This November, Barack
Obama was re-elected president of the United States, marking the end of a
campaign season that has seen a slow but steady increase in attention given to
the struggles facing low-income Americans. Spotlight
has launched a new resource page to capture what happens next as preparations
begin for a second Obama administration. Over the next few months, Spotlight will post the latest news,
statements, events and staff appointments surrounding the transition. To
submit a resource to this guide, contact Tamanna Mansury at Tamanna@thehatchergroup.com.
Click here to check out news, statements and other resources from President Obama's 2012 campaign.
EVENTS
- On Jan. 17, Tavis Smiley, broadcaster and author, held a forum to discuss proven solutions on how government officials can reduce poverty, more specifically, what the 2nd Obama administration can do to address poverty and opportunity within its first 100 days. Panelists included Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio); Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives; John D. Graham, dean of the Indiana University School of Public & Environmental Affairs; Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United; Jonathan Kozol, author of Fire in the Ashes: Twenty-Five Years Among the Poorest Children in America; Mariana Chilton, director of Center for Hungry- Free Communities; Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University; and Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary Professor and author. Click here for more information.
- The American Enterprise Institute held a forum on Nov. 8 to explore what the
2012 election results will mean for the potential reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, federal education spending,
state and local issues, and other pressing concerns. Panelists include
Katherine Haley, policy aide for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio);
Alyson Klein, reporter for Education Week; and Zakiya Smith, senior
advisor for education at the White House Domestic Policy Council. Click here to watch the event video.
- The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) held a forum on Nov. 27 to explore top post-election priorities for restoring opportunity
and helping Americans build wealth. The event, moderated by Jim Tankersley, economics correspondent
at the National Journal, will explore
potential strategies such as tax reform
and efforts to encourage saving. Panelists include Ray Boshara, senior advisor and community development policy
officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; James Carr, fellow at The Insight Center for Community Economic
Development; Andrea Levere,
president of CFED; and Sarah Rosen
Wartell; president of The Urban Institute. Click here to watch the event video.
- On December 5, Spotlight
and The Brookings Institution co-sponsored an event that gathered some
of the country's leading policy minds to discuss how the new administration can
increase opportunity for all Americans. As policymakers in Washington, D.C.
debate the future of major safety net programs, millions of families are
fighting every day to move out of poverty and achieve long-term financial
security. The causes and consequences of these challenges will force critical
decisions on the second Obama administration. Panelists included Jo Anne Barnhart, former commissioner
of Social Security and former assistant secretary for children and families at
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Jared Bernstein, senior fellow at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities and former chief economist to
Vice President Joe Biden; John Bridgeland, president & CEO of Civic Enterprises and former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President George W. Bush; Isabel Sawhill, co-director of the Center on Children & Families at Brookings; and Mona Sutphen, former White House deputy chief of staff for policy. Click here to watch videos from the event.
- Waggener Edstrom Worldwide and the Public Affairs Council held a
forum on Dec. 6 to discuss how the 2012 election will impact the next four years
from four leading national journalists covering the energy and
environment, economy and business, health and technology sectors.
Speakers included Sudeep Reddy, economics reporter at The Wall Street
Journal, and Dena Bunis, managing editor at CQ HealthBeat. Click here for an overview of the event.
STATEMENTS & RESOURCES
- How President Obama Can Reverse America’s Worsening Hunger Metrics, Joel Berg, Center for American Progress, February 2013
- Reflections on President Obama’s Inaugural Address, His Second Term and Presidential Leadership Style, Elaine Kamarck, The Brookings Institution, Jan. 22, 2013
- 100 Days for American Workers, National Employment Law Center, Dec. 2012
- 10 Economic Issues for Obama's Second Term, The Brookings Institution, Nov. 7, 2012
- Hitting Reset: A New Term Calls for a New Solution, by Anne Mosle, ASCEND, Nov. 9, 2012
- Creating Just Jobs Must Be Our Top Priority, by Sabina Dewan and Jordan Bernhardt, Center for American Progress, Nov. 15, 2012
- Within Reach: Global Development Goals, Bread for the World Institute, Nov. 19, 2012
- The Right Choices to Cut Poverty and Restore Shared Prosperity, Erik R. Stegman and Melissa Boteach, Half in Ten, Nov. 19, 2012
- Young American Ideas Book: 12 Solutions to Help Get Our Generation Back on Track, Young Invicibles, August 2012
NEWS
- “‘Will President Obama find his voice in this term? My answer is yes,’ said Lorenzo Morris, a Howard University political-science professor. ‘He won’t have a big stick to carry with it, but it will be a voice that I think will be a little clearer.’ That hope springs from the reality of daily life for many African-Americans. The Great Recession may be over for the country as a whole, but they aren’t feeling the recovery. Black unemployment remains double that for whites. The median income gap between white and black households has hit a record high.”
- “The presidential bully pulpit is a powerful platform. We’ve seen it at work on same-sex marriage, immigration and gun violence. And it’s about time Obama used it on an issue as far-reaching as poverty. It’s not like it would be a heavy lift for him. His October letter to anti-child-poverty advocates demonstrated an understanding of what’s at stake. Also, it wouldn’t cost Obama and the federal government a dime.”
- “On Monday, in his second inaugural address, President Obama offered words that inspired hope among some advocates who work every day on economic security issues—whether creating opportunities for families struggling in poverty, or creating better jobs for all workers.”
- “The upshot is that many low-income children never reach the starting line, and poverty becomes self-replicating. Maybe that's why some of the most cost-effective antipoverty programs are aimed at the earliest years. For example, the Nurse-Family Partnership has a home-visitation program that encourages new parents of at-risk children to amp up the hugging, talking and reading. It ends at age 2, yet randomized trials show that those children are less likely to be arrested as teenagers and the families require much less government assistance.”
Next »