Trump White House quietly issues report vindicating Obama regulations

[Dill]

(03-09-2018, 09:48 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Nothing is going to perfectly symmetrical. but it certainly isn't lopsided. What we have seen happen with both parties since I have been alive (so this is based on data, not on personal experience) is less reliance on the policy analysts in government, the experts in their fields, and more reliance on lobbyists and the bright shiny issues. It started earlier with Republicans, but Clinton's end of the "era of big government" played a big role in the shift for Democrats and they have caught up in this.

Both parties have opted to rely on lobbyists to feed them their figures rather than relying on wonky staffers to do research, sending their personnel to local offices to do constituent outreach so they don't have to. I'm sure this Washington brain drain, again, isn't symmetrical, but that doesn't mean either side should get any sort of credit.

I think I understand a little better what you mean, regarding both sides affinity for lobbyists who already shape information/issues for their targets. And then both sides are prone to use this "shaped" research for policy decisions.

Still, I can't think of an instance in which the Dems have actually blocked federally funded research in critical areas like gun stats and climate change.