Progressive Vision
DMI Sends Members of Congress Home with Their 2007 Grades!
March 12th, 2008
If the middle class could give your Congressmember a grade, what would it be? Today, DMI releases grades for every senator and representative, evaluating their votes on key legislation that affects the current and aspiring middle class. more » 
To Bring Change, Insiders and Outsiders Need Each Other
Activists need advocates in the White House and Congress to voice their concerns and pass legislation. But even with such allies, activists have to keep the heat on, be visible, and make enough noise so that policy makers and the media can't ignore them. To advance a progressive agenda, a widespread grassroots movement -- which provides ordinary Americans with opportunities to engage in a variety of activities, from emailing their legislators, to participating in protest -- is essential.
... more »
Progressives On the Rise, Conservatism in Decline
Activists head to Washington for the Take Back America conference amid signs that the progressive movement is on the verge of a political transformation as dramatic as the infamous "Reagan revolution" of the 1980s. A resurgent progressive movement is emerging as the evidence mounts that the conservative movement's heyday has ended, done in by three decades of failure.
Read our blog on the opening plenary featuring Robert Borosage, Diane Archer, Van Jones and Donna Edwards.
See our latest reports:
- "Progressives Rising—2008: A Sea-Change Election"
- "The Decline of Conservatism," by Stan Greenberg
- "Conservatism is Dying," by Eric Lotke
Check the conference home page for new details on schedule and speakers.
The Case
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 Folly of the Fence
The Washington Post has reported that technical problems with the “virtual fence” being erected along a portion of the U.S.-Mexican border will mean a three-year delay in the project. more »
Facts & Resources
The Stress Test
n/aThe Decline of Conservatism
Based on polling from a variety of sources, this report concludes that the conservative ideology is losing favor with the American public and that progressive approaches on such issues as the social safety net, government regulation and foreign policy are increasingly popular.more »
The News
The American Left: A Tale of Two Conferences
April 21st, 2008
Businesses Fight Labor Reform
April 10th, 2008
The Voices
Hundreds Tell Fox: "Stop The Attacks"
More than 600 people from all over the country have responded in the first 48 hours of our call to tell Fox News to stop branding progressives as unpatriotic, and instead contribute to a respectful debate about the future direction of the country. more »
To Win, Presidential Candidates Move ... Left
The punditocracy won't tell you, but Barack Obama and John McCain are moving to the Left. more »
Latest from our Bloggers
jul
3
2008
9:52 am
9:52 am
More than 600 people from all over the country have responded in the first 48 hours of our call to tell Fox News to stop branding progressives as unpatriotic, and instead contribute to a respectful debate about the future direction of the country. more »
jul
2
2008
2:09 pm
2:09 pm
The punditocracy won't tell you, but Barack Obama and John McCain are moving to the Left. more »
jul
1
2008
10:38 am
10:38 am
Our political disagreements over the direction of the country and who is best qualified to lead it in the right direction should never be used as a weapon to question our love for this country. In fact, the willingness to be intensely engaged in the struggle to being this nation closer to its ideals is the very mark of a patriot. That's why we're telling Fox News and the right in general: Stop attacking patriotic Americans simply because you don't agree with them.more »
jun
29
2008
7:47 pm
7:47 pm
Liberals, lefties, Democrats, environmentalists, unionists, consumer advocates—all progressive types—suffer from the stereotype that we are unpatriotic. Let’s make it clear to all Americans that we progressives are the ones trying to lead our country closer to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
more »
jun
20
2008
9:08 am
9:08 am
Why is it that people who question globalization are treated like Neanderthals?
You’re a protectionist, critics charge. Globalization is here to stay; you can’t turn back the clock, you Neanderthal! Besides, look at all the great stuff we get for cheap! more »
jun
6
2008
1:19 am
1:19 am
Not even Sen. Hillary Clinton adopted the signature political approach of President Clinton's administration.more »
jun
4
2008
11:26 am
11:26 am
The first speeches of the general election campaign preview a real clash of progressive and conservative visions for America. What do you see?more »
jun
4
2008
10:58 am
10:58 am
As of this election year, the vast and rising tide of Millennials is arriving in numbers big enough to swamp the Boomers and set the whole American conversation on a whole new heading. And it is this, it can be argued, is what the Barack-versus-Hillary showdown was really all about.more »
