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My Brother's Keeper

President Obama has taken a lot of flak for his race-neutral policies (including from me), but he deserves praise for following up on his pledge made just over a month ago during the State of the Union. Today, President Obama announced My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative aimed to make sure that young men of color are given a more equitable shot at success. It’s a moment that I’ve been waiting for for years. Since Philadelphia.

Blog
Reniqua Allen

It's True: Health Reform is Disruptive. Which is Actually the Point

There's been a lot of back and forth about how much hardship and disruption is actually being caused by the Affordable Care Act, with tales of woe being swatted down even as other supposed horror stories pop up. But a different way to see things is that, yes, disruption is inevitable as the result of any large-scale health reform and that's simply a fact of life. Indeed, you could argue that if there's not a lot of disruption happening, then there probably hasn't been enough reform. 

Blog
David Callahan

What the Supreme Court Has Already Said About McCutcheon v. FEC

As we await a decision from the Supreme Court in the McCutcheon v. FEC money in politics case, the Justices themselves heard from a protester who rose in the courtroom to proclaim that “money is not speech, corporations are not people” and to urge the Court to “overturn Citizens United.”

Blog
Liz Kennedy

Demos President Miles Rapoport Praises ‘My Brother’s Keeper’

NEW YORK—Yesterday, President Barack Obama announced the launch of a public-private initiative called My Brother’s Keeper aimed at creating opportunities for boys and young men of color. Today, Demos President Miles Rapoport released the following statement praising the project:  

“All of us at Demos applaud President Obama and the partners in the philanthropic community who helped create the program launched yesterday at the White House.

Press release/statement

Strange Bedfellows Indeed: The Powerful Alliance Between Liberals and Libertarians

Just when you think politics is hopelessly calcified and static, some new dynamic can come along that leads to a breakthrough. One such dynamic to watch closely right now is the growing alliance between liberals and libertarians, which is already shaking up the status quo.    Alliance is really too strong a word; more like a convergence. And this isn't entirely new. Liberals and libertarians have often collaborated together on civil liberties issues, such as the fight to stop the Patriot Act or other efforts to protect civil liberties.
Blog
David Callahan

The War Against Early Voting Heats Up

The ink is barely dry on the report from President Obama’s election administration commission and states are already disregarding its blue-ribbon recommendations, namely around early voting. The endorsement of expanding the voting period before Election Day was one of the strongest components of the bipartisan commission’s report.

Blog
Brentin Mock

Obama’s Minimum-Wage Increase Is On Solid Legal Ground

Through the Procurement Act, Congress centralized management of government contracts and gave the president license to use his judgment in setting federal contracting practices. 

Blog
Jenn Rolnick Borchetta

Why Is Washington So Passive in the Face of Criminal Conspiracies by International Banks?

How should the U.S. government deal with a foreign bank that conspired to cheat the Treasury out of billions in revenues by helping rich American hide money overseas? Here's one idea: slap the bank with a big financial penalty, the costs of which will mainly be picked up by shareholders who had nothing to do with the crime while letting the culpable individual bank officers off the hook. That is what the U.S.
Blog
David Callahan

Is Tax Reform Even Possible in an Era of Big Money?

Simplifying the tax system is a cause that any conservative will happily get behind -- until, that is, it turns into a realistic legislative proposal. That's when many politicians on the right go scrambling for political cover, along with plenty of Democrats. Why? Because serious tax reform will remain a pipe dream without first reducing the influence of money in politics.    Reining in the mortgage interest tax deduction is a great case in point.
Blog
David Callahan