Working Life

   I don’t want to overstate this but it does make me a bit concerned when I look at the face of the economic transition team. Not a single labor leader was standing behind the president-elect at his first press conference. Here is the list: David Bonior (Member House of Representatives 1977-2003) Warren Buffett (Chairman […]

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   If policy was constructed by the people, not the wishes of the lobbyists and corporate interests, we would never see a so-called "free trade" deal pass Congress again. That’s pretty much the upshot of the 2008 elections–though, believe me, this fight ain’t over yet.     I would argue that the issue of trade […]

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   This is a modest observation that comes from an optimist–my friends say delusional optimist–that an Obama landslide is coming. Here’s the question: if it happens, will too many Democratic-inclined voters stay home in the three Western states and cost Democrats some close, important races?     A few initial thoughts: The Obama campaign, if […]

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   Last night’s debate, not surprisingly, didn’t finger the real culprit in the economic crisis hitting people everywhere–by the way, an economic crisis that is a far more ancient phenomena than the last few weeks. The real culprit is Market Fundamentalism.    And, so, I offer you this: "The Audacity of Timidity: Where Is The […]

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You Never Forget Your First Debate, but in case you do forget it, or like, never watched it in the first place, here are the undebatably top 10 best moments from Friday Night’s debate. 1) Host Jim Lehrer tries to provoke a presidential man love/hate catfight: "talk to each other about it. We’ve got five […]

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   Look, in the middle of this economic crisis and financial meltdown, you have to wonder: why is this election close? The answer is: race. All those negative answers to questions about whether Barack Obama has enough experience, or can be commander-in-chief or…whatever you want to choose, boil down to certain people won’t vote for […]

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  It never ceases to amaze me, even though we shouldn’t be shocked: the "free market" leaders fail–but, no worries, they still walk off with a pile of money, while average people get shafted. And the song remains the same at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.   Though this has been referred to in passing […]

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   A few thoughts about Sen. Obama’s speech last, mainly from the perspective, as usual, for what it means for workers and labor. I was at Invesco Field last night. It was an amazing night, something you can say thirty years from now that you witnessed. One of the hardest things to do at a […]

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  It’s not a hard intellectual or political lift to say that a President Obama would be leaps and bounds much better for working people than John "Third Bush Term" McCain–partly because the bar has been set so low in the past eight years. But, it’s worth being clear-eyed about what we can expect.   […]

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   The AFL-CIO endorsed Barack Obama today…    Weren’t you holding your breathe in anticipaton? From the press release: Calling Sen. Barack Obama a champion for working families, the top leaders of AFL-CIO unions today voted without opposition to endorse him for president of the United States, thrusting the labor federation’s largest ever grassroots mobilization […]

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