Pelosi’s Toothless ‘Commission’

Joe Conason / Truthdig Jul 16, 2009 Congressional leaders are expected to announce a new commission to investigate the causes of America's financial disaster. But unless the speaker and her colleagues summon much greater courage than they have displayed to date, it will only highlight the failure of the Democrats to live up to their heritage.A new commission will only highlight the failure of the Democrats to live up to their heritage. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Obama’s Financial Plan Fails to Impress

Staff / Truthdig Jun 18, 2009 President Obama compares his "sweeping overhaul of the financial regulatory system" to FDR's crackdown on Wall Street, but New York Times business columnist Joe Nocera isn't buying it. "Everywhere you look in the plan, you see the same thing," he writes. "Additional regulation on the margin, but nothing that amounts to a true overhaul." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gates: ‘Everybody Knows We Still Have the Big Stick’

Staff / Truthdig May 4, 2009 Having moved from the Bush administration to Obama's camp, Defense Secretary Robert Gates takes stock of the White House's new occupant on Sunday's episode of "Fareed Zakaria GPS" and defends Obama's recent diplomatic outreach during his international debut: "I have not seen it as an apology tour," says Gates. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Enough With This ‘100 Days’ Nonsense

Stanley Kutler / Truthdig Apr 28, 2009 On what basis have the cable channels decided that President Obama's first hundred days are the most important thing to happen in the history of the world? As in the case of FDR before him, much has happened in the beginning of the president's first term -- and there is much more to come. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

‘Left, Right & Center’: Obama’s Big G-20 Debut, Bigger Budget

Staff / Truthdig Apr 4, 2009 Did President Barack Obama achieve anything at the G-20 summit besides showing up and pressing the flesh with other international political players? Tony Blankley isn't so sure, but Robert Scheer and guest moderator Lawrence O'Donnell are ready with their rebuttals. And how about that ginormous budget plan? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blurring the Line Between Business and Government

Staff / Truthdig Mar 31, 2009 President Obama grabbed the proverbial steering wheel on Monday, shaking up the American auto industry by stating tougher conditions for receiving federal subsidies and forcing GM's CEO to step down. But critics are wrong to suggest that this represents an unprecedented use of executive power. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Making Him Do It

David Sirota / Truthdig Jan 30, 2009 Intragovernmental squabbling probably makes the conflict-averse Obama uncomfortable. But the “make him do it” dynamic could finally bring the center of Washington’s political debate closer to the progressive center of American public opinion. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Here Comes the Change

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Jan 14, 2009 Like many other people, I’d like to party all week when Barack Obama is sworn in as president. But this isn’t the year for it, not with unemployment rising and fear spreading through the land. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Nothing to Fear but No Health Care

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Jan 14, 2009 Fifty million Americans are without health insurance, and 25 million are "underinsured." Millions being laid off will soon be added to those rolls. At this perilous moment, we need sweeping New Deal-caliber changes, not the impotent tinkering that has been proposed. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

FDR Prolonged the Depression? Really?

David Sirota / Truthdig Jan 2, 2009 If you're like me, you sometimes find yourself speechless when confronted with abject insanity, such as conservatives' newest talking point -- the one designed to stop Congress from passing an economic stimulus package. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Barack and Michelle Obama on the Next Four Years

Staff / Truthdig Nov 17, 2008 Barack Obama covered a lot of ground during his first post-election interview Sunday. The president-elect said he will close Guantanamo, re-regulate the economy and wait until he's settled before getting his daughters that puppy. Michelle Obama, joining her husband, said she will become an active first lady once her children make the adjustment to their new home. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mandate ’08: Reagan vs. FDR

David Sirota / Truthdig Oct 31, 2008 John McCain and Barack Obama have made the race's final weeks an ideological proxy war between two presidential icons who still loom larger than them: Ronald Reagan and Franklin Roosevelt. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )