Progressive Vision
Top Stories
Tepid Reforms Mean Progressives Must Mobilize
April 1st, 2010
Health-care reform is historic, surely the most significant social legislation passed since Medicare. But it is a flawed and conservative bill, akin to the reforms Mitt Romney championed as the Republican governor of Massachusetts. It gives the insurance companies millions of new customers with no public option or Medicare buy-in to help put a lid on costs. It sustains the outrageous law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating bulk discounts for prescription drugs. It sustains the exemption of insurance companies from antitrust laws. This reality — a historic reform that isn't strong enough to get the job done — is characteristic of the Obama administration, a progressive-centrist government in a moment that demands fundamental reform.
Featured Issues
Yes, They Made History
Yes, we did. Finally, President Obama can use those words. The passage of health care reform provided the first piece of incontestable evidence that Washington has changed. Congress is, indeed, capable of carrying through fundamental social reform. No longer will the United States be the outlier among wealthy nations in leaving so many of its citizens without basic health coverage. In approving the most sweeping piece of social legislation since the mid-1960s, Democrats proved that they can govern, even under challenging circumstances and in the face of significant internal divisions.... more »
The Explosive Growth Of The Progressive Movement
By Bill Scher
August 26th, 2008
The immense amount of progressive activity outside the convention hall, compared to 2004, shows how far the movement has traveled. (Plus, interviews with Arianna Huffington and more.)... more »
“Political Dispatch” podcast: 7/11- Robert Borosage
We are happy to bring you another edition of our “Political Dispatch” podcast series from PoliticalBuzz.com. “PD” is a weekly series bringing you insight and analysis from the best political journalists and strategists as well as exclusive interviews with top politicians and campaign staffers.
This week we talked with… more »
The Case
Progressives Have A Mandate To Govern
In hotly contested 2008 congressional races on November 4, 2008, the Democratic winners were—overwhelmingly—real progressives who campaigned and won on progressive platforms. Voters didn’t just elect Democrats, they elected progressives. more »
More Prisoners Does Not Mean Less Crime
It's not that simple. A 2005 report by The Sentencing Project noted that while increased incarceration rates were accompanied by a decrease in crime between 1991 and 1998, crime rates had increased between 1984 and 1991, a period in which the rate of incarceration was even higher. The director of the Pew Center on the States recently wrote, "Rigorous studies show that increased imprisonment can claim credit for only 25 percent of the nation's crime drop over the past 15 years. The other 75 percent comes from a wide variety of factors, inside and outside the criminal justice system." Those factors include support for improved policing and community crime prevention programs—federal support for which was cut by the Bush administration. We already lock up a larger percentage of our population than any other country in the world. We need to invest more in the programs and techniques that we know prevent crime and lead to healthier communities.more »
The Facts
Deficits And Economic Recovery
Politicians will face major voter backlash if they advocate cuts in Social Security benefits or choose deficit reduction over job creation, according to a poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner commissioned by the Campaign for America’s Future and Democracy Corps. This poll is based on interviews with 1,000 voters and is an in-depth look at how both conservative and progressive approaches toward federal spending resonate with likely voters.more »
The News
Robert Borosage on C-Span Talks Jobs And the Economy
October 17th, 2011
The Case
What's Left Out of Black History Month Celebrations
Last week marked the beginning of Black History Month. This year, we have 29 days during which we will celebrate the many contributions of African Americans to our nation’s history. This is a month when we make heroes of people who overcame real, systemic and often legal oppression. We lift up, in President Obama’s official proclamation, “a story of resilience and perseverance” to inspire and educate the public about a part of this nation’s history that wasn’t told a generation ago. But in all of the celebration of a selective highlight reel of history, too often we overlook the reality of our present and how far we have yet to go to realize a better future where we all have enough to thrive — not just survive.more »
The Progressive Vision America Needs
For too long progressives have been content to work within an economic discourse largely set by conservative principles, hostile to state action while idolizing free markets and corporate power. Indeed, the last time a sitting Democratic president launched a reelection campaign with his State of the Union address, it was Bill Clinton, who declared proudly that “the era of big government is over.” Sixteen years and one economic meltdown later, America is facing an election that is about more than candidate personalities, or even policy platforms; it is about the war of ideas, and at stake is nothing less than our collective political and economic future. Progressives can only win this long-term battle by finally articulating a deeper and more coherent vision of progressive political economy, one that sharply contrasts with conservative ideals.more »
Latest from our Bloggers
feb
9
2012
9:04 am
9:04 am
On the menu this morning
- MORNING MESSAGE: At CPAC, Inequality Dare Not Speak Its Name
- Cranky Conservatives Convene At CPAC
- Foreclosure Fraud Settlement Expected Today
- GOP Moves Anti-Transit Transportation Bill
- War On Contraception Targets Workers
- Breakfast Sides
feb
8
2012
9:48 am
9:48 am
On the menu this morning
- MORNING MESSAGE: CSI Missouri -- Foreclosure Fraud Indictments
- Settlement Status Murky
- Santorum Punctures Romney Inevitability
- GOP Refusing Simple Deal On Payroll Tax Cut
- Fed To Keep Rates Low
- Outsourcing Firm Scandal In Mexico
- Breakfast Sides
feb
7
2012
9:41 am
9:41 am
On the menu this morning:
- MORNING MESSAGE: The GOP's Mutually Assured Destruction
- Romney Sputters Into Next Round On Contests
- Payroll Tax Cut Talks Stall
- Key States Still Won't Settle
- "Right To Work" Not Working
- Breakfast Sides
feb
6
2012
9:17 am
9:17 am
On the menu this morning
- MORNING MESSAGE: Plutocrats Play Political Ponies
- Deadline Today For Foreclosure Fraud Settlement
- Economy Still In Pain
- Romney Winning Now, Weakened For Later
- Breakfast Sides
feb
3
2012
9:39 am
9:39 am
On the menu this morning
- MORNING MESSAGE: Don't Break Out The Bubbly
- Unemployment Rate Ticks Down
- Romney Economic Message Tied Up In Knots
- President Roots Fight Against Inequality In His Faith
- SEC Goes Easy On Banks
- Corporations Warm To Super PACs
- Breakfast Sides
feb
2
2012
7:21 am
7:21 am
On the menu this morning
- MORNING MESSAGE: The Republican Myth Of Obama’s Entitlement Society
- Romney Doubles Down On Dismissing Poverty
- Obama Proposes, Boehner Rejects Refi Plan
- GOP Tries To Extend Fed Worker Pay Freeze
- Breakfast Sides
feb
1
2012
8:53 am
8:53 am
On the menu this morning
- MORNING MESSAGE: Taxpayer-Backed Mortgage Giant Bets Against Its Customers
- WH To Reveal New Refi Plan
- House GOP Threatens Transportation Jobs Bill
- "Buffet Rule" Proposed In Senate
- FL Win Doesn't End Questions About Romney
- GOP Obstruction On Taxes Increases Deficit
jan
30
2012
9:34 am
9:34 am
On the menu this morning
- MORNING MESSAGE: Why Aren't Mitt & Newt Talking Social Security in FL?
- Europe Admits: Austerity's a Bust
- No Settlement Yet
- Businessman Presidents Are Failures
- Breakfast Sides
