By Paul Street *Opening comments in a debate with John K. Wilson, a former Barack Obama student and author of the book President Barack Obama: A More Perfect Union (Paradigm, 2009) The debate, held by The Open Univesity of the Left in Chicago on Thursday, August 27th, 2009, was titled, “Is Barack Obama A Progressive?” [...]
By Margaret Kimberley Self-styled “progressives” tend to think of themselves as another tribe entirely, untainted by American chauvinism. It ain’t so. “Progressives also succumb to the belief in American divine right, and consequently can often be as dangerous as those on the political right.” This is especially evident in the Age of Obama, who “has [...]
By Bruce A. Dixon Why a Report Card At All? The hundred day report card is an enduring tradition in American journalism for a very good reason. It’s journalism’s job to help citizens make sense of the world, to seek the truth and tell it without fear or favor no matter where it leads. Three [...]
By Jerry D. Rose Common Dreams yesterday posted an article by Norman Solomon, one of a seemingly endless series of “Progressives for Obama” pieces that have urged the necessity of a grassroots progressive movement to keep pressure on Obama to carry forth a progressive agenda. Most of the comments posted on the article, including my [...]
By Jerry D. Rose People like me who are skeptical of many of Barack Obama’s policies and practices have been re-assured that, however his election may have seemed to ratify a continuation of abusive conditions in the established social order, his election has at least stirred up a sleeping giant of youthful enthusiasm for profound [...]
By Glen Ford Lots of folks on the left, it is now apparent, no longer seek anything more than to bask in the sunshine of Barack Obama’s smile. No matter how much national treasure their champion transfers to the bankster class, and despite his exceeding George W. Bush in military spending, so-called progressives for Obama [...]
Two nights ago, I and 15 other members of a play-reading group to which I belong read a play by Robert Anderson that I had selected, “You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running.” This is a collection of four short “sex comedies,” the title one of which is sub-titled “The Shock of [...]
by michael hureaux perez I live in White Center, which is on the southwest border of Seattle City limits. Life in White Center has been dicey for a long time, the old joke about the area is that “it ain’t so white and it ain’t so centered.” Originally, it was a farming community with the [...]
Shortly after President-elect Obama named Thomas Daschle as his choice to be Secretary for Health and Human Services, I wrote a piece on this web log detailing some “ethical” problems with the appointment. My focus was on the background of his (and his wife’s) cozy connections with the health care industry between the time in [...]
By Glen Ford They were pilgrims, one million African Americans bent on fulfilling a solemn, silly, tearful, giddy, deep-felt, mindless, gotta-be-there obligation. They were the faithful, the heretics, the high priests and low-lifes, the innocent and the guilty-as-sin. All were committed to a once (or, at least, first) in a lifetime trek to Washington to [...]
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