The Cato Institute Event
Commentary on the Current Political Landscape
Andrew Van Fossen
Issue date: 5/12/05 Section: GSB News
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The Cato Institute hosted an event last Wednesday, May 4, at the Palmer Place Hilton. The Cato Institute, taking its name from papers focused on liberty during the American Revolution, is a non-profit political organization supporting the ideas of personal liberties and minimizing the size of government. On this day, the Institute hosted Robert Novak as the key-note speaker as well as a debate on the future of social security.
Perspectives of Robert Novak
The event began with Robert Novak, a Washington DC political analyst who appears on CNN's "Crossfire", addressing the crowd. He gave his perspectives on the current political landscape in Washington DC.
Looking forward to the 2008 presidential election, he gave his predictions on who would run. He addressed the idea of Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Democratic ticket saying, "There are a lot of liberals who would like to see her run, and there are also a lot of Republicans who would like to see her run too."
On the conservative ticket, Mr. Novak said this was the most wide open race in 40 years. One name that came up was Florida governor and brother to the current President, Jeb Bush. While Mr. Novak said Gov. Bush was one of the smartest politicians in today's landscape, there was almost no possibility of such a nomination given the current baggage associated with the Bush name. In light of that, Mr. Novak's current pick was Mississippi's governor, Halley Barber.
He then answered a question he says he is always asked: Is the news media biased. Without a second's hesitation, he answered that it undeniably slanted to the left (ironic given he is a part of said media), which drew laughs and applause from the largely conservative crowd. However, he optimistically pointed out that there are so many other media outlets, particularly the internet, which allow today's Americans to have better access to news from more sources than ever before.
For the second half of his time, Mr. Novak evaluated the effectiveness of the Bush administration. First up was the President's handling of the Social Security debate. Here he criticized the President for not putting forth a specific plan, but rather allowing for a policy free-for-all to occur. He predicted when all the dust settled Social Security would be means-tested, turning it into another welfare program.
Perspectives of Robert Novak
The event began with Robert Novak, a Washington DC political analyst who appears on CNN's "Crossfire", addressing the crowd. He gave his perspectives on the current political landscape in Washington DC.
Looking forward to the 2008 presidential election, he gave his predictions on who would run. He addressed the idea of Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Democratic ticket saying, "There are a lot of liberals who would like to see her run, and there are also a lot of Republicans who would like to see her run too."
On the conservative ticket, Mr. Novak said this was the most wide open race in 40 years. One name that came up was Florida governor and brother to the current President, Jeb Bush. While Mr. Novak said Gov. Bush was one of the smartest politicians in today's landscape, there was almost no possibility of such a nomination given the current baggage associated with the Bush name. In light of that, Mr. Novak's current pick was Mississippi's governor, Halley Barber.
He then answered a question he says he is always asked: Is the news media biased. Without a second's hesitation, he answered that it undeniably slanted to the left (ironic given he is a part of said media), which drew laughs and applause from the largely conservative crowd. However, he optimistically pointed out that there are so many other media outlets, particularly the internet, which allow today's Americans to have better access to news from more sources than ever before.
For the second half of his time, Mr. Novak evaluated the effectiveness of the Bush administration. First up was the President's handling of the Social Security debate. Here he criticized the President for not putting forth a specific plan, but rather allowing for a policy free-for-all to occur. He predicted when all the dust settled Social Security would be means-tested, turning it into another welfare program.