by Leo Gerard | Sep 1, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth, Progressive Vision
Specialty metals manufacturer ATI reinvented itself in recent years. Instead of serving as a vital organ in the dozen communities where it operates mills, it decided to be a boil, blight – a bane upon civic life in six states. Communities once cherished their ATI...
by Bill Scher | Sep 1, 2015 | Uncategorized
Big Labor Wins Obama administration caps summer of expanding labor rights. NYT: "In the last two months alone, the administration has introduced ... a rule that would make millions more Americans eligible for extra overtime pay, and guidelines suggesting that many...
by Terrance Heath | Sep 1, 2015 | Blog, Election 2016, Populist Majority, The New Populism
Whether you believe Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is an “electable” presidential candidate, the populist agenda Sanders has placed at the center of his campaign is absolutely an electable agenda. Once considered the longest of long-shot candidates, Sanders — the only...
by Jeff Bryant | Aug 31, 2015 | Blog, Education, Health
I don’t think anyone who read “Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools” by Jonathan Kozol would easily forget it. It took me, a child of the leafy suburbs of affluent North Dallas, to a place that was unimaginably cruel and dehumanizing, where schools go...
by Mary E. King | Aug 31, 2015 | Progressive Vision
The nuclear deal that the United States and its international partners reached with Iran achieved what it set out to do: prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon. This is not solely a White House talking point. Seventy-five nuclear experts have now voiced their...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 31, 2015 | Uncategorized
Iran Deal Obama Gets One More Vote Closer To 'Yes' On Iran Deal. NPR: "Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley announced on Sunday that he will support the White House-backed nuclear deal with Iran. Merkley becomes the 31st Senate Democrat to endorse the agreement publicly, leaving...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 31, 2015 | Blog, Election 2016, Progressive Vision
When Sen. Bernie Sanders initially began running for president, his hope was to "trigger the conversation" about the way the economic and political system is rigged by the billionaires and their corporations. He wanted to begin a movement around a vision of how the...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 28, 2015 | Conservatism, This Is The GOP
Wingnut reactions to the on-air shooting of two Roanoke, Virginia journalists brings to mind the famous question Joseph N. Welch asked Sen. Joseph McCarthy: “Have you no sense of decency, sir?” [fve]https://youtu.be/fqQD4dzVkwk[/fve] No, they don’t. It didn’t take...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 28, 2015 | Uncategorized
Labor Board Ruling Boosts Right To Unionize In landmark case, labor board will let more workers bargain with their employer’s employer. Washington Post: "A federal labor board voted Thursday to redefine the employee-employer relationship granting new bargaining powers...
by Robert Borosage | Aug 28, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
Donald Trump's “barstool eruptions” fill the news shows, but Trump seems tame compared to the economic headlines. The stock market craters and then bounces back. Growth for the second quarter is revised up to 3.7%, even as CBO revises its projection for this year down...
by Bernie Horn | Aug 28, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
With the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives controlled by the right wing, it’s no wonder that this Congress has been among the least productive in our nation’s history. But while Congress treads water, some real progress has been made in states and...
by Robert Borosage | Aug 27, 2015 | Conservatism
In the dog days of August, the news channels have turned themselves into the Trump show. Bernie Sanders rouses the biggest crowds in obscurity while Trump floods the air waves. Commentators still dismiss Trump as a summertime fling, a bad boy escape before voters...
by Jeff Bryant | Aug 27, 2015 | Blog, Education
The big annual poll on how Americans view public schools and education policy is out, and anyone eager to don the mantle of "education reform" might want to rethink their wardrobe. As education journalist Valerie Strauss reports the news from her blog at The...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 27, 2015 | Economy, Jobs and Growth
A few weeks ago, liberal critics jumped on Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush's suggestion that he could get the nation's economy to grow at a 4 percent annual rate. They not only criticized the policies he proposed to get there; they criticized the goal...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 27, 2015 | Uncategorized
Obama In New Orleans Obama says New Orleans is 'moving forward' after hurricane. Associated Press: "President Barack Obama says New Orleans is "moving forward" a decade after Hurricane Katrina dealt it a devastating blow, and has become an example of what can happen...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 27, 2015 | Blog, Economy
When President Obama visits New Orleans today to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, he will find the city whiter, wealthier, and more unequal than it was before the storm. Eight years ago, then senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 26, 2015 | Tax Reform
It doesn't get much more hypocritical and cynically exploitative than this: A corporation gets itself certified by a third party as socially progressive, convincing people that buying its goods is an act of doing good, only to turn around and structure itself so that...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 26, 2015 | Uncategorized
Markets Face Shaky Comeback Signs, Long Unheeded, Now Point to Risks in U.S. Economy. NY Times: “As investors scramble to make sense of the wild market swings in recent days, a number of financial experts argue that, for more than a year now, signs pointing to an...
by Larry Cohen | Aug 26, 2015 | Democracy
The NAACP’s “Journey for Justice” began in Selma, Ala., on August 1. The march is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C. on September 15, followed by an “advocacy day” at the Capitol on September 16. NAACP national president Cornell Brooks has walked much of the...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 25, 2015 | Blog, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
The big multinational corporations behind the still-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) want to push it through Congress before the presidential campaign season risks bringing public scrutiny to the deal. To meet this timeline, our trade negotiators are under great...
by Bernie Horn | Aug 25, 2015 | Blog, Populist Majority, Progressive Vision
In February 2015, the governor of Pennsylvania issued a moratorium on executions. In May, Nebraska became the 19th state, and the seventh state since 2007, to abolish the death penalty. And weeks ago, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled the death penalty...
by Jeff Bryant | Aug 25, 2015 | Blog, Education
Progressive Democrats are right to hail the new populism in their party driving the debate about the nation’s economic policies and the atrocious inequality those policies have created. Heartened by the bold leadership of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and the...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
Responding to Monday's Stock Market Drop David Cay Johnston argues "better government" is the antidote to stock market jitters. "Monday’s sudden stock market drops from Beijing to New York simply reflect the leverage of high-speed traders, many buying shares with $30...
by Richard Eskow | Aug 25, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Jobs and Growth
It's been a chaotic few days for the world's markets. Recent events do not paint the picture of a stable economy guided by rational minds. Instead, the world of global finance looks more like a playground in need of adult supervision. Like other nations, we have a...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 24, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
With the launch of Campaign Zero, the #BlackLivesMatter movement raises its political game with detailed policy solutions to end police violence, and puts policy makers on notice by defining deliberate actions to implement these solutions. A group of influential...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 24, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Jobs and Growth
The world is out of balance. Everyone's nervous. There is a glut of money floating around the world and no one offers a "safe place" to put it. The stock market is way up, way down, way up, way down – sometimes all on the same day. China's currency is having dramatic...
by Robert Reich | Aug 24, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Jobs and Growth
As Labor Day looms, more Americans than ever don’t know how much they’ll be earning next week or even tomorrow. This varied group includes independent contractors, temporary workers, the self-employed, part-timers, freelancers, and free agents. Most file 1099s rather...
by Bill Scher | Aug 24, 2015 | Blog
At Politico Magazine, I take a serious look at what a Trump presidency would really look like, based on both his comments and the constraints of the office. What you find is that in his first 100 days he would do some things progressives would not like -- such as...
by Bill Scher | Aug 24, 2015 | Uncategorized
Biden and Warren Buzz Vice-President Joe Biden meets with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, stoking speculation of presidential run. CNN: "Warren and Biden discussed economic policy during a meeting that lasted about two hours ... the biggest indication yet that Biden is feeling...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 22, 2015 | Blog
The differences between Democratic presidential candidates and most Republican candidates on Social Security -- and retirement security in general -- could emerge as a "sleeper issue" in the 2016 campaign. Friday's post, Martin O’Malley Offers Strong Plan To Expand...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 21, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism, This Is The GOP
This week, Donald Trump gave the 2016 presidential election its best unofficial campaign slogan yet. Meanwhile, the Duggar family is proving harder to get rid of than a coldsore. BatTrump Donald Trump, the only billionaire candidate in the 2016 presidential race,...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 21, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Retirement Security
Friday, Democratic Presidential candidate Martin O'Malley released a plan, called "Expanding Social Security So Americans Can Retire With Dignity," to boost retirement security. The plan includes boosting Social Security benefits, boosting private savings plans,...
by Bill Scher | Aug 21, 2015 | Blog
Donald Trump's ability to say offensive things and continue to rise in the polls has cowed other Republicans from attacking him directly for his bad behavior. Jeb Bush and Rand Paul have begun challenging Trump's conservative bona fides, a sensible attack line in a...
by Bill Scher | Aug 21, 2015 | Uncategorized
O'Malley Goes Big On Social Security Martin O'Malley releases Social Security expansion plan. Politico: "[He] will call for expanding Social Security benefits to all Americans for 'current and future' retirees, in addition to lifting the payroll tax cap on people...
by Bill Scher | Aug 20, 2015 | Blog
[fve]https://youtu.be/boahINNLYUo[/fve] Jeb Bush and Donald Trump had New Hampshire town halls at the same time yesterday. The media scored the town hall "duel" for Trump. I'm not so sure. The Washington Post and Bloomberg noted that Trump had the bigger and more...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 20, 2015 | Blog
Republican economics has been stated a thousand ways by a thousand (always paid) voices. But the basic idea behind all the schemes has been hard to pin down. Finally Republican front-runner Donald Trump has spelled it out in a way anyone can understand. Thursday’s...
by Richard Kirsch | Aug 20, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Education
Metropolis, Illinois, population 6,465, isn’t much of a metropolis. But when Reverend Orlando McReynolds moved to that small town on the Kentucky border two years ago to become the pastor at the First Missionary Life Center, he found the same thing he left behind in...
by Bill Scher | Aug 20, 2015 | Uncategorized
Trump Sides With Multinationals Donald Trump backs repatriation in Time interview: "Pfizer is talking about moving to Ireland. Or someplace else ... Do you know how big that is? It would wipe out New Jersey ... They have $2.5 trillion sitting out of the country that...
by Robert Borosage | Aug 20, 2015 | Blog
Donald Trump is rocking. Polls show him consolidating his lead over Republican presidential rivals and closing in hypothetical run-offs with Hillary Clinton. He crows about crowds bigger and more raucous than his rivals can draw. He dominates the news in the...
by Peter Daou | Aug 19, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
I'm having PTSD. No, not from my war years in Beirut (I survived that) but from my time in John Kerry's war room in 2004, where I witnessed a brazen and shameful attack perpetrated against a decorated veteran's military service. That attack was aided and abetted by...
