The Republicans and the Bush administration may have painted themselves into a serious political corner on the hot-button issue of Social Security. Last December a Social Security Commission appointed by the president reported three possible plans to privatize part of Social Security accounts. At the time the commission was appointed, conservative think tanks like the […]
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.
Posted inFeatures
Comment: Philanthropy and Movements
Recently I was invited to be the token liberal at a major national conference of conservative foundations. The invitation was to debate Bill Kristol, The Weekly Standard editor, TV pundit, and conservative grand strategist, as the after-dinner entertainment. Presumably, conservative donors wished to view the face of the enemy, close up. The better I did, […]
Posted inArticle
Reforming Welfare Reform:
The Senate will soon vote on the extension of the welfare reform program first passed in 1996. Many people have gotten off the welfare rolls and into paid work, thanks to a high employment economy and decent state work-support programs made possible by the temporary surplus of state welfare funds. Even with this success, millions […]
Posted inArticle
From Pack Rat to Tosser:
When it comes to clutter, there are two kinds of people in the world: pack rats and tossers. I’m a pack rat. I have clip files dating back to the late 1960s, sorted by subject, not to mention college term papers, Watergate documents, and raw research for books I’ve written. This is sort of defensible, […]
Posted inEducation in America
Tough Guys:
Last week in this space, I wrote about the Administration’s plans to “reform” welfare reform. The White House plans are so perverse that the subject deserves a deeper look. Thanks to the convergence of a strong economy and a flexible welfare program, a majority of people pushed off the rolls by the 1996 Temporary Assistance […]
Posted inFeatures
Comment: Republicans’ Favorite Democrats
The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was organized by southern governors, business Democrats, defense hawks, and social conservatives to push the party to the center. The theory was that this repositioning would win presidential elections (and also raise a ton of corporate money). Bill Clinton was taken as the DLC’s vindication. But how is the DLC […]
Posted inArticle
Welfare Deform:
You would think that the conservatives and moderates who gave us welfare reform in 1996 would be absolutely crowing about their achievement: welfare rolls cut by more than half; many women not just quitting welfare but increasing their education and improving earnings and lives. You’d also think the Bush administration would want to build on […]
Posted inArticle
Pride (In the Name of Markets):
I was recently invited to debate a leading conservative strategist before an audience of influential conservatives at a gala dinner. I suspect I’d been invited as the dinner. What’s a liberal to say? My message is that conservatives have won most of the great battles of the past two decades but are now in danger […]
Posted inFeatures
Comment: Good News
“Tell me some good news,” said my old friend Mike Miller, an indefatigable progressive and source of wise counsel. We were having a late afternoon coffee, talking politics and commiserating about the general state of political disengagement. It was the day the story would break about the pre-September 11 intelligence warnings. Before I could collect […]
Posted inArticle
401 KO:
Remember how Enron employees found their retirement accounts ruined because company policy blocked them from selling Enron stock while the stock was crashing? Congress is currently debating pension ”reform,” but only of the most flagrant abuses. But there is a much bigger story here. It isn’t just that some companies irresponsibly lock up workers’ retirement […]
