Progressive Opinion

ft.com — Major losses for the Democrats in November’s mid-term elections are widely expected, with Republicans predicted to recapture at least the House of Representatives. No matter what the final tally is, instant analysis will proclaim that American politics has been transformed by the Tea Party movement. But the instant analysis will be wrong. New American political movements come in two varieties: genuine third-party movements and those that just mobilize the base of one of the existing parties. The former transforms an existing party system; the latter reinforces it. And the Tea Party is an example of the latter – so while it has attracted a great deal of attention, it has little long-term potential to transform America’s political landscape.

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progressive.org — Candidates this season must stop ignoring a huge moral issue: poverty. All we seem to hear about these days is the middle class and the upper class. Democrats claim to be champions of the middle class, while Republicans are defending tax cuts for the richest of the rich. But few candidates are talking about helping those in the rising ranks of the poor. In 2008, 13.2 percent of the population was living below the poverty line. But in 2009, the percentage of poor people skyrocketed to 14.3 percent. Today, one in seven Americans is poor. For our children, it’s even worse: one in five. It’s not all the recession’s fault, either.

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huffingtonpost.com — It seems conservatives such as Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Andrew Breitbart are echoing a long-held belief by conservatives that 1960s-era civil rights action may have been laudable, but its modern-day equivalent is used by hucksters to disadvantage white people. It's a view at odds with reality, but there is fertile ground for that message.

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thenation.com — Every savvy player in the Capital knows what President Obama has in mind--whack Social Security benefits to lure Republicans into a grand deal on raising taxes. Senator Trash Mouth keeps messing up the plan, however, by provoking outrage with his tasteless zingers. Anyway, Alan Simpson is not nearly as bad as some political reporters at the New York Times and other leading newspapers who dutifully repeat the establishment's falsehoods and distortions about Social Security.

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huffingtonpost.com — A coalition of women's groups tells President Obama that deficit commission co-chair Alan Simpson "suggests that anyone supporting people who most need help and who deserve benefits they paid for must be dishonest or stupid. Such open contempt . . . goes beyond the pale and cannot be tolerated from someone in such a position of authority."

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washingtonmonthly.com — Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey was asked at the Pennsylvania Press Club whether he stands by the privatization scheme he's long favored. "I've never said I favor privatizing Social Security," he replied. A dramatic flip-flop? No, the issue here is that Toomey just prefers to define "privatization" in a way that doesn't make sense.

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washingtonmonthly.com — A writer at Salon recently noted, "It has come to this: Parents are now being asked to send their children to school with their own toilet paper. And not just toilet paper, but all sorts of basic items that schools themselves used to provide for kids." This isn't an exaggerated anecdote.

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huffingtonpost.com — If the foundation of your house is crumbling, you don't say you cannot afford to fix it. Children are the foundation of America's future. We need to invest now in their health, early childhood development, and education. Today is tomorrow.

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washingtonpost.com — The annual analysis of Medicare's financial health released by the program's trustees on Aug. 5 led some Democrats to claim that Medicare's imminent bankruptcy has been delayed, thanks to the creation of their health entitlement program. Only in Washington could the government raid one entitlement program to finance a brand-new one and still claim that deficits have been reduced and entitlements have been reformed.

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huffingtonpost.com — Social Security does not need to be saved. The fact is, Social Security has been the most successful government program of the past 75 years. Today, 53 million Americans receive Social Security benefits each month. No other program in American history — has touched more lives and families and brought more financial stability to households -including those of is most ardent critics. The Social Security Administration should do more to debunk the reprehensible fear campaign against the program. Public figures who support the program — including the president- should add their voices in support and work to calm the rhetoric.

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