head of Bush's bioethics committee, Leon Kass, wrote, "prudent defenders of the sanctity of human life should realize that it is a Pyrrhic victory to keep the federal government out of certain activities, if the price of such a stance means that worse practices are allowed to proceed without oversight or regulation in the private sector."
GROWING SUPPORT FOR CHANGE: The NYT writes that reforming stem cell policy would be a "fine tribute" to Reagan. Conservative columnist William Safire hopes public sentiment could be channeled into resolving "the impasse blocking greater federal support" in the research. Newsday states, "It would be fitting if the president, credited in life with restoring the nation's optimism, became in death a symbol of hope for the 4 million other Americans afflicted with the mind-sapping disease." The Boston Globe concurs, saying if there are to be monuments to Reagan, "surely they should be dedicated to creating a self-defense against the disease that kills the self."
CHANGING CONSERVATIVE TIDE: A majority of Congress is pushing for President Bush to reverse his stance on stem-cell research. This week, 58 senators – including 14 Republicans – sent President Bush a letter urging him to expand the lines of stem cells available for research. They join 206 of their fellow lawmakers in the House – including 36 Republicans - who called upon him to do so in April. One of the research's staunchest supporters is the very conservative Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who "decided to support embryonic stem cell research only after studying the legal, medical, religious and ethical issues involved." Within the administration, Dr. Elias Zerhouni, the head of the NIH, admitted last month that opening up more stem cell lines would speed up important scientific research.
ECONOMY – OFFSHORING'S SILVER LINING: While the Bush administration's strong endorsement of shipping U.S. jobs overseas has spurred the ire of workers hit hard by the economy, there is one silver lining: a newly reinvigorated labor movement. AP reports the offshoring issue's potency "was proven last month when the Communications Workers of America negotiated a new contract with SBC Communications Inc. after a four-day strike. As part of the deal, the San Antonio-based phone company agreed to work with the union to bring an estimated 3,000 company jobs in India and the Philippines to the United States." During the strike by CWA's 102,000 SBC workers, thousands of picketers around the country hoisted anti-offshoring signs saying "SBC Unpatriotic" and "Keep Jobs in America." American Progress's Christian Weller said, "There is something to be said for shaming a company if you say 'This company will outsource good jobs from our community."
IRAQ – INSUFFICIENT IRAQI INSTRUCTION EQUALS INSTABILITY: It was a year of no progress. AP reports, "Misguided U.S. training of Iraqi police contributed to the country's instability and has delayed getting enough qualified Iraqis on the streets to ease the burden on American forces," according to Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, the head of armed forces training. In a stunning admission, a frustrated Eaton stated, ''It hasn't gone well. We've had almost one year of no progress…We've had the wrong training focus on individual cops rather than their leaders.'' What this means: As U.S. occupation leaders prepare to hand power to an Iraqi government in less than three weeks, Iraq's own security forces won't be ready to take a large role in protecting the country.
GOVERNMENT – SENATE BEING RUN BY CORPORATE LOBBYISTS: According to Roll Call, it's the most exclusive corporate collusion ticket in town. Once a week for the past three years, a half-dozen of DC's most powerful corporate lobbyists quietly met "with the Senate's top Republican aides in Room 347 of the Russell Office Building" to coordinate policy. "On rare occasions, a representative from the White House sits in on the meeting." It's definitely a hush-hush affair - the meeting "has never been publicized," and "none of the Senate aides, Republican activists and lobbyists who have attended recent sessions was willing to be quoted by name discussing it."
IRAQ – LAWSUITS OVER ABU GHRAIB ABUSE: The San Diego Union Tribune reports the nonprofit Center for Constitutional Rights is suing Titan Corporation and CACI International for the companies' alleged complicity in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. BBC reports "the lawsuit alleges that Titan and CACI employees conspired to torture prisoners in order to obtain more information from them, thereby increasing their chances of winning more government contracts." At the time, the Bush administration was issuing various memos justifying abuse, sending a signal to potential contractors about what it wanted done.
Don't Miss DAILY TALKING POINTS: Ideology Trumps Science and Health On Stem Cell Research
COLUMN: Op-Ed Seductions
RELIGION: Washington Post feature on Center for American Progress religious conference highlighting "proud past" and "promising future" of religious left.
RIGHT-WING: In wake of Iraq setbacks and Chalabi debacle, embattled neo-conservatives go on the defensive.
ABUSE: Rumsfeld told interrogators to "take the gloves off"
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Daily Grill
"Science has presented us with a hope called stem cell research, which may provide our scientists with many answers that for so long have been beyond our grasp. I just don't see how we can turn our backs on this."
- Nancy Reagan, May 2004
VERSUS
"No."
- Laura Bush, on whether she supported Nancy Reagan's plea to relax restrictions on stem cell research, 6/9/06
Daily Outrage Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) lashed out at efforts to memorialize President John F. Kennedy in the wake of his assassination, attacking Kennedy's supporters for supposedly wanting "everything renamed for him."
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