Senate Confirms Activist Brinker

[OzarkDem]

Source: JTA News Service

The U.S. Senate confirmed a prominent Jewish activist as chief of protocol for the State Department.

Nancy Goodman Brinker, a fund-raiser for cancer research and a prominent Republican Jewish activist, assumed her new job on Thursday.

Brinker, who founded the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation after her sister died of the disease, had previously served as Bush's ambassador to Hungary from 2001-2003. The former Dallas socialite and current Florida resident was easily confirmed by the Senate on Sept. 12.



Read more: http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/104266.html

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Brinker has been a leader in the Republican Jewish Coalition and will now become part of the Bush administration's efforts to lure swing voters to the GOP.

Remember that as you Race for The Cure!

[seriousstan]

1. So this is a reason NOT to support RftC's effort to raise money for cancer research?

[Ian David]

3. She'll eventually get caught molesting children or something. All the Bushies eventually do.

Some people say.

[OzarkDem]

5. Yes it is and here's why

Over 90% of breast cancer research is funded by your tax dollars through the NIH, National Cancer Institute and the DoD Breast Cancer Research Program.

2007 Breast Cancer Research Funding

NIH - $717 Million

NCI - $584.7 Million

BCRP - $127.5 Million

Total - $1.43 BILLION in 2007

Estimates for 2008 are anticipated to be the same - Source NCI, NIH, DoD BCRP, National Breast Cancer Coalition



How much does Komen raise for research? Its hard to say, they're numbers are fuzzy, IRS rules are lax, etc., but the total amount of breast cancer research funding that comes from private sources (e.g. RFTC, American Cancer Society, etc.) is about $20 million per yr.

The problem in finding a cure for breast cancer isn't lack of research funding. Its making sure the money is being spent well and not wasted. Any researcher will tell you there's a lot of politics involved in breast cancer research. Privately funded research is sometimes wasted on projects that weren't of good enough quality to be approved for funding at higher levels. A good example: Komen has pushed for massive spending on mammography because their leaders serve on boards and invest in companies that make mammography equipment. Most of this money would be better spent on research into more accurate, less invasive and less expensive forms of breast cancer screening.

So, yes, if you didn't participate in the Race, it would have no impact on breast cancer research. If you do participate, you're backing an organization that is controlled by corporations that don't have the best interests of patients in mind.

And now you'll be supporting a group that has been co-opted by the Bush administration to influence public opinion of women in relation to breast cancer, health care reform, etc.

[Ian David]

2. She's going to sway the 16% of Jews who vote Republicker? n/t

[OzarkDem]

6. No she's going to sway

as many US women as possible to vote GOP.

She is working at the State Dept. because she is also an ardent supporter of the PNAC agenda - when working as Ambassador to Hungary, she even raised money to fund raising troops of Hungarian soldiers to fight in Iraq.

She's been a Bush Pioneer for many years and is an ardent supporter of his agenda. She's already trying to sway public opinion on health care reform by hosting a "forum" for presidential candidates in which Mitt Romney was the only candidate allowed to appear live. All Dem candidates were allowed to participate only via You Tube video.

Pretty transparent.

[LeftishBrit]

4. Oh well, she might liaise with all the other Republicans who support medical research

Both of them.

[OzarkDem]

7. She will try to shape debate

on health care reform. She's opposed to the government paying for health care for the uninsured.