Progressive Vision
DMI Sends Members of Congress Home with Their 2007 Grades!
March 12th, 2008
If the middle class could give your Congressmember a grade, what would it be? Today, DMI releases grades for every senator and representative, evaluating their votes on key legislation that affects the current and aspiring middle class. more » Progressives On the Rise, Conservatism in Decline
Activists head to Washington for the Take Back America conference amid signs that the progressive movement is on the verge of a political transformation as dramatic as the infamous "Reagan revolution" of the 1980s. A resurgent progressive movement is emerging as the evidence mounts that the conservative movement's heyday has ended, done in by three decades of failure.
Read our blog on the opening plenary featuring Robert Borosage, Diane Archer, Van Jones and Donna Edwards.
See our latest reports:
- "Progressives Rising—2008: A Sea-Change Election"
- "The Decline of Conservatism," by Stan Greenberg
- "Conservatism is Dying," by Eric Lotke
Check the conference home page for new details on schedule and speakers.
To Bring Change, Insiders and Outsiders Need Each Other
Activists need advocates in the White House and Congress to voice their concerns and pass legislation. But even with such allies, activists have to keep the heat on, be visible, and make enough noise so that policy makers and the media can't ignore them. To advance a progressive agenda, a widespread grassroots movement -- which provides ordinary Americans with opportunities to engage in a variety of activities, from emailing their legislators, to participating in protest -- is essential.
... more »
The Case
More Prisoners Does Not Mean Less Crime
It's not that simple. A 2005 report by The Sentencing Project noted that while increased incarceration rates were accompanied by a decrease in crime between 1991 and 1998, crime rates had increased between 1984 and 1991, a period in which the rate of incarceration was even higher. The director of the Pew Center on the States recently wrote, "Rigorous studies show that increased imprisonment can claim credit for only 25 percent of the nation's crime drop over the past 15 years. The other 75 percent comes from a wide variety of factors, inside and outside the criminal justice system." Those factors include support for improved policing and community crime prevention programs—federal support for which was cut by the Bush administration. We already lock up a larger percentage of our population than any other country in the world. We need to invest more in the programs and techniques that we know prevent crime and lead to healthier communities.more »
The Folly of the Fence
The Washington Post has reported that technical problems with the “virtual fence” being erected along a portion of the U.S.-Mexican border will mean a three-year delay in the project. more »
Facts & Resources
Netroots Nation Straw Poll Results
Participants in the July 17-20, 2008, Netroots Nations conference were asked what their top political issues were and what they believed should be the top priorities of the next presidential administration. The poll was co-sponsored by Democracy Corps and the Campaign for America's Future.
Here are the complete poll results:
The Stress Test
Economists and politicians debate whether or not we’re technically in a recession, but most Americans feel we’ve been in a recession for years.
The Campaign for America’s Future has designed "The Stress Test" to show how the economy affects working families. By assessing the condition of the job market, housing, health care, and household costs on a state-by-state basis over time, "The Stress Test" illustrates the troubles families face. Use this report to talk about the real impact of conservative policies and need for a new, progressive economic strategy.
The News
Immigrant, Pregnant, Is Jailed Under Pact
July 21st, 2008
“Political Dispatch” podcast: 7/11- Robert Borosage
July 14th, 2008
The Voices
It's Not About the Medals
The Olympics remind us of the real reason why all of us should be proud of our country — diversity.more »
Progressives and Obama: The Clash of Narratives
By now, across the progressive spectrum, some familiar storylines tell us the meaning of the Obama campaign. In a groove, each narrative digs its truths. But whether those particular truths are the most important at this historical moment is another story.more »
Latest from our Bloggers
aug
19
2008
11:18 am
11:18 am
Robert Borosage has asked us on this site—bloggers and commenters alike—to explore "How Do We Seize The Obama Moment?" and substantively advance a bold progressive agenda. Why must we answer that question now? Because we've seen what happens when we don't.more »
aug
18
2008
11:02 am
11:02 am
On "Meet the Bloggers" Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said that there is a "collapse" of the middle class and that nothing short of a revolution will be needed to reverse it.
"What we really need is a political revolution in this country," Sanders said, beginning with countering the corporate media spin on what is happening in the economy. more »
aug
17
2008
6:11 pm
6:11 pm
It's more than ten weeks before voters choose their next president, but progressives should start thinking now about strategy for a Barack Obama presidency. How do we make sure our priorities are Obama's priorities, and how do we get those priorities addressed in a political landscape where resistance to change will still be intense? For the next two weeks, we want you to join us in a dialogue on these questions that we hope will help us claim a progressive mandate for change after the election. The dialogue starts with this article, excerpted from the September 1 cover story in The Nation. Add your comments, and watch for other articles from our senior fellows and other progressive leaders.more »
aug
5
2008
6:44 pm
6:44 pm
Progressives have been picking at the whys and wherefores of liberal presidential candidates being brought down by withering attacks from the right ever since Adlai Stevenson lost to Eisenhower. But there's one fairly simple and glaring factor that I'm increasingly convinced plays at least some role in this—the different cultural roots of conservatism and liberalism. Seen this way, some solutions become obvious.more »
jul
31
2008
2:46 pm
2:46 pm
As we fight over individual issues in this election season, let’s not lose sight of the big picture. Unlike partisans, persuadable voters are not much interested in candidates’ specific issue positions. Issues don’t matter to them unless they are illustrative of a larger theme. Barack Obama has already telegraphed the only theme that John McCain can employ. What's the winning theme we can use?more »
jul
23
2008
11:02 am
11:02 am
Americans will begin to tune into the election again around the conventions. And in the fall, they'll start to take a closer look at who the candidates are and what they believe. Iraq will be big no doubt; the economy bigger. But health care may just be the pothole that cracks up Sen. John McCain's Straight Talk Express.more »
jul
21
2008
11:08 am
11:08 am
Netroots Nations participants have four clear priorities for the next president: ending the war in Iraq, addressing the global warming crisis, obtaining health care for all and clsing the growing gap between the rich and poor, according to a straw poll done by Democracy Corps and the Campaign for America's Future. more »
jul
16
2008
2:42 pm
2:42 pm
Most of Campaign for America's Future's bloggers went to Austin, Texas for the third annual Netroots Nation conference. The conference reflected the constantly growing and evolving nature of the blogosphere, and various panels addressed the challenge of building a progressive movement in today's political environment.
» Read all of our blog posts and see video from Netroots Nation.more »
