07 Nov
2016
Election Day, Veterans Day and What is in Store for a New Administration: Sphere Consulting’s TenCount for November 7, 2016
- It’s here! Election Day is Tuesday, and if there remain any undecided voters out there, well, we can’t help you. With both the Republican and Democratic candidates claiming they are winning, there is certain to be plenty of weeping and gnashing of teeth among the supporters of one of those come Wednesday morning.
- With the election over, think tanks and interest groups continue their look at how things change under the new administration – but this time with the advantage of knowing who will be in the White House (presumably, unless there is a repeat of 2000’s Florida recount). The Brookings Institution kicks things off on Wednesday with a discussion, “Election 2016: Results and Implications.” The University of Maryland School of Public Policy hosts a Wednesday discussion on “Election 2016: What Happened and Why?” And on Thursday, Roll Call convenes its “2016 Election Impact Conference,” focusing on health care, defense, technology and other issues, while the Heritage Foundation hosts “A Post-Election Analysis: The Future of the Constitution in a New Administration.”
- For those looking for a more specialized analysis of the election results, several events are on tap. The Institute for Policy Studies on Wednesday holds a forum titled “Election Debrief: Next Steps for the Progressive Movement.” Also Wednesday, the Goethe-Institut Washington hosts a discussion on German perspectives on the U.S. election. And on Thursday, the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research conducts a panel on “What will the 2016 election mean for education?”
- At least one think tank is looking beyond our own borders to countries where democracy is trying to take root, often despite little democratic history or fiscal resources and among a history of violent conflict. On Monday, the Woodrow Wilson Center hosts a book discussion on “Elections in Hard Times: Building Stronger Democracies in the 21st Century.”
- Veterans Day is Friday, and while their issues surfaced periodically during the presidential campaign, many veterans feel their plight has faded as the public has forgotten about the backlog of medical requests and subpar conditions at veterans hospitals. Two events on Thursday address the issue: the Washington Post hosts a discussion on “U.S. Veterans: The Next Mission,” focusing on their experiences during and since Iraq and Afghanistan, and the National Press Club Newsmakers Program has a news conference on “Veterans Issues Before the New President and Congress.”
- Republicans who upheld consideration of the nomination of a potential Supreme Court justice pending the presidential election are now threatening to block the appointment of any new justice for four years if Hillary Clinton wins. The American Constitution Society on Monday holds an election-eve discussion on that and other issues during “Depending on Tomorrow: The Future of the Supreme Court.”
- Antitrust enforcement has gradually tightened over President Obama’s two terms, but not enough to satisfy observers on both sides of the aisle who fear corporations are growing too large and powerful. With AT&T and Time Warner now planning to merge, the new administration will start with a big antitrust battle in its sights. The American Antitrust Institute takes up the issue as it hosts its 10th annual Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference beginning Wednesday.
- Off-label uses of approved prescription drugs present doctors with a quandary: they are required to use legally available drugs to the best interests of their patients, but the sellers of those drugs cannot legally promote off-label uses. The Food and Drug Administration beginning Wednesday holds a two-day hearing on how and whether drug makers should be allowed to promote off-label uses of a drug.
- Is there something inherently American about the Internet? As foreign governments assert their power to control Internet access within their borders and people trust less the United States government as a guardian of free speech, the changing nature of the Internet’s nationality will be explored Thursday by the New America Foundation in “Will the Internet Always Be American?”
- After months of looking inward at the looming presidential election, think tanks again begin looking abroad this week. On Monday, Brookings hosts “Stopping North Korea Inc. – Sanctions Effectiveness and Unintended Consequences.” Tuesday, the East-West Center hosts “Japan Restored,” looking at how Japan can reinvent itself. Thursday brings the Henry L. Stimson Center’s “Balancing a New Relationship with Iran,” looking past the nuclear deal, and the Institute of World Politics discusses “Putin’s Propaganda Machine and Possible U.S. Responses.” And on Friday, the GWU Elliott School of International Affairs holds its ninth annual Conference on China’s Economic Development and U.S.-China Economic Relations.