by Zach Carter | Oct 7, 2010 | Blog
Just when you thought Wall Street couldn't defraud the economy any further, it went ahead and did it. After pushing millions of borrowers into foreclosure with fraudulent loans, big banks are now being implicated in a massive new fraud scandal involving the...
by | Oct 7, 2010 | Blog
Democracy Corps has released a new analysis (pdf) of their recent polling which suggests that the environment is shifting a bit and the Democrats have a chance to stop the bleeding if they make certain changes in their message. It's happened before: This is not a...
by Bill Scher | Oct 7, 2010 | Blog
In a New York Times article about the upcoming remake of the movie "Arthur," the original film's producer was asked about the ridiculous conclusion, where the spoiled man-child millionaire gets to keep both his inheritance and his true love. The producer said: The...
by Sam Pizzigati | Oct 7, 2010 | Blog
The nation's public colleges and universities are currently facing unprecedented budget shortfalls and cutbacks. Elite private institutions, meanwhile, are sitting on piles of endowment cash and, says a chilling new study, still reserving huge numbers of seats for the...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 7, 2010 | Blog
In the 1992 campaign the Clinton War Room had a famous sign that read, "It's the economy, stupid!" This meant that the central theme of the campaign was the economy. President Obama's downturn-fighting war room needs a sign, too. The sign should read, "It's the...
by Mary Bottari | Oct 7, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
Champions of financial reform who fought hard for a strong Wall Street reform bill this year know they cannot let down their guard. They are tracking and countering the moves of the big banks as they try to weaken the Dodd-Frank law during the implementation phase....
by Bill Scher | Oct 7, 2010 | 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. The November Choice NYT's Nick...
by Richard Eskow | Oct 6, 2010 | Blog
Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke took another swing at Social Security and Medicare today, saying yet again that they'll need to be cut to protect our nation's financial health. Based on his record, any roadmap Bernanke lays out for the future is worth following ......
by Zach Carter | Oct 6, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
Editor's Note: We're publishing a series of "Making Sense" fact sheets on key economic issues to help you win the debate on the core issues facing middle-class families. Each fact sheet contains information, talking points and resources you can use to make the case...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 6, 2010 | Blog
President Lyndon Johnson is said to have commented that the press is like birds sitting on a telephone line. When one flies away, they all fly away. This week they are all flying around squawking "currency war!" But the world has been in a currency and trade war for...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 6, 2010 | Blog
Conservative economic policies just don't work and it's incredibly obvious right in front of our faces. Knowing that obvious things are right in front of our faces and knowing that conservatives really, really don't want us to see those things, it's instructive (and...
by Sam Pizzigati | Oct 6, 2010 | Blog
The federal government, right-wingers insist, is going crazy sharing the nation's wealth. In fact, eye-opening new research documents, Uncle Sam isn't sharing the nation's wealth. He's concentrating it. Scroll through the right-wing blogosphere, or listen in at a Tea...
by Bill Scher | Oct 6, 2010 | Blog
UPDATE 9/22/10 7:45 PM ET: Sen. Durbin's view was not reported accurately by Bloomberg. He believes we should not begin deficit reduction until unemployment drops below 6%, not 9% as stated in the initial post below. More details here. Last week, 300 economists warned...
by Bill Scher | Oct 6, 2010 | 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. Health Reform Backers More Likely...
by Richard Eskow | Oct 5, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
Remember 2003, when so many Americans hated France for refusing to participate in the Iraq invasion? The airwaves were filled with insults about "effete" and "cowardly" Frenchmen, the phrase "cheese eating surrender monkeys" was on lips across the nation, and rich...
by Zach Carter | Oct 5, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
I didn't expect to see serious economic policy discussions in the "Republican Pledge To America," but even by Washington, D.C. standards, this document is staggeringly disingenuous. Not once in the entire 48-page screed do Republicans mention the words "Wall Street,"...
by Terrance Heath | Oct 5, 2010 | Blog, Economy
A dear departed friend of mine, Alex, was know for saying "We all have choices." It was usually in the form of advice and/or a warning to a friend who was about to make a disastrous choice, with serious implications for his or her future. The not-so-thinly...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 5, 2010 | Blog
A new example today of the consensus that has formed on confronting China's trade practices: At the America’s Fiscal Choices conference today economists Paul Krugman, Martin Feldstein and Jan Hatzius all agreed on the need for the dollar to fall. Last week, in...
by Zach Carter | Oct 5, 2010 | Blog
Today’s absurd William Cohan column actually argues that we don’t need consumer protections in banking—nevermind the subprime explosion, the $8 trillion dollar housing bubble or the 1.2 million foreclosures expected this year. Nevermind the $38 billion in overdraft...
by Zach Carter | Oct 5, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
Of the universal-policy-bloggers who occasionally wade into financial waters, Matt Yglesias is generally one of the best. But sometimes he's just flat wrong, and his post today on financial profits is one of those times. Matt argues that looking to financial profits...
by Bill Scher | Oct 5, 2010 | Blog
Yesterday I highlighted several campaign ads directly and indirectly defending a vote for the health care reform law. These ads are airing on the grounds that you can't win an argument without making one. One of those ads -- Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold's -- has drawn...
by Bill Scher | Oct 5, 2010 | 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. Conservative Candidates Attack...
by Bill Scher | Oct 4, 2010 | Blog, Minimum Wage
2010 is similar to 1994 in that Americans are frustrated with the pace of economic recovery, and out-of-power conservatives appear to be more energized than progressives conflicted about compromises. But there are two big differences between the 2010 midterm elections...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 4, 2010 | Blog
Is there a currency war going on? Yes, it has been going on for some time. It's up to China to end it. China has taken a number of steps over recent years to boost and “protect” its economy, building industries and providing badly-needed jobs. Good for them. But they...
by | Oct 4, 2010 | Blog
One of my biggest gripes about the administration is the fact that they have a terrible, hubristic habit of taking premature victory laps. They aren't alone --- the Democratic congress and the Republicans do the same thing. I suppose they worry about not being allowed...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 4, 2010 | Blog
Thomas Friedman, in a Sunday's NYTimes op-ed, Third Party Rising, looks at our country's political gridlock, gets is partially correct, then reaches the wrong conclusions. Friedman notes that DC is broken, can't get a crucially-needed energy bill and other important...
by Bill Scher | Oct 4, 2010 | 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. Corporations Try To Buy The...
by Richard Eskow | Oct 1, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
All the major banking institutions say the right things about race and equality. They all have diversity programs. A few financial industry leaders, like Robert Rubin and Jamie Dimon, even support socially liberal causes. Yet the banking industry covertly uses payday...
by Terrance Heath | Oct 1, 2010 | Blog, Economy
Conservatives in Congress just fired 240,000 American workers. Conservatives in Congress just killed 240,000 jobs. Conservatives in Congress just essentially added 240,000 more Americans to the ranks of the unemployed. However you frame it, people who want to work and...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 1, 2010 | Blog, Minimum Wage
Does the corporate-sponsored Tea Party speak for you? Or are we One Nation, Working Together? One Nation Working Together For Jobs, Justice and Education for All. How can you not agree with that? How can you not demand that Washington hear this, and get going on...
by | Oct 1, 2010 | Blog
On Saturday, I'll have the privilege of addressing more than 100,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial for the One Nation Working Together rally to send the message that we want the change we voted for in 2008. This gathering of progressives will bridge many...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 1, 2010 | Blog, Making it in America
Our form of government depends on an informed public. But currently the gap between what the public wants and what the public knows is huge. Democrats in Congress have an opportunity this week to draw sharp contrasts between the parties, so voters can be made aware of...
by Bill Scher | Oct 1, 2010 | 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. Stimulus "On Time And Under Budget"...
by Bill Scher | Sep 30, 2010 | Blog
It's been 20 months since Barack Obama was inaugurated, six months since health care reform was signed into law, three months since seniors began receiving prescription drug rebate checks, and one week since the first round of reforms was implemented. After a bruising...
by Leo Gerard | Sep 30, 2010 | Blog, Economy, Making it in America
Like the clear results on a pH test strip, the vote in the U.S. Senate this week on the Creating American Jobs and Ending Off-Shoring Act showed Republicans’ true color: Red. Red for China. Or Mexico. Or Indonesia. Or anywhere multi-national corporations get tax...
by Bill Scher | Sep 30, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
Reasonable people can disagree about the merits of the Wall Street bailout. But you can't reasonably believe we should use taxpayer money to bail out irresponsible bankers and do nothing to insist bankers start behaving responsibly. As my colleague Zach Carter just...
by Bill Scher | Sep 30, 2010 | 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. House Puts Pressure On China House...
by Zach Carter | Sep 30, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
A full 90 members of Congress who voted to bailout Wall Street in 2008 failed to support financial reform reining in the banks that drove our economy off a cliff. But when you examine campaign contribution data, it's really no surprise that these particular lawmakers...
by Richard Eskow | Sep 30, 2010 | Blog
Get this: Republicans on the Deficit Commission aren't just refusing to consider any tax increases. Now they're proposing tax decreases designed to help the rich, while taking benefits from everyone else. Dealing with people like that is like negotiating with somebody...
by Dave Johnson | Sep 29, 2010 | Blog
Tuesday in A Chance To Show The Public -- TAKE THE VOTES I wrote, Our form of government depends on an informed public. But currently the gap between what the public wants and what the public knows is huge. Democrats in Congress have an opportunity this week to draw...
