A refreshing, non-hysterical analysis of the 2014 mid term election results and suggestions of where the progressive community goes from here, from the Agenda Project / Practical Progress.....
PRACTICAL PROGRESS: The Agenda Project Action Fund's actually brief briefing on the Most Important News from the Progressive Movement.
TIME TO FIGHT BACK -- The Nation Editors summed up the role of Progressives in the post-election climate: "Fighting bad proposals and bad compromises isn't enough. We need new thinking and new approaches" ... Republicans secured both Houses for the first time in eight years on Tuesday in an election largely shaped by restrictive voter ID laws and a huge influx of campaign money ... WORD ON THE STREET: Demos: "We have to rethink the whole system" ... Common Cause: "See Who Spent the Most on Election 2014" ... American Constitution Society: "The Reality of Voting Rights on Election Day" ... Brennan Center: "How Much of a Difference Did New Voting Restrictions Make in Yesterday's Close Races?" and "Voter Identification, Ideology and the Voter Fraud Meme" ... AlterNet: "When Bullies Win: How Do Weary Americans Face the Post-Election Trauma?"
... SOME GOOD NEWS: Four states and two cities voted to give themselves a raise. Business for a Fair Minimum Wage CEO Holly Sklar tells PP: "Minimum wage ballot wins sent a clear message: Americans across the political spectrum want to raise the minimum wage" ... Meanwhile, Washington state scored a win for gun safety, California struck a blow to mass incarceration, Massachusetts secured its residents paid sick days, and Alaska, Oregon, and Washington DC voted to legalize marijuana. READ: "Weed Is Legal in Capital--and 10 Other Reasons the Election Wasn't a Total Bust" over at The Nation.
... THE BOTTOM LINE: Voter turnout--especially among youth, people of color, and low-income constituents--is on the decline, which is bad news for everyone. READ: "5 Ways Life in America Would Be Better If Everyone Voted" over at Rolling Stone by Demos Research Assistant Sean McElwee.
DON'T STOP BELIEVING -- Although Republicans gained control of the Senate on Tuesday, President Obama will likely still be able to appoint judges, according to a new report by Alliance for Justice (AFJ). The last three presidents to serve two terms--and who also faced an oppositional Senate--saw about 20% of their judges confirmed. AFJ President and Top Wonk Nan Aron: "... We need to redouble the fight to confirm judicial nominees who represent the full diversity of America and who are committed to upholding the rights of everyday Americans." READ: "Why No One Should Give Up On Judicial Confirmations in a Republican-Controlled Senate."
KEEP OUR WATER CLEAN -- Aging wastewater systems spill 900 billion gallons of untreated sewage and wastewater into U.S. waterways each year, according to a new Center for American Progress (CAP) report that comes on the second anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. CAP Policy Analyst Shiva Polefka: "By stepping up to make the investments we need for reliable, climate-change-ready wastewater infrastructure, policymakers can put Americans to work, protect our waterways, and avert significantly greater long-term costs." READ: "Rising Waters, Rising Threat: How Climate Change Endangers America's Neglected Wastewater Infrastructure."
OBAMACARE AND YOU -- The Urban Institute released a new report detailing the effects of the Affordable Care Act on small businesses. READ: "Monitoring the Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Employers."
APPLE STILL DODGING TAXES -- Apple CEO Tim Cook's coming-out essay has overshadowed news that despite congressional hearings, the company continues to divert its profits into tax havens overseas, according to Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ). CTJ Senior Counsel Rebecca Wilkins: "The company has paid almost no tax on the foreign income despite having substantial sales in countries where the corporate tax rate is in the mid-20s." READ more HERE.
TANF IS TANKING -- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) published new findings that the purchasing power of 98% of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients is below 1996 levels after adjusting for inflation ... Congress has not renewed its support for researching ways to improve the program. READ CBPP's reports detailing the decrease in benefits and the shortsightedness of denying research funds HERE and HERE.
FROM THE WONK WIRE ...
... A MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Brennan Center for Justice Program Director and Top Wonk Inimai Chettiar and Brennan Center for Justice Program Assistant Abigail Finkelman explain why criminal justice policy is not a campaign issue.
... EMPLOYMENT FOR ALL: CEPR Co-Director and Top Wonk Dean Baker and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Senior Fellow Jared Bernstein suggest that the real cause of stagnant wages and rising inequality is the absence of full employment.
... RETAKE DEMOCRACY: Fordham University Associate Law Professor and Top Wonk Zephyr Teachout envisions a future in which corporations do not own democracy.
... A STORY AS OLD AS AMERICA: Advancement Project Co-Director and Top Wonk Judith Browne-Dianis and Former Ohio Governor and CAP Action Fund President Ted Strickland connect Michael Brown to Emmett Till as part of a tragic legacy.
... AND THE WINNER IS: Brennan Center for Justice Democracy Program Director and Top Wonk Wendy Weiser and Deputy Director and Top Wonk Lawrence Norden think the real winners of the 2014 elections are the five conservative Supreme Court Justices.
Find out more at www.TopWonks.org.
... ON OUR AGENDA ...
Visit our website at www.PracticalProgress.org and our twitter @PractProgress. Like what you see? JOIN the movement by sending tips, news, and reactions to Hannah Hendler at hhendler@agendaproject.org.
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