Rights and Democracy
Lady Liberty
Fighting Back Against a Corporate Court
The decision on Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission could have been relatively limited. When it first arrived at the Supreme Court, it only required the Court to decide whether feature-length films on Pay-Per-View were subject to the provisions of campaign finance regulations. But the Court, over the course of many months, expanded the scope of the case to radically transform not just politics, but the democratic system itself.
Palin’s Tea Party
The Divine Sarah has spoken. “How’s that hopey-changey thing working out for you?” That’s what she said, Sarah Palin. She said it to the Tea Party at their recent convention (or was it the Tea Party Party?) in Nashville.
Remembering Howard Zinn
Our nation lost a pioneering historian and social activist last month. Howard Zinn, who died while swimming laps at 87, revolutionized the way millions of Americans—especially young Americans— understand our shared history.
The Kids are All Right
Being a young American today can be discouraging. Things don’t look so good for us, even since Bush left office, leaving behind an awful lot of cleaning up for us “Millennials” to do.
Next, We’ll Sell Senate Seats to Exxon Mobil and AT&T
I think we should do away with the charade of elections, at least for the Senate. Let’s replace them with an auction. I mean a real auction, with an auctioneer and gavel.
New American Crisis
You might have some idea if you’ve ever found yourself facing foreclosure on your home; or worked at a company that was downsizing and laying people off; or enrolled in a college where the tuition keeps doubling; or faced salary freezes year after year, even while the cost of living rises. Most of us know how those things feel. It’s the feeling of losing control over your destiny. Get used to that feeling. It has just become what it feels like to be a citizen of the United States of America.
Free at Last
Massachusetts: The Democrats Blew It
The Democratic Party, starting with the political wizards in the White House on down, simply blew it in Massachusetts. It wasn’t just Coakley who took a vacation in the middle of the campaign, the entire party did.
Change Can Be Tougher Than Hope
On the campaign trail, On the campaign trail, Barack Obama electrified Americans with his bold call to transform despair into hope, and voters elected him in a landslide. Democratic candidates for Congress rode his broad coattails to large majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that his party hadn’t held in a generation. The stage was set to transform hope into change, for jobs, health care, climate change, and many other fundamental challenges.
