by Leo Gerard | Jun 2, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
It’s all the rage now for Republican presidential candidates to spurn the Royal Romney approach and, instead, to fawn over workers. When former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum announced his presidential bid last week, he did it from a factory floor and called for increasing...
by Bill Scher | Jun 2, 2015 | Uncategorized
Draft Warren Winds Down Draft Warren effort ends, but Ilya Sheyman and Charles Chamberlain declare victory in Politico Magazine oped: "Although Run Warren Run may not have sparked a candidacy, it ignited a movement ... [we have] already built the kind of campaign...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 2, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
[fve]https://youtu.be/TMpn97UXO5I[/fve] Scott Klinger of the Center for Effective Government explains how fair corporate taxes would help close the nation's infrastructure spending deficit. It's too bad that Congress was out of session this past Friday. Members would...
by Richard Eskow | Jun 1, 2015 | Blog
George W. Bush: His policies brought untold harm, but at least his gaffes offered some occasional lighthearted moments. Now his brother Jeb may have outdone him in the faux pas department - but there's nothing funny about it. The former Florida governor has been...
by Cormac Close | Jun 1, 2015 | Blog, Financial Reform
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unveiled a new set of proposals this past March to protect Americans from payday loans, a $27 billion industry offering short-term loans due the next payday. Now the industry is weighing in, saying that the rules would break...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 1, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
There is a new dispute over whether the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a "trade" agreement or not. One side says TPP is about trade, and sells it that way. The other side says that most of TPP is not about trade so it is important to examine the effect of the...
by Bill Scher | Jun 1, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism
You might think a Republican governor in a swing state muscling through a top agenda item with a big bipartisan vote might generate some national headlines. But national Republicans are not interested in promoting what Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval just accomplished:...
by Bill Scher | Jun 1, 2015 | Uncategorized
Reclaim The American Dream Hedrick Smith explains how grassroots victories can break the Washington gridlock: " The progressive vision of the states as 'laboratories for policy' should be enormously inviting to local movements and grassroots citizen activists ... In a...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 1, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
ALL HANDS ON DECK. This is not a drill. The vote in the House of Representatives on fast track trade authority, preapproving the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) before the public finds out what is in it, is coming up very soon. It is even possible it could happen...
by Terrance Heath | May 29, 2015 | Conservatism, This Is The GOP
As of this week, the race for the GOP presidential nomination has eight official candidates, and no front-runner. But it has plenty of gaffes, and promises more to come. The Republican field grew by two more candidates this week, as former senator Rick Santorum and...
by Dave Johnson | May 29, 2015 | Blog, Trade
The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported today that the gross domestic product (GDP) fell at an annual rate of 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2015. Our enormous, humongous trade deficit is literally draining our economy. The trade deficit is because we import...
by Emily Foster | May 29, 2015 | Education
Brody El-Achi, a rising junior at American University in Washington, D.C., is struggling with sky-high tuition while facing a static job market with stagnant wages. And he’s wondering if the struggle is worth it. "The fact that I have to pay over $230,000 for four...
by Bill Scher | May 29, 2015 | Blog
In Politico Magazine on Thursday I wrote that the Republican National Committee strategy to seize control of the debates and use more conservative moderators may backfire, as Republican candidates have been regularly committing gaffes in the comfy confines of the Fox...
by Bill Scher | May 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
Fast Track On The Fence House Dems feel the squeeze on fast track. Politico: "...some members are dodging questions from the press despite repeated attempts to pin down their position. Some of this is political gamesmanship. A member looking for assurances on policy...
by Richard Eskow | May 29, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
A Google search for the phrase "soul of the Democratic Party" yields thousands of hits, because the struggle for that soul has been a perennial subject of debate. I've probably used the phrase myself. But after a week spent tracking the independent left's political...
by Dave Johnson | May 28, 2015 | Blog, Trans-Pacific Partnership
The House is expected to vote on fast track trade promotion authority as soon as next week. If it passes, the corporate-negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a done deal — even though it is still secret. Why is presidential candidate Hillary Clinton still...
by Terrance Heath | May 28, 2015 | Conservatism, Election 2016, This Is The GOP
George Pataki has announced his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, bringing the number of official candidates to eight. In case you’re among those asking “George who?,” here’s a primer. George Pataki is the former three-term governor of New York,...
by Jeff Bryant | May 28, 2015 | Blog, Education
For years, the progressive punchlist of issues has neglected education policy. Back in the 2012 election, education was mostly a no-show in presidential debates, and very few candidates were standard bearers for public schools, leaving these issues primarily to ballot...
by Bill Scher | May 28, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
Conservative Peter Wehner argues in the New York Times that President Obama has pulled the Democratic Party too far the left, ruining the party's electoral strength at every level except the presidency. "The Democratic Party is now a pre-Bill Clinton party" says...
by Bill Scher | May 28, 2015 | Uncategorized
Sanders Spooks Clinton Team Clinton worried about Sanders. Politico: "Insiders familiar with the Clinton campaign’s thinking described it as 'frightened' of Sanders — not that he would win the nomination, but that he could damage her with the activist base by...
by Richard Eskow | May 27, 2015 | Blog, Populism2015, Retirement Security
The obstacles faced by the progressive movement, especially in a post-Citizens United world, aren’t news to anybody who's been paying attention. But recent developments may also stir an unfamiliar sensation in the liberally minded observer: optimism. On Wednesday we...
by Terrance Heath | May 27, 2015 | Conservatism, Election 2016, This Is The GOP
Former senator Rick Santorum is running for president again, and he’s promised that this time will be different, because he won’t be saying the “crazy stuff” and “dumb things” he spouted throughout his 2012 campaign. Let’s take a moment and recall how “crazy” and...
by Dave Johnson | May 27, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
Remember the study that showed that Congress doesn't take what the public wants into account at all when passing legislation? That's what happened last week when the Senate passed Fast Track. Fast Track "Fast Track" Trade Promotion Authority is in front of the...
by Hedrick Smith | May 27, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
The latest move by Los Angeles to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020 has national significance far beyond the powerful impact it will have on the incomes and lives of an estimated 400,000 workers in L.A. Not only does it put pressure on the rest of...
by Bill Scher | May 27, 2015 | Uncategorized
Bernie Shakes Up Race Bernie Sanders kicks off campaign in Vermont. AP: "'With your support and the support of millions of people throughout this country, we begin a political revolution to transform our country economically, politically, socially and...
by Richard Eskow | May 27, 2015 | Blog, Populism2015, Progressive Vision
We live in a political era dominated by corporate cash, billionaire "beauty pageants," and a right-wing noise machine whose rhetorical phasers are permanently set to "stun." It's easy to lose track of ourselves when we're distracted from moment to moment by Fox News...
by Dave Johnson | May 26, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
This is a message to activists trying to fight the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Stop calling the TPP a "trade" agreement. TPP is a corporate/investor rights agreement, not a "trade" agreement. "Trade" is a good thing; TPP is not. Every time you use the word...
by Leo Gerard | May 26, 2015 | Blog, Current Issues, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
Senators who voted last week to Fast Track ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) call it a free trade deal, but really, it’s forced trade imposed on protesting American workers who have endured its damaging effects for decades. Under the free trade...
by Bill Scher | May 26, 2015 | Uncategorized
Bernie Rallies In Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders holds first presidential campaign rally today. USA Today: "At 5 p.m. ET, Sanders expects to stand on public land he fought for in the 1980s as he announces his presidential ambitions — while spectators munch Ben &...
by Robert Borosage | May 26, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
In the run-up to 2016 presidential race, press attention is sensibly focused on the money primary – the candidates strutting their stuff before deep-pocket donors who will decide which candidates get a real shot to compete with the already established leaders, Jeb...
by Terrance Heath | May 22, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism
This week, two right-winger who portrayed themselves as exemplars of virtue, and regularly lectured Americans on “family values,” proved to be far from “pure” themselves. Until this week, Josh Duggar was a celebrity in more ways than one. Not only was the 27-year-old...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 22, 2015 | Populist Majority
A Gallup poll released today says that the 2016 election will be "contested in a more socially liberal electorate – and a less economically conservative one – than was true of prior elections." While Gallup records a higher percentage of people considering themselves...
by Bill Scher | May 22, 2015 | Uncategorized
Bipartisan Coalition Breaks Progressive Fast Track Filibuster Fast track filibuster broken after Ex-Im Bank deal. The Hill: "Obama sought to help his own cause by calling [Sen. Maria] Cantwell during the vote in the Democratic cloakroom ... Obama promised to press...
by Richard Eskow | May 22, 2015 | Blog, Financial Reform
The Justice Department's latest settlement with felonious big banks was announced this week, but the repercussions were limited to a few headlines and some scattered protestations. That's not enough. We need to understand that our financial system is not merely...
by Dave Johnson | May 22, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
The fast track trade promotion authority vote in the Senate is itself being fast tracked. The last time fast track was in front of the Senate, members spent three weeks discussing it. This time the Senate gets just a few days. The final Senate vote is coming up. Make...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 21, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Financial Reform
If you think allowing post offices to morph into neighborhood banking centers is at best a utopian fantasy, or a just plain crazy idea, the Postal Service Inspector General wants you to think again. The inspector general's office released a report today concluding...
by Jim Hightower | May 21, 2015 | Climate, Conservatism, Current Issues
It’s well-known that harsh climate conditions can mess with your mind — from cabin fever to heat delirium. But America is now experiencing an even more dangerous disease: Climaticus Non-Vocalism Extremism. This syndrome almost exclusively afflicts a narrow segment of...
by Dave Johnson | May 21, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
Fast track is being super-fast tracked in the Senate. Wall Street and the big corporations really, really want this one and the Senate is responding, including 13 "Democrats." When the fix is in and you are rigging the game anyway, why bother with the pretense of...
by Jeff Bryant | May 21, 2015 | Blog, Education
The disturbing death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore while in police custody, and the ensuing riots after news of his death spread, have continued to prompt countless analyses of the chronic problems in our nation’s urban centers. My colleague Terrance Heath correctly...
by Emily Foster | May 21, 2015 | Jobs and Growth
This week the nation’s second-largest city made immense strides in combating poverty and wealth inequality. The Los Angeles City Council approved by 14 to 1 legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which would provide a necessary income increase to more...
