Neera Tanden: Difference between revisions

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Removing new "Controversy" section; not relevant to this page, tendentious, libelous given Tanden's own accounts; @HouseofChange keep an eye on this
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In 2018, Tanden endorsed the idea of a jobs guarantee to help revitalize economically-stagnant regions in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanprogress.org/press/release/2018/05/15/450544/release-cap-releases-major-plan-investing-communities-establishing-job-guarantee-hard-hit-regions/|title=RELEASE: CAP Releases Major Plan for Investing in Communities and Establishing a Job Guarantee for Hard-Hit Regions|website=Center for American Progress|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-06}}</ref>
In 2018, Tanden endorsed the idea of a jobs guarantee to help revitalize economically-stagnant regions in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanprogress.org/press/release/2018/05/15/450544/release-cap-releases-major-plan-investing-communities-establishing-job-guarantee-hard-hit-regions/|title=RELEASE: CAP Releases Major Plan for Investing in Communities and Establishing a Job Guarantee for Hard-Hit Regions|website=Center for American Progress|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-06}}</ref>


<br />
==Controversy==
As a top aide to Hillary Clinton in 2008, Neera Tanden physically attacked a journalist who asked the then-presidential candidate a question about the Iraq War. One person present during the altercation told The New York Times that Tanden punched him in the chest simply for questioning Clinton’s past support for the invasion.<ref>https://observer.com/2019/04/neera-tanden-pushed-journalist-hillary-clinton-iraq-war/</ref>

“I didn’t slug him, I pushed him,” Tanden conceded to the publication.<ref>https://observer.com/2019/04/neera-tanden-pushed-journalist-hillary-clinton-iraq-war/</ref>

In 2016, emails revealed Tanden arguing that Libyans should be forced to turn over large portions of their oil revenues to repay the U.S. for the costs incurred in bombing Libya, on the grounds that Americans will support future wars only if they see that the countries attacked by the U.S. pay for the invasions.<ref>https://theintercept.com/2015/11/05/leaked-emails-from-pro-clinton-group-reveal-censorship-of-staff-on-israel-aipac-pandering-warped-militarism/</ref>


==Personal==
==Personal==

Revision as of 15:22, 8 February 2020

Neera Tanden
Tanden in April 2019
Born (1970-09-10) September 10, 1970 (age 53)
Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Yale University (JD)
OrganizationCenter for American Progress
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
(m. 1999)​

Neera Tanden (born September 10, 1970) is the President of the Center for American Progress, a left-liberal/political progressive think tank. She has served in this role since November 2011, before that serving as chief operating officer from 2010 and in earlier roles. During the 2016 presidential primaries, Tanden was a member of Hillary Clinton's "inner circle" of advisors.[1]

Early life

Neera Tanden was born on September 10, 1970,[2][3] in Bedford, Massachusetts, to immigrant parents from India.[4] She has a brother, Raj. Her parents divorced when she was five, after which Tanden's mother was on welfare for nearly two years before obtaining a job as a travel agent.[5]

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1992. In 1996, she received a Juris Doctor degree from Yale University, where she was Submissions Editor for the Yale Law & Policy Review.[6]

Tanden became involved in politics at an early age, working on the presidential campaign of Governor Michael Dukakis while she was a freshman at UCLA.[7] She met her husband, the artist Ben Edwards, during the Dukakis campaign.[4]

Tanden more recently has worked for Hillary Clinton on her senatorial campaign in New York. She served as Clinton's policy director for her bid for the presidency in 2008. Tanden later served as policy director for Barack Obama. She was a senior adviser to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, working to gain passage of healthcare legislation.[8]

Career

After graduating from Yale Law School, Tanden moved to Washington, DC, where she has worked on domestic policy on Capitol Hill, in think tanks, and for senatorial and Democratic presidential campaigns. She has also written on Indian-American issues.[9]

She worked with President Bill Clinton's campaign on new energy policies and health-care reform. Continuing her association with the Clintons, Tanden was policy director for the 2008 Hillary Clinton campaign, shaping its policy proposals.[5][9] After Barack Obama was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate, Tanden served as his domestic policy director for his campaign.[9] She also served in his administration as senior adviser to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services, aiding the effort to gain passage of Obama's healthcare legislation.[7]

Tanden with John Podesta (left) and Governor Martin O'Malley (right)

In 2011, Tanden was selected as President of the Center for American Progress, which the Washington Post described at that time as "Washington’s leading liberal think tank, which is an incessant advocate for a broad progressive agenda and as such a sharp thorn in President Obama’s left side."[10] She had started with the group soon after its founding as Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy, also serving as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and, starting in 2010, as Chief Operating Officer.[7][11]

Tanden has had a regular column for The New Republic online. She has appeared on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Real Time with Bill Maher, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox programs.[7]

Tanden with Ed Lee, Nancy Pelosi and Thomas Perez, 2014

In 2016, a hacker gained access to John Podesta's private emails (aka the Podesta emails), some which were emails exchanged with Tanden. In one exchange, on August 11, 2015, while discussing news that Lawrence Lessig was exploring a bid for the Democratic nomination, Tanden wrote of Lessig, "I fucking hate that guy." Lessig responded to the incident by saying that while he supported whistle blowing and a pardon of Edward Snowden, Tanden should not have to be burdened with having her private emails scrutinized and that it was not in the public interest.[12] Tanden called the release of her personal communications, which often feature her blunt private assessments, a painful experience to endure.[13]

Political views

Neera Tanden, who frequently describes herself as a progressive,[14] belongs to the liberal wing of the Democratic party. She credits her experience as a child relying on welfare programs[15] as well as the formative moment of witnessing Anita Hill's testimony[16][17] against Clarence Thomas in 1991 with setting her on the path of career in public policy.   

Tanden is a consistent advocate for robust social programs. Under her leadership the Center for American Progress has proposed strengthening the Child Tax Credit (CTC)[18] and joined efforts to push for universal paid leave,[19] and she has argued for expanding TANF to serve more families[20] and has taken a stand against work requirements for welfare recipients as well as against Right to Work laws.[21]

Having worked on passage of the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration[22], Tanden has remained a strong proponent of universal healthcare. In 2019 the Center for American Progress proposed Medicare Extra for All,[23] a blueprint for achieving universal healthcare coverage without abolishing the private insurance industry. Tanden has praised the Medicare for America bill introduced in the House of Representatives,[24] stating "by making an enhanced Medicare program available to all Americans, “Medicare for America” would guarantee universal health care and dramatically lower out-of-pocket costs. The legislation would ensure that every American, no matter where he or she lives, is no longer subject to Republican sabotage or the whims of insurance companies".[25]   

In 2018, Tanden endorsed the idea of a jobs guarantee to help revitalize economically-stagnant regions in the United States.[26]


Personal

At the University of California, Los Angeles, Tanden met Ben Edwards, an artist, whom she later married.[7]

Honors

  • 1992, the Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA awarded Tanden (then a senior at UCLA) the first Sam Law Leadership Award, based on "her leadership experience, community and university service."[3][27]
  • 2011, Tanden received the India Abroad Publisher's Award for Excellence.[28]
  • 2012, Tanden was named one of the 25 "Most Influential Women in Washington" by National Journal.[29]
  • 2014, Elle magazine honored Tanden during its annual "Women in Washington Power List" as one of the ten most powerful women in Washington, DC.[30][31]

References

  1. ^ How Neera Tanden Works. Emails released by WikiLeaks reveal the maneuverings of a liberal think-tank president and member of Hillary Clinton's inner circle. By Alex Shephard and Clio Chang. New Republic. October 28, 2016
  2. ^ "Neera Tanden on Twitter". Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Drum, Kevin (May 21, 2016). "The Great Matt Bruenig–Neera Tanden Kerfuffle Sort of Explained". Mother Jones. Retrieved October 14, 2018. CAP is a high-powered progressive think tank that most people think of as either a very influential mainstream liberal think tank or, if you want to be a little more insidery, as the Clinton family's personal think tank.
  4. ^ a b Wadler, Joyce (October 4, 2000). "The Wonk, er, Woman Behind Mrs. Clinton". NYT. Retrieved February 1, 2020. The Democratic Party, the policies that the Clintons and Hillary believe in, I feel like a living example of someone who benefited.
  5. ^ a b Nikhila Panti, "Hillary is a role model & a friend", Times of India, March 11, 2007
  6. ^ [1], YLPR masthead, Issue 13.2
  7. ^ a b c d e Appointments: "Neera Tanden", NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Internet, February 2, 2011; accessed August 1, 2016
  8. ^ Horowitz, Jason (May 19, 2013). "Four key Hillary Clinton staffers from 2008 unlikely to sign on for 2016 bid". Washington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2020. Unlike many progressive Clinton alumni who had a hard time moving on after Clinton's defeat and held a grudge against Obama, Tanden joined the Obama team and played a key role in the passage of health-care reform...Since leaving the administration, she has become a consistent thorn in the administration's left side as a leading progressive voice.
  9. ^ a b c The New Republic: "The GOP's New Diversity", NPR, June 30, 2010
  10. ^ Horowitz, Jason (November 3, 2011). "Think-tank post puts spotlight on veteran Democratic operative Neera Tanden". Washington Post. Retrieved February 1, 2020. On Nov. 1, Tanden assumed the presidency of the Center for American Progress, Washington's leading liberal think tank, which is an incessant advocate for a broad progressive agenda and as such a sharp thorn in President Obama's left side.
  11. ^ Bio: Neera Tanden", Center of American Progress, 2016; accessed August 1, 2016
  12. ^ Golshan, Tara. "Lawrence Lessig's classy response to being insulted in John Podesta's leaked emails". Vox. Retrieved October 20, 2016. Neera has only ever served in the public (and public interest) sector. Her work has always and only been devoted to advancing her vision of the public good. It is not right that she should bear the burden of this sort of breach
  13. ^ Eder, Steve; Confessore, Nicholas. "WikiLeaks Lays Bare a Clinton Insider's Emphatic Cheers and Jeers". NYT. Retrieved November 6, 2016. In a sphere encrusted with suck-ups, soothers, and self-puffery, Ms. Tanden has emerged as a loyal but insistent straight-talker and acute assessor of Mrs. Clinton's stubbornness and weaknesses.
  14. ^ "Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  15. ^ "Neera Tanden on what it's like to work for Hillary Clinton". www.bullhorn.fm. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  16. ^ Tanden, Neera (October 5, 2018). "I'm going to share my story of how I became active in politics". @neeratanden. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  17. ^ Tanden, Neera. "Outraged by Brett Kavanaugh confirmation? Make 2018 another Year of the Woman". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  18. ^ West, Rachel; Boteach, Melissa; Vallas, Rebecca. "Harnessing the Child Tax Credit as a Tool to Invest in the Next Generation". Center for American Progress. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "Members and Supporters". Paid Leave for All. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  20. ^ Boteach, Melissa; T, Neera; en. "This Father's Day, let's find common ground for strengthening American families". Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  21. ^ Tanden, Neera (August 7, 2018). "If "right to work" goes down in Missouri- that is a huge progressive victory!https://twitter.com/Taniel/status/1027003667503898624 …". @neeratanden. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  22. ^ Horowitz, Jason (November 3, 2011). "Think-tank post puts spotlight on veteran Democratic operative Neera Tanden". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  23. ^ Team, the CAP Health Policy. "Medicare Extra for All". Center for American Progress. Retrieved December 6, 2019. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  24. ^ "DeLauro, Schakowsky Reintroduce Medicare for America". Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. May 1, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  25. ^ "STATEMENT: CAP Action's Neera Tanden Praises New 'Medicare for America' Legislation". Center for American Progress Action. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  26. ^ "RELEASE: CAP Releases Major Plan for Investing in Communities and Establishing a Job Guarantee for Hard-Hit Regions". Center for American Progress. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  27. ^ Godbey, Christina V (January 16, 1992). "She Finds a Reward for Her Fortitude". LA Times. Retrieved January 21, 2020. UCLA student Neera Tanden was awarded the first Sam Law Leadership Award by the Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA at a Nov. 17 reception held at Royce Hall on the campus. Tanden, a senior planning to attend law school, was selected for her leadership experience, community and university service.
  28. ^ Neera Tanden: Winner The India Abroad Publisher's Award for Excellence, retrieved December 11, 2019
  29. ^ Nhan, Doris (July 13, 2012). "Looking at Washington's Influential Women Through a Lens of Diversity". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 20, 2020. National Journal set out to find Washington's 25 most influential women and to share what makes them tick. From Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Center of American Progress President Neera Tanden to Susan Molinari, Google's director of public policy and government affairs, Washington's women are in every sector.
  30. ^ Kopan, Tal (March 19, 2014). "Elle: D.C.'s 10 most powerful women". Politico. Retrieved January 20, 2020. Fashion magazine ELLE is taking a look at the world inside the Beltway this month, naming the 10 most powerful women in D.C. "We're looking for diversity, and certainly unique and powerful women, but also those women who have something going on right now and that are really sort of very much in the mix of things."
  31. ^ Watters, Susan (March 26, 2014). "Gucci and Elle Honor Women in Washington Power List". WWD. Retrieved March 28, 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Neera Tanden.
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Preceded by President of the Center for American Progress
2011–present 		Incumbent
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