Help Change The Economy — Join Walmart Workers Striking On Black Friday
You can help change the economy! Big companies use their size and the fear of losing our jobs to force us to accept no raises or even lower pay and […]
Warren’s Clear Populism Beat Brown’s Half-Hearted Populism
One of the most populist Senate campaigns in the 2012 election season was the successful campaign of Elizabeth Warren. Her bread and butter strategy for overcoming Sen. Scott Brown’s lead […]
The War On Women Is a Class War
Last week the voters delivered their verdict on what has come to be known as “the Republican War on Women”: They’re against it. We’ve had decades of relentless class warfare […]
Progressive Messaging Wins – Just ask Tammy Baldwin
In a night that was full of sweet victories, few were sweeter than Democrat Tammy Baldwin’s successful bid for Wisconsin’s senate seat. As she said in her acceptance speech, it […]
Most Effective Ads Aimed at Bain, Bailout, Blue-Collars
In his “Fact Checker” column last week, Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post wrote that “Negative ads often work. But clearly some negative ads work better than others.” He then […]
Sherrod Brown Reelected Voicing Middle-Class Populism And Class-War Campaigning
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown won reelection by “waging class warfare” using middle-class populism. Here is how.
Revisiting E.J. Dionne’s Insight
In his brilliant, day-after summation of the “new majority” that made up Barack Obama’s winning re-election vote, E. J. Dionne wrote this paragraph: “It cannot be forgotten that saving General […]
The Grand Betrayal
The following was originally published in The Nation. With the election behind us, President Obama and the lame-duck Congress return to Washington to face a fiscal showdown, occasioned by automatic […]
Waging Class War
There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning. —Warren Buffett In 2012, class warfare broke out in American politics. And […]
Quick, Let’s Make A Deal (Before The Deficit Goes Away On Its Own)
You know that deficit that’s killing us? The one we’re going to fix by “asking the rich to pay a little bit more” and cutting benefits for everyone else? What […]
Paul Ryan: “Idea Man” Seeks Mandate
I’m no doctor, but defeated Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan may still be too “shell-shocked” to resume his role as the right’s “idea man,” if his latest addition to the […]
Election Did Not Change The Fiscal Cliff Outlook
Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games. Last week’s election results did not change my opinion that we’re more likely to go over the fiscal cliff than to avoid it. […]
Economists Say Jobs First; Reject The Grand Swindle
The fight to head off a so-called “grand bargain” that would end up being a grand swindle of economic recovery and opportunity for working-class Americans gets kicked up another notch […]
The “Fiscal Cliff” Is a Hoax … and a Mel Brooks Routine
They’re dashing through the corridors of power in Washington with appropriately grim expressions this week. Congressional leaders are talking about the upcoming ‘fiscal cliff,’ which journalists are dutifully describing as […]
The “Fiscal Cliff” Is a Hoax … and a Mel Brooks Routine
They’re dashing through the corridors of power in Washington with appropriately grim expressions this week. Congressional leaders are talking about the upcoming ‘fiscal cliff,’ which journalists are dutifully describing as […]
The Deficit Is Not A Crisis, “Jobs Is A Crisis, Wage Stagnation Is A Crisis”
Media Matters Radio posted a clip of the interview I did with them the other day, using the above quote as a header. Since that was the point I was […]
Stop The Grand Swindle
Election Day was a smashing victory for progressives and middle-class populism. But the deficit hysterics, budget slashers and Social Security haters refuse to heed our voices. Within hours of the […]
China Trade: Republicans Choosing Money Interests Over Voters — And Their Own Ads
The voters clearly voted to do something about the bad trade deals, trade cheating and currency manipulation that are draining our jobs and economy. The big money likes things just […]
Deficit-Deal Interview on the Wall Street Journal’s Radio Show
The other day we did an interview on the Wall Street Journal‘s syndicated radio program, the Daily Wrap, about the election’s effect on the upcoming deficit-deal talks. We emphasized the […]
Election 2012 and Our Sensible Super Rich
We’ll never know exactly how much America’s super rich pumped into the 2012 elections. Hundreds of millions in “dark money” — contributions laundered through hyper-politicized nonprofits like the U.S. Chamber of […]
Wake up Boehner, John. Morning Bells Are Ringing: The Dems Won
Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, Brother John? Brother John? Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing! Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong. Early in the morning, the day […]
The Grand Swindle – Veterans on a Cliff
Every year our leaders honor our nation’s veterans with flags and parades. Are they also about to betray them this year with a backroom deal? Words won’t be enough this […]
Fiscal Cliff Scare Talk Follows Shock Doctrine Script
Anyone who has read The Shock Doctrine understands exactly what this “Fiscal Cliff” scare is. If you have already read The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein you have probably been […]
It’s A White Problem, Not An Age Problem
By Digby As I wrote yesterday, I agree with David’s post below. I honestly think that ideology probably mattered far less than a rejection of the general meanness and lack […]
Jobs and Growth, Not Austerity
In addressing the deficit today, President Obama opened his remarks with the crucial truth: “at a time when our economy’s still recovering from the great recession, our top priority has […]
“You’re On Your Own” vs. “We’re In This Together” Illustrated
After many years in the workforce, most of them spent working in Washington, DC, I firmly believe you can tell an awful lot about people by they way they treat […]
Miss Mitt Yet? Don’t. Radio Interview On Bain and Health Fraud
It’s possible to feel sorry for Mitt Romney, as one human being to another. Apparently he really didn’t believe he could possibly lose and now he’s “shell-shocked.” Guess he didn’t […]
After the Election, a New Mandate – and New “Fiscal Cliff” Math
By Richard Eskow President Obama was reportedly planning to reach out to House Majority Leader John Boehner today to begin negotiating a deal to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff,” a […]
A Nation In Progress
In the words of the old spiritual, “My Lord, what a morning!” Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign was defined by an iconic poster bearing the single word: “Change.” Obama’s victory in […]
The Real Mandate: Voters Want Jobs, Not Austerity
Washington is headed immediately into the fiscal showdown, with fierce pressure to use the arbitrary year-end deadline for the termination of various tax cuts and the automatic cut or sequester of some 9 percent of discretionary spending to force a grand bargain.
Sensata Vs Solyndra
The public looked at the stories about Solyndra and Sensata and voted. They voted for clean energy jobs IN the US, not for vulture capitalism that ships our jobs and […]
September China Trade Deficit Is Second-Highest Ever
Our trade deficit with China rose to $29.1 billion in September, up from $28.7 billion in August. This is the second-highest trade deficit ever with China. The terrible trade deficit […]
Vote of No Confidence: My Election Day Experience In Virginia
I worked the polls in Fairfax, Virginia on election day 2012. I opened the door at 6:00 am, logged voters in, operated the machines, and passed out “I voted” stickers […]
Democracy Pushes Forward
In the last election the forces of concentrated wealth and corporate power played the same old divide-and-conquer game they have been playing for decades, but this time it didn’t work! […]
Obama has political capital. He should use it.
So, let's get this straight: A Republican President is re-elected in 2004 with 284 electoral votes and the pundits say he has the "political capital" to push an extreme right-wing mandate.
Say Goodbye To These Middle-Class Zeros
Though the balance of power in the House did not change significantly Tuesday, there is one noteworthy bright spot: As of midday today 10 of the 181 members who received […]
7 Exciting, Inspiring – and Overlooked – Lessons From the “99 Percent” Election
So, let’s get this straight: A Republican President is re-elected in 2004 with 284 electoral votes, and the pundits tell us he has the “political capital” to push an extreme […]
Republicans Should Pretend It’s Romney’s First Day And Act On China
Romney promised that he would act on China’s currency manipulation “on his first day.” So Republicans can pretend Romney won, and actually act on China’s currency manipulation! If they would […]
Election 2012: First Take
“The one word description of this election is spelled J-E-E-P,” said a friend early Tuesday evening. “This proves you can’t keep giving the finger to the American people and be […]
Stopping People From Voting? Seriously, Why Do We Put Up With This For One Minute?
More than 50 years since the Civil Rights Movement and conservatives are still fighting to keep “the wrong kind of people” from voting. A 97-year-old in Georgia — who has […]