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Vol. 19 No. 4March 2008
Columns
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New President, New Crisis
The financial economy is a confidence game and nobody wants to be the Cassandra who triggers the crash. But we need to address the fact that the next president will face an economic crisis unlike any since 1933. -
Obama-ism Without Obama
Obama's campaign shows how a democracy-minded reform movement and community organizing have transformed the Democratic Party. Like Reagan, Obama is as much a product of a movement as the creator of one. -
Is the Game About to Stop?
American consumers no longer have the buying power to absorb the goods and services the U.S. economy is capable of producing. -
A Headache for Workers
The Department of Labor is considering a change to the Family and Medical Leave Act that would single out employees with chronic illnesses.
Culture
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From Fantasy to Fiasco
The convergence of conservative nationalists and neoconservatives within the Bush administration, and the deadly fantasies it spawned. -
Farewell to Arms
In his new book Where Have All the Soldiers Gone?, James Sheehan tries to account for the astonishing transformation of Europe that has come with the death of the warfare state. -
Farewell to Arms
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No Art for Oil
In search of something beyond the New York art scene, Robert Smithson landed at Utah's Great Salt Lake, where he created Spiral Jetty amid abandoned oil derelicts. Now his deliberately noncommercial work is at risk of disruption by the return of oil drilling. -
The Manufacture of Uncertainty
In his new book, Doubt is Their Product, David Michaels describes how the corporate practice of "manufacturing uncertainty" has taken over our regulatory system and undermined our health. -
The Simplification Dodge
Why is the tax code so impenetrable? It's all those tax breaks for the rich.
Departments
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Correspondence
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Up Front
Why would anyone want to re-create 1968? Plus the basis for Democratic unity (everybody hates Mark Penn); the return of hope chests; and The Question. -
What Obama Could Teach the Treasury Secretary About the Economy
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson wants to expand the Fed's powers to bail out struggling investment banks. Obama understands that this would only encourage damaging speculation. -
Are We a Center-Right Nation?
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Is America a Center-Right Nation?
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Hamas: A Silent Partner for Peace?
Faced with internal political pressures and the hard fact of Israel's strength, Hamas has moderated its political positions significantly. The moment may be ripe for pushing Hamas further toward the center.
Online Extras
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Art, Nature, and Industry
TAP talks to Lynn de Freitas of Friends of Great Salt Lake and Nancy Holt, artist Robert Smithson's widow, about the proposed drilling near Smithson's famous earth art sculpture, Spiral Jetty.
Features
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The Republican War on Voting
Using the Department of Justice, friendly governors, and its usual propaganda outlets, the GOP has propagated the myth of voter fraud to purge the rolls of non-Republicans. -
The Obama Doctrine
Barack Obama is offering the most sweeping liberal foreign-policy critique we've heard from a serious presidential contender in decades. But will voters buy it? -
The Next President and the Middle East
To keep the world's tinder box from exploding even more violently, George W. Bush's successor is going to have to pursue a radically different Middle Eastern policy. Some policy pointers: Get out of Iraq. Work with (some) Islamists. Create the Palestinian state. Thereby, undercut al-Qaeda. -
Populism Rising
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton may be neophyte class warriors, but their populism is more than just rhetorical -- and must be, if the Democrats are to win the election and govern successfully.
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Vol. 19 No. 3March 2008
Columns
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Our Senate Problem
The Senate is where ambitious presidencies die. To be effective, the next Democratic president will need to bring in new senators, make subtle institutional changes, and engineer cross-party alliances. -
Going Nowhere Fast
Every week, it seems, it's taking another minute or so to get from point A to point B. What happened to public transportation? It seems obvious that we should invest in high-speed rail and mass transit, but we don't. -
Solidarity Politics
After so many years with "white male" as the default political identity, we're all suddenly forced to think about how much a candidate's race, gender, and background should matter. -
Bringing the Race to Closure
Here's what the Democrats could do to prevent the race for the nomination from stretching into late summer and turning into an ugly donnybrook in Denver.
Culture
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Accounting for Kristol
What was The New York Times thinking when it hired neocon propagandist Bill Kristol for its op-ed pages? -
Zealots of Our Time
In his new book, They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons, Jacob Heilbrunn examines the state of the neoconservative movement in the wake of the Iraq War. -
Power Grab
Two new books, one by a Boston Globe reporter, the other by the former head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, recount the Bush administration's efforts to expand the presidential powers at the expense of the law.
Departments
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UpFront
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testtest34
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WireTAP: A Dialogue about The Wire (Episodes 1-3)
Prospect writers discuss the fifth season of the critically acclaimed HBO series. -
Correspondence
Special Report
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Progressive Re-Generation
At times in American political history, young generations have formed lasting ties to parties and ideologies. Is 2008 one of those times? -
Big Vote On Campus
Progressive groups are increasing their focus on colleges -- and not just the usual suspects. -
Reclaiming the Soapbox
Campuses push for open campaign events that allow all students--regardless of their party affiliation--to attend. -
Another Kind of Youth Movement
A new generation with new economic stresses rediscovers the benefits of an old idea -- trade unionism. -
Address the Pain, Reap the Gain
Today's young adults are very likely to be the first generation to not surpass the living standards of their parents. Our nation's future demands that we take seriously the economic plight of America's young. -
Democracy Versus Debt
Students are getting serious about organizing to change the rules of the game that leave young adults burdened with college and credit-card debt. -
An Economic Compact for the Young
Improving the economic horizons of America's young adults will require a sustained commitment and serious resources. But it will pay huge dividends. -
A New Deal of Their Own
Social policy once helped the young join the middle class. Today, government aid is mainly for the elderly and the poor.
Online Extras
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Clinton, Obama, and the Gaming Industry
Where do the Democratic presidential candidates stand on gambling and regulation of the industry? -
A Problem for Gamblers
In states that fail to adequately fund treatment and counseling programs, people with gambling addictions have few places to turn. -
Problem Gamblers, in Their Own Words
Former gambling addicts talk about the power of the casinos, hitting bottom, and putting their lives together again.
Features
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Can the Democrats Think Big?
With the economic crisis becoming more dire by the day, Democrats will win on pocketbook issues only if they recover the imagination and nerve to offer remedies on a scale equal to the problems. -
Black and Brown Together
In Mississippi, African American leaders are the foremost champions of the state's growing Latino immigrant population. Some day soon, they hope, the new alliance will transform the state's reactionary politics. -
Black Hawk's Gamble
Black Hawk is one of three Colorado towns that decided to allow limited-stakes gambling. Residents have learned the hard way that the house always wins. -
Politicians Bet the Farm
Faced with tough budget decisions, many states are turning to gambling as an answer to their economic woes. But most end up getting far more than they bargained for. -
The 2008 Veepstakes
Who should round out the Democratic ticket? Prospect writers and editors weigh the merits and demerits of some of the oft-mentioned contenders. -
The Democrats' Choice: Manager or Visionary
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have two different approaches to fixing the economy, and the country. It's less about what to do than how to do it.
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Vol. 19 No. 1January 2008
Columns
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Cool Warriors
The strength of postwar liberalism was not its tough stance against Communism but its deep, nuanced vision of American leadership. Thankfully, that vision is also held by today's Democratic leaders. -
Pronouncing Our Own Doom
It's strange that the incarceration rate is not as big an issue in the U.S. now as it was in Dostoevsky's Russia, not to mention Dickens' England. When will the United States wake up to the problem of our growing prison population? -
Reparations Anxiety
Brown University announced that it will give a $10 million endowment to local public schools to atone for its involvement in the slave trade. But reparations alone will not address the ongoing segregation of the American education system. -
The Long and the Short
Covering the unfolding presidential race while also looking ahead to the challenges that will face the Democrats if they win the White House.
Culture
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Michael's Poor Almanac
How Michael Barone made The Almanac of American Politics irrelevant. -
Dying Did Not Become Her
David Rieff's memoir of the terminal illness of his mother, Susan Sontag, shows the consolations of philosophy deserting her and the denial of truth sustaining her as death approached.
Departments
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UpFront
Vegas as the new Athens; Mike Huckabee on bass; Larry Craig in Bali; T.A. Frank on what's out and what's in for 2008; and The Question. -
Correspondence
Features
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Why 2009 Is the Year for Universal Health Care
It's not 1994 all over again. The next president can get the reforms that Harry Truman and Bill Clinton couldn't. -
This Will Mean the World to Us
Despite decades of delay, the next administration could still move us toward a solution before devastating climate change becomes irreversible. -
Good Jobs in a Global Economy
The next president can change our trade and labor policies to rebuild the American middle class. -
Financing the Common Good
After three decades of government starvation of necessary resources, the next president needs to champion progressive taxation with the proceeds invested in social outlays that make for a more productive economy. -
Leaving "No Child Left Behind" Behind
Our No. 1 education program is incoherent, unworkable, and doomed. But the next president still can have a huge impact on improving American schooling. -
Healing Our Self-Inflicted Wounds
How the next president can restore the rule of law to U.S. foreign policy -- and rebuild American credibility and power. -
The Democrats' Strategic Challenge
If the Democrats win the election, can the next president and Congress make significant progress toward realizing liberal aspirations? Here's how -- a road map for the start of a new America. -
Color, Values, America
Our next president must restore the United States as a nation of laws and of rights, rooted deeply in values. This effort must appeal to all Americans and transcend race -- but cannot ignore race. -
What to Really Do About Immigration
Half a million Mexicans will cross the border annually for the next 15 years. Here's a plan to enable them to stay home. -
A Conversation with Doris Kearns Goodwin
Great presidents build support for transformative change. What can the next president do to revive a sense of common purpose? -
What Ever Happened to Moderate Republicans?
With the hard right dominating their party, two groups have formed to recenter the Republicans. But even in their old habitats -- Wall Street and the media -- they're struggling to be noticed.
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Vol. 18 No. 11December 2007
Columns
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Paying For It
The consequence of fiscal austerity and unwillingness to raise taxes on the rich is that America doesn't have the means to lift the bottom half. So what are leading Democrats prescribing? More of the same. -
This Is Murder?
A 30-year-old mother with a history of dug abuse is charged with first and second degree murder after her child is stillborn.Is prosecuting her really the solution? -
Look Back in Awe
Even baby boom liberals who spent their youth in rebellion against the tranquilized 1950s have become homesick for its virtues. -
Hold that Tax
Social Security does not face an urgent crisis, and its problems do not need to be addressed now by a tax increase.
Culture
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Personal Finance Gets Political
Self-help finance guru Suze Orman has had an epiphany: Lending institutions could use some regulation. -
The Great Enabler
In his unguarded, unmediated moments, Alan Greenspan the economist has begun repudiating Alan Greenspan the (anti) regulator. Will anyone notice? -
Faith-Based History
Hugh Heclo's history of Christianity in America overlooks the factional, temporal, and profane concerns of the nation's churches.
Departments
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Correspondence
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UpFront: The Unified Field Theory of George Soros
Proof that all of America's ills can be laid at the feet of a certain liberal Jewish banker, debating the benefits of global warming, and just who are these Iowa caucus-goers? -
Caught on Tape
Revelations that the CIA destroyed tapes of interrogations are further evidence of the degree to which this administration has fostered a culture of self-justifying raw power. It's time for us to call for leadership that promotes professionalism.
Special Report
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Continuing the Investment
Improvement can't stop at kindergarten. Top-notch "early education" must extend to 3rd grade -- and beyond. -
No Parent Left Behind
Often, the most effective efforts to intervene in the lives of disadvantaged children start early -- or even before they are born. -
Child-Care Pay, Child-Care Quality
Decent early childhood education requires well-trained and compensated educators. -
"Kids First" Politics, Round Two
Progressives now have a chance to push a political agenda favoring investment in children. What can the second wave of children's politics learn from the first? -
From One Generation to the Next
Poor health at birth is one key channel through which economic status is passed from parent to child. Smart policies can lift kids beyond the poverty of parents. -
Pre-K Politics in the States
Pennsylvania and Illinois have made early childhood education a priority. Can other states -- and Washington -- learn from their example? -
A Movement Transformed
States have boldly advanced the cause of preschool in the last few years. Now, let's use growing support for pre-K to mobilize a national investment in early childhood. -
Nature, Nurture, and Destiny
The Bell Curve revisited: What science teaches us about heredity and environment. -
All Our Children: An Introduction
Social outlay for early childhood education is the best investment we can make in America's future. -
Changing the Climate on Early Childhood
The science of early childhood development is as persuasive as the science of global climate change. Today, both challenges urgently call for a transformative politics.
Features
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Repealing the 20th Century
When most Americans think about the Supreme Court's effect, they think about such cultural hot-buttons as abortion, or due process for terrorists. -
The Supreme Court's Wrong Turn -- And How to Fix It
After posing as moderates, Justices Roberts and Alito have moved the Court radically to the right. -
Left Behind?
Ossining, New York, was at the forefront of school integration. But as American law and public opinion turn against race-based programs, can the town continue to use racial targeting to close the achievement gap? -
Issuu Version Of Freshman
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How Hillary's Done It--So Far
Thanks to her sure-footedness, her rivals' mistakes, and diminishing Democratic divisions, Hillary Clinton has built a commanding lead. But we haven't heard from Iowa yet.
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Vol. 18 No. 10November 2007
Columns
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Eyes Wide Open
Edwards has become the nation's most important spokesman for poor and middle-class America. -
The Moral Equivalent of Optimism
It's a propitious moment to revisit failed 1970s' attempts to combine the aspiration for a better future with a sense of shared commitment and engagement in building that future, and this time, to get it right. -
When We Get Behind the Wheel
Here's some advice on how to proceed once we've got the keys to the congressional car. -
The Iran Wedge
Between the GOP's wave of congressional retirements and its lackluster presidential candidates, the party's prospects are looking dim. But they have one cheerful possibility on the horizon: war with Iran.
Culture
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Standard Error
A biography of Al Shanker traces his fight for school reform. But testing created accountability at the expense of education. Linda Perlstein's story of one school shows us just how truly terrible this is. -
Shift Happens
Why is American's health-care system collapsing? Three books, three good answers. -
Why They Win
Two new books say Republicans owe their victories to market-mania. Both books oversimplify. -
The Revolt of the Comic Books
America's superheroes take on preemptive war, torture, warrantless spying, and George W. himself. -
Faith in the Center?
John DiIulio's fascinating book takes religious moderation too far.
Departments
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Haunted by the Hippie
Despite the fact that Hillary Clinton is the most conservative Democrat running for president, the right makes her out to be a radical. Perhaps this is because the right still fears the social change hippies represented. -
UpFront: Pinless Cures
Telling non-flag-wearers where they can stick it, suitable third-party conservative candidates, the Supreme Court justice nobody knows, and The Question. -
Correspondence
Online Extras
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What's the Air Force For?
A roundtable discussion of Robert Farley's proposal to abolish the Air Force.
Features
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In Iraq Forever
Despite the Bush administration's party line, construction of permanent U.S. bases along with long-term plans for troop presence continue apace. -
The Sisyphus from Searchlight
The question of Harry Reid's effectiveness has been a parlor game in Washington since he took over as minority leader. But has Reid been judged too harshly for Democrats' failure to end the war? -
Who's to Blame for the Brave New Economy?
Are we all complicit in the erosion of economic stability in American life? Or are corporate and financial elites the culprits? Our resident Roberts -- each of whom has authored a new book on the political economy -- argue the responsibility question. -
Tomorrow, the World
Flush with cash and ancient hatreds, American evangelicals are incubating a Christian right in secular Europe. -
Abolish the Air Force
What it does on its own -- strategic bombing -- isn't suited to modern warfare. What it does well -- its tactical support missions -- could be better managed by the Army and Navy. It's time to break up the Air Force. PLUS: Farley discusses his case for abolishing the Air Force with several bloggers. -
Prince William's Folly
In the Virginia suburbs of Washington, one county has declared war against its undocumented immigrants. With exceedingly limited political clout, the immigrants are still finding ways to fight back. -
Bush's Neo-Imperialist War
Our Iraqi occupation not only rejects American foreign policy since Wilson, it's a throwback to the great power imperialism that led to World War I.
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