Building a progressive agenda.
At the Campaign for America's Future, Bob Borosage writes
The Empty Center: Challenge and Opportunity for Progressives. An excerpt:
Progressives must find ways not simply to confront the Republican idiocies, but to counter with a bold reform agenda that is commensurate with the size of our problems.
We suffer an economy that does not work for most Americans even in the fifth year of “recovery.” That could occur only because the rules have been systematically rigged to favor the few. Changing that reality requires far more than a few sensible reforms. It requires taking on fundamentals at the heart of our economy: transforming our global tax and trade policies, shackling Wall Street, progressive taxes to pay for vital public investment, empowering workers and curbing perverse CEO compensation policies, reviving anti-trust, curbing money in politics, cleaning up Washington, capturing a lead in the green industrial revolution.
In this effort, President Obama will be at best a sunshine general. Hopefully, he will continue to frame vital wage reforms—calling for lifting the minimum wage and guaranteed sick days and family leave, enforcing overtime, procurement reforms that give preference to “good jobs” employers. He will continue to build his legacy on the environment. But on fundamentals—trade, Wall Street, public investment, antitrust and more—he’s more part of the problem than the solution.
At the national level, senators Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders have begun to take the lead. A broader formal or informal populist caucus in the Senate, and the strengthened Congressional Progressive Caucus in the House, can help define and drive big alternatives, with outside allies rallying support and taking the names of the Blue Dog or Wall Street Democrats who don’t get it. Major debates – on trade, on taxes, on budgets – can be occasions for offering real alternative directions.
The danger here is that the debate turns quickly to framing “message” bills rather than debating fundamental reform. The recent rollout of the Democratic middle-class tax cut shows the perils. The proposal excels for partisan positioning. It offers working Americans real money—a $2,000 tax cut, paid for by taxes on the banks and the rich. It puts Republicans in a box, since they won’t raise taxes to pay for the equivalent. But a tax cut competition with Republicans is something of a mugs game. It accepts the conservative notion that tax breaks offer workers the only hope for a raise. And by devoting progressive taxes to tax cuts, it defaults on addressing our debilitating public investment deficit. If Democrats aren’t making the case for rebuilding our starved public sphere—including basic infrastructure like roads, rail and sewers, providing the basics for schools, investing in R&D—then we will all suffer.
The debate about agenda should not be left to politicians. The recent AFL-CIO convocation on raising wages – which will be echoed in forums across the country – provides one example of how progressive groups can help frame and drive the reform debate.
Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2009—The Economic Stimulus Bill Takes Its First Step:
President-Elect Barack Obama is one step closer to getting an economic stimulus bill:
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives unveiled an $825 billion tax cut and spending bill on Thursday they hope will help President-elect Barack Obama reverse the steep decline in the U.S. economy.
The bill, which would add to an already massive $1.2 trillion budget deficit forecast for this year, would combine $550 billion in emergency spending initiatives with $275 billion in temporary tax benefits over the next two years.
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While saying that the bill was designed to get the "biggest bang for the buck," and would help create 4 million jobs, House Speaker Pelosi acknowledged that it was only the "first step" in what is sure to be a contentious process over the next several weeks.
Minority Leader Boehnert said that the "tax relief for middle-class families and small businesses" didn't go far enough, which works out well since Appropriations Chairman David Obey said the $825 billion price tag may not be enough.
Tweet of the Day
So, parents don't get CPS called for refusing to vaccinate their children, just for letting kids walk home alone
http://t.co/...
— @joshuafoust
On
today's Kagro in the Morning show: Wake up, Idaho! TSA caught someone with a circular saw at the Pocatello airport. TX gun enthusiasts run a
Charlie Hebdo shooting simulation with an armed civilian in the office. Everyone still died. Yet another Walmart GunFAIL. Still more TX gun enthusiasts show how they "lobby."
Joan McCarter dropped by to defend Idaho, and round up happenings in Congress including Wall St. deregulation, undermining Social Security, the possible future of the filibuster, and how Daily Kos is helping keep Dems in line. Also, the meaningless but fun Chaffetz vs. Issa portrait battle. Even post-conviction, justice is a different game for the rich & powerful.
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