Progressive agenda

Richard Eskow wrote in the April 1 edition of the Washington Spectator (not yet posted online) that Democrats need to do more than not be the nasty guy. The party establishment seems to be stuck in thinking resisting the nasty guy will get them a majority in November. However, progressives don’t think this is enough, that the party doesn’t have to choose between pursuing the nasty guy’s base or energizing their own left-leaning base.

So Eskow and fellow progressives created the Agenda for Good Jobs, Sustainable Prosperity, and Economic Justice. They are asking fellow progressives to sign and urging candidates to also sign.

The 11 point agenda does not address foreign policy and national security. It does include:

* Jobs for all, mostly through infrastructure modernization.

* Invest in the green economy, which also invests in jobs and infrastructure. And these jobs can’t be outsourced.

* Support unions and curb CEO compensation policies.

* Opportunity and justice for all, which means to take historical injustices (such as Jim Crow) into consideration to achieve a fair outcome. This includes a fair and humane immigration policy.

* Guarantee women’s equality, including equal pay, preventing sexual harassment, and the right to make their own health and reproductive choices.

* High quality public education, adequate pay and support of teachers, canceling student debt.

* Medicare for all.

* Make corporations and wealthy pay their fare share.

* Global care for working people, reworking trade agreements to protect workers’ rights, consumers, and environment.

* Close the Wall Street casino. Break up big banks, levy a speculation tax, introduce affordable public banking, crack down on exploitative banks.

* Rescue democracy, regulate corporate influence of elections, add public financing so that the people’s candidates can compete with corporate backed candidates, change party rules to ease the way for outsider candidates.

Eskow reports that a few items are popular with sizable numbers of GOP voters. In general the agenda polls well across the political spectrum with a majority in favor.

Perhaps we should be asking our Democrat candidates (maybe GOP too!) to sign the pledge.

Another Washington Spectator article, looks at the nasty guy’s infrastructure plan. Since his plan is to have the federal gov’t contribute only about 13% of what is needed this is what will happen:

* Only rich regions will be able to afford to fund projects.

* If corporations contribute money, they’ll want ongoing profits. We pay forever.

* Projects that that have the most need (perhaps measured by the degree of dilapidation and people affected) won’t get funded. Neither will projects that improve congestion (such as rail) or cross several regions.

Fortunately, Democrats can hold firm so that it won’t pass.