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Assuming some short-term deal emerges in Washington to avert a default, pending later budget talks, we all know what comes next: Another dead-end debate over taxes. Why? Because if there's one issue that conservatives in Congress are even more implacable about than Obamacare it's taxes -- as in, no
Blog
David Callahan
The political crisis in Washington is becoming an international embarrassment for the United States, with the head of the IMF now reprimanding us for threatening global chaos. But the crisis is also becoming a big opportunity for China, America's main rival for primacy in the 21st century.
Blog
David Callahan
At a small gathering in Los Angeles recently, Miles Rapoport, president of the 13-year-old progressive think tank Demos, expressed optimism about the future for progressive values and policies. Miles's talk was inspiring, but I asked him to elaborate by answering questions from a skeptic's point of
In the media
Michael Sigman
I discussed the U.S. Supreme Court’s McCutcheon case Saturday on Karen Finney’s MSNBC show Disrupt, and also last week in this HuffPo commentary.
In the media

Millions are working hard to move forward, or just to make ends meet, and getting nowhere. This policy agenda can change that reality.

Research
Miles Rapoport
Jennifer Wheary
If you think that only banks and other traditional lenders get to gouge consumers with high interest rate loans, you're obviously behind on the evolution of American finance. These days, just about any service provider can offer loans with what used to be criminally high interest rates. And that
Blog
David Callahan
The debate over America’s federal budget is getting stale — and getting us nowhere, as the latest government shutdown depressingly reminds us. Political obsession over budget deficits has now morphed into legislative extortion.
In the media
Sam Pizzigati
If you believe a statement from Koch Industries, the Koch brothers never supported the effort to defund Obamacare by holding government operations and the debt ceiling hostage. According to the Times, Koch Industries sent a letter to the Senate stating that they did not support the effort led by
Blog
David Callahan
As the government shutdown continues well into the second week and we rapidly approach our debt ceiling, it’s hard not be cynical about the political process and our government, generally. After all, Congressmen are still getting paid while thousands of government employees are not. And, it’s not
Blog
J. Mijin Cha
The closer you look at the crisis in Washington, the more you can see how it's yet another story about money in politics. It's not just that congressional Republicans are running scared before big conservative donors who threaten to finance primary challenges, as I have written here and here.
Blog
David Callahan