by Bill Scher | May 21, 2015 | Uncategorized
NSA Talkathon May Upend Fast Track Sen. Rand Paul's marathon speech on NSA complicates fast track vote. Politico: "A vote on the trade bill is locked in on Thursday, though Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said Paul’s theatrical speech 'doesn’t help us on...
by Terrance Heath | May 20, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth, Progressive Vision
In the largest protest of its kind, thousands of McDonald’s employees stormed the company’s headquarters today to demand that it stop spending millions manipulating stock prices, and start paying workers a living wage. McDonald’s cashiers and cooks came to the...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 20, 2015 | Progressive Vision
Get ready to add the name Jim Kenney to a growing list of progressive populist mayors who seek to put their cities in the vanguard of economic change for working people. Kenney won the mayoral nomination Tuesday night in Philadelphia's Democratic primary. He won in...
by Dave Johnson | May 20, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
On a Wednesday press call Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown complained that the Senate leadership is "rushing" through a vote on "fast track" trade promotion authority – a procedure that in essence preapproves trade deals before the public can know what is in them. He said they...
by Bill Scher | May 20, 2015 | Uncategorized
Iowa Working Families Summit Sends Message Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen says Iowa Working Families Summit sent message to '16ers: "We were labor and green, students and seniors, farmers and community organizers, urban and rural, immigrants...
by Robert Borosage | May 20, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” – Frederick Douglass Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to raise the minimum wage of workers in America’s second largest city to $15 an hour. The minimum will rise in increments,...
by Richard Eskow | May 20, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
Some leading Democrats seem to have a love-hate relationship with the left. Sure, progressives seem to have more influence than ever in the party this year, at least rhetorically. But it doesn’t look like the friction will be going away any time soon. President Obama...
by Emily Foster | May 19, 2015 | Education, Tax Reform
In Norway, students go to college tuition-free. In Denmark, students are even paid to go to higher education. In the U.S., college students currently face more than $1.2 trillion of education debt. If the United States wants to boost its middle class and rebuild its...
by Dave Johnson | May 19, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
In April we saw the largest-ever strike against the fast-food industry. There were walkouts in 236 cities, including strikes and protests in 40 countries. Now on Wednesday we will see the largest-ever workers' protests at the McDonald's shareholder meeting in Oak...
by Bill Scher | May 19, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism
Over at Real Clear Politics, I offered the Republican Party advice it will not take: Cull the number of presidential candidates you put on the debate stage by how much money they raised. Republican National Committee leaders are struggling with how to limit the size...
by Larry Cohen | May 19, 2015 | Democracy, Progressive Vision
More than 500 active leaders from 56 organizations spent Saturday at Iowa State University in general sessions and workshops uniting around issues and strategies at the Working Families Summit. I had been to Iowa in previous presidential election years as presidential...
by Bill Scher | May 19, 2015 | Uncategorized
Warren Strikes Back On TPP Sen. Warren issues report detailing poor enforcement of labor provisions in trade agreements. Politico: "Warren argued that the United States has not enforced labor protections in previous free trade deals. The report also contends that...
by Leo Gerard | May 19, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Progressive Vision
Some of the biggest banks in the world are expected to plead guilty to felonies this week. Felonies! They are scandalous crimes, too: fraud and antitrust violations. Finally, America will see members of the class that crashed the economy dressed in black and white...
by Dave Johnson | May 19, 2015 | Blog
Basic facts about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are under public dispute. Fast track must not be approved until this is cleared up. We the People deserve to know what is being voted on with fast track. The Dispute There is a big public dispute between President...
by Emily Foster | May 18, 2015 | Populism2015, Populist Majority
While well-heeled conservatives watched Republican presidential candidates make their pitches for support in an Iowa convention hall at the GOP's Lincoln Dinner on Saturday, grassroots progressives gathered in a much less lavish college auditorium to discuss pressing...
by Terrance Heath | May 18, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
Nine months after police in Ferguson, Missouri donned riot gear, and met protestors with paramilitary weapons and equipment, the Obama administration has taken its first real steps towards halting police militarization. As the president prepared for a visit to Camden,...
by Diane Archer | May 18, 2015 | Health, Trade
New disturbing information has surfaced that the House Republicans' trade adjustment assistance bill, which supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, contains a Medicare poison pill. The bill includes $700 million in Medicare cuts at the end of a...
by Dean Baker | May 18, 2015 | Blog, Trans-Pacific Partnership
The debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has taken center stage in policy circles in recent weeks. Its proponents promise a major economic bonanza from expanded trade. It's not clear that the economics supports this claim. The United States Department of...
by Bill Scher | May 18, 2015 | Uncategorized
Fast Track May Clear Senate This Week Republicans predict fast track passage. W. Post: "'We’ll pass it later this week,' McConnell said on ABC's 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos.' 'The president has done an excellent job on this' ... Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.), the...
by Richard Eskow | May 18, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
Well, this is awkward. A few days ago President Obama literally laughed off Sen. Elizabeth Warren's concern that his so-called “fast track” provision, which would limit Congressional power regarding trade deals for the next six years, endangers 2010's Dodd/Frank...
by Dave Johnson | May 15, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
President Obama says progressives who warn that trade laws let corporations overrule U.S. law are "making this stuff up." Two attacks on U.S. laws and regulations are underway right now, illustrating how the "corporate courts" provisions in the Trans-Pacific...
by Terrance Heath | May 15, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism
This week, wingnut heads exploded when President Obama took right-wingers to task for shaming low-income Americans and Michelle Obama spoke about her experience as the first African-American first lady. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t take much to get wingnuts going. It...
by Dave Johnson | May 15, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
As promised, here is the list of Democratic senators who joined Republicans to break the filibuster of fast track trade promotion authority. Fast track essentially preapproves the Trans-Pacific Partnership before the pubic gets a chance to know what is in it. As I...
by Bill Scher | May 15, 2015 | Uncategorized
Can Fast Track Be Slowed To A Halt? Initial cloture vote on fast track wins after currency manipulation bill passes. W. Post: "...13 Democrats joined 52 Republicans in a procedural vote to move forward with fast-track legislation ... 'I don’t think there are enough...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 15, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
A legislative committee this week sent to the Michigan Senate a law that would eliminate prevailing wage laws on state construction contracts. The law is designed to push down wages paid to workers on the projects. The fact that the law does not have the support of...
by Emily Foster | May 14, 2015 | Jobs and Growth
A 2014 Gallup poll ranked the United States Postal Service first out of 13 government agencies nationwide with the most positive public image. It is the nation’s second largest employer, with 486,822 career employees as of 2014. The USPS receives no tax dollars and is...
by Dave Johnson | May 14, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
[fve]https://youtu.be/-Lzb7PmYdv4[/fve] Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and between 10 and 14 "corporate Democrats" in the Senate on Wednesday reached a deal to push "fast track" trade promotion authority through the Senate, essentially preapproving the Trans-Pacific Alliance...
by Emily Foster | May 14, 2015 | Gender Justice, Jobs and Growth
According to a fall 2014 poll by Pew Research center, 77 percent of women and 63 percent of men agree that “this country needs to continue making changes to give men and women equality in the workplace.” Although women hold 49.3 percent of jobs, they only earn 78...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 14, 2015 | Conservatism, Jobs and Growth
As I wrote on Wednesday, conservatives don't want anyone to draw connections between this week's fatal Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia and their years'-long opposition to adequate funding for the passenger service. So it was not surprising to hear House Speaker John...
by Terrance Heath | May 14, 2015 | Conservatism, Election 2016, This Is The GOP
The GOP’s “clown car” primary season has begun, and already the downside of having such a long primary campaign is starting to show. The candidates have plenty of time to contradict and embarrass themselves. And are they ever. Here’s a look at how their campaigns are...
by Bill Scher | May 14, 2015 | Uncategorized
Filibuster Busted Senate Dems drop fast track filibuster, but fight not over. NYT: "A series of trade-related votes will begin Thursday and stretch well into next week ... While the pathway to passage became clearer Wednesday, it is still treacherous. Most Senate...
by Richard Eskow | May 14, 2015 | Blog, Economy
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll recently asked the following question: “Which concerns you more: the income gap between the wealthiest Americans and the rest of the country, or middle and working class Americans not being able to get ahead financially?” If you...
by Bill Scher | May 13, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Progressive Vision
Earlier this week, conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks argued that the re-election of British Prime Minister David Cameron, following the reelection of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and the Republican midterm election victory, proves that "the...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 13, 2015 | Jobs and Growth
On Tuesday night, an Amtrak train spectacularly derailed on its way through Philadelphia, killing at least seven people. On Wednesday morning, a House appropriations subcommittee voted to cut federal funding for Amtrak by about 20 percent. Those are two dots...
by Dave Johnson | May 13, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
What happened in the Senate Tuesday shows why the corporations are fighting so hard to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). A legislative body jumped in and interfered with corporate plans. The nerve of those people! Try to see it from the point of view of the...
by Bill Scher | May 13, 2015 | Uncategorized
Fast Track Off Track Dems unite to filibuster fast track. W. Post: "[Sen. Ron] Wyden and more than a dozen other pro-trade Senate Democrats voted against a Republican proposal to begin consideration of [fast track.] The vote was 52-45, short of the 60 votes needed ......
by Robert Borosage | May 13, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
On a sunlit lawn in front of the nation’s Capitol yesterday, an impressive array of progressive legislators, union and civil rights leaders and public scholars lined up to sign onto New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “Progressive Agenda,” a brief platform on income...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 12, 2015 | Economy, Progressive Vision
[fve]http://youtu.be/o4GUU2yNVxc[/fve]New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks outside the Capitol on Tuesday about The Progressive Agenda to Address Income Inequality. At the National Press Club overlooking the White House and on the grounds of the Capitol,...
by Dave Johnson | May 12, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
Democrats in the U.S. Senate were able to successfully block the trade promotion authority "fast track" bill using a filibuster today. This is a very big setback for the pro-Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) forces, but is not a final defeat. The final vote was 52-45,...
by Emily Foster | May 12, 2015 | Financial Reform
The death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore is not just a story of police brutality or the lack of socioeconomic mobility for the urban poor. It’s also a story of how deregulation allowed corporate banks to strip middle-class families of their financial stability and walk...
