Center for American Progress

Another Obamaite with Tar Heel ties

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:00:27 -0500

Another top adviser to Barack Obama has Tar Heel ties.

Cassandra Q. Butts has not been appointed to any official posts within the Obama administration yet, but she has known the president-elect since they applied for financial aid at the same time at Harvard Law School.

A profile in The New York Times said she is "a utility-infielder player with wide breadth in a number of areas" who could be in charge of legal advice or personnel for the president.

Butts moved to Durham when she was nine years old and earned a bachelor of arts in political science from UNC-Chapel Hill. Her first job was as a counselor for the Durham YMCA, and after college she worked for a year as a researcher with the African News Service in Durham.

She also has worked for the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank that employs Elizabeth Edwards and Obama's top domestic policy adviser.

Hat Tip: Triangulator

Obama's top domestic adviser a Tar Heel

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:01:19 -0500

Barack Obama's top domestic policy adviser is a Tar Heel.

The president-elect named Melody C. Barnes head of the White House Domestic Policy Council Monday, a job that will make her his top adviser on a range of issues.

Barnes formerly served as vice president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank that also employs Chapel Hill's own Elizabeth Edwards. She also worked as a senior policy adviser to Obama's campaign.

Barnes earned a bachelor of arts in history, with honors, from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1986.

She is a native of Richmond, Va.

Edwards' statement on affair

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:40:52 -0400

John Edwards has released a statement:

In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. I recognized my mistake and I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public. When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it. But being 99% honest is no longer enough.
I was and am ashamed of my conduct and choices, and I had hoped that it would never become public. With my family, I took responsibility for my actions in 2006 and today I take full responsibility publicly. But that misconduct took place for a short period in 2006. It ended then. I am and have been willing to take any test necessary to establish the fact that I am not the father of any baby, and I am truly hopeful that a test will be done so this fact can be definitively established. I only know that the apparent father has said publicly that he is the father of the baby. I also have not been engaged in any activity of any description that requested, agreed to or supported payments of any kind to the woman or to the apparent father of the baby.
It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. If you want to beat me up - feel free. You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare and will now work with everything I have to help my family and others who need my help.
I have given a complete interview on this matter and having done so, will have nothing more to say.

The statement was sent via e-mail to a number of national reporters, but not to The N&O, from former Edwards' spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri at 5:07 p.m.

Palmieri currently works as the senior vice president at the Center for American Progress, where Elizabeth Edwards is a senior fellow on health care.

E. Edwards plugs Clinton health plan

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:07:52 -0400

Elizabeth Edwards is plugging Hillary Clinton's health care plan.

During an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," the wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards said that she prefers Clinton's plan to rival Barack Obama's.

It could be the closest either candidate gets to an actual endorsement, she said.

"Both candidates have called John and wanted to talk to him, and we continue to talk to them about what’s going on, but we think that what we have to offer them is not so much an endorsement as a perspective on what we found as we crossed the country on what people think are important issues and the solutions that seemed most realistic," she said.

Elizabeth Edwards recently joined the Center for American Progress as a senior fellow.

"I do think that in order to ensure that we have universal coverage we need to say that everybody has to join, so for that reason the mandates that Senator Clinton is talking about I think will actually be more successful in achieving the goal," she said. "I think they both have the same goals, I just have more confidence in Senator Clinton's policy than Senator Obama’s on this particular issue."

E. Edwards joins Ctr. for American Progress

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:39:47 -0400

Elizabeth Edwards will join the Center for American Progress as a senior fellow.

The wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards will work on health-care issues and write for a newly launched blog called the "Wonk Room," the nonprofit announced yesterday.

"As many can attest, I have an opinion on everything," she said in a statement. "But I am particularly concerned about the state of health care in America and I am grateful to CAP for giving me the chance to continue to advocate for universal and quality health care coverage for all."

Edwards also said she will continue her push for universal health care coverage.

The nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization was created in 2003 as an alternative to conservative think tanks. Founded by former John Podesta, the former chief of staff to President Clinton, it has strong ties to Hillary Clinton.

That led Jay Carnery of Time magazine to speculate on the meaning of the announcement:

"Does the fact that Elizabeth is coming aboard CAP signal that John is finally going to endorse, and that he'll throw his support to Clinton?"

Edwards: Iraq, economy tied

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:25:22 -0500

John Edwards wants to end the war in Iraq to help the recession.

The former Democratic presidential candidate announced today that he is joining a group of anti-war activists who are trying to spotlight the cost of the war and its effects on the U.S. economy.

Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, have joined the Iraq/Recession Campaign, along with John Podesta, CEO of the Center for American Progress, Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org; and Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change, among others.

In a conference call this morning, Edwards said he met a lot of Americans on the campaign trail who had "angst" over spending on the war.

"People don't understand why we're spending $500 billion and counting in Iraq at the same time that we've got, you know, 40-plus million Americans who don't have any health-care coverage, 37 million living in poverty, people terrified about being able to pay their bills," he said. "It doesn't make sense to them, and they see no end in sight."

Edwards praised Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for saying the war should be ended. His wife, Elizabeth, said voters who are concerned about the economy should be concerned about Iraq as well.

Edwards on Iraq/Recession

Price cancels

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:09:48 -0400

U.S. Rep. David Price will not take on President Bush today.

The Chapel Hill Democrat had been scheduled to defend Homeland Security spending from the president's criticism at the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank.

But the speech has been canceled because of a death in the family. Price's staff said he hopes to reschedule.