The Progressive Agenda

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How did that work out?

Liberals Didn’t Get Much In 2009.

A. Serwer, The American Prospect

February 16, 2009 03:20 PM

Matthew Yglesias makes a list of things progressives wanted and didn’t get last year, pointing out that the agenda has been set by finicky centrists, not raging liberals:

  • A $1.2 trillion stimulus.
  • The forcible breakup of large banks.
  • Universal health care with a public option linked to Medicare rates.
  • An economy-wide cap on carbon emissions, with the permits auctioned.
  • Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
  • A path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
  • An exit strategy from Afghanistan.
  • An end to special exemption of military spending from fiscal discipline.
  • An independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
  • The Employee Free Choice Act.

Maybe the following things don’t necessarily count as part of the “mainstream liberal policy agenda,” but to Matt’s list you could add the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison, some sort of legal accountability for the architects of the Bush administration’s torture program, an end to warrant-less surveillance, no more use of the state secrets doctrine to block judicial scrutiny of executive wrongdoing — and if we’re really getting nitpicky, how about simply putting up a fight for liberal political appointees to federal agencies?

Duh.

17 comments

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    • TMC on February 17, 2010 at 05:49

    repeal of the Patriot Act. Restoration of constitutional law, the end of torture, rendition, closing of Guantanamo and the indefinite detention which Obama now wants to make a law. Bush revisited.  

  1. that is why Dems are under the gun right now, not because the Bush 1/5th of idiot America is fired up, but because the left of the left is tired of being ignored at the big dance.

    Well done, Ek. Good find

  2. courtesy of Fat Tony Scalia.

    • dkmich on February 17, 2010 at 12:45

    Nobody wanted a “public option” – whatever that means.  

  3. from working stiffs with all this college campus mahogany salon Big Tome Big Idea Big Thought …Stuff.

    this stuff is too abstract – just like the ways liberals defend the bill of rights.

    Do YOU want people to be able to SECRETLY accuse you of something AND not have to show up in court with their accusations?

    Do YOU want the government to be able to take all your property when someone accuses you SECRETLY?

    Do YOU want the government to be able to torture you to see if the SECRET accusations are true?

    Do YOU care if you get access to a trial in public for SECRET accusations?

    Quick — which of the amendments have I touched upon?

    The thugs are great at selling thirsty people dirty over priced monopoly water, AND controlling when they’re thirsty. We don’t hire people capable of giving thirsty people water.

    rmm.  

  4. The House or Senate actually doing anything productive and beneficial for us the common folk  Man what a novel idea, I think I’ll hold my breath till it happens.

    The bomb throwing seams to have begun in Greece, the Icelanders are flipping the bird to england and the Netherlands, food riots and water shortages are imminent.  Wonder when the revolution will start here?

    • Big Tex on February 18, 2010 at 00:37

    But they’ll still expect us to show up at the polls in November and vote for them, like good little sheep.

    Time for us to break this cycle of codependency.

    • Eddie C on February 18, 2010 at 01:01

    How about recess appointments. I hear that presidents have been know to do that.

    I’m most pissed about health care reform being changed to middle class American reform, second place goes no presentation of EFCA but the fact that there is still no NLRB is really pissing me off.  

  5. A $1.2 trillion stimulus.

    The forcible breakup of large banks.

    Universal health care with a public option linked to Medicare rates.

    An economy-wide cap on carbon emissions, with the permits auctioned.

    Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

    A path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

    An exit strategy from Afghanistan.

    An end to special exemption of military spending from fiscal discipline.

    An independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

    The Employee Free Choice Act.

    Bankers refuse still to show how much stimulus and how much of it went into Bernie Madoff type ponzi scams.

    Break up of banks?  They got bailed out.

    Health?  Frankenfoods, Big Farmer, a swine vaccine eugenics program,GMOs, dying bees and bats and SWAT team raids on organic farmers and homeopathic medicine.

    At least one winner in the exposure of global warming as the greatest scam in human history.

    DADT- well I suppose if the US military is to be used to advance the agenda and profit margins of the parasitic global elite then fine.

    A path home and English only.  Hell even the long timers are looking for a way out!

    No freeze for war/s Yemen, Iran spying on the size color and consistency of your last shit.

    I heard we got communities printing their own money!

    Free choice?  For what union?  For what jobs?

    • TMC on February 18, 2010 at 01:23

    With the excise tax that will tax you for having health care insurance that you probably can barely afford, with outrageous deductibles and high co-pays and that most likely doesn’t not, or will not, cover you adequately if you get seriously ill. Yup, they are going to tax you for that. What did I miss here? Wasn’t there a promise somewhere a long the line that we would be able to DEDUCT the cost of health insurance? Sheesh

  6. Another pony I want is the restoration of the law. I still am waiting for my Habeas Corpus and for the unlawful FISA to be repealed. FISA still continues and so does the neocon bush doctrine. All in all I want a whole herd of ponies who need to be put back in the corral.    

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