Political Ideas

Three Stooges Go to Washington

By David Swanson

Stooge number one is the honorable Steny Hoyer, whom Bob Fertik at Democrats.com has just awarded the honorific of Stupidest Democrat in History. Hoyer’s other title is House Majority Leader, but he cuts deals as if he were in something worse than a minority, trading what everybody wants away in order to obtain what nobody has any use for.

Here’s the Associated Press: “A top Democratic leader opened the door Tuesday to granting U.S. telecommunications companies read more

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Senate Intel Committee Reverses, Nobody Notices

By David Swanson

When Republican Senator Pat Roberts chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee, he refused to conduct an investigation into how Bush and Cheney misled the Congress about the case for invading Iraq. The investigation, part of what was known as Phase II, had been agreed to, but Roberts refused to do it prior to the November 2004 elections on the grounds that it could impact the elections. After the elections he refused to do it on the grounds that it didn’t matter, what with read more

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Is Marie Cocco Coocoo?

By David Swanson

Liberal columnist Marie Cocco maintains her progressive positions right up to the point where she might diverge in the slightest from the Democratic leadership in Congress. Last spring she wasn’t so noticeable. Most progressive pundits back in March and May were playing right along with the pretense that the Democrats in Congress didn’t have the power to end the occupation of Iraq. This was and is simply not true.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry read more

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We The People, Concert for the Constitution

By Andrea Miller, Inform Progressive Virginia


David Swanson, Laura Flanders, Norman Solomon

It has been a very bizarre week for the American government (and a pretty terrible one for the American people). The Senate refused to pass legislation that would give the troops as much time at home as they spent in combat, and officially condemned an organization that supports free speech for pointing out an obvious lie. I found it interesting that they didn’t exactly deny the charges, the Senate read more

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We Have Nothing But Fear Itself

By David Swanson

A Roseland, Indiana, city council member orders police to remove a fellow city council member. The police escort him out, shove him down on his face and pound his head. Onlookers either cheer, do nothing, joke, behave as if all were normal, or yell at others to let the police do their jobs. Not a single person protests. Only the one victim is hauled off in the police car. No one jumps in and shouts “Before this becomes Nazi Germany, arrest me too!”

A University read more

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Peace, Injustice, and Ron Paul

By David Swanson

If Ron Paul had been president for the past 6 years, a million more Iraqis would be alive, and another 4 million would not be refugees. The world would be a safer place, and Americans would have lost fewer freedoms.

But more Americans would lack decent health care. More American children would lack adequate education. More families in America would struggle in poverty. Immigrant families would face increased threats and abuse. Women would have lost rights. And a growing read more

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The 18 Percent Congress

By David Swanson

If you were a member of Congress, wouldn’t you behave completely differently from how most members of Congress behave? I mean, if you had not gone through the process required to become a congress member, but just suddenly became one tomorrow, wouldn’t you behave as though you had an ounce of decency? Wouldn’t you take your responsibility at least as seriously as your power and your ego? Wouldn’t you at a bare minimum seek to represent the wishes of the read more

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It Really Is a Democratic Congress

By David Swanson

Should it go without saying that the current Congress is Democratic? The Democrats have the majority, control the agenda, and chair and hold a majority on every committee. But does that make the Congress Democratic?

Liberal commentators averse to criticizing Speaker Nancy Pelosi have begun flailing around for a reasonable explanation for the behavior of her Congress. Matt Stoller has latched onto the idea that, even though there are more Democrats in the House than Republicans, read more

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Family Tradition

By David Swanson

With thanks and a toast to Hank Williams Jr.

Compassionate conservatives have been a real close family,
But lately some of my kinfolks have disowned a few others and me.
I guess it’s because I kind of changed my direction.
Lord I guess I went and broke their family tradition.

They get on me and want to know, Dubya, why don’t you think? Why are you such a dope?
Why must you live out the plans that PNAC wrote?
Over and over everybody feels my inflictions.
read more

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Bush Fulfills His Grandfather's Dream

By David Swanson
(Originally published in July 2007, and to be published every summer until the right to do so is gone.)

It’s remarkably common for a grandson to take up his grandfather’s major project. This occurred to me when I read recently of Thor Heyerdahl’s grandson taking up his mission to cross the Pacific on a raft. But what really struck me was the BBC story aired on July 23rd, 2007, read more

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