by Richard Eskow | Jan 27, 2012 | Blog
The GOP presidential candidates continue to play their parts in an implausible story of a world that could never exist, acting out nonexistent conflicts while delivering dialog that insults the intelligence. That's not because they're stupid. It's because they think...
by Bill Scher | Jan 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: Democracy V....
by Bill Scher | Jan 26, 2012 | Blog, Climate
Yesterday, one of Politico's headlines from the State of the Union was: "He steals GOP's 'all of the above' energy slogan." But something can only be stolen from you if you actually had it in the first place. Yes, the Republicans like to say they are for an "all of...
by Mary Bottari | Jan 26, 2012 | Blog, Financial Reform
Thanks to Occupy Wall Street, in the State of the Union this week President Obama struck some of his most populist themes yet. He wants to tax millionaires, bring back manufacturing and prosecute the big banks. He touted his Wall Street reforms saying the big banks...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 26, 2012 | Blog
Indiana is about to pass what is called a "right-to-work" law. These laws prohibit union contracts from requiring workers to be in the union and paying dues to the union, while forcing the unions to provide full benefits to the non-unions members for free. The idea is...
by Bill Scher | Jan 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: Are Schneiderman...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 25, 2012 | Blog, Making it in America
President Obama put American manufacturing literally at the front and center of his State of the Union speech. American manufacturing was at the front of the speech and at the center of a "blueprint" for bringing back jobs and strengthening our economy. By placing...
by Jeff Bryant | Jan 25, 2012 | Blog, Education
Reflecting on last night's State of the Union address to the nation, most opinion outlets are declaring that President Obama is now more overtly resorting to a "populist message" to rally Democrats and appeal to independents who are frustrated with stalemate in...
by | Jan 25, 2012 | Blog
Originally posted on Capital Gains and GamesLast night' State of the Union Address almost certainly made deficit hawks very unhappy, extremely angry and, from a policy perspective, close to suicidal. After pushing hard for so long to make the deficit the issue, it was...
by Robert Borosage | Jan 25, 2012 | Blog
Last night in his State of the Union, President Obama presented himself as the champion of the American dream, or in his words, “the American promise” – “that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and...
by Bill Scher | Jan 25, 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: The Defining Issue...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jan 25, 2012 | Blog
We were hoping to get from President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night a bold, galvanizing vision of how the economy could be made to work once again for the 99 percent, the majority of Americans who are being left behind as the nation's wealth flows...
by Richard Eskow | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
I hate to sound Pollyanna-ish, but sometimes the sunny point of view turns out to be right. Yes, corporate money has hijacked democracy. And it's true that our two-party system often fails to offer real choices or reflect the will of the majority. Our corporate...
by Richard Eskow | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
There's nothing to see here. Move along. Nothing, that is, but this report of a minor incident in Russellville, Arkansas: “Democratic Congressional candidate Ken Aden’s campaign manager returned home to find his family pet slaughtered, with the word 'liberal' painted...
by Terrance Heath | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
Looking for a new drinking game for the remainder of the Republican debates? (According to the schedule, there's at least five more to go.) I've got one that, even with the remaining candidates, is guaranteed to put you under the table well before the end of the...
by Mary Bottari | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
While volunteer after volunteer from each of Wisconsin's 72 counties marched into the state's election board to deposit over one million signatures for the recall of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Walker was no where to be found. At the hour petitions were being...
by Leo Gerard | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
Four years ago, Cooper Tire told its workers they’d have to sacrifice to save the company. With a straight face, Cooper executives said it was essential for the corporation’s survival that workers take tens of millions in pay and benefit cuts. The workers understood...
by Bill Scher | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy ROMNEY: Under that plan, I'd have paid no taxes in the last two years. *** Now that we have seen Mitt Romney's tax returns and have a clearer glimpse at how the Bush-shaped tax code continues to...
by Richard Eskow | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
Like a lot of former Obama voters, I've had my issues with the President. Sure, it helped when he sang that Al Green song at the Apollo Theater last week. (Good job, Mr. President! Good pitch and an appropriately understated delivery.) But in a time of uncertainty...
by Richard Eskow | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
Today there were reports of an agreement between the nation's five biggest banks, a number of state Attorneys General, and several Federal agencies. The specifics weren't available, but the agreement appeared to settle a number of potential civil and criminal charges...
by Robert Borosage | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
As President Obama takes the stage tonight, he has one major thing going for him. It’s not the economy, which still leaves Americans fearful. It’s not his eloquence; pundits have even taken to disparaging his “full paragraphs” as not as forceful as Gingrich’s sound...
by | Jan 24, 2012 | Blog
This is pretty amazing: Richard Wood of Bradenton, Fla., told Romney he'd folded his title insurance company in October 2010. "I invested in some real estate, some rental properties, made what I considered to be very conservative investments during the boom times and...
by Bill Scher | Jan 24, 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: What To Look For...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 23, 2012 | Blog
The spiral-to-the-bottom and inequality we are suffering is not an inevitable result of globalization, it is what happens when we don't hold cheaters and exploiters accountable and stop them. This is not just about Wall Street, it is the story of what has happened to...
by Robert Borosage | Jan 23, 2012 | Blog
Americans from across the political spectrum are angry that the Wall Street banks blew up the economy and got bailed out, while home owners and taxpayers were stuck with the bill. And now, with fresh reports today of a pending state attorneys general settlement with...
by Robert Borosage | Jan 23, 2012 | Blog, Economy
The following was originally published by Politico ‘This is a defining time for America,” says Mitt Romney. President Barack Obama, he argues, wants to turn America into a “European-like entitlement society” in which “government provides...
by Bill Scher | Jan 23, 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: For SOTU, Stand Up...
by | Jan 22, 2012 | Blog
With George Goehl Rumor has it that on Monday, after months of negotiation with big banks, the White House may announce a settlement that would let the banks off the hook for their role in the foreclosure crisis—paying a tiny fraction of what's needed in exchange for...
by Sam Pizzigati | Jan 22, 2012 | Blog
Changes in state tax laws now encourage America’s awesomely affluent to create “perpetual” trusts for their heirs. The combination of these new laws and new technology, legal scholars are warning, now allows the “dead hand” of the past to rule over the living. In...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 20, 2012 | Blog
There is breaking news from Capitol Hill, negotiators have dropped the anti-union language for votes to start a union. Republicans were insisting that no-shows be counted as "No" votes. Delta's check must have been mailed late. AP: Compromise boosts prospects for FAA...
by | Jan 20, 2012 | Blog, Making it in America
If you want to win a bet next Tuesday, wager your friends that President Obama will say “Made in America” in the State of the Union address. It’s the closest you’ll ever get to a sure thing. “Made in America” is a wildly popular notion across the political spectrum....
by | Jan 20, 2012 | Blog
Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games. Interesting column in yesterday's The New York Times by Jesse Eisinger of ProPublica about the budget strategy the U.S. might be following if it were a private equity firm, that is, if it were run as if it were Bain...
by Bill Scher | Jan 20, 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: Stop The...
by Richard Eskow | Jan 19, 2012 | Blog
"Investigate the Banks!" Today a coalition of progressive groups handed in a petition with more than 360,000 signatures that demanded exactly that. It calls on the Obama administration to stop pushing a cushy fraud settlement for bankers, to pursue a fair deal for...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 19, 2012 | Blog
Republicans were blocking National Labor Relations Board and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau nominees to keep these agencies from doing their jobs under the law, in exchange for a cut of the take. Obama made recess appointments to get them up and operating. Now...
by | Jan 19, 2012 | Blog
So Perry is out of the race. What a coward. It's not as if it's just a matter of not throwing good money after bad. The election is in a couple of days. He obviously just couldn't face the humiliation of losing. On paper he was the perfect anti-Romney and everyone...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 19, 2012 | Blog, Economy, Making it in America
President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness ("Jobs Council") issued a report calling for fewer regulations and lower corporate tax rates. This doesn't have to be a bad idea. The Report The Jobs Council report, Road Map to Renewal makes a number of...
by Terrance Heath | Jan 19, 2012 | Blog
After Newt Gingrich was rewarded with a surge in the polls, for playing the race card during the South Carolina GOP debate, Mitt Romney has launched another all out attack on Newt - this time focusing on Newt's record as speaker, with an assist from some...
by Bill Scher | Jan 19, 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: Why Keep The...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 19, 2012 | Blog
Mitt Romney's ultra-low tax rate on his ultra-high income is reviving questions about the breaks and perks that the wealthiest of the 1% receive from the rest of us. One of these is a special low tax rate for investments -- as if anyone needed special tax incentives...
