by Dave Johnson | Nov 21, 2016 | Blog
In a democracy We the People pitch in and build public infrastructure that We the People all get to use equally. So when people talk about our country's infrastructure, they usually mean our public roads, bridges, mass transit, water and sewer systems. All of these...
by Sam Pizzigati | Nov 21, 2016 | Blog, The Trump Swamp
The billionaire Wilbur Ross, the Donald Trump adviser who may well become our next U.S. secretary of commerce, loudly opposes NAFTA and other trade pacts that ship U.S. jobs abroad. Does that opposition make Wilbur Ross a corporate good guy? Not quite. Wilbur Ross has...
by People's Action | Nov 21, 2016 | Breakfast
Some Warn Against Cooperating With Trump On Infrastructure Former VP Biden aide Ronald Klain tells Democrats Trump's infrastructure plan is "a trap": "...Trump’s plan is not really an infrastructure plan. It’s a tax-cut plan for utility-industry and...
by Robert Borosage | Nov 21, 2016 | Blog
How do Democrats respond to the coming of Donald Trump? The tens of thousands in the streets across the country provide one answer: no business as usual. Trump’s first appointments – a retired general as national security advisor whom Colin Powell privately terms...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Nov 18, 2016 | Democracy, The Trump Swamp
In what can rightfully be described as a "basket of deplorables" being offered up to lead the Trump administration, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) stands apart. And we are going to have to unite to stand up against the nomination of Sessions to be attorney general. "Like...
by Julie Chinitz | Nov 18, 2016 | Blog
While Donald Trump is busy appointing corporate lobbyists and white supremacists to key positions on his staff, Congress remains in session. Lawmakers are now working on a budget that could make or break the balance sheet for families. Yet again, the GOP Congress...
by People's Action | Nov 18, 2016 | Breakfast
Knives Out For Medicare, Dodd-Frank Trump is going after Medicare, warns NYT's Paul Krugman: "During the campaign, Donald Trump [said,] 'I’m not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican and I’m not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid,' ... It was, of...
by Jeff Bryant | Nov 18, 2016 | Blog
While it may be President Obama's job to ease the country through the change in leadership to a President Donald Trump administration, the rest of the country doesn't have to go along with it. At least, that's the message coming from a massive show of protest and...
by Bill Scher | Nov 17, 2016 | Blog
Tonight, Donald Trump tweeted that he "Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky - no Mexico" and "I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to...
by LeeAnn Hall | Nov 17, 2016 | Conservatism, Democracy, Progressive Vision, The Trump Swamp
We’re already starting to see how America’s gamble on Donald Trump will pay off: with gifts to the corporations and billionaires he swore he’d put us above. One of Trump’s first priorities is to repeal one of the only federal laws standing between us and Wall Street....
by Dave Johnson | Nov 17, 2016 | Blog
President-elect Donald Trump made a number of promises to his voters. Here is today’s post about a promise that he has already broken. This is already becoming a regular series. Pre-Election Trump: "We Can't Do That" Donald Trump campaigned on a promise not to cut...
by People's Action | Nov 17, 2016 | Breakfast
Sanders To Lead Rally Today People's Action to join Our Revolution in Washington, DC rally at 1 PM ET today: "Join Senator U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and broad array of labor, environmental, healthcare, consumer and other advocacy groups in Washington DC Thursday to...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 17, 2016 | Blog
For the first time in a quarter-century, we’re about to see a vacuum of political and intellectual leadership in the Democratic Party. An entire generation of leaders – including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Bill and Hillary Clinton – will be leaving the political...
by Bill Scher | Nov 16, 2016 | Blog
Last week, the hot debate in progressive circles was how a carbon tax should be properly constructed. No more. Donald Trump is planning a massive assault on President Obama's climate protection legacy. He as tapped climate science denier Myron Ebell to head the EPA...
by Robert Borosage | Nov 16, 2016 | Blog
The following was originally published at The Nation In the wake of Donald Trump’s unimaginable
victory, the traditional rituals were observed. Hillary Clinton gave a graceful concession speech; President Obama and Trump called for Americans to come together....
by Sam Pizzigati | Nov 16, 2016 | Blog
If you want to see the future, political analysts used to say, look at California today. That certainly held true back in the Reagan years. In 1964, after arch-conservative Barry Goldwater’s colossal defeat in the 1964 Presidential election, Californian Ronald Reagan...
by People's Action | Nov 16, 2016 | Breakfast
No Mandate Only 29 percent say Trump has a mandate. Politico: "Less than 30 percent of Americans say Donald Trump has a mandate to carry out as president the agenda he proposed on the campaign trail, according to new Washington Post/Schar School poll ... 59 percent...
by Miles Mogulescu | Nov 16, 2016 | Blog
PREFACE: As someone who had briefly met Steve Bannon in the ‘80s when he was a Hollywood investment banker, I wrote an article about him back in August, as he was first being hired to help run Trump’s campaign, entitled “Don’t Underestimate How Much Steve...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 16, 2016 | Blog
President-elect Donald Trump made a number of promises to his voters. Here is today's post about a promise that he has already broken. "Today's Broken Trump Promise" is certain to be a regular series. During the campaign Trump promised again and again that he would...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 16, 2016 | Blog
On Friday the White House announced it was dropping its effort to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the "lame duck" session of Congress. It looks like TPP is really dead. Let this be a lesson to us. TPP "Buried By A Wave of Antitrade Political Sentiment" On...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 16, 2016 | Blog
It’s already a Washington truism that Donald Trump, who promised to "drain the swamp" of lobbyists and others who exploit government for personal gain, has turned to it instead for his key appointments. It's true. The reptiles are taking over. Let's take a tour of the...
by Bill Scher | Nov 15, 2016 | Uncategorized
DNC Race Is On Rep. Keith Ellison formally enters race for DNC chair. The Hill: "The Minnesota Democrat begins his pursuit of the chairmanship with the support of liberal icon Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and progressive grassroots groups, as well as Senate Democratic...
by People's Action | Nov 14, 2016 | Breakfast
Timely book on Populism. Timely discussion on Tuesday. As the epic election was ending, journalist John Judis published "The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics," explaining the left populism of Bernie Sanders and the...
by Richard Eskow | Nov 13, 2016 | Blog
Somebody once said that healing is the process of reclaiming our own biographies. Millions of people are trying to heal right now, but their stories remain unwritten. What killed the Democrats' chances? People are still sifting through the data, but here are twelve...
by Miles Mogulescu | Nov 11, 2016 | Blog, Progressive Vision
The peaceful transition of power from one elected president to the next under the rule of law is a sacred hallmark of our Republic. None can deny that Donald Trump is the legally chosen president-elect. But that does not necessarily mean, as some in the media and the...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 11, 2016 | Blog
Is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) dead or not? The President-elect says he is against TPP. TPP may be the thing that cost Clinton the election. The voters obviously were against it. The head of the Senate says he won't bring it up for a vote. But House Speaker...
by Alan Jenkins | Nov 11, 2016 | Blog, Progressive Vision
For most of us, the stunning reality is still sinking in: Donald J. Trump will be the 45th president of the United States. For those of us committed to social justice and opportunity for all, we may be entering one of the most challenging eras of our lives. But I am...
by Bill Scher | Nov 10, 2016 | Blog
To help us through these dark days, over at Politico I offered "Five Reasons For Liberals To Have Hope." I'll excerpt it here: 1. Most Americans Did Not Want Donald Trump to be President Trump ran second in the popular vote at 47.5 percent as of Wednesday morning, a...
by Jeff Bryant | Nov 10, 2016 | Blog
Sorting through this week's humiliating defeat by Donald Trump at the polls, Democrats are having a hard time finding any bright spots in all the darkness. But Trump's victory was a very close one (he lost the popular vote) and may be easy to reverse in 2020 with a...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 10, 2016 | Blog
In our economy the role of the financial sector is (supposed to be) all about analyzing the potential risks and rewards of investments and loans and setting prices accordingly. There is supposed to be transparency, enforced by regulators, so that the risks are...
by People's Action | Nov 10, 2016 | Breakfast
People Rise Up Anti-Trump protests sweep country. NYT: "The crowds swelled as the night went on but remained mostly peaceful. Protests were reported in cities as diverse as Dallas and Oakland and included marches in Boston; Chicago; Portland, Ore.; Seattle and...
by Robert Borosage | Nov 10, 2016 | Blog
The following was originally published in The Nation “Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business. Complicated. Thank you very much” – Donald Trump’s opening remarks in his victory speech Complicated? Americans just elected to the presidency a candidate who the...
by Dave Johnson | Nov 9, 2016 | Blog
It seems that lots of media/political/business people "on the coasts" don't get how big a deal trade played in Tuesday's election. Sold On Free Trade In the late 70s the country was told that "protectionism" is bad for the economy and was sold "free trade" as a way to...
by Martha Burk | Nov 9, 2016 | Blog
When Veterans Day was started in 1918 as a way to honor World War I vets, it was originally called Armistice Day. Back then, even though women served in the military, they weren’t officially recognized as veterans and given veterans benefits (that wouldn’t happen for...
by People's Action | Nov 9, 2016 | Breakfast
Popular Vote Minority Elects Donald Trump Cook Political Report's David Wasserman: "Thinking HRC will easily win the popular vote by 1-2 million." Rust Belt backlash breaks Democratic coalition. American Prospect's Harold Meyerson: "... the Rust Belt—whose rust...
by George Goehl | Nov 8, 2016 | Election 2016
Just a few weeks ago, Donald Trump’s campaign was careening towards a crushing Election Day defeat, but as Americans head to the polls, the prospect of a Trump presidency remains possible. As Trump pushes towards the finish line, he continues his campaign of division....
by Bill Scher | Nov 8, 2016 | Blog, Conservatism
Over at Real Clear Politics, I observe that about "Half of America Is About to Get Gut-Punched." Despite the polls clearly showing Hillary Clinton leading, both sides appeared convinced of victory, a recipe for a rude awakening on one side tonight. As someone who does...
by People's Action | Nov 8, 2016 | Breakfast
Left Buoying Clinton Left seen as rallying behind Clinton. W. Post: "...Clinton appears to have less of a challenge on her left flank than Al Gore did in 2000; final polls show her enjoying party loyalty comparable to that of Barack Obama in his two campaigns."...
by Leo Gerard | Nov 7, 2016 | Blog
Photo by Steve Dietz The year 2001, when I became president of the United Steelworkers union and Hillary Clinton took office as a U.S. Senator for New York, was a desperate, terrible time for steelworkers and the steel industry in this country. I turned to her, among...
by George Goehl | Nov 7, 2016 | #BestOfUs2016, Election 2016, Progressive Vision
Despite the Cubs’ victory the night before, when we woke up at 3:45 a.m. Thursday for the first leg of our #BestOfUS2016 journey with Ai-Jen Poo, it was almost as dark in Chicago as this election season has felt to many of us. But by the time we arrived in Reno,...
