In April 2004, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney grew concerned that John Kerry was getting too much of his economic advice from the Wall Street wing of the Democratic Party. Kerry had just completed his primary sweep. In the general election, he would need the unions. Sweeney proposed a private meeting to discuss living standards as […]
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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Deadly When Wounded
One bumper sticker proposes: Impeach Cheney First. One bumper sticker proposes: Impeach Cheney First. Vice President Dick Cheney has now suffered back-to-back humiliations, with the conviction of his former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, and the wresting of key foreign policy decisions by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But if […]
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Buyer Beware
Whenever hugely profitable corporations mount a charm offensive, keep your hand on your wallet. Consider the current epidemic of corporate do-gooding. Whenever hugely profitable corporations mount a charm offensive, keep your hand on your wallet. Consider the current epidemic of corporate do-gooding. Item: Wal-Mart, under fire for paying less than a […]
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Democratic Stars Aligning
Looking at the Republican presidential field, you might be forgiven for thinking that none of the main contenders can be nominated. Looking at the Republican presidential field, you might be forgiven for thinking that none of the main contenders can be nominated. The presumed front-runner, John McCain, never a favorite of […]
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Must Trade Kill Equality?
An Economic Strategy to Advance Opportunity, Prosperity, and Growth by Robert C. Altman, Jason E. Bordoff, Peter R. Orszag, and Robert E. Rubin (The Hamilton Project, 28 pages, free at Hamiltonproject.org) How We Compete: What Companies Around the World are Doing to Make It in Today’s Global Economy by Suzanne Berger (Currency/Doubleday, 334 pages, $27.50) […]
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The Trade Quagmire
Get ready for a four-way train wreck on trade policy. The engineers: The Bush administration, the Democratic leadership in Congress, the Democratic back-benchers, and the government of China. Get ready for a four-way train wreck on trade policy. The engineers: The Bush administration, the Democratic leadership in Congress, the Democratic back-benchers, […]
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Nader Reconsidered
I have never seen a stronger field of Democratic presidential candidates, nor a weaker Republican one. Yet, as a Red Sox fan, I am always wary of this-could-be-the-year fever. I have never seen a stronger field of Democratic presidential candidates, nor a weaker Republican one. Yet, as a Red Sox fan, […]
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New Game in Town
Get ready for a revolution in trade politics. This week, President Bush reiterated his call for authority to make more trade deals, which expires June 30. He went on the road for a photo-op at a Caterpillar Tractor plant, arguing that trade deals promote exports. But in the new Congress, extension of […]
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The Case For Boldness
President Bush’s health plan, unveiled in his State of the Union address, is one more illustration of the folly of attempting heath reform piecemeal. Bush would end the current tax deduction for employer-provided health coverage, and substitute a personal deduction — $7,500 for an individual and $15,000 for a family. Bush’s […]
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Sleeping With the Enemy
Last year, Massachusetts enacted a fill-in-the-gaps approach to expanded health coverage. There was great self-congratulation by the Democratic legislature and the then-Republican governor, Mitt Romney. The press was mostly favorable. The hope was that by using existing subsidy dollars more efficiently and levying a token penalty on employers ($295 per employee) who […]
