WHWG | White House Writers Group » Practices

How Barack Obama’s ‘Buffett’ Tax Hurts the Middle Class

Joshua Gilder — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:07:56 +0000

Think the “Buffett” tax won’t affect your savings? Think again. In a recent U.S. News.com piece Senior White House Writers Director Josh Gilder examines the economic and social implications of President Obama’s fiscal policies. The real losers continue to be those the President is purportedly protecting – the middle class and the American economy.

To read the full text of Mr. Gilder’s article, please click here.

The Dangers of Obama’s Nuclear Disarmament Promise

G. Philip Hughes — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:56:28 +0000

The Obama Administration is reportedly studying further, drastic reductions in U.S. nuclear forces — unilaterally or negotiated with Russia – later this year, possibly down to a few hundred operationally deployed nuclear weapons. Would the U.S. remain a super-power, defending and deterring attacks on our allies worldwide, with a nuclear arsenal the size of Pakistan’s? Wouldn’t it be ironic — not to mention dangerous — if U.S. reductions intended to point the way to Obama’s goal of a nuclear-free world ended up encouraging wider nuclear proliferation, a build-up of rogue nation nuclear capabilities, and a heightened risk of nuclear conflict?

To read the rest of Mr. Hughes’s article, see his U.S.News.com post here.

Why the TSA Searches Grandmothers and Toddlers

Mark W. Davis — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:13:21 +0000

Why does the TSA pat down grandmothers and toddlers. Does it really think they could be terrorists? Turns out, there is a reason, revealed by Mark Davis, Senior Director of WHWG, in this US News and World Report column.

To read the full article, please click here

How Mitt Romney Can Win Over Conservatives

G. Philip Hughes — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:53:01 +0000

Republicans can’t win in November without winning the independent voters that Obama carried 52% – 44% in 2008. However ‘exciting’ it might be to conservatives to imagine crack debater Gingrich or culture warrior Santorum taking on Obama in the fall, only Romney has a chance of winning independents – instead of scaring and repelling them. But to win the nomination – and the enthusiastic support of his party – Romney needs, even this late in the game, to win the trust of conservative Republicans.

To read the entire U.S. News and World Report article, please follow this link.

Science Reporting on Organic Food is Out to Lunch

Joshua Gilder — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:39:46 +0000

“If the American people are largely uninformed on scientific issues, as the media so often complains, is it possible that one reason is the appallingly low level of science and health reporting in the media itself?” asks White House Writer Joshua Gilder in U.S. News and World Report, “Scientific Reporting on Organic Food is Out to Lunch.” Reporting on organic farming is a case in point. Ever wonder how organic farmers protect their crops without pesticides? They don’t. Despite the constant misinformation about “pesticide free” organic produce, organic farmers DO use pesticides – a lot of them — and many are highly toxic.

To read the rest of Mr. Gilder’s article, click here.

A Reckless Gamble

Mark W. Davis — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:06:28 +0000

Did you know that the United States is the only nuclear power in the world that lacks the ability to make new nuclear weapons? This means that as the Obama Administration contemplates further deep—and unilateral reductions—in the US nuclear arsenal, we will have no ability to rebuild our forces if world conditions worsen.

In this piece, Mark Davis and Philip Hughes draw on their White House experience to suggest a “pause and plateau”–a pause in nuclear negotiations, and a plateau at current agreed-upon force levels for five years.

To read the full article in The Hill, please click here.

Cuba Is Reforming, But Not Nearly Enough

G. Philip Hughes — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:43:21 +0000

After a week of visiting Cuba in early February with a group of former U.S. Ambassadors, I was both impressed — and appalled. Change is definitely under way in Cuba — with small businesses being allowed to start up in a few sectors of the economy and people are allowed to buy and sell home and autos for the first time in 53 years. But over half a century of ‘revolution’ have left the country a physical wreck. Even its vaunted health care system proved remarkably hollow on closer inspection. And the living conditions of Cubans aren’t visibly different from, and in significant ways appear poorer than, their neighbors in the poorest Caribbean islands — except that, unlike their Caribbean neighbors, Cubans are not at all free. The irony is: Cuba is changing — economically — precisely to avoid and forestall changing politically. But that’s precisely the change the Cuba needs: a management change at the top, to relieve the country of the crew that’s been running the show for over half a century.

You can read more in my column at US News and World Report, here.

The Nuclear Pause

Mark W. Davis — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:29:12 +0000

Two White House Writers, G. Philip Hughes and Mark Davis, in a groundbreaking piece express concern about continuing reductions in U.S. nuclear forces in a world in which China and Russia are rapidly modernizing their forces, and proliferation is increasing. This is a special concern, since the United States is the only nuclear power in the world that has relinquished its ability to serially manufacture new nuclear weapons. Hence, their call for a “Nuclear Pause” on new reductions agreements, and a “Plateau” in overall force levels.

Dealing with Defense Contraction

WHWG — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:12:04 +0000

As the DoD budget declines, contractors are going to have to look beyond what they are now hearing from the customer (the Pentagon, the military services and Congress) and think hard about what their customers will likely need in the near future. In this Defense News piece, WHWG’s Philip Hughes and Mark Davis look to the challenge contractors face.

Analyzing Campaign Speechwriting on Norwegian TV

Clark S. Judge — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:40:15 +0000