by Bill Scher | Jun 7, 2010 | Blog
Below are the top Twitter posts from Day One of the America's Future Now! conference, compiled by Terrance Heath for our daily "PM Update" blog roundup email. You can follow and react to the conference action on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #afn10. @livlylife...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jun 7, 2010 | Blog
The centerpiece of the first day of the America's Future Now! conference was expected to be a debate between representatives of two camps within the progressive movement: those who are supporters of President Obama who say the movement needs to show him more support...
by Richard Eskow | Jun 7, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
We're here at AFN - the America's Future Now conference - liveblogging a session called "Curbing Wall Street: Strategies Going Forward." It's a subject close to our heart. The panelists are Heather McGhee from Demos, Heather Booth from Americans for Financial Reform,...
by Bill Scher | Jun 7, 2010 | Uncategorized
As the America's Future Now! conference convenes from today through Wednesday, Progressive Breakfast will preview key events for attendees and for those who want to watch the live video stream of selected sessions at www.ourfuture.org/now, in addition to the...
by Mary Bottari | Jun 6, 2010 | Blog
When the Senate bank reform legislation passed in May, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said it sent the message to Wall Street "no longer can you recklessly gamble away other people's money." The bill told Main Street "you no longer have to fear that your savings,...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 4, 2010 | Blog
Disappointing jobs report sends stocks tumbling, Stocks tumbled Friday after the Labor Department said hiring remains weak and Hungary became the latest European country to report its economy is in crisis. Interest rates dropped as investors moved their money into the...
by Eric Lotke | Jun 4, 2010 | Blog
The new unemployment data are out and the headlines are all wrong. The headlines report unemployment of 9.7 percent in May, down a tick from 9.9 percent in April. It’s good news but it misses the point. Nonfarm employment grew by 431,000 last month. That’s nice, but...
by Terrance Heath | Jun 4, 2010 | Blog
Like tea party activi
by Bill Scher | Jun 4, 2010 | Blog
Monday begins the biggest progressive conference of the year: America's Future Now! What's in store for the thousands of progressives gathering in Washington, DC on Monday? At 11 AM, the conference kicks off with the "We Are The Change" opening plenary. Robert...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 4, 2010 | Blog, Economy
Evan as Washington ignores jobs bills and slashes help for long-term unemployed workers the economy may be starting to fall back. The economy added 431,000 jobs in May, but 411,000 of those were temporary census workers. Compare this to last month when businesses...
by Bill Scher | Jun 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. As "America's Future Now!" Prepares...
by Robert Borosage | Jun 4, 2010 | Blog
When progressive activists gather next week at the annual America’s Future Now conference, frustration and dismay will be widespread. Action on jobs is stalled among mixed signals from the White House. A Democratic Congress pours billions into the war in...
by Richard Eskow | Jun 4, 2010 | Blog
I was getting ready to attend next week's America's Future Now conference, whose theme is that progressives must lead, and thinking about the relationship problems progressives are having with Barack Obama and the Congressional leadership. All the relationship books...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 3, 2010 | Blog, Economy
Today ADP reported that private-sector jobs may have increased by 55,000 last month. (ADP is able to make this estimate because the company processes 1 of every 6 paychecks nationwide.) Meanwhile the Labor Department reported that initial claims for unemployment...
by Zach Carter | Jun 3, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
It's an interesting time to be a progressive in the United States. In many ways, the election of President Barack Obama represented a logical, if improbable, end to the era of phony Reaganomics and demonization politics. But the Obama presidency has been a serious...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 3, 2010 | Blog
In Does Washington care about unemployment? economist Brad DeLong asks the question, In 1983, Ronald Reagan's Washington regarded high unemployment as a national emergency. Today, with unemployment kissing 10 percent, Barack Obama's Washington scarcely seems...
by Bill Scher | Jun 3, 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. Invest In America, Or Shortchange...
by Bill Scher | Jun 2, 2010 | Blog
On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will address a nationwide gathering of progressives at America's Future Now! -- one day after the conference holds "The Great Debate: Progressive Strategy in the Obama Era," where attendees will discuss whether to fully back...
by Zach Carter | Jun 2, 2010 | Blog
Buffett is already defending Moody's with statements that appear to be reasonable, but are in fact completely incoherent. Here's what he says about the top brass at bailed out banks: "When society has to step in to save institutions . . . the CEO should go away...
by Bill Scher | Jun 2, 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. "Changed Climate" Threatens Bold...
by Zach Carter | Jun 2, 2010 | Blog, Financial Reform
Today's Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission hearing on credit rating agencies promises to shed quite a bit of light on one of the most profitable and corrupt businesses in Corporate America. Rating agencies score huge profits regardless of how accurate their ratings...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 2, 2010 | Blog
No serious person denies that Reagan's 1981 tax cuts and military increases threw the country into a pattern of borrowing and borrowing that we have not escaped. When Reagan took office the national debt was $995 billion. When Reagan left office it was $2.87 trillion...
by Richard Eskow | Jun 1, 2010 | Blog
President Obama's Department of Justice announced last week that there would be no indictments in the collapse of AIG, an event which led to a worldwide economic collapse and cost the American taxpayer trillions. As someone who once worked for AIG I was shocked, but...
by Terrance Heath | Jun 1, 2010 | Blog
The change agenda at America's Future NOW! REGISTER NOW for AFN 2010 Bob Herbert's latest New York Times column, "Our Epic Foolishness," could (and perhaps should) serve as the introduction to a book about how America got into the various messes we're in...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 1, 2010 | Blog
Washington politicians are convinced that the public is demanding cuts in spending, even over creating jobs and restoring the economy. This pressure comes because much of the public believes that "Obama tripled the deficit." This has been the right's drumbeat for over...
by Dave Johnson | Jun 1, 2010 | Blog
Bob Herbert in the NY Times today, If a bank is too big to fail, it’s way too big to exist. If an oil well is too far beneath the sea to be plugged when something goes wrong, it’s too deep to be drilled in the first place. When are we going to stop behaving so...
by Bill Scher | Jun 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. Gulf Oil May Be Gushing In August...
by Sara Robinson | May 31, 2010 | Blog
As I write this, it's Memorial Day down in the US. All over the country, the flags are flying and the high school bands are playing and the parades are queuing up. (So are the shoppers, hitting the sales at the mall.) And of course, it wouldn't be Memorial Day In...
by Richard Eskow | May 31, 2010 | Blog
Here's an audio clip of an appearance yesterday with Hannah-Beth Jackson on Santa Barbara progressive radio to discuss the current state of financial reform and what activists can do to influence the outcome: Hannah Beth Jackson 0530 edited I edited out about a minute...
by Sam Pizzigati | May 31, 2010 | Blog
With millions of Americans out of work and hurting, lawmakers who claim they worry about budget deficits spent last week forcing 'compromises' that will save hedge fund kingpins billions in taxes. You want to lead a charmed existence? Just start up your own private...
by Richard Eskow | May 28, 2010 | Blog
There's a lot to admire about the President's consensus-seeking style, however frustrating it can be to activists. But his press conference yesterday, and the management problems that led up to it, show the limits of that style in times of crisis. Hopefully the oil...
by Terrance Heath | May 28, 2010 | Blog, Economy, Minimum Wage
The change agenda at America's Future NOW! REGISTER NOW for AFN 2010 The deficit fear mongers are right that America faces a deficit that threatens to cripple our economy and foreclose on the futures of millions of Americans. They just have the wrong deficit. That's...
by Dave Johnson | May 28, 2010 | Blog
Congress is a big FAIL on jobs and unemployment. The Senate is heading home instead of helping the unemployed, the House is FAILing on jobs unemployment and COBRA subsidies. Congress says they are worried about the deficit, but the deficit was The Plan. It is right in...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 28, 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. Today, Bill Scher is off....
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 27, 2010 | Blog, Economy
The jobs deficit is our No. 1 domestic economic priority, but today members of both houses of Congress behaved as if it's no big deal. The House was scheduled today to vote on a jobs and tax extenders bill after Democratic leaders cut back the size of the bill to...
by Terrance Heath | May 27, 2010 | Blog, Economy
Like the college professor he is, Dr. Bernard Anderson, member of the National Urban League President's Council of Economic Advisors, came to this weeks "Putting America Back To Work" forum with three points he wanted those gathered to take away with them....
by Leo Gerard | May 27, 2010 | Blog
Tea Party darling and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rand Paul spoke last week like the political novice he is – revealing unfiltered GOP “truths.” First he informed MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow that government should not be able to force businesses to serve...
by Dave Johnson | May 27, 2010 | Blog
Richard (RJ) Eskow wrote a couple of days ago, in Traded-In: These "Used" Senators Sold Out The Troops For Auto Dealer Cash You know why Americans place car salespeople at the very bottom of the list when asked to rate professions for honesty and ethics? Probably...
by Isaiah J. Poole | May 27, 2010 | Blog, Economy
Even though House Democrats have cut back on the size of a jobs and tax extenders bill Thursday night, the legislation is still facing uncertainty in both the House and the Senate at this hour. Congress Daily reports that the Blue Dog coalition of conservative...
by Bill Scher | May 27, 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. Dems Scale Back Jobs Bill To...
