One cannot constantly attack an institution and expect that institution to function. If the only thing anyone hears about a place is how awful it is, and if the only thing anyone hears about those who work there is how corrupt and incompetent they are, then all anyone will believe is that the place and…
Saved By The Bell – The Lost Health Care Episode
The House Republicans’ latest attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare would turn several federal requirements into state options. This is both bad politics and bad policy. As others have noted, Republican attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare have made the law more popular. The individual elements of the Affordable Care Act have…
Signs, Like Fezzes, Are Cool
My Facebook feed is filling with conversations about signs for the March for Science. This weekend scientists and their non-scientist allies (not that there’s anything wrong with being a scientist) will gather in Washington and in cities around the U.S. in support of federal funding for scientific research, policy based on scientific evidence, and…
Nice Idea, but How?
It is easy to say what ought to be in an ideal world, opining from the porch is a national pastime. Turning Monday morning opinions into actions that work on Thursdays at Fenway, Saturdays at RFK, Sundays at the Emirates, and Tuesdays at the voting booth is something else entirely. A few readers of my…
Federalist 10 and Vending Machines: Why Democrats and Moderate Republicans Should Work Together to Improve the Affordable Care Act
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Democrats should work with President Trump and Republicans in Congress to improve the Affordable Care Act. Doing so will result in more people getting more access to quality, affordable health care and it is in the political interest of everyone involved. It could also help steady…
Rocks the Keep Away Tigers, Otter’s Consolation, and How Democrats Can Win Health Care (Again).
The health care debate in Congress is one I take personally. I worked on the Affordable Care Act. When my job as an Obama-appointee at the FDA ended, my lovely young wife and I signed up for health insurance on the DC health exchange. On Friday morning I was humming the song Schadenfreude from Avenue…
Schadenfreude Comes Close: How Republicans can kill the AHCA, win health care, and help save democracy.
Schadenfreude isn’t exactly the right word to describe how I feel watching Republicans flail around on health care reform, but it moves in the right direction. It must be tremendously frustrating to be a Republican Senator, Representative or staffer right now. Your party controls the House, Senate, and the White House. You ran on fixing…
Unsolicited Advice for Republicans: Call Trump’s Bluff on Health Care
Donald Trump is leaning hard on Republicans in Congress to support whatever version of health care reform hits the floor of the House later this week. Members of Congress concerned that the bill might hurt their constituents (and ultimately their own re-election prospects) may be willing to go along with Trump because if they…
I Followed the Rules to Serve the Last President, Those Serving This President Should Too.
As the White House makes headlines for claiming not all government ethics rules apply to them, I thought I would share my own experiences with federal ethics offices. The punchline is that the rules can be a pain to follow, but are important to ensure people don’t take advantage of their position for personal…
Starting a Conversation About Ethics and Politics: What ethical responsibilities, if any, do I have?
This is the first in what may become a series of posts about ethics and politics. No one has ever handed me a bag of cash in an airport parking lot in exchange for taking a political action that I thought was unethical or illegal. I’m sure it happens, it has just never happened…