Has the Obama presidency failed? No, resistance to social and political change
is not a sign of failure—it’s inevitable, and can be overcome.
2010
After the Reform
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Did we fail on health care? The debate is vigorous. Richard Kirsch and Lauren Reichelt respond.
2010
Immigration: Don’t Let “Reform” Be an Excuse for Increased Repression
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. . . it relies on the idea of providing temporary worker visas to lower-skilled immigrants who are apparently expected to send their money home, providing American farmers, agribusiness, and other employers with a source of cheap labor that can depress the wages of other laborers.
2010
Liberals and Progressives Need a New Strategy in the Obama Years
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Yet what the critics maintain is that Obama and congressional Democrats, inheriting an economy and political system in crisis after decades of ideological Republican policies committed to downsizing government and serving the tax-cutting interests of the rich and the corporate elites, blew a unique opportunity to teach Americans a new way of thinking about politics and economy.
2010
The Politics of Holding on to Health Care Reform
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The Left has been left whimpering that health care reform did not go far enough, that we should adopt “Medicare for All.” But the claim that this bill is middle-of-the-road or too pragmatic has not found any significant public sentiment and fails in the face of the financial pressure on government.
Editorials & Actions
Mubarak’s Ouster: Good for Egypt, Good for Israel
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The inspiring triumph of the Egyptian people in the nonviolent overthrow of the hated dictator Hosni Mubarak is a real triumph of the human spirit. It is disappointing, then, that what should be a near-universal celebration has been tempered by the right-wing Netanyahu government in Israel and its supporters in the United States.
Politics & Society
American Depressions
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An unnatural economic and psychological disaster has struck America.
2009
A Labor Leader Loses His Way
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Four years ago when several key labor unions formed Change to Win as an alternative umbrella organization to the AFL-CIO, many of us hoped that a new vision of the labor movement was being born–one that would go beyond the economics-only focus of industrial unionism and see unions as an important social context for building a greater sense of community and a new universal vision of a society based on empathy and compassion for other human beings.
2009
Spiritual Awakening, a New Economy, and the End of Empire
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Abolish Wall Street. Build Real Wealth.
2007
Science and Spirit
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If science saves us from religion gone bad, who or what will save us from science gone bad?
2007
Why Torture Continues
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The American media has largely acquiesced to the Bush Administration’s strategy in reporting on the war: if American human rights violations get reported at all, they are quickly forgotten. Yet, the strong efforts by the Bush Administration to retain torture as a standard procedure in dealing with anyone it considers a terrorist or “enemy combatant” indicates a commitment to continue using torture for as long as the government can get away with it.
2006
An Arab Plan that Jews Must Pursue
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Peace groups often lack a clear, realistic vision—something tangible to pin their hopes on. That can change now in Israel and Palestine. Many people realize that guns are not going to decide this conflict. And now there is actually something real and concrete to work with.
2006
A Public Policy of Meaning
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How can we frame traditional progressive platform issues in a way that gives them the spiritual reverence they deserve?
2006
The Art and Ethos of Enduring Peace
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We are, at long last, in the midst of a vigorous and comprehensive critique of the U.S. war in Iraq. People throughout the world decry the horrendous loss of lives, both civilian and military, and are critical of the arrogance and poor planning in this administration’s attempt at “regime change” in Iraq.
2004
On Howard Zinn
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The country has changed a great deal since Howard Zinn boarded his “moving train” a half-century ago. It has changed along very different trajectories. Some have been rich in achievement, often exhilarating, and full of promise for a better future. Others, in part in reaction to them, are ugly and ominous in their import. Which will prevail? It’s hard to overestimate the significance of the question. It’s hard to think of a better way to gain a clear understanding of what is at stake, and what can be done about it, than by reading, and pondering, the fascinating story of Howard Zinn’s crucial and intimate participation at every point, in thought and action.