“A bill passed Monday in the US House of Representatives and Thursday in the Senate would make it a felony—a serious criminal offense punishable by lengthy terms of incarceration—to participate in many forms of protest associated with the Occupy Wall Street protests of last year. Several commentators have dubbed it the “anti-Occupy” law, but its implications are far broader.”
After reading the implications of this bill, what are your thoughts? How will this impact protesting? Does this bill violate freedom to assembly?
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This article argues,
"In recent years, progressives have been more inclined to support privatization of state functions like prison management, to view equal opportunity in terms of a market-competition for increasingly scarce jobs, under-investing in worker rights, and using a rhetoric overly friendly to financial interests. If progressives want to affect substantive change these areas, they need to do more than come up with policy ideas. They need to reclaim the language of freedom."
Have Progressives bought into the conservative economic model? What does a Progressive economy entail?
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Progressive activists are outraged over tasteless comments made by Rush Limbaugh regarding a young woman testifying before congress about contraception coverage. How would you respond to Limbaugh? Why is contraception proving to be a politically contentious issue this year?
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While Romney supported the Wall Street bailouts, he opposed saving the American auto industry. How was he able to win Michigan? How can Progressives capitalize on his hypocrisy?
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Rick Santorum said he almost threw up in response to Kennedy's proclamation: "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute." How would you respond to Santorum? Also do you think right-wing politicians, like Santorum, or conservative judges present a serious threat to policies safeguarding the separation of church and state?
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“Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich…promised supporters at the California Republican Convention today that he would sign an executive order if elected to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project…Gingrich admonished what he called the Obama Administration’s systemic failure in energy policy, and accused it of deliberately raising gas prices.”
How would you respond to Gingrich’s blame of President Obama for the recent spike in gas prices? In what ways (if any) have the President’s energy policies impacted the cost of oil? What are your thoughts on President Obama’s energy policies?
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To thwart Romney and complicate the GOP nominating process, some Progressive groups are advocating that Democrats vote for Santorum in Republican primaries, particular in the Michigan election. Is this a good strategy?
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This article's author argues,
"The single largest contributor to this stagnation of middle class incomes has been the corporate attack on organized labor...The last thirty years shows conclusively that the "competitive market" -- absent collective bargaining -- simply does not assure that everyday employees share in the fruits of increased productivity or economic growth. "
Do you agree that a correlation exists between the decline of organized labor and the decline of the middle class? How can we combat right-wing attacks on unions? What can be done to restore collective bargaining in this country?
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Mitt Romney wants to raise the medicare eligibility age. What are your thoughts on this policy? Does the eligibility age need to be raised? Or can the program remain stable by other means?
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The President is proposing to cut the corporate tax rate. In this article, Robert Reich asks, "Why isn't the White House just proposing to close the loopholes without reducing overall corporate tax rates? That would generate more tax revenue that could be used for, say, public schools." What do you think of the President's decision?
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SCOTUS will reexamine the constitutionality of affirmative action polices in public universities. How is the court likely to rule on the case? Could their ruling potentially exacerbate racial inequalities at public universities?
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In This interview, Progressive icon Russ Feingold argues that we as nation have been asleep post-911, completely oblivious to global changes taking place. Feingold states, "We seem to be comfortable with not engaging the rest of the world." This complacency, moreover, leaves us vulnerable on numerous fronts. Are citizens of our nation too isolationist in their thinking? Do Progressive activists need to invest more effort and energy into studying foreign policy and global affairs?
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“Government checks would not solve the car companies’ long-term problems, Mr. Romney wrote in an opinion article that he asked The New York Times to publish. The better path, he suggested, was a court-administered restructuring that would leave the companies with costs more in line with the global competition. The article carried the headline “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt,” which critics continue to use against him.”
What are your thoughts on Romney’s responses to the bailout?
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In this article, Progressive economist Dean Baker states,
"...politicians and pundits want to distract people’s attention from unemployment by complaining about the deficit. They have deceived many people into thinking that the economy would somehow be stronger and there would be more jobs if the deficit was reduced...This view makes no sense. There are no businesses that are going to hire additional workers because the government laid off school teachers or firefighters..."
Do you agree that focusing primarily on budgets cuts right now is a bad move, one likely to exacerbate our economic woes?
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Rick Santorum is surging in the GOP primary in part due to invoking the "culture wars" and relgious rhetoric. What do you think of Santorum questioning the President's relgious values? Will religion be important in the 2012 elections?
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This article's author states,
"Unions promote democracy in the work place. Unions provide a voice for workers so that the administration does not have all the power. When you take unions out of the picture, which is what right-to-work legislation is trying to do, you return to a time when big business owners were the masters and their workers had no rights."
How should Progressives respond to the GOP/Tea Party efforts to pass right-to-work laws?
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A year ago, the world watched as Wisconsin protestors stood up against Governor Walker's attack on collective bargaining rights. Is collective bargaining now a thing of the past or are Progressives rebuilding the labor rights movement? What are now the most important goals for labor rights activists?
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In a forthcoming ad due to air in Michigan Romney defends an earlier oped piece he wrote in 2008 arguing against the bailouts that Detroit should be allowed to go bankrupt.
“Mr. Romney says he always favored what he calls a “managed bankruptcy” for the auto companies that would have allowed the businesses to restructure and emerge stronger than before. He criticized Mr. Obama for choosing what he called a “bailout” of the industry that benefited big labor unions.”
What do you think of Romney’s critique of the bailouts? Do you think the bailouts benefitted labor unions? How would Romney’s notion of “managed bankruptcy” have impacted the economy?
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Although the economy is showing some resilience, Soros predicts,
" I'm worried that the politics of the election are going to interfere and put a lid on this –because the Republicans don't want to face elections where Obama can claim to have sort of seen the economy recover. So they will continue to push for austerity, no new taxes, and therefore cutting of services, which will depress economic activity and employment."
Is this a legitimate fear? If so, how can Progressives prevent right-wing policies from depressing the economy?
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This article's authors states,"America is facing an election that is about more than candidate personalities, or even policy platforms; it is about the war of ideas, and at stake is nothing less than our collective political and economic future. Progressives can only win this long-term battle by finally articulating a deeper and more coherent vision of progressive political economy, one that sharply contrasts with conservative ideals."
What does a Progressive political economy entail? How does Progressive economic thinking contrast to the free-market fundamentalism of the GOP/Tea Party?
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