Phoebe Connelly

I finished Marilynne Robinson‘s 2008 novel Home last night. Robinson’s one of my favorite writers — her first novel, Housekeeping is so good that I compulsively pick up copies to gift to friends. She has a particular way of describing place that reveals more about the characters inhabiting the space than any bit of dialogue […]

Kayla Kearney came out to her high school at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. assembly. Kearney is a senior at Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa, California. The theme of this year’s assembly, the school’s sixth, was “Breaking the Silence: About Things That Matter.” It’s a beautiful speech. Here’s a bit from the […]

Take a look at these SOTU photos: 2009: 2010: 2011: Even tonight’s splash page on whitehouse.gov features Rep. Nancy Pelosi (also, nice tilt-shift): It’s not that President Obama is flanked by a Republican; it’s that this moment when our government is on display fails to prominently feature a woman. Sure, women are out there on […]

Monica Potts says having a definition of “green jobs” doesn’t bring us any closer to understanding how they fit into an economic recovery: So, what is a green job? The two-part BLS definition, which the bureau began working on in early 2010, was released last September. It focuses on the degree of environmental impact: Green […]

Over the past week, we’ve taken stock of the progress and setbacks in health care reform, financial regulation, gay rights, and immigration. On the last day of the year, TAP looks back at everything else. This year started with a Democratic bust in the special election for Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts and ended with […]

If there’s one issue liberals really screwed up this year, it’s immigration. On the same day the House of Representatives passed health care reform, a massive march for immigration reform flooded the National Mall. Turning next to fixing our broken immigration system, TAP argued, was the logical next move. Alas, Democrats disagreed. But, as Adam […]

Civil rights battles tend to have years of what feels like quixotic agitating and organizing before change occurs. This year was a tipping point for gay rights. To wit, last week Congress finally repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the 17-year ban on openly-gay military service. President Obama had endured withering criticism for failing to advance […]

The year in financial regulation kicked off with some immediate hope for reformers: Reacting to the January election of Republican Scott Brown to fill the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat, President Barack Obama decided to stake out some populist ground and endorse stiffer bank regulation, including the Volcker rule which limits risky bank trades. While […]

We’re taking some needed rest here at the Prospect. Posting will be light until we return from our various holidays on Jan. 3. If you just can’t stay away, we’ll be rolling out a series of posts looking at the past year in major progressive issues and staff picks for the best article we’ve published […]

It’s with a heavy heart that we here at TAP say goodbye to Ann Friedman (quick, before you start crying, bookmark her new blog). Let me let you in on a little secret: Ann has hired every. single. person. you. read. on. this. site. That includes our boss, Mark Schmitt. She’s a formidable editor, an […]