Democracy in America has been a series of narrow escapes. We may be running out of luck, and no one is coming to save us. For that, we have only ourselves.
June 1, 2020Class of 2020, wherever you are, I had planned to address you on this graduation day. But how can I? Yes, I know that former President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks all took part in elaborate online graduation ceremonies, offering commentary, advice, and encouragement in our now campus-less world, but I’m a hapless old guy with a flip phone from another age. And, of course, you’re not here on this glorious, sunny graduation day. There’s no verdant campus. No ...
May 28, 2020Many economists believe that a recession is already underway. So do millions of Americans struggling with bills and job losses. While the world has certainly experienced its share of staggering jolts in the past, this cycle of events is likely to prove unparalleled.
October 23, 2017A former Democratic operative writes in The New York Times that the party needs to drop FDR-style progressive politics and strengthen ties to Wall Street. He's dead wrong.
February 19, 2017We can’t rely on ethnic or religious tests for citizenship or admission to our country. It’s the kind of racism that ripped families apart during World War II.
January 22, 2017Bill recommends reading this essay by a retired professor who writes that in order to save democracy from its greatest challenge, we must continue marching.
November 15, 2016The election results may have been different had Democrats embraced America's past and its radical imperative of freedom, equality and democracy.
July 21, 2016"There is nothing to stop a president from initiating action, even if unconstitutional," one scholar observes.
July 1, 2016The politics of downward mobility and racial diversity have eroded the center, pushing Democrats to the left and Republicans toward an authoritarian right.
June 20, 2016At this year’s Democratic convention, we’re not likely to hear a version of FDR’s 1936 acceptance speech, but even 80 years later we still can act on his revolutionary words.
