In an op-ed for The Crimson, Ravi N. Mulani takes to task Congressional Republicans for their 2012 budget proposal. Arguing that their budget cuts vital services for the elderly, poor and disabled, Mulani details how proposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and affordable housing target our nation’s most vulnerable populations. Furthermore, Mulani slams the Republicans for … Read more
In a recent piece for the The Harvard Political Review, Ralphie Haro details, with a conservative slant, the findings of the recent poll conducted by the Institute of Politics Survey Committee. Haro describes some faults of the data, such as the fact that the individuals polled vote more than their demographic does as a whole, and … Read more
In a recent post for Dem Apples (the Harvard College Democrats’ official blog), Gary Gerbrandt excitedly writes about the current budget negotiations between President Obama and Republican leadership. Although he holds both parties accountable, Gerbrandt especially blames the Republicans’ “nothing-but-tax-cuts policy” for stalling progress. He concludes by alluding to the significant Democratic victories following the … Read more
In a recent piece for The Crimson, Alexander R. Konrad delves into the Berlusconi sex scandal. Konrad suggests that “Berlusconi appears confident that his persona is simply too big to fail,” but that “such in-your-face flippancy about his situation would prove disastrous in American politics.” Konrad compares the prevailing attitudes in Italy and the United … Read more
Adam Kern, in a recent piece for The Harvard Political Review, analyzes the academic nature of the Obama presidency. Quoting Obama’s desire to have an “academically approved” health care plan, Kern questions the legitimacy of founding authority on such expertise. Drawing upon the philosopher Alasdaire MacIntyre, who was similarly wary of basing leadership on academics, … Read more
Paul Schied of The Harvard Political Review takes the recent US bombings Libya as an opportunity to reveal important aspects of American leadership abroad. Combining his perspectives on Obama’s recent speech on Libya, Congressman Barney Frank’s lecture at Pforzheimer House, and a discussion with HKS Professor Emeritus Marvin Kalb, Schied delves into the intricacies of … Read more
The question of the Health Care Reform Bill’s constitutionality has left significant uncertainty within the health system and widespread speculation as to what the Supreme Court will rule when they inevitably hear the case. Mike Cotter of The Perspective writes that there is little question what the ruling should be in this case as, the … Read more
In a recent article for The Crimson, Maya Jonas-Silver describes the controversy surrounding the recent Social Transformation Conference held at Harvard. The event, which especially garnered criticism from LGBT student organizations, featured multiple individuals who had made “inflammatory” statements in their pasts. Some attendees, however, disagreed with this criticism and praised the power of the speakers’ messages. … Read more
In light of a new Facebook poll that asks viewers which side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict they are on, The Harvard Political Review‘s Josh Lipson writes that the differences reflected in such polls are merely an off-shoot of simple tribalism. Lipson explains that this feeling, “at its best explains why I derive pride from the … Read more
Many people have raised objections to President Obama’s decision to become military involved in Libya and, in a piece for his personal blog, Dylan Matthews argues a less common point concerning our military involvement. Taking Obama at face value that our mission in Libya is one strictly for humanitarian purposes, Matthews argues that if our money … Read more