Progressive Opinion

alternet.org — As media outlets have reported, a MoveOn.org worker who attempted to approach Paul at an October 26 rally in Lexington, Kentucky was attacked, apparently by Paul supporters. The woman was thrown to the ground and then stepped on, causing her head to be smashed into the pavement. According to MoveOn.org, the victim was diagnosed with a concussion at a local hospital. The attack on the MoveOn worker was the latest in a string of violence and threats against progressives.

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robertreich.org — Why are Democratic presidents so much more easily intimidated by the "move to the center" rhetoric after midterm losses than Republican presidents? Because Democrats think in terms of programs, policies, and particular pieces of legislation. It’s easy to reverse course by compromising more and giving up on legislative goals. Republicans think in terms of simple ideas, themes, and movements. It’s far harder to reverse course on these, and easier to keep them alive: Republican presidents just continue looking for opportunities to implement them. Message to Obama: Whatever happens November 2, don’t move to the center. Push even harder for what you believe in. Message to Democrats: Whatever happens, keep the courage of your conviction and get even more active.

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nytimes.com — 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 stupidly? We nearly wrecked the economy and we’re all but buried in debt. But we can’t break up the biggest banks, and we can’t raise taxes. Now we’re fouling the magnificent Gulf of Mexico and ruining entire communities along the southern Louisiana Coast. For a nation that can’t stop bragging about how great and powerful it is, we’ve become shockingly helpless in the face of the many challenges confronting us.

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baselinescenario.com — When representatives of American power encounter officials in less rich countries, they are prone to suggest that any failure to reach the highest standards of living is due in part to weak political governance in general and the failure of effective oversight in particular. Fortunately, our constitution grants the Senate the power to approve or disapprove key government appointments, and over the past 200 plus years this has served many times as an effective check on both executive authority and overly strong lobbies — who usually want their own, unsuitable, person to be kept on the job. Unfortunately, two massive failures of governance at the level of the Senate also spring to mind: first, the strange case of Alan Greenspan, which stretched over nearly two decades; second, Ben Bernanke, reappointed Thursday.

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manufacturethis.org — AAM Director praises Obama Administration's decision to take safeguard action on surging tire imports from China.

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krugman.blogs.nytimes.com — The House passed climate legislation last week, including a "border adjustment" provision to address China's unrestrained carbon emissions. President Obama criticized such a measure as "protectionist"-- but he's missing the point. If U.S. producers have to curb emissions, China must as well.

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thenation.com — USW President Leo Gerard and New America Foundation's Leo Hindery have penned a strongly worded op-ed in The Nation that argues for a rebuilding of U.S. manufacturing.

In their conclusion, Gerard and Hindery offer a number of constructive proposals, including significant revisions to U.S. trade policy and ongoing support for Buy America policy.

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alternet.org — The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. did not wait on Lyndon Baines Johnson to inspire him. He didn't say, "Lyndon, should I march?" He didn't say, "Jack, should I march??" He went out and marched! He did not say, "I have a complaint." He said, "I have a dream!!" and he marched on that progressive vision.

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truthdig.com — A media environment that tilts to the right is obscuring what President Obama stands for and closing off political options that should be part of the public discussion. This was brought home at this week’s America's Future Now! conference.

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