http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/ A blog by Physics Today covering how science policy and the 2008 American Presidential election campaign interact en Copyright 2008 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:52:06 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Hillary Clinton provided the most detailed proposals, with Barack Obama a close second now that John Edwards is out of the race. The two main republican candidates, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, do not have specific proposals but they do support increased funding for energy research and education. John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are still in the Senate and may vote on the 2009 science budget before the campaign is over. The 2008 budget turned into a disaster for science, particularly for high energy physics for which funding of the international linear collider and the international thermonuclear experimental reactor were effectively zeroed out. In response, Fermilab and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center had to curtail experiments early, cut staff and in some cases, ask their employees to take two days of unpaid furlough each month. The cuts in the 2008 budget came about because Congress and the White House disagreed over how to pay for tax cuts and government services in an era of rising deficits. In the 2009 budget the Office of Science at the Department of Energy, which funds Fermilab, would receive an 18% increase from $3.97 billion to $4.72 billion. The National Science Foundation would receive a 14 percent increase to $6.85 billion, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology would receive a 22 percent increase to $634 million. Last year both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama abstained from voting on the 2008 science budget. John McCain voted against it. If the candidates want to support increased science funding, they can support the 2009 budget or, if Congress decides to delay passing the budget, call for supplemental spending bills that increase research funds above their 2008 level. ]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/02/where_do_they_stand_on_the_200.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/02/where_do_they_stand_on_the_200.html Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:52:06 -0500 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The OSTP has a mandate to advise the President and others in the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. According to its website, the OSTP and science adviser, who until recently held the title "assistant to the president", has had some success in the past in pushing programs such as the Human Genome Project and getting support for doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health. As previous science advisers told Physics Today when current science adviser John Marburger was nominated in 2001, access to the president is critical. Through direct contact, the science adviser not only can discuss policy with the president, but he gains status as a true "insider," an invaluable asset when dealing with the federal bureaucracy. Neal Lane, a former science adviser to the Clinton administration, told the New York Times for an article about the politicization of science, "Your influence depends on whether people around the president feel you have something to add." Whether Marburger has had the access he would like in the Bush administration, remains in question, D. James Baker, the former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has stated that "the administration has backed away from listening to the science adviser position." In that regard, despite the experience and long list of eminent scientists providing advice to the Clinton, Obama, Romney, and McCain candidacies, only John Edwards and Hillary Clinton have explicitly stated that they will return the science adviser position to its previous rank of "assistant to the president." Related Links John Edward's position on scientific investment Hillary Clinton's postion on scientific advice The Science Adviser, Seed magazine, 4 January 2008 Presidential Candidates Dodge Tough Science Topics, FOX News, 4 January 2008 Political Science, The New York Times, 4 September 2005 Past Science Advisers Counsel Bush Nominee, Physics Today, 1 August 2001]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/how_important_is_white_house_s.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/how_important_is_white_house_s.html Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:19:26 -0500 stated that he is against military activity in almost every circumstance when war isn’t declared. He states that because the US went back and offered deals to the North Koreans after they exploded a nuclear weapon, while invading Iraq, a country that did not have an atomic bomb, the US is offering an “tremendous incentive” to non-nuclear states to develop nuclear weapons. He has no other statement on the future status of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_nuclear_weapons.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_nuclear_weapons.html Nuclear weapons Ron Paul Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:51:46 -0500 From the 2007 GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate Sep 17, 2007 Ron Paul stated that the government should be very small and that the government should not be expected to fund everything.. http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_science_investment.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_science_investment.html Science investment Ron Paul Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:50:55 -0500 Thomas.gov On April 27, 2007, Ron Paul voted against H.R. 362, the 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act. GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate Sep 17, 2007 Ron Paul stated that he would approve of tax credits for religious schools. ]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_science_education.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_science_education.html Science education Ron Paul Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:49:11 -0500 Hillary for President: ...I’ll improve math and science education, and open up science and engineering to more of our people. And I’ll end the assault on science waged by the Bush Administration.]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/hillary_clinton_on_science_edu.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/hillary_clinton_on_science_edu.html Science education Hillary Clinton Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:18:12 -0500 Hillary for President: Hillary has a bold and comprehensive plan to address America's energy and environmental challenges that will establish a green, efficient economy and create as many as five million new jobs.]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/hillary_clinton_on_energy_poli.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/hillary_clinton_on_energy_poli.html Energy policy Hillary Clinton Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:13:36 -0500 highly-skilled and highly-educated applicants. Huckabee has also promised to increase funding for research into all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel, and biomass.]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/mike_huckabee_on_science_inves.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/mike_huckabee_on_science_inves.html Science investment Mike Huckabee Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:00:48 -0500 http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/b501220e-3c9f-4ff7-85fd-524ce99b66c9.htm) and Phil Handy, former chairman of the Florida State Board of Education (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/8ec58462-84b1-4f6b-88dd-80232036fc09.htm), McCain has yet to officially release an education policy. During the 9 December 2007 republican primary debate on Univision McCain (http://www.ontheissues.org/2007_Univision_GOP.htm) stated "Choice and competition is the key to success in education in America. That means charter schools, that means home schooling, it means vouchers, it means rewarding good teachers and finding bad teachers another line of work. It means rewarding good performing schools, and it really means in some cases putting bad performing schools out of business. I want every American parent to have a choice, a choice as to how they want their child educated, and I guarantee you the competition will dramatically increase the level of education in America." McCain has also suggested turning education policy back to individual states and offering federal money through unrestricted block grants. He will keep most aspects of No Child Left Behind legalization in place. ]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/john_mccain_on_science_educati.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/john_mccain_on_science_educati.html Science education John McCain Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:55:54 -0500 Mike Huckabee for President: ...There is no way Iran will acquire nuclear weapons on my watch. But before I look parents in the eye to explain why I had to put their son’s or daughter’s life at risk in military action against Iran, I want to know that I have done everything possible to avoid that conflict... On June 5 at the CNN GOP debate in New Hampshire, Gov. Huckabee stated that he would consider a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Iran to stop their development of nuclear weapons. Gov. Huckabee has made no statement on the role of the military or the funding of the nuclear weapon stockpile since running for office. ]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/mike_huckabee_on_nuclear_weapo.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/mike_huckabee_on_nuclear_weapo.html Nuclear weapons Mike Huckabee Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:46:57 -0500 Mike Huckabee for President: I want to provide our children what I call the "Weapons of Mass Instruction" - art and music - the secret, effective weapons that will help us to be competitive and creative. It is crucial that children flex both the left and right sides of the brain. We all know the cliché of thinking outside the box: I want our children to be so creative that they think outside the cardboard factory.]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/mike_huckabee_on_science_educa.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/mike_huckabee_on_science_educa.html Science education Mike Huckabee Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:42:05 -0500 NASA Watch: "[Republican presidential candidate John McCain] also said he strongly supports missions to Mars and that Florida should continue to play a major role in space exploration. "There's too much invested there. There's infrastructure that's very expensive and very extensive there," he said."]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/john_mccain_on_science_investm.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/john_mccain_on_science_investm.html Science investment John McCain Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:51:25 -0500 From his 2005 book "Character is Destiny": "Darwin helped explain nature’s laws. He did not speculate, in his published theories at least, on the origin of life. He did not exclude God, for Whom the immensity of time is but a moment, from our presence. The only undeniable challenge the theory of evolution poses to Christian beliefs is its obvious contradiction of the idea that God created the world as it is in less than a week. But our faith is certainly not so weak that it can be shaken to learn that a biblical metaphor is not literal history. Nature doesn’t threaten our faith. On the contrary, when we contemplate its beauty and mysteries we cannot quiet in our heart an insistent impulse of belief that for all its variations and inevitable change, before its creation, in a time before time, God let it be so, and, thus, its many splendors and purposes abide in His purpose.” http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/john_mccain_on_teaching_evolut.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/john_mccain_on_teaching_evolut.html Teaching evolution John McCain Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:55:08 -0500 Salon.com: On energy, I would say that the reliance on the government to devise a policy is a fallacy. I would advocate that the free market take care of that. The government shouldn't be directing research and development because they are bound and determined to always misdirect money to political cronies. The government ends up subsidizing things like the corn industry to develop ethanol and it turns out that it's not economically feasible. So, my answer to energy is to let the market work. Let supply and demand make the decision. Let prices make the decision. That is completely different than the bureaucratic and cronyism approach.]]> http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_energy_policy.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_energy_policy.html Energy policy Ron Paul Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:02:49 -0500 On May 3, 2007, MSNBC hosted a debate for the GOP presidential candidates at the Reagan Library in California. Near the end of the program, moderator Chris Matthews asked the candidates, "I'm curious, is there anybody on the stage that does not agree, believe in evolution?" Three hands went up, one of them belonging, naturally enough, to Mike Huckabee. Ron Paul, however, kept his hand down. At a November 1 meeting of the Spartanburg (SC) GOP Executive Committee, Ron Paul was asked about this incident: "Well, at first I thought it was a very inappropriate question, you know, for the presidency to be decided on a scientific matter, and I think it's a theory, a theory of evolution, and I don't accept it, you know, as a theory, but I think [ it probably doesn't bother me. It's not the most important issue for me to make the difference in my life to understand the exact origin. I think ] the creator that I know created us, everyone of us, and created the universe, and the precise time and manner, I just don't think we're at the point where anybody has absolute proof on either side. [So I just don't . . . if that were the only issue, quite frankly, I would think it's an interesting discussion, I think it's a theological discussion, and I think it's fine, and we can have our . . . if that were the issue of the day, I wouldn't be running for public office."] http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_teaching_evolution.html http://blogs.physicstoday.org/politics08/2008/01/ron_paul_on_teaching_evolution.html Teaching evolution Ron Paul Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:41:34 -0500