Steve Cobble, Tim Carpenter, and David Swanson on Rallying and Marching
Steve Cobble, Tim Carpenter, and David Swanson on Rallying and Marching Read More »
Political Ideas
Don't You Know That You Can Count Me Out – In
Ted Rall’s new book “The Anti-American Manifesto” advocates for violent revolution, even if we have to join with rightwingers and racists to do it, and even if we have no control over the outcome which could easily be something worse than what we’ve got. We have a moral duty, Rall argues, to kill some people.
Now, I much prefer a debate over what radical steps to take to a debate over whether it’s really appropriate for President Obama to whine about people’s
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Fearing the Masses
There’s a new sentiment in the air, if the people who ask questions at my speaking events are any guide. I love these events, even though I am probably better at staying home and writing. I argue with people more than encouraging them, I’m afraid. Not most people. Just certain types of questioners.
It used to be 9-11 theorists. Then it was doomsayers wallowing in their post-Obama hope overdose. Now it’s people who are afraid of majority rule and want to avoid it. At a recent book-tour
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F— the Filibuster
Here's something I wrote in December 2008, with an update below:
2009: Year of the Filibuster
By David Swanson
Trying to squeeze any sort of peace on earth out of our government in Washington has been a steep uphill climb for years. For the most part we no longer have representatives in Congress, because of the corruption of money, the weakness of the media, and the strength of parties. There are not 535 opinions on Capitol Hill on truly important matters, but 2. Our supposed representatives work for their party leaders,
Activist Advice: Ask Vinny
By David Swanson
Michael Pertschuk’s new book “The DeMarco Factor” is a guide to political activism in the form of a chronicle of the work of one man, Vincent DeMarco. A lot of people may never have heard of him, especially if you’re not from Maryland, but DeMarco led campaigns over the past 20 years that successfully passed legislation in Maryland strengthening gun control despite the opposition of the NRA, raising taxes on cigarettes despite the opposition of big tobacco,
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Progressive Democrats of America Energized by National Conference
By David Swanson
Progressive Democrats of America marked the beginning of its seventh year with a three-day conference that brought hundreds of activist leaders from all over the country to a Cleveland, Ohio, hotel this past weekend. Participants heard from and met with star speakers, and split up and strategized in groups organized around issue areas and geography.
PDA activists engaged in similar work in distant states — opposing war funding, promoting single-payer healthcare, protecting
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An Honest Look at Obama's First Year
By David Swanson
Most commentary on President Barack Obama either beats him up unfairly because he’s not a Republican or cuts him extra slack because he’s not a Republican. If, in the privacy of your own home, you want to pause and review the main events of the first year or more of this presidency, as recorded by someone who obviously doesn’t care about partisan boosting, I recommend Paul Street’s new book “The Empire’s New Clothes: Barack Obama in the Real
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