by Digby | Jun 30, 2014 | Conservatism
So the Roberts Court with a divided majority just decided that corporations are able to exercise freedom of speech by spending corporate money on political campaigns, they are now able to exercise their freedom of religion by denying benefits to employees who disagree...
by Sam Pizzigati | Jun 30, 2014 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
The free market made us do it. Ask members of any American corporate board of directors why they pay their CEO so much and you’ll get some variation on this market-inevitability theme. To compete effectively in the world economy, Corporate America’s argument goes, we...
by Bill Scher | Jun 30, 2014 | Uncategorized
Freedom To Organize, Use Contraception At Stake Today Final day of Supreme Court term will decide Obamacare contraception coverage mandate. The Hill: "A ruling against the administration could undermine the statute’s provision requiring companies to offer...
by Richard Eskow | Jun 30, 2014 | Blog, Economy, Gender Justice
The Prime Minister of Morocco recently compared women to “lanterns” or “chandeliers,” saying that “when women went to work outside, the light went out of their homes.” His remarks, which ran counter to Morocco’s constitutionally-guaranteed rights for women, promptly...
by Harvey J Kaye | Jun 29, 2014 | Blog, Progressive Vision
In his New York Times column last Friday, "The Spiritual Recession" (June 27, 2014), conservative David Brooks posed the same question he essentially first posed seventeen years ago in "A Return to National Greatness: A Manifesto for a Lost Creed" (Weekly Standard,...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 27, 2014 | Jobs and Growth, Populist Majority
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has a bridge he's trying to sell Kentuckians, and a poll released Friday says that by an overwhelming margin state residents aren't buying it. More precisely, what McConnell is trying to sell is a way to pay for an overhaul of...
by Terrance Heath | Jun 27, 2014 | Blog, Conservatism, This Is The GOP
Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran defeated primary challenger Chris McDaniel with the help of black Democrats, and the tea party exploded with rage. Now, to quote Nina Simone, “Everybody Knows About Mississippi, Goddam!” It all started strangely enough. The...
by Editors | Jun 27, 2014 | Education, Jobs and Growth
An African-American millennial on average needs to have an associate’s degree in order to have the same chance of being employed as a white person who only has a high school diploma. This fact is simply shocking. Only 74 percent of black high school graduates have...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 27, 2014 | Blog, Populist Majority
A recent Pew Research Center poll on political attitudes and polarization that is making the rounds, "Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology," shows something that Democratic politicians should pay attention to this election season, because conservatives...
by Terrance Heath | Jun 27, 2014 | Economy, Jobs and Growth
Washington is wading into another debate over extending unemployment insurance benefits. Meanwhile, millions of jobless Americans are waiting for our elected leaders to finally get around to focusing on jobs. Donna McDonald, of Chicago, Illinois is one of those...
by Harvey J Kaye | Jun 27, 2014 | Blog, Progressive Vision
From Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" and Jefferson's Declaration of Independence to FDR's "Four Freedoms" and MLK's "I Have a Dream" speeches, democratic words have inspired us to make America freer, more equal, and more democratic. Hoping that they continue to...
by Bill Scher | Jun 27, 2014 | Uncategorized
Push For Executive Action On Immigration Pressure builds for Obama to act with Congress. The Hill: "The president has delayed any executive action on the issue to allow House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) more time and political space to move immigration reform...
by Richard Eskow | Jun 27, 2014 | Blog, Economy
A lot of people know the old quote which says “predicting is hard, especially about the future.” Granted, everybody gets it wrong sometimes, but this time our economists were really wrong. We were told the economy grew slightly in the first quarter of this year. Now,...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 26, 2014 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
An effort to move forward legislation in the Senate to pay for national transportation projects stalled today because Senate Republicans are insisting on spending cuts to match the funds we need to fix our roads, bridges and public transit. It's more proof that...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 26, 2014 | Blog, Trade
There will be a number of rallies and other events over the July 4 Congressional recess, focused on members of Congress in their home districts. These events will be to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the proposed "fast track" process that essentially...
by Jeff Bryant | Jun 26, 2014 | Blog, Education
When politicians and pundits take to the barricades to defend "wonderful charter schools," is this what they're thinking of? A recent article in a Minnesota newspaper reported about a change in state law that could imperil the existence of a charter school that serves...
by Bill Scher | Jun 26, 2014 | Uncategorized
Economy Hurting Dem Base Weak income growth seen hurting Dems in November. Bloomberg: "The sluggish improvement in living standards among Democrats’ core voters threatens to hurt the party’s candidates in this year’s congressional elections ... Democratic...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 26, 2014 | Blog, Trade
A fight in Congress over the Export-Import Bank has broken out between U.S. businesses that export goods and "small government" tea party Republicans who believe government shouldn't do anything to help American-based businesses export to the rest of the world,...
by Robert Borosage | Jun 26, 2014 | Blog, Progressive Vision
The launch of Hillary Clinton’s undeclared candidacy for president – in the form of the roll-out of her memoir, "Hard Choices," an astounding two and a half years prior to the election – has been marked by big media and silly gaffes. Tin-eared and thin-skinned,...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 25, 2014 | Jobs and Growth
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is giving a firm thumbs down to the idea of giving corporations that shelter profits overseas a deep tax break if they bring those profits back into the U.S. and devote a sliver of those profits to buying bonds for highway and public...
by Lynne Stuart Parramore | Jun 25, 2014 | Retirement Security
Let's say you're a person who has worked very hard. You've done the right thing — you've saved every possible penny for your 401(k). For this, you're hoping to have a decent stream of income in your golden years. And yet in the end, you may not have access to all of...
by Bill Scher | Jun 25, 2014 | Blog
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyWtkWZ2b1M[/fve] While Chris McDaniel and his Tea Party supporters were hammering incumbent Republican Sen. Thad Cochran for his support of earmarks and votes raising the debt limit, Cochran didn't run from the debate. In the...
by Bill Scher | Jun 25, 2014 | Uncategorized
Tea Party Loses Mississippi Showdown Black voters beat Tea Party in MS GOP senate runoff. W. Post's Chris Cillizza: "...runoff turnout in the 24 counties with a black population of 50 percent or more was up almost 40 percent from the primary. In all other counties,...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 25, 2014 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
The long-term unemployed got some renewed attention finally on Tuesday with the announcement that a Republican and a Democratic senator are teaming up on a revival of extended benefits for people who have not been able to find work after 26 weeks. It's about time,...
by Emily DiVito | Jun 24, 2014 | Jobs and Growth
“The American high school classes graduating this year will be the last ones ever that are majority white,” Ronald Brownstein, Editorial Director of Atlantic Media, reminded us in his opening remarks today at the National Journal’s panel on “The Next America: Making...
by Editors | Jun 24, 2014 | Jobs and Growth
Almost 50 million Americans live below the governmental poverty line today – with 16 million among them being children. Roughly one in seven adults and one in five children suffer from the challenges of poverty. Two out of three Americans will live in poverty at some...
by Bill Scher | Jun 24, 2014 | Uncategorized
Tea Party Test In Mississippi Tea Party hopes to oust another incumbent today. W. Post: "Republican Senate candidates Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel returned to core campaign themes ahead of a Tuesday runoff election as GOP leaders nervously looked on ... right-wing...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 24, 2014 | Blog, Trade
There is no way around it: There are three issues on people's minds as we go into the midterm elections: jobs, jobs and jobs. Since the 2008 financial crash – actually since Reagan was elected – most of the gains from our economy have gone to the 1 percent and many of...
by Richard Eskow | Jun 24, 2014 | Blog, Retirement Security
For months there have been rumors that the Social Security Administration has a “secret plan” to close all of its field offices. Is it true? A little-known report commissioned by the SSA the request of Congress seems to hold the answer. The summary document outlining...
by Editors | Jun 23, 2014 | Jobs and Growth
Joanne, a food service worker at the federal Ronald Reagan Building near the White House, took time off from her job Monday to join fellow federal contractor employees at a protest outside the Smithsonian National Zoo. As she explained her monthly budget, it was clear...
by Bill Scher | Jun 23, 2014 | Blog
President Obama and Senate Democrats have effectively given House Republicans until July 31 to act on immigration reform, or else Obama will take unilateral executive action to ease deportations. That's only five weeks away, and it's not yet clear if the House GOP...
by Thom Hartmann | Jun 23, 2014 | Conservatism
Republicans say they’re pro-life, but in reality, they’re pro-death. Earlier this month, while no one was watching, Republicans in the House voted to extend a bunch of corporate tax breaks and subsidies, adding up to nearly $75 billion in tax breaks over the next...
by Bill Scher | Jun 23, 2014 | Uncategorized
WH Hosts Working Families Summit "Child-care issues move to political forefront as both parties position for midterms" reports W. Post: "A high-profile White House 'working families' summit Monday will focus on issues such as child care, paid family leave and equal...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 22, 2014 | Blog, Trade
Currency manipulation is a big deal. It is costing up to 5.8 million American jobs and costs U.S. GDP by up to $720 billion. So what is currency manipulation and how does it work? A currency is the local "medium" of exchange. Different countries use different...
by Terrance Heath | Jun 20, 2014 | Blog, Conservatism, This Is The GOP
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is back in the news, following a prosecutor’s allegations that Walker was at the center of a “criminal scheme" to bypass state election laws, by illegally coordinating spending between conservative groups and his campaign in 2012. Is...
by Robert Borosage | Jun 20, 2014 | Progressive Vision
We live in a populist moment. The Great Recession shattered the myths and lies of the conservative era. Barack Obama’s historic election briefly lifted hopes, but they were dashed in a recovery that still fails most Americans. A young generation, bequeathed...
by Terrance Heath | Jun 20, 2014 | Conservatism
The White House will hold a Summit on Working Families on Monday, and Republicans want in on the action. Republicans are feigning concern for working families, with a fake agenda meant to distract us from their lack of any real solutions. Republicans can’t be blamed...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 20, 2014 | Jobs and Growth
We've already written about the American pharmaceutical company that plans to merge with an Irish drug company so that it will have a way to shield its profits from U.S. taxes. That company, Medtronic, would still be an American company and would still use American...
by Bill Scher | Jun 20, 2014 | Uncategorized
Unemployment Insurance Extension Returns To Senate Senate negotiators revamp bill, restart unemployment insurance debate. National Journal: "Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada—a Republican who has been working closely with Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island for more...
by Jeff Bryant | Jun 20, 2014 | Blog, Education
An interesting twist in the ever-fascinating narrative of Republican politics unfolded in Mississippi this month when political operatives in the campaign to reelect U.S. Senator Thad Cochran to another term attacked their primary challenger for wanting to "deeply cut...
