progressivism

In a Final Act, Can Bernie Sanders Make Senate Hearings a Catalyst for Left Populism?

If the Vermont Senator has failed to win the presidency or to rally the Democratic establishment to his positions, he may yet be able to force CEOs to answer questions publicly about how their business practices harm workers, consumers, and the environment. Will it inspire a left turn in the electorate? 

An Honest Conversation about Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

by Jacob Remes

The president of the Antidefamation League recently said the progressive Jewish group was out of line with "mainstream Jewish values." A member and historian begs to differ. 

Will Progressive Dems Realize Elections Have Consequences?

by Clyde W. Ford

Progressives need to begin “holding their noses” and voting based on a transactional rather than moral understanding of politics.

Law Profs: How Progressives Can Take Back the Constitution

by Joseph Fishkin and William E. Forbath

Like in the New Deal era, courts are thwarting the will of many Americans and the other branches of government to protect oligarchy. Today's progressives need to remember how their forebears fought back by contrasting concentrated wealth to the guarantee of a "republican form of government" the constituiton offers.

The U. S. Needs a New Populist Progressivism

by Walter G. Moss

The American left can win by demonstrating its commitment to inclusivity and expressing a populism that is for all the people. There are models, if we know where to look for them. 

Lessons for Today from FDR and the Progressives?

by Walter G. Moss

Drawing lessons for Joe Biden's fraught entry to the presidency from FDR requires considering some unexpected virtues like empathy and humor. 

When Henry Wallace Warned of ‘American Fascism’

John Nichols's new book argues that Franklin Roosevelt's decision to cut loose Vice President Henry Wallace crippled egalitarian politics in the Democratic Party with lasting consequences.   

Is This the Blueprint for Sanders and AOC to Take Over the Democratic Party?

by Jonathan Chait

Jonathan Chait is skeptical of John Nichols's new book, which argues that the Democratic Party's present struggles stem from the decision in 1944 to remove progressive VP Henry Wallace from the ticket in favor of moderate Harry Truman. 

A Word to My Fellow Progressives: Lessons of the 2020 Democratic Primary

by Andrew Meyer

This year feels to many progressives like a lost opportunity. With Joseph Biden seemingly certain to win the Democratic nomiatuion, what can progressives learn and apply to the future from the experience of 2020?

Do We Want the Progressive Sanders or the Pragmatist Biden?

by Walter G. Moss

Because his pragmatic style matches more the American tradition, Biden has a better chance of unifying our nation and delivering positive long-range results.

It’s time to get rid of reform schools

by Amber Armstrong

We need to seize the opportunity to rethink our juvenile justice system.

Why Pete Buttigieg may be reviving progressive ideals of the Social Gospel Movement

by David Mislin

A century ago views such as Buttigieg’s flourished in the Midwest.

Who Is the Real Progressive: Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders?

by Michael Kazin

The Nation asked 4 historians for a response to this question. This is Michael Kazin's.

Biographer of a Progressive reformer says it's odd reading stories about inequality in the news every day

Economic inequality in the U.S. is Déjà Vu all over again, says Robyn Muncy.

Journalist Michael Wolraich says he wrote his new book about the Progressives to teach Americans how to do liberal politics

by Elias Isquith

"I was fascinated by the story and fascinated about what it can teach us about politics today."

Charles Beard was Actually a Hamiltonian

by Mac McCorkle

Getting right with "An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution" after one hundred years.

Harvey J. Kaye: Why Obama Is No FDR

Harvey J. Kaye is Professor of Democracy and Justice Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He is the author of Thomas Paine and the Promise of America (FSG 2005) and the forthcoming The Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great (Simon & Schuster, 2014). Follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/HarveyJKayeCampaigning for a third term as president in 1940, Franklin Roosevelt told an enthusiastic crowd in Cleveland: “You provided work for free men and women … You used the powers of government to stop the depletion of the top soil … You wrote into law the right of working men and women to bargain collectively … You turned to the problems of youth and age … You made safe the banks.”

Michael Kazin: The Forgotten President

Michael Kazin is editor of Dissent and teaches history at Georgetown University. His latest book is American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation.The first liberal Democratic president took office exactly 100 years ago this spring. So why aren’t contemporary liberals bestowing the same praise on Woodrow Wilson as they lavish on Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson? Granted, if he were running today, Woodrow Wilson wouldn’t win a single Democratic primary and would no doubt be heckled out of the race. Raised in the South, he smiled on Jim Crow and did not object when two of his cabinet appointees re-segregated their departments. A crusading Presbyterian, he vowed to “teach the Latin American republics to elect good men” and dispatched troops to Mexico and Haiti when they didn’t follow his advice. During World War I, he enforced new laws that effectively outlawed most dissent from government policy.

Hugo Chavez's Sullied Progressive Legacy in the Mideast

by Juan Cole

Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad meeting in 2010. Credit: Flickr/chavezcandanga.Originally posted on Informed Comment.

Peter Dreier: The Progressive Dr. Seuss

Peter Dreier is professor of politics and chair of the Urban and Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College. His new book, "The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century: A Social Justice Hall of Fame," was just published by Nation Books.On Friday, March 1, tens of millions of children and their parents will be reading Dr. Seuss books as part of Read Across America Day, sponsored by the National Educational Association (NEA) in partnership with local school districts and some businesses. The NEA, which started the program 16 years ago to encourage reading, was smart to tie the program to Dr. Seuss, who remains - more than two decades after his death - the world's most popular writer of modern children's books. Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904–1991) - Dr. Seuss' real name - wrote and illustrated 44 children's books, characterized by memorable rhymes, whimsical characters and exuberant drawings that have encouraged generations of children to love reading and expand their vocabularies. His books have been translated into more than 15 languages and have sold more than 200 million copies. They have been adapted into feature films, TV specials and a Broadway musical. He earned two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and the Pulitzer Prize.