Beyond Swift Boat

Staff / Truthdig Jun 26, 2008 We've gotten used to the idea of independent groups funneling soft money into political campaign ads, but in this election some progressives are trying to do something entirely new. According to a report by NPR and the Center for Investigative Reporting, a band of crafty activists is trying to create a grand network for progressive issues and groups. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Populist Uprising

David Sirota / Truthdig Jun 6, 2008 American history is the history of populist uprisings. From the Revolutionary War to the coalfield wars, from labor organizers to anti-tax crusaders, from the New Deal to the current conservative era, backlashes to the status quo have defined every major political era. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Vermont Leads the Way for Progressives

Chris Hedges / Truthdig May 26, 2008 The rise of the Vermont Progressive Party, which has six members in the 150-member Vermont House, is another indication that Vermont, which has battled back everything from Wal-Mart to urban sprawl to billboards, may be one of the few sane states left in the nation. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Progressive Patriotism

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig May 26, 2008 If the 2008 election is to be a debate about the true meaning of patriotism, then bring it on. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

A Welcome ‘Shareholder Democracy’

David Sirota / Truthdig May 23, 2008 This movement could be more critical than even presidential elections. One example: ExxonMobil stock owners could generate major steps in the area of renewable and alternative energy. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

A Pretty Picture of Diversity That Faded

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig May 22, 2008 Is there anyone who still remembers the folksy winter tableau? Eight Democratic candidates against the picturesque backdrop of Iowa and New Hampshire. It was a feel-good photo op of diversity. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Progressive Jews Fight Back

Staff / Truthdig Apr 29, 2008 There's a new Jewish lobby in town, one that hopes to reclaim American Jews' proud progressive tradition and counter the right-wingers who have managed to intimidate Washington in the name of the Jewish community. Unlike like-minded advocacy groups, J Street hopes to raise gobs of money in order to support lawmakers who take a more enlightened view, including a call for a more peaceful approach to American and Israeli foreign policy. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Left Has Lost Its Way

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Apr 21, 2008 The failure of the American left is a failure of nerve. It has been neutralized and rendered ineffectual as a political force because of its refusal to hold fast on core issues. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The Long, Sorrowful Ludlow Legacy

David Sirota / Truthdig Apr 11, 2008 A straight line can be drawn between the 1914 labor massacre in Colorado and today's killing fields in Colombia. And one of the villains in both cases is the U.S. government. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Silver Lining

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Mar 14, 2008 Now that the aggressive Eliot Spitzer has resigned in disgrace, New York state reformers are hoping that a progressive agenda will be preserved by a man with a very different style, David Paterson. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The New Permanent Campaign

David Sirota / Truthdig Feb 29, 2008 In 1976, a young political consultant named Patrick Caddell sent a memo to Jimmy Carter telling the president-elect to wage "a continuing political campaign" that fuses public policy and political goals. This doctrine became known as the permanent campaign, and it is now changing from a White House tactic into a national grass-roots organizing strategy. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Whispering in the Ear of the President

Staff / Truthdig Feb 12, 2008 It's safe to assume that the people currently advising Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on foreign policy will continue to do so if their candidate is elected. So what approaches can we expect from an Obama or a Clinton administration? There are some bad apples in either bunch, but Foreign Policy in Focus says the company Obama and Clinton keep largely parallels their votes on the war. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )