May 12, 2011
Laying-Off Teachers To Demonstrate How Much They Are Appreciated
When the President came to Winston-Salem in North Carolina last December, and first laid out his “sputnik moment” analysis of our contemporary situation, the whole emphasis of his address that day was on the need to strengthen our educational base in order to compete effectively in the global economy of the twenty-first century. read more »
April 29, 2011
The Strengths and Weaknesses of American Exceptionalism
The Center for American Progress issued a fascinating and important PolicyLink paper early in April 2011: Prosperity 2050: Is Equity the Superior Growth Model?[1] Written by Sarah Treuhaft and David Madland, both its content and its title raised a central question of our time: whether it is “possible that the traditional assumption that there […] read more »
April 13, 2011
The Danger of Losing the Plot So Early in the Play
If it is true that those whom the gods would destroy they first send mad, then currently we are in serious trouble in Washington DC. For in the political theatre we have just witnessed – around the shutdown of the federal government – there has been madness aplenty: read more »
March 24, 2011
Reframing the Deficit Debate
The dominant discourse in national American politics these days is a discourse on deficits. The leadership of the Republican Party, emboldened by their mid-term capture of the House, regularly informs us that “we are broke, and that we need to do something about it.” read more »
March 7, 2011
Turning Down the Radio, Slice by Budgetary Slice
These are frenzied days in Washington DC. They are also particularly dangerous ones for publicly-supported institutions that Republican politicians happen to dislike. With the threat of a complete government shut-down as their ultimate weapon, House Republicans are entering this year’s budget round with some very clear targets in mind. read more »
February 27, 2011
Diluting the Tea Party: The Importance of Supping With a Long Spoon
Elections happen very quickly when they come, but they are not won, or indeed lost, simply in the moment of voting. Winning and losing elections is the business of the space between elections. We are in such a space now; and if we are not careful, the business we are now in will prove to […] read more »
February 13, 2011
Obama and Housing – Is Anybody Home?
You may not know it, if you watch only Washington beltway politics, but we are currently in the midst of a housing crisis of monumental proportions. read more »
January 30, 2011
Fact and Fiction in the “State of the Union” Debate
In last week’s State of the Union Address, President Obama replayed themes he had touched on here in North Carolina when speaking at Forsyth Technical College in December.[1] He spoke of competitive challenges and the danger of a loss of global leadership. read more »
January 21, 2011
Defending Health Care Reform – Again!
It has been very difficult in these last few days to decide whether or not to respond to the House Republicans’ first major political initiative of 2011 – their introduction and passing of the Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act. read more »
January 5, 2011
Sanity in a Time of Madness
“When you are in Washington, remember what the voters back home want – less government and more freedom”[1] (Jim DeMint, welcoming tea-party backed victors in the 2010 mid-term elections) This is no ordinary day in American politics. This is the day power officially shifted in the House of Representatives from Nancy Pelosi’s Democrats to John […] read more »
