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Vol. 28 No. 4Fall 2017
Columns
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An American Way for America Now
Why the country needs a Democratic party that knows it needs white working-class voters
Notebook
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When Soft Power Salutes Despots
American diplomacy once leaned against aspiring dictators. Trump eggs them on. How much global influence does the U.S. really have—for good or evil? -
Low Unemployment Doesn't Increase Wages Like It Used To
Full employment is still necessary, but rebuilding the middle class also requires dethroning shareholders and boosting worker power. -
It Will Take More Than Single Payer to Make Baltimore Healthy
More than access to health care, the ongoing legacies of Jim Crow diminish African Americans' health and longevity. -
Weakening Medicaid From Within
The Trump administration is poised to misuse its legal authority in an effort to cull people from the Medicaid rolls.
Culture
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How She Lost
Malpractice cost Clinton the election, but her ambivalence on big issues was produced by big structural factors that affect all Democrats. -
Where the Republican Party Began
Sidney Blumenthal's new volume in his biography of Lincoln explores the role of leadership in the remaking of American politics in the 1850s. -
Can Love Conquer Hate?
Will the increasing prevalence of intermarriage lead to broader empathy and understanding?
Features
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The American HeartbreakThe American Heartbreak
Despair Is Not an Option
The Trump presidency is not the end of the American story. -
The American Heartbreak
What Will It Take for Black Lives to Matter?
Nonviolent, cross-racial coalitions are the only way back to a decent America. -
The American Heartbreak
White Nationalism and Economic Nationalism
How a progressive economic program could Make America Great Again—without the racist tinge. -
Unfriendly Skies
It's time to admit that airline deregulation has failed passengers, workers—and economic efficiency. -
Real Tax Reform: What It Is and What It Isn’t
Trump’s proposed tax cuts, mostly on corporations and the wealthy, will do nothing to help the people who elected him president. -
The Freedom Caucus’s Man on the Inside
Mick Mulvaney has his dream job as director of OMB. Given the general chaos in Trump-world, what can he make of it? -
Not Britain's Finest Hour
If Brexit actually happens, those most harmed will be the people who voted for it. How did Britain get into such a mess, and how might she yet muddle out of it? -
France and Germany: An Aging Couple Carries On
Merkel and Macron need each other, as emblems of a still vital European center. But can Macron deliver more than symbols, and will Merkel take her foot off Europe’s oxygen hose? -
The Proselytizers and the Privatizers
How religious sectarian school voucher extremists made useful idiots of the charter school movement -
Fossil-Free Finance
The surprising successes of the divestment movement as an anti-carbon organizing strategy -
Slaying the Partisan Gerrymander
With extreme gerrymanders on the rise, it is time for the Supreme Court—and the states—to curb a practice that has gotten out of control. -
Francis Revives the Workers' Church
The Catholic Church in America—once an ally of workers and their unions—grew deferential to big money in recent decades. Now, prompted by the Pope, a new generation of labor priests and bishops is trying to change that. -
White Nationalism and Economic Nationalism
Democrats can't compete with Bannon on racism—and shouldn't—but they can certainly outdo him when it comes to good jobs. -
Not Britain’s Finest Hour
If Brexit actually happens, those most harmed will be the people who voted for it. How did Britain get into such a mess, and how might she yet muddle out of it? -
Desegregated, Differently
Half of Hartford’s schoolkids attend integrated schools, thanks to a legal strategy that might work elsewhere.
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Vol. 3 No. 28Summer 2017
Columns
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The European Mirror
Is there any way out of the dialectic of neoliberal policies producing economic backlash and support for the nationalist far right?
Notebook
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Settlements: The Real Story
Fifty years after the Six-Day War, a mistaken account of how settlement began still plagues Israeli politics. -
Silk Roadblock
Yo-Yo Ma's celebrated project for global understanding through music runs into Donald Trump's sour note. -
Ignoring Police Violence
Baltimore officials accepted a voluntary settlement to reduce police abuses. Jeff Sessions wants to kill it.
Culture
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Fiscal Purgatory in New York
How New York’s budget crisis was used to roll back expansive government -
The Long Arc of Protest
While digital media make it easier to spread activist messages, today’s movements face many of the same problems their forerunners did. -
Gift Horse or Trojan Horse?
The mixed record of America’s new rich as often self-interested philanthropists -
Goodbye to All That Democracy
Can our constitution co-exist with extremes of economic inequality? -
State-Enforced Segregation and the Color of Justice
Jim Crow was the descendant of Southern slavery. More shocking is the legacy of government-enforced racism in the North.
Features
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The Wages of NeglectThe Wages of Neglect
Place Matters
As in the 1930s, progressives need economic development strategies for the left-behind regions of the country. -
The Wages of Neglect
The Democrats’ ‘Working-Class Problem’
It’s not only with whites. It reaches well into the party’s base. -
The Wages of Neglect
A Tale of Two Populisms
The elite the white working class loathes is politicians. -
The Wages of Neglect
Democrats Need to Be the Party of and for Working People—of All Races
And they can’t retake Congress unless they win over more white workers. -
The Wages of Neglect
Why the White Worker Theme Is Harmful
It’s a mistake to racialize an economy that harms the entire working class. -
Kansas, Sam Brownback, and the Trickle-Down Implosion
The Kansas governor’s attempt to create supply-side nirvana in Middle America not only failed to grow the economy—it created a crippling crisis of government that led to a statewide rejection of his politics. -
Private Equity: The New Neighborhood Loan Sharks
Veterans of the Contract Buyers League hit the doors again. -
Who Is Wilbur Ross?
From bankruptcy king to Trump’s king of commerce -
The Great Los Angeles Revolt Against Cars
L.A. voters have chosen to tax themselves to build a citywide rail system. Can rail also resurrect the city’s long-vanished middle class? -
Charlie and the MBTA
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s privatization initiative at greater Boston’s transit authority has realized short-term savings—but the cure is still adequate public investment. -
The Pittsburgh Conundrum
Can you have a model city in a left-behind region? -
Tilting at Windmills
Why the green jobs promise is still unfulfilled -
Will Trump Kill the CFPB?
Created in response to the financial crisis, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has returned nearly $12 billion to consumers—which may be exactly why it’s now under threat.
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Vol. 28 No. 2Spring 2017
Columns
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The Republican Health-Care Unraveling: Resist Now, Rebound Later
The reaction against the GOP could boost progressive organizing and bolder reforms.
Notebook
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Corporate America and Donald Trump
Don't mistake the corporate embrace of diversity for defense of democracy. -
Mass Incarceration and the Achievement Gap
The impact of imprisoned parents on children shows how criminal justice policy is education policy. -
The Instantaneous Injustice of Bail
For Chicago's poor, who can't afford attorneys, bail hearings often don't last longer than a few seconds—and may keep them in jail for want of a few hundred dollars. -
Fighting Child Poverty With a Universal Child Allowance
Expanding a strategy on which liberals and conservatives can agree
Culture
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In Search of Obama
Jonathan Chait lays out a case for Obama as a transformative president. -
How the Religious Right Led to Trump
Two new books on America's religious history provide key insights into the currents that produced one of the country's least religious and least biblically literate presidents. -
Citizen Activism and the Courts
The surprising impact of popular movements on judicial doctrines -
Why Are Men Dropping Out of Work?
A new book highlights the decline of male employment.
Features
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Can the Democratic Party Be White Working Class, Too?
While Hillary Clinton was losing Montana by more than 23 points, Steve Bullock was elected governor running as a progressive Democrat. What can the rest of us learn from Montana? -
The Anti-Trump Movement: Recover, Resist, Reform
The profusion of citizen organizing as defense—and offense -
How California Hopes to Undo Trump
America’s mega-state is now clearly its leftmost, too—and on social insurance, climate change, and immigrant rights, it has more capacity and desire to defeat Republican reaction than any other institution. -
Will Suburban Activism Pave the Democratic Path to the House?
If they’re to retake Congress in 2018, Democrats need their newfound activist hordes to focus on health coverage—and diverse, upscale swing districts. -
No Factions in Foxholes
Confronted by the crisis that is the Trump presidency, American progressives have overcome identity politics’ barriers and joined up in mutual defense. -
Trump’s Media War
Trump goes after the news media not because he thinks they’re strong, but because he thinks they’re weak and he can diminish them further. -
The Hour of the Attorneys General
State Democratic AGs have assumed new importance in the effort to contain the Trump presidency. -
Taking a Scalpel to Medicaid
Republican claims of their bill's great flexibility for the states are a sham cover for disabling cuts. -
Driverless Future?
If they ever get the bugs out, autonomous cars will put a lot of human drivers out of work. -
The Hidden Monopolies That Raise Drug Prices
How pharmacy benefit managers morphed from processors to predators -
The War on Facts Hits Prescription Drug Regulation
The FDA's authority was under legal attack even before Trump. Now the agency faces a triple threat. -
Trumping State Regulators and Juries
The right backs states' rights when that's convenient—but uses federal preemption to overrule blue state policies. -
The War on Regulation
Under Trump, it's open season on health, safety, labor, financial, and environmental measures—that protect people who voted for him. -
Saving the Planet Goes Local
The Trump administration plans to decimate environmental safeguards—so blue states and cities are stepping up their efforts to arrest climate change. -
The Incoming Privatization Assault
Get ready for everything from private infrastructure and private prisons to voucherized schools and Medicaid.
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Vol. 28 No. 1Winter 2017
Columns
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It's the Misogyny, Stupid
Trump's election threw the long-standing sexism of white America into stark relief. -
The Audacity of Hope
Trump's win was both a perfect storm and the culmination of long term trends. Can American fascism be stopped?
Notebook
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The Case for Resistance
There is no common ground to be had with the Trump administration. -
Mapping the White Working Class
A deep dive into the beliefs and sentiments of the moderates among them -
Voter Suppression Works Too Well
The Republicans’ quest for a permanent political majority culminated in mammoth voter suppression in 2016. The 2018 midterm election promises both to embolden these efforts and energize resistance.
Culture
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Class Act
Where Bruce comes from, and how he got here. -
The Banks Are Even Worse
Storefront payday lenders and check-cashers are all that tens of millions of Americans have. -
The Neighborhood Activist as Prophet
How Jane Jacobs took on the planners—and how her legacy is at risk. -
Hidden in the Algorithms
A new book argues that data science may serve to reinforce inequality.
Features
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Who Are We Americans Now?
And who will we become under Trump? -
The Democrats in Opposition
They not only need to resist Trump. They need to build power wherever they can. -
Latinos and the Future of American Politics
Defending immigrants and championing progressive economics (that even Rust Belt whites could like) are imperative—and complementary. -
Trump and the World
Blustering Toward Armageddon
How Donald Trump will take America to war -
Trump and the World
The Rise of Populist Nationalism in Europe and the United States
Authoritarian democracy is on the march on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite alarming parallels, the U.S. remains better positioned to preserve and rebuild true democracy. -
Trump and the World
America’s Interest in a Global Rule of Law
Will Trump destroy the global order that the U.S. has led? -
Trump and the Constitution
Justice at Risk
Trump’s nominee to succeed Scalia will restore a right-wing majority. One additional Trump appointee could undo rights established 50 years ago and more. -
Trump and the Constitution
Civil Rights Déjà Vu, Only Worse
Under George W. Bush, Republicans set about undermining the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. Expect a more devastating assault on the division under Trump. -
Trump and the Economy
The Folly of Trumponomics
It may produce a short-lived boom. Then, look out. -
Trump and the Economy
Watch Out for Even More Tax Breaks -- for the Rich
How we squander resources through the tax code, and how that could get a lot worse in the age of Trump -
Trump and the Economy
Dismantling Dodd-Frank -- And More
Candidate Trump promised to take on Wall Street. As deregulator-in-chief, he will be Wall Street’s best friend. -
Trump and the Economy
Can Labor Fight Back?
Trump and the Republicans plan to roll back worker rights to pre-New Deal levels. -
Trump and Education
The War on Public Schools
Charters, vouchers, and disposable teachers are Trump’s targets. -
Trump and Education
Milwaukee’s Voucher Verdict
What 26 years of vouchers can teach the private-school choice movement—if only it would listen -
Portable Benefits for an Insecure Workforce
Why Americans need portable benefits, what those benefits should look like, and how those benefits can be created and funded -
Unions in the Precarious Economy
How collective bargaining can help gig and on-demand workers
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Vol. 27 No. 4Fall 2016
Columns
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When Elections Fail
American democracy faces the risk of systemic harm in 2016.
Notebook
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Could Clinton Tame Congress?
How a Democratic Senate might shift the legislative dynamics. -
Voting Rights: Will Court Protections Deliver?
Federal courts have overturned several state voting restrictions, but the struggle continues on the ground. -
Going Local in the Fight Against Inequality
What progressives can learn from de Blasio’s policies in New York City. -
Why the Election Is Not as Volatile as It May Seem
The hardened divide in American politics
Culture
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Making the Most of Your Luck
The role of sheer fortune challenges the politics of the fortunate—and the conceits of economics. -
Rationalizing Trump
Coulter threads her way between the Koch brothers, alt-right, and Paul Ryan. -
Hidden Injuries
The decline of the white working class and the rise of the Tea Party and Donald Trump. -
The Costs of Being Poor
Two new books explore how difficult the housing market and criminal justice system make it to climb out of poverty.
Features
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Trump’s Riches and the Real-Estate Tax Racket
The industry where you really can make billions and pay no taxes. -
Progressive Politics After Bernie
The Sanders campaign mobilized the largest democratic left the nation has seen in decades. Can its follow-up organization and other liberal groups roll its revolution on? -
Special Report: A Governing AgendaSpecial Report: A Governing Agenda
A New Era for the Supreme Court
The transformative potential of a shift in even one seat -
Special Report: A Governing Agenda
Stronger Policy, Stronger Politics
More than ever, we need a public option—and other changes—to ensure the ACA achieves its ambitious, far-reaching goals. -
Special Report: A Governing Agenda
From a Contentious Election to a Stronger Democracy
Strengthening democracy is the key to all other reforms. -
Special Report: A Governing Agenda
Aiding Families, Boosting the Economy
It’s time we saw support for child care and paid leave as central to both economic growth and family well-being. -
Special Report: A Governing Agenda
The New Rules of the Road: A Progressive Approach to Globalization
The new president needs a fresh approach to trade. -
Special Report: A Governing Agenda
Infrastructure: Can We Finally Think Big?
The defining challenge of the next president’s infrastructure agenda will be persuading Congress to come along for the ride. -
Challenging the New Curse of Bigness
Most of today’s abuses call for antitrust remedies from the Progressive Era—if we just get serious about enforcement. -
The Progressive Tax Reform You’ve Never Heard Of
How ending profit shifting can fix corporate tax cheating and satisfy Republicans -
Race and the Tragedy of Quota-Based Policing
Arrest targets compound the risk of racially biased stop-and-frisk. -
Rethinking School Discipline
Schools are cutting back on expulsions and suspensions, which are doled out disproportionately to minority students. Without adequate funding, though, the new reforms may cause problems of their own. -
Roberts Rules for Protecting Corporations
The chief justice’s changes to the rules for litigation make suing big business a whole lot harder.
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