Debt passed. Vote taken on new district maps. More teens popping the pill. Saving the Republican Party.
Could this be an end to the debt debate?
After what seemed like interminable rounds of deliberation between Republicans and Democrats, the White House and congressional leaders reached a compromise regarding the debt-ceiling on Sunday. This deal would increase the debt ceiling, allowing the government to run through 2013. Dollar-per-dollar spending cuts will be used to match the increase, with the first round being at least $900 billion targeted toward domestic programs over the next decade. Furthermore, a bipartisan congressional committee will propose $1.5 trillion in additional cuts by November. If they are not accepted, $1.2 trillion in cuts would be automatically triggered in 2013. While there is a consensus among the President, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner, the legislation is not assured passage. Liberal Democrats are furious over what they perceive as a Democratic surrender to the Republican Party’s stance on prohibiting new sources of revenue. On the other hand, conservative Republicans are still wary of the bill and are hoping it can be used as a means to support the idea of a balanced budget amendment. Is this the real deal? Will party leaders be able to wrangle the votes to pass legislation? Why has a compromise taken this long to reach? Even if you find the proposal unfavorable, is it better to accept it and move on or keep fighting and risk a federal default?
Guests:
David Mark, Senior Editor, Politico.com; Author, “Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning”
Judson Phillips, Founder and CEO of Tea Party Nation
Robert Reich, Professor of Public Policy at University of California Berkley and Former United States Secretary of Labor
Grover Norquist, President of Americans For Tax Reform
Michael Ettlinger, Vice President for Economic Policy, Center for American Progress
Vote taken on new district maps
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission voted Friday to adopt its first set of maps revising California’s political districts. The final draft maps appear to create more Democratic dominated districts, putting a number of incumbents in the same districts. These incumbents will either have to fight it out in a primary election, move to another district, or retire. The 14-member bipartisan commission, who has worked on the new political maps for months, listened to testimony from 2,000 Californians and considered 20,000 written comments. Critics from Republican Party say the process to redraw the districts wasn’t transparent enough and are threatening a lawsuit or ballot referendum to overturn the new maps. Minority community representatives have also complained that the new districts have broken-up long established ethnic groupings, taking political power away from minority voters. The final vote to ratify these maps takes place on August 15.
Guest:
Bruce Cain, Heller Professor of political science and the Executive Director of the U.C. Washington Center, in DC
More teens popping the pill
A new study shows that eighteen percent of teenage women ages 13 to 18 filled prescriptions for oral contraceptives in 2009, a proportion that has steadily risen since 2002. Another study shows that the use of hormonal contraceptive pills may negatively affect bone density in teenagers. Should parents encourage their sexually active daughters towards other forms of contraception? Of course abstinence is another option, and many parents and reproductive experts still feel this is the most important message of all. But for parents who can face the sexuality of their teens, what is the best form of birth control for them to use?
Guest:
Delia Scholes, PhD, Senior Researcher with Group Health Research Institute, studies impacts of various contraceptive use
Diane Tanaka, medical director of the Teenage Health Center at Children’s Hospital LA
Saving the Republican Party
While the Tea Party has reenergized the Republican base in a very big way on national, state and local levels, there are some members of the Grand Old Party who are worried that it is losing its way. This is particularly true with the rising generation of young adults who rarely register Republican and overwhelmingly voted Barack Obama into office in 2008. Margaret Hoover, lifelong Republican and great-granddaughter of Herbert, addresses this concern in American Individualism: How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party. She uses the book as a challenge for young people to take another look at her party and its ideals. She focuses not only on policy issues such as debt and deficit reduction, education and immigration, but stresses the overall credo of individual freedom as a selling point. However, Hoover also realizes that the party can’t simply cite historical precedent, it must evolve and change with the times if it is expected to stay competitive in future election cycles. How have Republicans fallen so out of step with the youth of this country? What specific actions can be made to bring new members into the fold? How will a party so steadfastly and traditionally principled manage to appeal to a generation which is primarily concerned with what is exciting and new?
Guest:
Margaret Hoover, author of American Individualism: How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party