Category: Progressive Politics

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Not a Scandal

  By Philadelphia, Political Organizing, Progressive Politics

A number of Philadelphia progressives, and some editorial writers and columnists, are hot and bothered because the Democratic Party has asked judges up for a retention vote in the November election to make a substantial contribution in order to be included on the official party ballot. I am one progressive who is utterly unmoved by this supposed scandal. The criticisms of the party, and its chair, Congressman Bob Brady, are based on three false assumptions. The first is that judicial elections should be non-political in nature. Anyone who has followed the decisions of the courts of the United States, including the Supreme Court, in the last century, and especially in the 2000 Presidential election, can see through the myth that the judicial process is somehow non-political. Democrats and Republicans tend to interpret the laws differently and in ways that reflect their different ideals.  Much the same is true in the… Continue reading

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Picking the Right Target for Occupy Philly

  By Occupy Philly, Political Organizing, Progressive Politics

The Occupy Philly meeting last night was one of the best examples of direct democracy in action I’ve ever seen. We had some serious talk about where and when to being Occupy Philly. People listened to each other and changed their minds as the discussion proceeded. We made a decision. And we did it in less time than expected. Decisions to come There is a lot more to be decided and understood. We are just at the beginning of figuring out in detail what this movement is going to be and how it will impact the future of our country. But most of those decisions can come later. We all know what this movement is broadly about—the increasingly unequal distribution of power, wealth, and income in the United States. It’s a movement that aims to reverse the decline in American Democracy which we have all witnessed in the last 30… Continue reading

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What did you do during the class war, Mommy and Daddy?

  By Politics, Progressive Politics, Public Policy, Published op-eds, Social Justice, Taxation, US

Published in the Daily News, September 23, 2010 THOUGH I lead a progressive grass-roots organization, I’m a little embarrassed by the question that serves as a title for this essay. For 25 years, I taught political philosophy, most recently at Temple University. The key to my teaching was to encourage students see both sides of every issue. I was always proud when my students didn’t know where I stood politically. Teaching both sides of the issues rubs off. So, even now, I’m politically just a little left of center. I supported the Obama health-care plan rather than single-payer not out of political expedience but conviction. I believe that a hybrid public-private plan is most likely to give us the most effective health-insurance system. So, I’m uncomfortable saying we are in the midst of a class war right now in America. But it’s time for all of us on the left,… Continue reading

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An inflection point in history: health care and progressive reform in the balance

  By Health Care, Progressive Politics, US

There has never been a time in the fifty four years of my life when political action is more important and can have a greater impact on our future. That’s why I’m marching to Washington today and urging you to take join Melanie’s March To the Finish Line. Before I became a full time political organizer three years ago, I taught political philosophy and American politics for twenty five years. Like most people trained in philosophy and the political and social sciences, I’ve always been somewhat dubious about the ability of people to bend history. Most of the time, I believe, the forces that shape history overwhelm what we do as individuals. That’s true for Presidents and Congressional leaders. And it’s even more true for citizens. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t act politically. Historical forces act through us But, for most of my life, as someone who was an activist… Continue reading

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To the top of the greasy pole: Why health care reform is so hard and what we should do about it now

  By Health Care, Progressive Politics, US

Last night you heard President Obama say that we have to pass health care reform this year. Reports today that Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid are working on a plan to move the reform legislation through Congress. I know that many of you are disappointed and angry that we have not yet succeeded. I am, too. But I taught and studied American politics for many years before I became an activist, and I know that what we have seen in the 19 month long fight for health care reform is the usual course our politics takes on the most important questions. Continue reading

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Why You Should Support Lou Agre For State Representative

  By NW Philly, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Progressive Politics

Lou Agre is a friend of mine and someone who has supported my issue campaigns and my campaigns for political office. I’d be inclined to support him in whatever he does politically. But it’s not just a matter of friendship. There are a number of very good reasons for every progressive to back Lou in his race to replace Kathy Manderino in the State House. Continue reading

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Dennis Kucinich’s Temper Tantrum or Why Progressive Should Enthusiastically Embrace HR 3962.

  By Health Care, Progressive Politics

This is a long post. But if you want to know what’s in the bill, why progressive should support it and why they should not pay attention to Dennis Kucinich or other single payer critics of the bill, this is a good place to start. In one of the political traditions in which I was raised, one of the more useful epithets was “infantile leftist.” An infantile leftist was someone who took the most extreme left position even though it made little sense as either policy or politics. And they did it, primarily for internal political reasons—to win support on the left—or to show themselves and others that they are more pure or progressive or left than anyone else in the room. That phrase came to mind when I saw that Representatives Kucinich and Massa had voted against HR 3692 because it was not single payer and even more when… Continue reading

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Rally against Tom Donahue and the Chamber of Commerce in Philadelphia–and what we learned from it.

  By Progressive Politics, Social Justice

Last Friday, close to twenty advocacy groups and labor unions came together in front of the Loew’s Hotel in Center City Philadelphia to protest Tom Donhaue, the President of US Chamber of Commerce, who was speaking there. And, in the process, we learned something about the nature of political struggle in the United State today and about what we progressives must to do be successful We were there because, on issue after issue, Donahue has lead the US Chamber of Commerce to stand with the biggest, and most politically connected, corporations in the United States, and with their immensely overpaid chief executives, against the interests of not just the public at large, but most small and large businesses in the United States. Continue reading

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The dangers of Philadelphia’s zoning code revision for neighborhoods

  By Neighborhoods, Philadelphia, Progressive Politics, Urbanism

I’ve been predicting for some time that the Philadelphia zoning code revision is going to be the next flashpoint for progressives. I’ve been concerned that a zoning code commission heavily weighted towards developers will attempt to limit the power of community groups to guide development in their neighborhoods. So I’m not surprised to that at YPP Matt Ruben has pointed out that a provision in the zoning code revision would undermine the impact of community groups over the zoning process. Matt and others have suggested some ways to improve the process. I’m not yet sure we have the best solution although some of the ideas put forward on that thread are good starting points. But one problem with the whole reform process is being missed in this discussion. Paul Boni points out that community groups generally are welcome at the ZBA, Planning Commission, and Historical Commission. This is true and… Continue reading

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The Nutter administration (and us) at the crossroads

  By Philadelphia, Political Organizing, Progressive Politics

Originally posted at YPP The Nutter Administration stands at a crossroads. And so do we activists. It is not because the judicial decision barring the administration from closing libraries is an existential threat to the necessary powers of the Mayor. That claim, as I’ll explain in another post is nonsense. What is really at stake is whether, at this critical moment, the Nutter administration will decide to fix the broken political culture of our city or whether it will continue to work within it. What we do as activists may help determine the result. Continue reading