This morning, I sat in on a presentation by leaders of Democratic-oriented Section 527 groups. These are the independent-expenditure groups, such as American Votes, that can raise and spend unlimited money to support or oppose a candidate, as long as they have no direct connection with a presidential campaign. I was there on a background […]
Robert Kuttner
Robert Kuttner is co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect, and professor at Brandeis University’s Heller School. His latest book is Notes for Next Time: Surviving Tyranny, Redeeming America. Follow Bob at his site, robertkuttner.com, and on Twitter.
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FORGOTTEN MAN.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was born 100 years ago today. Besides Franklin Roosevelt, his record as a progressive Democrat is unsurpassed. Thanks to his leadership and passion, Congress enacted Medicare, Medicaid, federal aid to education, Head Start, the Job Corps, legal services for the poor, and countless other pocketbook measures that helped millions out of poverty […]
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Ted Kennedy: A Liberal’s Bipartisan
The next time you hear that it is impossible for Barack Obama to work with Republicans and be a partisan Democrat, just point to the splendid example of Ted Kennedy.
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Gestures of Unity
Barack Obama has even agreed to seat the full Florida and Michigan delegations. So all is set for a drama-free convention, right?
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OBAMA’S CHALLENGE: HIS OWN BEST ADVISER.
Founding Editor Bob Kuttner is joining us on TAPPED with commentary about his new book, Obama’s Challenge: America’s Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency, and on economic issues in the campaign. In the end, this election will depend on whether Barack Obama is able to be persuasive to working and middle-class voters […]
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Crash: Financial and Ideological
Fixing the economic crisis will require a drastic revision of the ideological assumptions that have dominated American political discourse for a generation.
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Obama vs. the Fiscal Fear Mongers
The story of how the right convinced some centrist liberals to endorse the idea of an “entitlements crisis” shows how difficult — and necessary — it will be for the next president to resist conventional wisdom.
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VICE PRESIDENT GORE?
Vice President Gore? It has a certain ring. Most folks have assumed that Gore is off the VP list, but he hasn’t been slotted as a convention speaker yet, which is curious since Gore is one of the party’s superstars and its most effective spokesperson on energy and the environment. Are they holding off because […]
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Shorts and Fannies: A Brief History
Scratching your head trying to understand just what short-selling is and why it threatens banks; or what exactly Fannie Mae is, and how it might be dragging down a housing sector? Founding Editor Robert Kuttner explains.
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SENSIBLE BUDGET WONKS STRIKE BACK AGAINST CONSERVATIVES.
In April, a bizarre coalition of the Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation, released a one-sided document titled “Taking Back Our Fiscal Future” (PDF). Judging by the letterhead, the group represented a broad spectrum of moderates and conservatives, all of whom ostensibly agreed that the Republic was in dire peril because of long term deficits, […]
