by Bill Scher | Sep 23, 2014 | Progressive Vision
Zephyr Teachout, fresh from her better-than-expected showing against Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York’s gubernatorial primary, now is urging similar challenges against other Democrats across the country. In a Politico Magazine opinion piece titled “The Dems Need a Kick...
by Bill Scher | Sep 23, 2014 | Uncategorized
Treasury Begins Inversion Crackdown Treasury issues new rules to curtail inversions. Time: "[Secretary] Lew announced a new set of measures meant to make inversions less appealing to U.S. companies, including by eliminating some of the ways those companies gain access...
by Terrance Heath | Sep 23, 2014 | Economy, Gender Justice
The White House will hold a Summit on Working Families today, as part of Democrats' efforts to craft an economy that works for working families. Here are five policies with broad popular support that could make a family-friendly economy a reality. 1. Livable Wages...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 23, 2014 | Blog, Conservatism
The Republican political strategy has been to obstruct efforts to help the economy for everyone but the wealthiest few, and then campaign on complaints that the economy isn't helping anyone but the wealthiest few. It's working. In President Obama's July 12 weekly...
by Dean Baker | Sep 22, 2014 | Economy
Developing explanations for the growth in inequality over the last three decades has been a huge growth industry in economics and policy circles. Many economists have made their careers with a novel explanation of how the natural development of technology and the...
by Lynne Stuart Parramore | Sep 22, 2014 | Conservatism, Economy
Just about any philosopher or religious leader, not to mention nearly anyone you meet walking down the street, could tell you that selfishness is not a virtue. If you are old enough to apply for a driver’s license, you can probably work out that selfish behavior has...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Sep 22, 2014 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
[fve]http://youtu.be/mQGtZnitGB0[/fve] This past Sunday was declared "Freedom Sunday" by a coalition of civil rights and religious organizations to rally African Americans and others to register to vote. That's all to the good, but Maya Rockeymoore, CEO of the Center...
by Bill Scher | Sep 22, 2014 | Uncategorized
400,000 People's Climate March shatters expectations with 400K. Time: "Coalesced by several organizations, including Bill McKibben’s 350.org, the swarming crowds were there to pressure Obama and other leaders to make addressing climate change a top political priority....
by Robert Borosage | Sep 22, 2014 | Blog, Progressive Vision, Winning Issues for 2014
As the election heads into its home stretch, regular people start to tune in. In contested states and districts, they have little choice, as their TV shows are overrun with campaign spots, almost all of them negative. Much of what we’ve heard about the election is now...
by Terrance Heath | Sep 19, 2014 | Conservatism, This Is The GOP
With one bizarre Facebook post Rep. Mark Sanford (R, SC) dis-engaged his “Appalachian Trail” “soulmate,” and went from being a comeback kid to being punchline, again. And that’s not even the crazy part. Dumping someone via Facebook isn’t new. Countless teenagers do it...
by Richard Eskow | Sep 19, 2014 | Progressive Vision
Scotland's independence vote has been cast, and its citizens chose overwhelmingly to remain part of Great Britain. But this historic vote should be studied by all those who want to affect political and economic change around the world, because there are important...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Sep 19, 2014 | Retirement Security
The Social Security deception game that Republican candidates have resorted to playing in recent election cycles is back. But, at a rally on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) showed how candidates and activists can defeat the gamesmanship and...
by Bill Scher | Sep 19, 2014 | Uncategorized
WH Preps For Climate Summit "WH cranks up heat ahead of UN summit" reports The Hill: "The Obama administration is preparing a 'full-court press' ahead of next week's U.N. climate summit where the president will use his speech to "call on world leaders to keep their...
by Bill Scher | Sep 19, 2014 | Blog, Climate
The White House will be applying a "full-court press" on the climate during the United Nations Climate Summit next week. In addition to President Obama's address to the summit, which will detail all that he is trying to accomplish by executive action, the Cabinet will...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 19, 2014 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
Progressives have not only been able to beat back the D.C.-elite effort to cut Social Security, we put the idea of expanding Social Security on the table instead. We pushed LGBT rights and gay marriage and have won significant victories. Sunday's Climate March will...
by Jeff Bryant | Sep 18, 2014 | Blog, Education
Since "The Wizard of Oz," the term "we're not in Kansas anymore" has been shorthand for saying we've changed the usual surroundings for a new, disorienting terrain. For school children who actually live in Kansas, that would likely be a relief. Since the nation's...
by Bill Scher | Sep 18, 2014 | Uncategorized
House Keeps Government Open House passes bill to keep government open, arm Syrian rebels and extend Ex-Im Bank. NYT: "An unusual but overwhelming coalition in the House voted Wednesday to authorize the training and arming of Syrian rebels to confront the militant...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 18, 2014 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
Airlines have been notoriously following the typical American capitalist business model of (literally) squeezing the customer into smaller and more uncomfortable seats, literally starving their customers, extorting cash for a bit more comfort on long trips, charging...
by Richard Eskow | Sep 18, 2014 | Blog, Climate
This is a critical week for the planet. A United Nations conference on the climate will be followed on Saturday by the People’s Climate March, which is expected to be the largest environmental march in history. But it would be a grave mistake, for the planet and for...
by Dean Baker | Sep 17, 2014 | Financial Reform
Monday marked the sixth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The investment bank’s bankruptcy accelerated the financial meltdown that began with the near collapse of the investment bank Bear Stearns in March 2008 (saved by the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan)...
by Emily Schwartz Greco | Sep 17, 2014 | Climate
Even if climate science is complicated, author Naomi Klein wants you to know that finding a solution to global warming is easy. In her powerful new book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, the Canadian globalization expert drills through the noisy...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 17, 2014 | Jobs and Growth, Progressive Vision
Monday the House of Representatives passed the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act (H.R. 2996) (RAMI). The RAMI bill, part of House Democrats' Make It In America jobs plan, was sponsored by Representatives Tom Reed (R-NY) and Joseph Kennedy (D-MA) in...
by Bill Scher | Sep 17, 2014 | Uncategorized
"You Can't Eat GDP" Stronger growth hasn't translated into higher incomes. NYT's Neil Irwin: "The [new 2013] census numbers on what American families made last year are as mediocre as they are predictable ... up a mere 0.3 percent from 2012. If you’re counting, that’s...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 17, 2014 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
Republicans in the Senate on Monday unanimously filibustered the Paycheck Fairness Act. Did you see this on the news? Did you hear about it on the radio? Did you read about it in your local paper? There is an election coming and accurate, objective information is...
by Bill Scher | Sep 16, 2014 | Blog
The big climate news in advance of next week's U.N. climate summit is a new global commission report that finds the investments needed to avert a climate crisis would likely not result in any net cost. According to the New York Times, "an ambitious series of measures...
by Terrance Heath | Sep 16, 2014 | Progressive Vision
The New York Times informed us that Michael Brown was “no angel.” When being young and black is to be guilty until proven innocent, black children must be “angelic” just to be worthy of living. The Times initially defended its “no angel” assessment of Michael Brown’s...
by Leo Gerard | Sep 16, 2014 | Blog
Senate Republicans voted unanimously last week for elections that are competitions of cash, with candidates who amass the most money empowered to shout down opponents. The GOP rejected elections that are contests of ideas won by candidates offering the best concepts....
by Bill Scher | Sep 16, 2014 | Uncategorized
GOP Ready To Keep Government Open House GOP coalesces around bill to keep government open, fund Syria rebels. Bloomberg: "The House majority leader said he anticipates bipartisan support for a measure granting President Barack Obama’s request to arm and equip Syrian...
by Richard Eskow | Sep 16, 2014 | Blog, Economy
They say a picture's worth a thousand words. If that's true, the following ten images could provide the lyrics for a thousand blues songs. The graphs are taken from series of recent reports which, when considered together, create a paint-by-numbers picture of the...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 15, 2014 | Trans-Pacific Partnership
Think about everything you understood about our system of government here in the United States. We're governed under a document that starts with the words, "We the People." Right? When We the People agree that something should done to make our lives better, it's...
by Dean Baker | Sep 15, 2014 | Health
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was pushed primarily as a way to extend health insurance coverage. This was and is an important goal. However another important aspect of the ACA is its impact on the labor market. The vast majority of people who are below Medicare age...
by Bill Scher | Sep 15, 2014 | Uncategorized
Hillary, Bernie Pitch Iowa Progressives Hillary Clinton takes populist tack in Iowa "Harkin Steak Fry" speech. W. Post: "Hillary Clinton has been under pressure to address growing concerns in her party about income inequality, not only because of her ties to Wall...
by Robert Borosage | Sep 15, 2014 | Blog
This November's bi-election has all the makings for a Republican wave. The president’s popularity is down. Most Americans think the country is on the wrong track; nearly half think we are still in a recession. Wages are stagnant; good jobs are scarce. The sixth year...
by Roger Hickey | Sep 15, 2014 | Blog, Trade
The subject was the two major trade agreements that elites in both U.S. political parties are negotiating with the corporate elites in other countries: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) (also known as TTIP). The event...
by Terrance Heath | Sep 12, 2014 | Conservatism, This Is The GOP
In the biggest elevator video since Beyonce and Jay Z, the world saw Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knock his fiancé out cold. While the NFL dragged its feet on a response, right-wingers lost no time blaming the victim. In July, video surfaced of Baltimore...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 12, 2014 | Blog, Populist Majority, Tax Reform
With polls showing most Americans just hate companies that renounce their U.S. citizenship to dodge paying their taxes, the D.C./corporate-centric outlet Politico says Democrats are making a mistake by pushing this issue. Politico's article, "Democrats' whopper of a...
by Bill Scher | Sep 12, 2014 | Blog
One week from Sunday, as thousands of leaders from around the world come to New York for the UN Climate Summit, tens of thousands of concerned American citizens will be marching in the streets demanding international action to end the climate crisis. The People's...
by Jeff Bryant | Sep 12, 2014 | Blog, Education
What's wrong with this picture? During the nation's back-to-school season, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been touring states in a bus to "highlight the champions of reform." At one stop, where he spoke to an audience of parents at a Nashville, Tenn.,...
by Bill Scher | Sep 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Health Care for 1.7M Riding on Midterms MIdterms may mean more Medicaid expansion. The Hill: "Democrats running in five highly competitive governors races this year have vowed to expand Medicaid coverage through ObamaCare if they are elected, something that could...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 12, 2014 | Blog, Trade
Approximately 600 organizations have sent a formal, public letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) opposing "fast-track" trade promotion authority and calling for a new system for negotiating and implementing trade agreements. The letter asks...
