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Vol. 21 No. 10November 2010
Columns
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Straight Talk
We shouldn't assure gay teens that their lives will get better without also pledging to make equality a reality. -
Language of Truth
On reading Gjertrud Schnackenberg -
Fighter, Conciliator, or Scold?
With a conservative Congress, Obama can invoke Truman, Clinton, or Carter. -
The Ideas Deficit
If "ideas have consequences," as conservatives like to say, what's the consequence of having none?
Culture
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Drawn to the Mud
Jack Anderson's obsessive coverage of Nixon marked the beginning of our modern scandal culture. -
Virtuality Bites
On the Internet, society's most intractable issues with race and class are increasingly prominent. -
Why the Winners Lost
In the rise of the right, culture and economics have always gone hand in hand. -
ACORN's Fall
Community organizing survives, but it is a balkanized, weakened field. -
Frustrated by His Own Party
FDR eventually did what many wish Obama would do -- challenge the troublemakers in the party.
Departments
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Up Front
A note from Executive Editor Mark Schmitt, "The Parody," and "The Question" -
Noted
Reader responses to Adam Serwer, Sarah Garland, and Jacob Hacker's pieces in our November 2010 issue -
Ann Coulter, Drag Queen
Conservative gays search in vain for a diva icon of their own.
Special Report
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Closed Circuit
Could opening juvenile court hearings and records help uncover systemic abuse and corruption? -
Bonds of Steel
Can alliances with unions in Mexico and Europe return the United Steelworkers to its former strength at home? -
Slumming in America
Human-rights arguments are effective tools for shaming European companies into good labor practices in the U.S. -
Can the Workers of the World Unite?
The state of unionism in the era of globalization -
Translating Solidarity
As SEIU organizes on a global scale, it must adapt its approach to accommodate cultural differences. -
Globalization, Union-Style
The challenge is to raise U.S. workers' rights to the level that European workers enjoy -- not to lower their rights to our level.
Features
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The Vacancy Crisis
Obama has made fewer judicial nominations than any president in recent history -- with disastrous consequences. -
Too Big To Be Governed?
Financial reform will fail if industry writes the rules. -
Green Job Search
Unless America changes its energy policies, it will continue to train workers for jobs that just aren't there. -
What We Don't Know Can Hurt Us
Information is the life-blood of public policy, but there's a lot of it missing. -
The Limits of Smart Power
Can the U.S. military end the epidemic of sexual violence in Congo without getting involved in another endless conflict?
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Vol. 21 No. 9October 2010
Columns
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The Experience Gap
Obama's base still wants a positive political experience -- not just a set of policy positions. -
Steal This Author
In a few years, we'll be able to do without publishers. -
Back to Deadlock
Come next January, the great American impasse will be back in all its toxic splendor. -
Winning Ugly
The Obama presidency is far from over, but little survives of the original theory behind it.
Culture
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Lucky Louie
Why liberals love the acerbic comedian Louis C.K. -
Changing Faiths
Religious Americans are far more diverse, tolerant, and compassionate than the image of an evangelist upsurge would suggest. -
The Return of Keynes
There's more to John Maynard Keynes than the idea that government spending can end depressions -- but that's a good place to start. -
Higher Expectations
What are colleges for? Research, economic advancement, or making students more interesting?
Departments
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The Enforcement Paradox
With their failure to enact immigration reform, Democrats risk turning their "emerging majority" into a permanent swing vote. -
The Return of Keynes
There's more to John Maynard Keynes than the idea that governemtn spending can end depressions -- but that's a good place to start. -
In the Loophole
Even with moderate tax increases, the rich find ways not to pay. -
Noted
Responses to "Gatekeepers" and "Uncertainly Wrong" -
Up Front
A note from the executive editor, the Parody, and "The Question" -
Is Obama Too Calm Before the Storm?
His staid reaction to the financial crisis may have won him the presidency, but too much complacency could cause him to lose it.
Special Report
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The Federal Reserve We Need
It's the Fed we once had -- when a more democratically accountable bank was enlisted to patriotically finance America's war debt. -
Budget Cuts and Our Children's Future
Deficit hawks invoke the next generation, but an austerity program would balance the budget on the backs of America's most vulnerable parents and children. -
The Debate We Should Be Having
Austerity is perverse economics and self-defeating politics. Here are sensible alternatives. -
The Bipartisan Attack on Medicare
To fix Medicare, fix the larger inefficiencies in America's health-care system. -
The Investment Deficit
An economic recovery will bring down our fiscal deficit -- but the more important deficit is the shortfall in our commitment to the future. -
Social Security and the Deficit
Social Security is not part of the federal deficit: Even with no policy changes, it will be in balance for the next 26 years. -
Austerity: The False Cure
The formula of the deficit hawks will bring us a deeper recession, stunted social outlay, and a much tougher road back to fiscal balance. -
Deficit-Attention Disorder
What voters really think about deficits, debts, and economic recovery -
Economic Recovery and Fiscal Balance
We can finance both long-term fiscal balance and adequate investment -- without increasing taxes on the working middle class. -
On the Economics of Deficits
Most of the federal deficit is caused by the recession itself. To cure the slump, fix the financial system.
Features
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Put to the Test
Genetic screening is more accessible than ever, and health-care providers are scrambling to catch up. -
Repeat Performance
When charter schools hold students back, is it helping them succeed in the long term -- or does it just improve short-term test results? -
The Stalemate State
Those who argue that gridlock is a good check on partisanship haven't examined its policy consequences.
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Vol. 21 No. 8September 2010
Columns
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The American City
Ragtime -- an innovative tableau of real and fictional events in the early 20th century -- legitimized the idea that the self-interested act can have an impact. -
Uncertainly Wrong
Republicans caused our economic uncertainty. Progressives have answers. -
The Forever Culture War
Even as we make progress on specific issues, the broader culture war seems to get uglier and uglier. -
Our Progressive Populism
Populism comes in two varieties -- progressive and reactionary.
Culture
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Humanoid Rights
The ACLU looks to science fiction to prepare for future threats to civil liberties. -
California, Take Two
Any Golden-State governor, given California's political makeup and its constitutional arrangements, is condemned to failure. -
When It All Went Wrong
The 1970s were a decade of lost opportunities to reconstruct the New Deal order. -
The Change Game
Obama's election showed how much the country has changed; his governing has shown how much it hasn't. -
A Dirty Business
Cynically using science to stall policy is the research equivalent of filing frivolous legal motions.
Departments
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Finding Our Inner Republican
The GOP's website reminds us how grand the old party used to be -- eons ago. -
Noted
Responses to Kevin Mattson's "Forget Populism" and a note from the executive editor -
Up Front
Longer schooldays, October surprises from Republicans, and The Question
Special Report
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Rewards in the Rubble
With the right policies, turning foreclosed properties into decent homes could provide high-wage employment. -
The Case for Presidential Action
There is a lot the administration can do without legislation. -
The Path to a High-Wage Society
The explosion of low-wage jobs is due, for the most part, to the declining bargaining power of America's employees. -
Holding Wal-Mart Accountable
The road to unionized Wal-Mart runs through obscure towns where workers are abused in hidden warehouses. -
Sweatshop Army
Why does the Pentagon use low-road companies to feed and clothe our troops? -
A Long Haul
How the government's policy to modernize trucks collides with its policies to promote high-wage jobs -
The Power to Act
There is well-established legal authority for much stronger presidential action to promote good jobs. -
The Hands That Feed Us
Some of the worst abuses are in food-processing and farming work -- where government is a huge purchaser. -
Care for the Caregivers
Child-care providers have long been thought of as full-time baby sitters. Government can make them well-paid professionals.
Features
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Whose Media Bias?
Progressives' attempt to reshape the media has had some successes, but the failures may be more instructive. -
Gatekeepers
Is giving away money -- and lots of it -- really the best way to change the world?
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Vol. 21 No. 7August 2010
Columns
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A 20-Year Odyssey
Since the Prospect began publication as a quarterly with a circulation of 2,700, it's been a forum for inspired argument, both with the right and within the liberal family. -
Who Owns Freedom?
Do liberals take civil liberties seriously enough? -
Whoa, Mama
Palin and her ilk claim to speak for moms but offer no policy solutions for working families. -
Fire on the Left
Tea Partiers are getting all the press, but it's the anger on the left that spells trouble for Dems in the midterms.
Departments
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Where Race Isn't Off-Limits
Talking about race as if it were a thing apart is to deny the central role it plays in nearly every aspect of American life. -
Noted
Responses to Heather Rogers' "Slowed Good Revolution," Lisa Guernsey's "A Place for Play," and a note from Prospect Executive Editor Mark Schmitt -
Up Front
Tweets to avoid at work, what to do if the GOP pulls off a landslide in November, and The Question -
Meet Eliseo Medina
SEIU's new secretary-treasurer is a champion of immigrant rights and an innovator in the fight to unionize marginalized service-industry workers. -
The Middle Man
Lessons from life in Washington's ideological gray zone.
Special Report
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A Public Plan for Connecticut?
Despite political and financial hurdles, Connecticut is moving forward with its own state-level public option. -
The Cost of Delayed Reform
The temporary federal high-risk pools won't reach most of the medically uninsured. -
La Próxima Campaña de Reforma de Salud
Los partidarios de la reforma sabían que tenían que luchar para lograr su aprobación. Ahora necesitan llevar a cabo otra lucha para cumplir las promesas de la ley. -
Reform's Mixed Impact on Immigrants
The new law's implications seem clear, but the indirect effects could be critical. -
Impactos Dispares de la Reforma sobre los Inmigrantes
Las consecuencias de la nueva ley parecen claras, pero los efectos indirectos podrían ser críticos. -
The Preventive Turn in Health-Care Reform
Promoting preventive care and public health carries both promise and risk. -
The Next Health-Reform Campaign
Supporters of reform knew they had to battle to get it passed. Now they need to wage another campaign to implement it. -
Unleashing Restraint
Health reform won't stop costs from rising in the short term, but it lays the groundwork for long-run control of spending. -
Getting Insurers to Behave
Job No. 1: Write new rules for health insurers and make sure they follow them. -
The Opportunities of CLASS
A new insurance program for long-term care holds great possibilities -- and challenges. -
Turning the States From Adversaries Into Partners
The states came out as winners in the Affordable Care Act, though some don't seem to realize it. -
Can Reform Spell Relief?
A long search for a national "pain care" policy yields a modest step in public health. -
National Reform Meets Politics in the States
States are beginning to carry out the law in different ways -- or not at all. -
Health Reform 2.0
If reform is to succeed, progressives will have to fight for a stronger government role, including a public option.
20th Anniversary
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The Real Liberal Elite
Now that more liberals are as rich as Republicans, do we risk forgetting the poor and working families? -
The Right Way to Please the Base
What the left can learn from right-wing extremists -
A 20-Year Tug-of-War
Neither liberals nor conservatives have been able to claim lasting power. But we have an advantage: real solutions. -
Reading Progressive History Through the Prospect
Good policy can be smart politics -- that's the idea behind this magazine. -
All Politics Is Identity Politics
We can't forget that ideology is shaped by personal experience. -
The Enduring Relevance of Affirmative Action
When diversity became a positive, race-based preferences overcame the backlash.
Features
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Many Paths to Victory: Florida
While Republicans try to make all races national in the 2010 election, Democrats have as many strategies as they do candidates. Will any of these approaches work in a tough year for incumbents? -
Will Republicans Blow It?
Tacking right doesn't always guarantee victory on Election Day. -
Globalizing Reform
America's top financial diplomat works to save the world from our mistakes. -
Many Paths to Victory: South Dakota
While Republicans try to make all races national in the 2010 election, Democrats have as many strategies as they do candidates. Will any of these approaches work in a tough year for incumbents? -
Many Paths to Victory
While Republicans try to make all races national in the 2010 election, Democrats have as many strategies as they do candidates. -
Many Paths to Victory: Texas
While Republicans try to make all races national in the 2010 election, Democrats have as many strategies as they do candidates. Will any of these approaches work in a tough year for incumbents? -
Forget Populism
"The people" are no more virtuous or incorruptible than elites.
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Vol. 21 No. 6June 2010
Columns
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Oil Spillover
A headline-dominating oil spill certainly should catalyze big changes in the way we power our country and regulate corporations. -
Boring Politics, Please
The American political system wasn't built to handle showdowns, culture wars, crises of legitimacy, or bids for total power. -
Books on Film: Remembering Andrew Sarris
Growing up in Movieland -
The Two Conservatisms
The Tea Party is more flagrant, but the austerity movement is more insidious.
Culture
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Outsider Art
Dissident filmmakers debate: Should they stay or should they go? -
Our Common-Law Constitution
People approve of an evolving Constitution mainly when it evolves in the direction they want it to go. -
Old Image, New Portrait
Treating an entire population as being of one mind can obscure more than it reveals. -
Let's Call It All Off
Charles Kupchan aims to give U.S. policy-makers a roadmap to a more restrained and sustainable foreign policy.
Departments
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The End of Capitalism
The financial world and its would-be regulators struggle to understand the flash crash. -
Noted
Responses to Harold Meyerson's "Work History," Robert Johnson's "Reform and its Obstacles," and a note from Prospect Executive Editor Mark Schmitt. -
Up Front
GOP talking points on Elena Kagan, liberal guilt over zoos, and The Question
Special Report
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Literacy Begins at Birth
An agenda for early education can't wait for kindergarten -- the first five years matter, too. -
A Place for Play
Why reading programs must combine playful learning with direct instruction -
There's No Such Thing as a Reading Test
Real literacy involves learning about the world, not just letters and sounds. -
Lessons From New Jersey
Providing poor children with stable, high-quality preschool and kindergarten will make them higher performers. -
Missing Out on Reading
Children can't learn to read if they're not in school -- and chronic absenteeism is a problem we can fix. -
Health Education
Glasses and eye tests are just one of the ways in which the new health-reform law will help kids read. -
Reading for Life
Learning to read by third grade is a goal that can organize everything we do for kids.
Features
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The Reverse Commute
The Obama administration is trying to rein in suburban sprawl. But is it any match for 70 years of unsustainable development? -
Washington's I.T. Guy
One man's quest to liberate all government information -- with or without the government's help -
Everyday Corruption
The policy-making process has become an extension of the market battlefield. -
The Next Power Triangle
Why America's future partners in the Middle East should be Turkey and Iran -- yes, Iran. -
Organic Solutions
What would meaningful assistance for unconventional farmers look like? -
Slowed Food Revolution
Obama seeks to boost demand for organic food but doesn't offer meaningful support for the people who grow it.
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