America’s concentration of wealth at the top has been accompanied by a bolder assertion of political power by the plutocrats, not just in the proliferation of unrestrained Super PACs but also in demanding support for Mitt Romney by employees, note Bill…
Tag: Michael Winship
Buying ‘Justice’
Powerful corporations and right-wing interest groups are taking aim at state judges around the country who have ruled the “wrong” way and who can be tossed out via elections. This new flood of campaign cash is creating a system of…
The ‘Citizens United’ Tsunami
The five right-wing justices on the U.S. Supreme Court downplayed how distorting their Citizens United decision would be to American politics. But the tidal wave of campaign cash is now inundating U.S. voters with unchecked factual claims, says Michael Winship.
Congress at the Trough
Congress may seem like it’s not accomplishing much, but that’s only true if you don’t count the political fundraisers. If all the after-hour events tallying up millions in special-interests dollars are counted, members of Congress are busy indeed, says Michael…
GOP Defends Marianas’ Sweatshops
Scandal-stained Republican activist Ralph Reed is back in the GOP’s good graces with a new “grassroots” operation organizing right-wing Christians. Also back on the Republican agenda is protection for an old Reed cause, maintaining sweatshops in the Marianas, note Bill…
More Neglect for America’s Poor
The Wall Street meltdown of 2008 pushed millions of middle-class Americans down the social ladder and left the Obama administration scrambling to limit the damage. But that has meant even less attention to the growing ranks of the nation’s poor,…
Losing a Voice of Wit and Intellect
The death of Gore Vidal on Tuesday at the age of 86 marked an end of an era, a time when men and women of wit and intellect fenced in public debate, now replaced by the loud voices of prideful…
Lamenting the Dead, Not the Laws
Politicians and pundits are again lamenting the latest slaughter in Colorado, where a dozen moviegoers were murdered by a troubled young man who had no trouble buying an assault rifle and other guns. But the horror will be transient while…
Angry Money v. Democracy
A handful of “angry, old, white men” are on their way to buying the American elections, says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. But Republicans in Congress are making sure those identities stay secret by killing a bill that would at least…
How Banksters Rig the System
The Libor scandal is just the latest revelation of how the VIPs of high finance rig the system for themselves and their friends while millions of “common people” are driven into poverty. But the fix is also in when it…