Separation of Church and State

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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President Obama and gas prices

“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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Progressive strategies for GOP nominations

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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Is the decline of organized labor and decline of the middle class linked?

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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Romney on Medicare age limit

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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Obama's proposal to cut corporation tax rate

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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Affirmative Action in Universities

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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Progressivism and Foreign policy

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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on "Let Detroit go bankrupt"

“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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Will focus on the deficit hurt the economy?

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's questioning of President Obama's religious values

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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Unions and the Right to Work

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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Goals for labor rights activists

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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Who should be bailed out?

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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How to stop the GOP from hurting the economy?

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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A progressive political economy

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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Feingold on the President's reversal on SuperPACS

Speaking of the President's reversal on super PACs, former Senator Russ Feingold says,

" It is a dumb approach...I think people will see it as phony that Democrats start playing by Republican rules. People will see us as weak and not being a true alternative and just being the same as the other guy. And as I have said before, to me this is dancing with the devil."

Do you think the President is dancing with the devil? Can Progressives survive politically without super PACs?

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The rhetoric of colleges being used for 'indoctrination'

Rick Santorum accuses the left of using colleges for "indoctrination." What is his strategy in using this rhetoric? How would you respond?

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Birth control coverage and separation of church and state

“The White House says it wants to allay the concerns of Catholic church-affiliated employers over a new requirement for them to provide birth control coverage regardless of their religious beliefs….Press secretary Jay Carney said President Obama's focus is making sure that women employed by Catholic church-affiliated employers like hospitals, colleges or charities are able to get contraception. At the same time, Carney said Obama wants to respect religious beliefs and convictions”

What are your thoughts on this proposal? Is such a compromise even possible without denying some non-religiously affiliated women access as well? Would forcing coverage on Catholics constitute a violation of fr4eedom of religion? Or would possibly denying non-Catholics constitute a violation of separation of church and state? Is there a way to prevent the violation of freedom of religion here without violating separation of church and state?

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Universal Healthcare coverage

Could the cause of universal healthcare die at the hands of the Supreme Court? Was the President unwise to push for an individual mandate to purchase insurance or was it a necessary initiative?

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The future of Proposition 8

“A federal appeals court plans to announce whether it thinks California's same-sex marriage ban violates the civil rights of gays and lesbians….Supporters and opponents of Proposition 8 have said they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if they lose in the intermediate court.”

What are your thoughts on this recent development on Prop 8? Does this pave the way for potentially legalizing gay marriage? Do you think the current Supreme Court would rule in favor? How might the 2012 election impact potential upcoming Supreme Court decisions such as this one?

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The Daily Kos article on Progressive support of President Obama in 2012

This Daily Kos article gives arguments issue by issue as to why or if Progressives should support Obama in 2012 based on his policies and past actions. Among the arguments the author gives is that: “A loss by President Obama in November would be disastrous for progressives in terms of the [Supreme] Court.”. The author reminds us of Obama’s support of supported improving the fairness of the tax code and on the economy, the author argues “While many of us firmly believe that President Obama's 2009 stimulus package was woefully inadequate, his reelection remains a political test for the view that the government has a major role in the economy.” The author wraps up their article urging reluctant Progressives engage in “this type of issue by issue analysis…in evaluating their support for President Obama's reelection.” What are your thoughts on these arguments?

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impact of PAC money on 2012 election

Due to the Citizens United decision, PAC money will be flooding media markets throughout the 2012 election. What kind of an effect will this have on the outcome of the Presidential election? What can Progressives do to stay competitive in a post- Citizens United world?

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Austerity measures

The GOP Presidential candidates believe that the economy will recover if we slash funding to public services and social programs. In this article, Krugman points out that this is the same philosophy that the British government has used in a failed attempt to stimulate their economy. What do you think of austerity measures? What can we learn from Britain?

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The use of Social Media among Progressives

This article encourages Progressives to be active in social media, claiming,

“Social Media is going to be one of the central battlegrounds in the 2012 election cycle in the US. The corporate right understands this very well, and they have invested mass sums from their war chest to send in legions of mindless astroturfers to try to control content aggregation and spin.”

The article then summarizes the various the types of social media out there and states Progressives should be more active across the social media spectrum outside of Facebook and Twitter. What are your thoughts? What role do you think social media will play in the 2012 election cycle?

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The status of #Occupy

Occupy Oakland’s tactics over the past few months has caused quite a bit of controversy, between Occupy the Ports, and the more recent attempts to claim a new protest space, among which culminated in the burning of an American flag. A recent poll of the San Francisco Bay area by SurveyUSA reports that support of Occupy has decreased drastically among people who reportedly used to support or participate in the movement. What are your thoughts on the state of the Occupy movements, especially in Oakland? Do you agree with some of its critics that Occupy should be trying to work more with labor groups and unions rather than focusing on takeovers of buildings? What advice would you give to Occupy movements across the country?



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