Blog Profile / Open Left
| URL : | http://www.openleft.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | US Politics / Liberal | |
| Posts on Regator: | 10003 | |
| Posts / Week: | 36.2 | |
| Archived Since: | March 4, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Obama's "constructive engagement" with Mubarak: A shameful legacy approaching a shameful end.
Obama's first public political speech, at Occidental College on February 18, 1981, was delivered in opposition to apartheid, and in support of the divestment movement. (The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama by David Remnick [pp 109-110].) "There's a struggle going on!" he said, "A struggle that demands we choose sides. Show More Summary
One last filibuster reform myth
Chris Bowers has a good, detailed write up on how the Senate rules reform fight happened. It's good reading for those interested in the tactical and strategy debates for how the netroots can most effectively bring about change and so forth. Show More Summary
Left Ed: Beware the "New Washington Consensus on Education"
This week, the conservative movement in our country ushered in the "New Washington Consensus on Education." As noted on Flypaper, blog site for the rightwing thinktank Fordham Institute, backers of this bipartisan effort to make public...Show More Summary
Egypt: Alternative Scenarios Emerging
(1) Negotiated transition. The Muslim Brotherhood has announced its support for Mohamed ElBaradei as head of a transition government. This pretty much completes the process of ElBaradei's emergence as temporary leader of the opposition,...Show More Summary
Egypt: ElBaradei stepping up
As Mubarak is furiously pursuing a multi-track strategy to try to divide the tidal wave of opposition that has suddenly arisen against him--including a reshuffling of tired old faces, and a combination of police neglect and agent provocateurs...Show More Summary
Egyptians ignore curfew, demand regime change, as Obama, western world dither
50,000 demonstrators have gathered in Tahrir Square alone:
Mubarak's attempt to save himself by sacrificing his puppet cabinet has been soundly rejected by the protesters who continue to swell the streets in defiance of curfew orders, calling for his resignation. Show More Summary
"Spontaneity" and social change | reflections on Gramsci pt.1
I've been thinking a lot about the concept of hegemony, and reading Antonio Gramsci. I'll be posting a few reflections here as I go. Cross-posted at BeyondtheChoir.org Years ago, I remember growing wary of tendencies (within activist groups I was part of) to exaggerate and glorify supposedly "spontaneous" elements of activism and protest. Show More Summary
Egypt: What's next?
Digby: John Bolton was on Fox earlier pimping the idea that this is the work of the Muslim Brotherhood or radical extremists and fretting over the toppling of this "secular" government. If he's any gauge, the Right is reverting to its natural impulse: supporting dictators. Show More Summary
From Quality to Quantity - and Maybe Back Again
Amid last week's flood of business news, one story stood out as reason to hope for more than just a momentary uptick in your 401(k): Apple, you may have heard, announced record first-quarter profits. This was not some mundane stock market announcement important only to the investor class. Show More Summary
Egyptian Demonstations Reach Unprecedented Level
Curfew: Total FAIL! Coverage from Al Jazeera English live stream paints a picture of a country possibly on the brink of regime change from below. Currently, protesters control the streets, and no one knows what will happen next. What we've already seen would have been inconceivable kust four days ago. Show More Summary
The slow-growth problem
Paul Krugman writes (emphasis added): Unpleasant GDP Arithmetic GDP growth at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the 4th quarter. Hurray! Or, actually, not. Today's GDP report puts real GDP basically back where it was in the 4th quarter of...Show More Summary
Dead man's poodle: The Obama-Reagan connections--a few obvious truths now openly admitted
In Quick Hits, FLGibsonJr points to a Time magazine piece, "The Role Model: What Obama Sees in Reagan", which is at best simply a confirmation of what many of us have been saying for quite some time now. As Mark Matson says: The Theory Into Practice section starts to sound more like the president we all know and... Show More Summary
Culture war economics
Opening yesterday's show, Rachel Maddow devoted a good deal of detailed argument to making the point that the Republican Party is deeply committed to the culture wars, even as it pretends to be all about the economy. Given how this conflicts...Show More Summary
Egypt thread
I'm following this on twitter, and since I have access to a slightly louder megaphone than some, let's take a second at least to remember that the fate of a nation hangs in the balance right now. At least we can pay attention if nothing else. Show More Summary
"We do big things." Oh, really?
"We do big things." -- Barack Obama, SOTU. How so? What did Obama say about resurrecting our economy, the way FDR did with the New Deal? What did Obama say about global warming & making an effort commensurate with what scientists tell...Show More Summary
WE are the moderates--fighting extremists on both sides
Perhaps the favorite Versailles trope is that of "extremists on both sides", which was deployed yet again, recently, to try to dismiss the fact that rightwing incitements to violence are so omnipresent in various different forms. But...Show More Summary
The "free trade" foundations of "comparative advantage" debunked--for all pracical purposes
FLGibsonJr in Quick Hits takes note of Public Citizen calling Obama's economic mixed-message "beyond surreal": It was beyond surreal to hear President Barack Obama talk about the priority of creating U.S. jobs while saying nothing about...Show More Summary
Real Change Means a Different Kind of Bipartisan Unity
Look, let's just be honest: It's more than a little boring to watch the elite media fawn all over a president after a State of the Union address. It's all so scripted and silly, isn't it? The "objective" D.C. press corps, captivated by all the pomp and circumstance, celebrates the rhetorical flourish. Show More Summary
Barack Obama & the 92% illusion
Last night, Rachel Maddow began with a very sharp insightful bit of commentary, at least for the first 4 1/2 minutes, pointing out that were Eisenhower to run to day, he'd have to do so as a Bernie Sanders-style independent. And sheShow More Summary
This is what democracy looks like.. in Egypt, no thanks to America
"We don't have only one Ben Ali in the Arab world; we have 22 Ben Alis, and they all need to go." -- -- Independent journalist and blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy, arabawy.org on Democracy Now! Weds. AM HousesofProgress posted this picture...Show More Summary