by Jacob Woocher | Aug 7, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism
Millennials understand that the economy is not meant to work for us. We see a system that exclusively serves a tiny number of individuals at the top. These lucky few amass extraordinary amounts of wealth while a vast majority of us struggle to get by, as median wages...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 7, 2015 | Blog
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says he has a secret plan to bring the economy up to 4 percent annual growth. The White House responds that 4 percent growth is not achievable. The Congressional Progressive Caucus People's Budget shows it is, but certainly...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 7, 2015 | Conservatism
News of former president Bill Clinton’s private phone calls to Donald Trump pin the weeks before the billionaire launched his presidential bid raised several eyebrows in Washington. It could cause wingnut heads to explode. It’s almost too delicious. It’s the kind of...
by Bill Scher | Aug 7, 2015 | Blog
Politico asked various folks to offer their initial reactions to the first Republican debate. Here's mine: I didn’t watch the debate trying to guess who won or lost—pundit reaction often is not in sync with voter reaction. I was more interested in how did the debate...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 7, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
The economy created another 215,000 new jobs in July, another tepid performance in a generally tepid economic recovery. We are continuing to reap the consequences of the conservative obstruction in Congress that has blocked the critical policies we need for real job...
by Bill Scher | Aug 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
BREAKING: 215K New Jobs in July Bureau of Labor Statistics releases monthly jobs report: "Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 215,000 in July, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.3 percent ... The civilian labor force participation rate was...
by Robert Borosage | Aug 7, 2015 | Blog, Democracy
Donald Trump commandeered the stage in last night’s Republican presidential debate. Planted in the middle by his lead in the polls, framed by his signature orange bird’s-nest hair, he presented a bloated, looming, ominous visage, a surly Gulliver surrounded by...
by Richard Eskow | Aug 7, 2015 | Blog, Democracy
In the run-up to the first Republican presidential debate, a flurry of news stories about the candidates offered glimpses of oligarchy in action. Consider: Jeb Bush’s largest Super PAC has already raised $103 million, most of it collected before he even officially...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 6, 2015 | Democracy
As fate would have it, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act coincides with the first 2016 Republican presidential nomination debate. This confluence is important, for the people who will stand on the debate stage in Ohio are among those who are...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 6, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth, Progressive Vision
President Obama is drafting an executive order to require federal contractors to provide sick leave for workers who are sick or caring for a sick relative. The order would benefit hundreds of thousands of Americans. How does this measure up to the Good Jobs Nation...
by Jeff Bryant | Aug 6, 2015 | Blog, Education
What was the most surprising thing about New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie's recent remark that the "national teachers union" deserves a “punch in the face?” Certainly not that he made the remark. As multiple news outlets...
by Bill Scher | Aug 6, 2015 | Uncategorized
Debate Night Tonight Sanders previews tonight's GOP debate. Politico quotes: "When you watch that debate just imagine if you are one of the wealthiest people in this country and extremely greedy and selfish, and you’re going to have 10 candidates more or less talking...
by Terrance Heath | Aug 6, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
August 9 will mark one year since officer Darren Wilson shot and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Too many black lives are still lost to police violence, but movements are now demanding that black lives matter. Some things have changed in...
by Sam Pizzigati | Aug 5, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth
The sourest person in the nation’s capital today just may have been Daniel Gallagher, one of the five commissioners who set policy for the Securities and Exchange Commission, the top federal watchdog over companies that trade on Wall Street. Over Gallagher’s surly...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 5, 2015 | Blog, Progressive Vision
[fve]https://vimeo.com/135133696[/fve] As an expert on nuclear weapons issues who has served on the staff of the House Armed Services Committee and the State Department's International Security Advisory Board, Joe Cirincione has been involved in numerous discussions...
by Jacob Woocher | Aug 5, 2015 | Jobs and Growth
Rhonda works as an overnight home health aide in downtown Denver. She would like to attend Red Rocks Community College to help her qualify for a higher paying job that includes benefits. She lives three blocks from a newly constructed light rail station that could get...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 5, 2015 | Blog, Trade
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday that the June goods and services trade deficit was an enormous, humongous $43.8 billion. This is an increase from May's enormous, humongous $40.9 billion trade deficit. The monthly U.S. goods deficit with China fell a bit in...
by Bill Scher | Aug 5, 2015 | Uncategorized
Jeb Gaffes On Women's Health Jeb Bush tries to walk back comment dismissing women's health. W. Post: "Jeb Bush looked to quiet the firestorm that erupted after he said Tuesday he was 'not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues,' ... The campaign...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 5, 2015 | Blog, Trade
In the December post, Enougher is Enougher: ANOTHER Citi Nominee, I wrote about the nomination of Marisa Lago to be deputy U.S. trade representative: Ms. Lago was Global Head of Compliance for Citigroup’s corporate and investment bank from 2003 to 2008. She also...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 5, 2015 | Blog, Trade
I had a conversation over the weekend about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). She's for it, because "more trade is always good." TPP covers a whole lot more than what we would think of as "trade." Regardless, let's look here at the idea that expanding trade is...
by Lynne Stuart Parramore | Aug 4, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Financial Reform, Progressive Vision
America’s parasitical oligarchs are masters of public relations. One of their favorite tactics is to masquerade as defenders of the common folk while neatly arranging things behind the scenes so that they can continue to plunder unimpeded. Perhaps nowhere is this...
by Leo Gerard | Aug 4, 2015 | Blog, Climate, Economy
Oil honchos and their legion of lobbyists petitioned Congress last week to pad corporate profits at the expense of American energy independence and national security. And Republicans on a Senate committee voted to comply. On the demand of oilmen, the committee agreed...
by Bill Scher | Aug 4, 2015 | Uncategorized
Republicans Plan Climate Attack Conservative ready assault on Obama's climate regs. The Hill: "...the National Mining Association struck first, lodging a formal request Monday for a stay ... [There will be] legislative maneuvering and legal assaults at both the state...
by Bill Scher | Aug 4, 2015 | Blog, Climate
From the beginning of Barack Obama's presidency, his approach to climate policy has divided the environmentalist community. The "cap-and-trade" bill that he championed, but never received a vote in the Senate, was lauded by some groups as essential and others as...
by Cormac Close | Aug 3, 2015 | Financial Reform
On June 28, the Governor of Puerto Rico told the world that the island’s debts are not payable. “It’s not politics” he told the New York Times, “It’s math.” Like many impoverished debtors, Puerto Rico chose to live beyond its means not because of greed but because it...
by Robert Reich | Aug 3, 2015 | Current Issues, Economy, Progressive Vision
“He can’t possibly win the nomination,” is the phrase heard most often when Washington insiders mention either Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders. Yet as enthusiasm for the bombastic billionaire and the socialist senior continues to build within each party, the political...
by Dave Johnson | Aug 3, 2015 | Blog, Trans-Pacific Partnership
The latest round of negotiations to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) "trade" agreement ended without a deal being completed. The negotiators will try again as soon as the end of August. [fve]https://youtu.be/3O_Sbbeqfdw[/fve] TPP is the largest "trade"...
by Sam Pizzigati | Aug 3, 2015 | Blog, Economy, Progressive Vision
“Taking from the successful people to provide for those that aren’t isn’t the solution,” as White House hopeful Jeb Bush pronounced this past spring. “The solution is, How do you build capacity so people can achieve earned success?” The core assumption behind this...
by Bill Scher | Aug 3, 2015 | Uncategorized
Landmark Rule To Save Climate Obama to announce final EPA climate regs on power plants today. WSJ: "...the EPA sets the first-ever limits on greenhouse gases from power plants, requiring a 32% cut in emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels. The target is ambitious,...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Aug 3, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism, Democracy
This weekend gave us another one of those every-four-year stories about this presidential election being the one in which the Republican Party finally breaks through and wins more than a one-in-10 share of the black vote. The latest version of this story came from The...
by Terrance Heath | Jul 31, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism, This Is The GOP
A beloved lion named Cecil was lured out of his sanctuary in Zimbabwe, and killed by an American hunter. The world mourned, and wingnuts roared that the lion’s death drew attention away from their scam to bring down Planned Parenthood. Walter Palmer, an American...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jul 31, 2015 | Tax Reform
A broad coalition of progressive organizations is pushing back against the lawmaker in line to be the next Senate Democratic leader and a plan he has endorsed to overhaul the corporate tax rules. The Campaign for America's Future joined 55 other organizations in...
by Dave Johnson | Jul 31, 2015 | Blog, Current Issues, Trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership
Administration officials are desperately trying to wrap-up Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations in the next few days or so. If they can get it done right now, it enables a timeline for pushing it through Congress by the end of the year — before the public can...
by Bill Scher | Jul 31, 2015 | Uncategorized
Congress Punts On Transportation Bill Senate passes six-year transportation bill. The Hill: "Senators voted 65-34 to approve the six-year bill, which funds federal highway and infrastructure projects for three years ... Fifteen Republican senators, including three...
by Dave Johnson | Jul 31, 2015 | Blog, Trade
Conservatives deride using government to help American companies export their goods as "picking winners and losers," even when the winners are American exporters and workers. So Republicans have closed the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank, hopefully temporarily. The Ex-Im...
by Emily Foster | Jul 30, 2015 | Democracy
After more than 100,000 people on Wednesday evening participated in over 3,500 organizational meetings to rally support and hear the message of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator today appeared before a Hispanic business association to talk...
by Terrance Heath | Jul 30, 2015 | Blog, Conservatism, Health, This Is The GOP
Today is Medicare’s 50th birthday. It’s improved the lives of millions of Americans, and it can as much for even more people. That’s why Republicans have never stopped trying to end it. Fifty years ago today, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare amendment under Title...
by Jeff Bryant | Jul 30, 2015 | Blog, Education
An article by Alia Wong for The Atlantic this week caused quite a stir by pointing to a recent survey of teachers that found one of the main stresses they have during their busy days is getting a potty break. Wong looked at results from a poll about the work...
by Bill Scher | Jul 30, 2015 | Uncategorized
Congress' Fall To-Do List Piles Up House passes 3-month transportation bill, pushing deadline back to October. The Hill: "The House is adjourning ... But senators are planning to stay in Washington next week ... to finish a six-year transportation bill to jumpstart...
by Isaiah J. Poole | Jul 30, 2015 | Blog, Jobs and Growth, Tax Reform
The Senate was expected today to vote for a three-month extension of surface transportation programs that the House approved on Wednesday, after also approving by a vote of 65-34 the six-year bill the Senate had hoped to pass this week. The six-year bill now awaits...
