by Dave Johnson | Nov 28, 2012 | Blog, Making it in America
In the campaign Romney and Republicans promised to crack down on China's currency manipulation on the "first day." Yesterday the Obama administration again declined to label China as a currency manipulator, giving House Repubicans the opportunity to follow through on...
by Digby | Nov 28, 2012 | Blog
Here's a CNBC celebrity having a fit when Raul Grijalva suggests that Medicare shouldn't be cut: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7-SMK3GCcY&w=420] She seemed to be having a very hard time controlling herself. Meanwhile, let's have a little fact check,...
by Stan Collender | Nov 28, 2012 | Blog
Other than the fact that we’re now two weeks closer to its tax increases and spending cuts going into effect, not much has really changed about the fiscal cliff since my last column was published two weeks ago. Yes, we’ve heard reports about staff discussions. Yes,...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 28, 2012 | Blog
It's like a Woodstock for plutocrats, or an Avengers for the avaricious: The CEOs of America's largest corporations have banded together to lecture us on the importance of debt reduction. And despite their lack of qualifications and their very obvious self-interest,...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 28, 2012 | Blog
While the lame-duck Congress debates the so-called "fiscal cliff" that isn't a cliff, the public has weighed in. A new poll shows the public overwhelmingly supporting tax hikes for the rich and opposing Medicare cuts. Will the will of We, the People prevail? The...
by Steve Cobble | Nov 28, 2012 | Blog
In case you were wondering if class war had anything to do with the outcome of the presidential vote in 2012, take a look at the “income” breakdown in The New York Times exit polls for the top 10 swing states. The division is stark. In eight of the 10 battleground...
by Bill Scher | Nov 28, 2012 | Uncategorized
Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to effect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security. MORNING MESSAGE: Grover's Not Over...
by Terrance Heath | Nov 28, 2012 | Blog
For years progressives have simultaneously envied and despised Grover Norquist for his ability to organize conservatives and keep them organized, and more recently for the power his anti-tax pledge has over Republicans. So it's understandable that we might celebrate...
by Stan Collender | Nov 27, 2012 | Blog
How hard is it to understand that, if there is a deal (and I continue to believe it's more unlikely than likely) to avert the fiscal cliff, it won't come much before the January 1 deadline? If you've been reading CG&G for the past two years, you already know why:...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 27, 2012 | Blog, Minimum Wage
There is a crack in Walmart's anti-union wall. There were demonstrations by workers and their supporters at more than 1000 Walmart stores on Black Friday. Walmart workers have taken the first step, raising awareness; in state after state Walmart workers have been...
by Robert Borosage | Nov 27, 2012 | Blog, Economy
Senator Dick Durbin, Senate Majority Whip and one of President Obama’s closest allies, laid out his principles for a deal in the current fiscal showdown today in a speech at the Center for American Progress. The nuanced speech was a revealing mixture of common sense...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 27, 2012 | Blog
This Friday we appeared on Thom Hartmann's television show The Big Picture to discuss a new report on the dimly-lit world of shadow banking. Interesting stuff - we'll be writing something on the topic soon, too. Here's the video:...
by Bill Scher | Nov 27, 2012 | Uncategorized
Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to effect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security. MORNING MESSAGE: Five...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 26, 2012 | Blog, Economy
I haven't done this before, but I think today's email from CAF is so spot on that I am going to reprint it here: The statisticians were right about the election. The scientists were right about the weather. And the economists are right about … the economy. 350...
by Sam Pizzigati | Nov 26, 2012 | Blog, Minimum Wage
Americans today can take more than inspiration from the struggles against plutocracy that progressives waged years ago. They can take a host of still relevant — and cutting-edge — policy proposals. Our contemporary billionaires, most Americans would agree, are...
by Digby | Nov 26, 2012 | Blog, The Sequester
Just this: You’ve heard the story many times: Supposedly, any day now investors will lose faith in America’s ability to come to grips with its budget failures. When they do, there will be a run on Treasury bonds, interest rates will spike, and the U.S. economy will...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 26, 2012 | Blog
The term "fiscal cliff" is a one-sided propaganda phrase that misinforms and triggers public fear and anxiety. The fiscal cliff is not a "cliff" and the country isn't going to fall off anything at the end of the year. Journalists: don't help the misinformers -- don't...
by Bill Scher | Nov 26, 2012 | Uncategorized
Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to effect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security. MORNING MESSAGE: Saying “Fiscal...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 21, 2012 | Blog
Macy's is sponsoring a big holiday-season event in which empty but glittery baubles are filled with hot air and sent heavenward, then dragged through the streets before cheering and unthinking crowds. You can't miss it: Breathless reporters will devote massive amounts...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 21, 2012 | Blog
Happy Thanksgiving in corporate-owned America. Walmart workers are preparing for "Black Friday" actions nationwide as the company continues to drive wages and benefits down. And Thanksgiving-day-parade-company Macy's CEO is standing with Donald Trump at the same time...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Nov 21, 2012 | Uncategorized
On the menu this morning MORNING MESSAGE: It's Still About Jobs Fighting The Fiscal Swindle On Black Friday, Shopping Your Values Twinkie Talks Topple Breakfast Sides MORNING MESSAGE: It's Still About Jobs OurFuture.org's Bill Scher: "A new advertising campaign from...
by Bill Scher | Nov 20, 2012 | Blog, Economy
A new advertising campaign from three major unions is targeting key congresspeople with a clear message: the way to reduce the deficit is by "creating jobs and growing our economy" not by "cutting programs that families rely on most."...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 20, 2012 | Blog, Minimum Wage
You've probably heard that Hostess is closing down and putting more than 18,000 people out of work because greedy unions asked for too much. It's a lie. Ask yourself this: are the problems in our economy because working people get too much, or too little? And if this...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 20, 2012 | Blog
The anti-Social Security propagandists should've thought this one through a little more carefully: On the same day that Goldman Sach's CEO issued his "balanced" demand for Social Security and Medicare cuts, the Wall Street-funded group called "Third Way" published the...
by Sam Pizzigati | Nov 20, 2012 | Blog, Minimum Wage
Yes, the poor have struggled mightily while our rich have become phenomenally flush. But middle-income Americans haven't been able to jump off the treadmill either. We’ve all heard plenty of chatter over recent years about the widening gap “between rich and poor.” But...
by Leo Gerard | Nov 20, 2012 | Blog
Republicans, the party of the nation’s entitled rich, are holding a knife to the throat of America’s frail recovery. The GOP sore losers have America up against a wall. Republicans don’t care that the majority of the country voted for a candidate who promised to raise...
by Bill Scher | Nov 20, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: Minorities to GOP: We're Just Not That Into You OurFuture.org's Terrance Heath: "The reason that Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Women, gays, young people and a whole lot of white people didn’t vote for your party is simple. Republicans spent much of the...
by Terrance Heath | Nov 20, 2012 | Blog
Hey GOP, here's some friendly advice. You know that diverse coalition that carried President Obama to victory (not to mention sending a number of progressives to the Senate, and delivering an across-the-board victory for marriage equality)? The one that conservatives...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 19, 2012 | Blog
Building on a recent New York Times article, this weekend National Public Radio wondered if this is Obama's 'Roosevelt' moment." But the Roosevelt in question isn't Franklin D. Roosevelt, the President that many people hoped Obama would model himself when he first won...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 19, 2012 | Blog
I joined Campaign for America's Future's Richard Eskow to talk about the "fiscal cliff" scare, austerity, Social Security, Medicare and how we WON the election so we really should be talking about jobs instead. This was a GREAT hour, and hold the information you need...
by Stan Collender | Nov 19, 2012 | Blog
Originally published at Capital Gains and Games. The Dow Jones Industrials Average was in negative territory on Friday morning when congressional leaders emerged from their first fiscal cliff meeting at the White House. At that point the Dow was down 59 points. But...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 19, 2012 | Blog
Gotta hand it to 'em: Those Wall Street guys are smart. They've already found two ways to plunder the nation's wealth for their own enrichment, and now they're working on a third. The first way? Identify and finance a wave of Democratic politicians who would join with...
by Bill Scher | Nov 19, 2012 | Uncategorized
MORNING MESSAGE: Growing Group of Senators Oppose Fiscal Swindle OurFuture.org's Roger Hickey: "…And now, there’s a new gang in the US Senate. Politico reports that 15 Senators have signed a letter to President Obama much more in line with what voters said they...
by Jeff Bryant | Nov 18, 2012 | Blog, Education
In President Obama's stunningly convincing reelection, only part of his education policies got reaffirmed -- the part he talked about most of the time during the campaign. Meanwhile, the president's policies known to align with what is commonly called "education...
by Roger Hickey | Nov 18, 2012 | Blog, Economy
For years now, various gangs of senators - the Gang of Eight, or Six, or 14 - have declared dire deficit emergencies and called for austerity: Cut public spending and cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits, they tell us. And, bizarrely, most of these...
by Digby | Nov 16, 2012 | Blog
Here's a little something for the "some things never change" files: Here's a radio speech 11/5/34 from Chairman Henry P. Fletcher, Republican National Committee: “We face unusual obstacles. Our party organizations everywhere have been handicapped by lack of funds. The...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 16, 2012 | Blog
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 benefits. They can use their size to force communities, states and even the federal government to lower their taxes. You...
by Bill Scher | Nov 16, 2012 | Blog
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 in the polls is ably recounted over at WageClassWar.org. In Massachusetts,...
by Bill Scher | Nov 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to affect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security. MORNING MESSAGE: The War on Women...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 16, 2012 | Blog, Economy
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 from above, in the form of wealth distribution from the many to the few. Finally,...
