Loophole Kabuki: Schumer’s Clever Strawman
As Atrios says, you've got to love the framing of this article:
The Fiscal Cliff Debate Borders on the Surreal
Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games. How ridiculous is the fiscal cliff debate? The answer is that it’s off-the-wall crazy. Consider the following.
So DO Tax Cuts Create Jobs?
In Wednesday's debate Mitt Romney repeated his claim that cutting individual and corporate income taxes creates jobs.
Mitt Romney: Magic Man
"I’m gonna float like a butterfly and sting like a bee; George can’t hit what his hands can’t see; Now you see me, now you don’t; He thinks he will, but I know he won’t.
Casey Mulligan: Wrong Again on Minimum Wage
In yet another attack on the minimum wage, New York Times Economix blogger Casey Mulligan argues that the failure of part-time employment to continue to increase at the end of 2009 is proof that the July 2009 minimum wage increase prevented 800,000 part-time jobs from being created.
The Children of Columbus: The Multinationals and Their Courtiers
As the nation commemorates Christopher Columbus, let's not forget his 21st Century descendants: the multinational corporations who span the globe in search of wealth.
You Don’t Know Jack
The Bureau of Labor Statistics was created in 1884 by Chester Alan Arthur -- and now Jack Welch wants to see its birth certificate.
UPDATED: Top 11 Excuses Conservatives Are Already Making For Losing The Election
UPDATE: This post when originally published on Oct. 3 was a "Top 10" list. It has been expanded to include the new excuse: "Chicago" Rigged The Jobs Numbers.
Jobs Numbers Show This Is Not The Time For Austerity
The September jobs report is more of the same. We witness slow growth, with job creation barely at levels needed to keep up with workforce growth.
The Winning Card: Obama and Democrats Need Social Security and Medicare
There's a lot of post-debate analysis going on -- some would say too much -- but not enough is being said about the ace in the Democrats' deck: defending Social Security and Medicare.
We’ve Had Austerity Lite Whether We Want To Admit It Or Not
I've been detecting quite a bit of smug, self aggrandizement coming from certain Democratic quarters about the brilliance of the stimulus and how it deftly avoided all the problems that Europe and the UK are facing with their harsh austerity programs.
Walmart Workers Strike
Walmart warehouse workers have been staging strikes, now workers at some stores are joining in. This morning in Pico Rivera, California, Walmart workers staged a one-day work stoppage, saying there has been retaliation against them for trying to organize a union.
The Etch-a-Sketch Debate
After last night’s tiresome presidential debate, President Obama’s supporters were replete with what Groucho Marks used to call “departee” – suggestions on what the president should have said. That’s a pretty good indicator about how the debate turned out.
Best Line Of The Debate
I think President Obama spoke the best line in the debate last night.
If They Can’t Suppress The Vote, Maybe They Can Just Buy It Outright
Golly, I'm so old I can remember when the Republicans used to go into a fugue state and start speaking in tongues upon hearing tales of Democratic campaign organizers offering free cigarettes to homeless people to get them them to vote:
Paul Krugman Reminds Us That Bowles-Simpson Was Terrible
Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games.
The Real Incumbent In Tonight’s Debate Is “The Plutocracy”
The conventional wisdom says that when a President runs for re-election the race becomes a referendum on the economy. Unemployment's still at record highs, poverty has soared, and middle-class Americans are struggling to stay afloat. And yet the President has a commanding lead in the polls.
It’s Time to Debate Home Opportunity
For months I’ve been part of a chorus of voices calling on the presidential candidates to talk about home opportunity.
Rights Report Describes Romney-Owned “Brutal Chinese Sweatshop”
The Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights has issued a report describing the company Mitt Romney invested in and described in the now-famous secret video – Global-Tech – as a "brutal Chinese sweatshop."
Unraveling The Romney/Bain Tax Story
The complicated story of how the 1%ers and their corporations evade democracy's taxes is the story of our crumbling schools and infrastructure and the flow of all the gains of our economy to a very few at the top.
Why Conservatives Have Lost “The Real Referendum”
In his most recent column, Paul Krugman makes a convincing case that the "real referendum" in this election isn't about President Obama's (real or imagined) economic policies, but about the "the legacy of the New D
Scott Brown’s Scalia Moment Ends The “Independent” Charade
How do you know that Elizabeth Warren won yesterday's debate with Sen. Scott Brown? Both campaigns released web videos today. But only Warren's features a moment from the debate: The Scalia Moment.
Republicans Reject Union Workers But Respect Union Refs
Republicans’ reaction to last week’s Monday Night Football debacle was record breaking given their decades of hating on union workers.
The Prez Debate: Asking What Voters Want Answered
As Wednesday’s presidential debate approaches, the pundits are starting to handicap the event.
Conservative Obstruction Cost Us 2 Million Jobs So Far This Year
In the wake of an anemic jobs report that his Republican challengers are laying at his feet, President Obama could rightly respond that if he could have signed into law a jobs plan along the lines of what the House Progressive Caucus has proposed for the past two years, we would likely see 2 million...
Jobs: The American Jobs Act and the Bring Jobs Home Act
Want jobs? Here's how.
The Only Grand Bargain We Need Is A Grand Bargain On Jobs
The August job numbers -- a disappointing 96,000 net new jobs for the month – only reinforce the need for greater action on jobs. At this rate, new job creation is not sufficient to cover the people coming into the jobs market.
Bernanke’s Wake Up Call: It’s a Jobs Cliff
Last week, Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke announced a dramatic new commitment of the Fed to keep long term interest rates low in the hope of boosting employment and economic growth.
Austerity Is The New Greek Tragedy
In my previous post this morning, I noted that the U.S. is starting to look a lot like Greece, at least in terms of austerity-driven suicides.
Jobs Are For We, The People. Budget Cuts Are For The Billionaires. Who Will Prevail?
We have millions unemployed with millions more underemployed or just gave up looking, our infrastructure is literally crumbling, our trade deficit is horrendous, our "safety net" has eroded below minimum acceptable standards, pensions are cut or gone, the climate is getting more and more unpredictab...
A Mandate To Preserve And Extend Our Social Insurance System
Those of you who read this blog know that I've been nearly apoplectic over the past few months over the behind the
Never Underestimate Wall Street’s Ability To Overestimate Washington
Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games. This is a true but hard-t-believe story.