Shamus Cooke: Obama and the Democrats are aligning with Republicans to strike the first major blows against Social Security and Medicare. The decades-long political agreement to save these programs is dead, and the foundation of American politics is shifting beneath everyone’s feet.
Obama’s Still Shopping for a Grand Bargain
Shamus Cooke: At the end of the day a so-called progressive Democrat is still a Democrat, and the Democratic Party has re-made its image to reflect the interests of its new big donors from Wall Street, who now feel as comfortable buying Democrats as they do purchasing a Republican politician.
Why UN Climate Agreements Fail
Shamus Cooke: It’s become undeniably clear that U.S. government inaction on climate change is directly linked to the “special interests” of corporations that dominate the government. It’s due time that those concerned about our climate draw a similar conclusion.
Why Obama’s Silence on the New Congo War?
Shamus Cooke: Instead of Obama denouncing the invasion and the approaching overthrow of a democratically elected government, silence becomes a very powerful action of intentional complicity on the side of the invaders.
The Grand Bargain Betrayal
Shamus Cooke: Corporations are on a public-sector union mopping up mission, using the city, state, and federal budget deficits as an excuse to target public sector unions.
Will Dems Tax Rich to Avoid Fiscal Cliff?
Shamus Cooke: Literally the day after the election a sudden “urgency” gripped the nation: the imminent danger of the so-called “fiscal cliff” — the national automatic tax increases and spending cuts due in January.
Capitalism’s Survival Plan: Austerity and Structural Reform
Shamus Cooke: The coast is clear, the media tells us; economic disaster has been averted. The Euro Zone is finally stable and the U.S. economy is recovering. Whew! Why, then, are government policies internationally still pursuing extremist measures?
Who Gains from Syria’s Destruction
Shamus Cooke: The steady destruction of Syria will continue until it reaches a Libya-like crescendo: a “no fly zone” will be the goal of the western powers, with the motive of toppling the regime.
The Jobs Crisis, the “Unemployable,” and the Fiscal Cliff
Shamus Cooke: Aside from some sparse rhetoric, neither Democrats nor Republicans have offered a solution to job creation. Most politicians seem purposefully myopic about the jobs crisis, as if a healthy dose of denial might get them through the electoral season unscathed.
All Eyes on Chicago’s Teachers
Shamus Cooke: If the Chicago teachers’ union — 26,000 members strong — goes on strike, many critical yet ignored political issues will go into the national spotlight, exposing nastiness that many politicians and labor leaders would like ignored until after the presidential elections.
Job Crisis Denial
Shamus Cooke: Both parties are not talking about the fiscal cliff because they share the exact same solution: austerity -cuts to social programs, government layoffs, and other measures to make working people pay for the nation’s debt instead of the rich and corporations.
Affordable Care Act’s Victory a Defeat for the Left
Shamus Cooke: Obama has again disarmed the left, which will sadly repeat history by scrambling, post-election, to find an independent voice to deal with the recession and continued assaults on working people.
Fighting for the Soul of the Carpenters Union
Shamus Cooke: All working people should pay attention to the egregious assault on union democracy happening in the Carpenters Union’s Pacific North West Regional Council, which covers all the Carpenter’s Locals in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, and Montana.
