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Table of Contents

March 2009 (v20, n2)


Cover art by John Ritter Download Issue PDF By The American Prospect Staff Cover Story - Features The Other Black President Adam Serwer With 35-year-old Ben Jealous at the helm, the NAACP redefines its mission for an era in which black politics are mainstream. Features Anatomy of a Netroots Failure Eli Sanders Darcy Burner won the love of Internet activists but lost her 2008 campaign for Washington state's 8th Congressional District. Maybe the new politics can't write off the old just yet. Britain's Great Right Hope James Crabtree As the Republican Party struggles to develop a new message and regain popular support, its British counterpart is on the verge of a comeback. Will the Tories become the model for conservatives everywhere? Department of Change Tim Fernholz Obama cannot rely on Cabinet appointments alone to take the country in a new direction. Here are five government offices Obama will need to remake if he is to realize his agenda. Twilight of the Autocrats Joshua Kurlantzick The global financial crisis is threatening the delicate bargain that the Chinese, Russian, and Venezuelan regimes have struck with their citizens. Where Are the Workers? Harold Meyerson Union organizing is an increasingly global, top-down effort. But card-check legislation could return employees to their central place in the process. You Can Handle the Truth Tara McKelvey After eight years of a notoriously secret executive branch, Obama seems willing to consider opening the vault to historians and journalists alike. Special Report Gulf Coast Notebook Casey Sanchez Communities rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike. Housing New Orleans: Still a Work in Progress Chandra R. Thomas Far too many people are still without decent affordable homes, and hidden vulnerable groups like the mentally ill have been hit hardest of all. Justice Polluted Adam Serwer An environmental-justice attorney explains how the civil rights of Gulf Coast residents were violated. New Leadership, New Hopes Tim Fernholz How much difference will the Obama administration make to the recovery of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast? Not by Accident Mark Davis The wholesale damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina was not an inevitability. A sustainable New Orleans is still possible. The Color of Toxic Debris Robert Bullard and Beverly Wright The racial injustice in the flow of poison that followed the flood. The Houma Nation Digs Out David Holthouse and Priscilla Holthouse In the wake of Gustav and Ike, a resilient traditional people recovers from both nature's assaults and bad policy. The New Normal Brentin Mock Governments at all levels responded slowly to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The people of the Gulf Coast took up the slack but haven't absolved government of its responsibilities. Translating Disaster Carolyn Petri In the crisis, the Gulf's Hispanic communities dealt with linguistic and political isolation. But Katrina produced a boost to new organizing efforts.	Columns Breaking the Grip of the Past Paul Starr Reflexive conservative ideology remains a powerful factor in national debate. So it's crucial--if not for Obama, then for others--to continue to press the case that our present problems have ideological roots. Broad Rights Ann Friedman Obama will be forced to decide whether reproductive health care is an essential service or merely a political chess piece. Practical Liberalism Redux E.J. Dionne Like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Barack Obama is capable of being a pragmatic progressive. The Dual Mission Mark Schmitt Though initially tasked with rescuing politics, Barack Obama must transform the economy as well. Culture & Books A Little Liberal Persuasion Daniel T. Rodgers Darwin and Lincoln were born on the same day two centuries ago. A mere coincidence, or did the two men write the language of modern liberalism? Agonies of the Twitterati Ann Swidler For the "intravidual," life is BlackBerries, conferences, snippets of family time, and a constant desire to be elsewhere. But how many people really live like that? Green Building Blues Kriston Capps As the field of green architecture experiences its growing pains, sustainability and good design have yet to meet. Why They Fought Robert Mackey An army is a grand exercise in group loyalty and cooperation. Understanding what holds it together provides lessons beyond the military. Departments Foodie Politics Ezra Klein Alice Waters launched a culinary revolution that changed American cuisine. But should she adopt a new strategy for her local food crusade? Noted The Editors Responses to Harold Meyerson's cover story, "A Global New Deal," Robert Kuttner's piece "Obama's Economic Opportunity" and a letter from Executive Editor Mark Schmitt. Up Front The Editors Real talk about Michael Steele, Elvis and the Wizard of Oz fill in as GOP role models, and T.A. Frank parodies the Republican strategy -- or does he? Online Extras A Piecemeal Approach to Undoing Bush's Wrongs Tara McKelvey Congress and Obama are unlikely to conduct high-profile hearings to hold Bush administration officials accountable. But they probably will investigate -- and repeal -- much of the wrongdoing on a case-by-case basis. Death and Life in New Orleans Dan Baum Three people tell their stories of coping in the aftermath of Katrina. The Power of Race and Place Robert Bullard and Beverly Wright How and why the predominantly black areas of the Gulf Coast are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

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