Archive for the ‘Progressives’ Category

Get ready for kamikaze governance

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- Washington is entering a new era of kamikaze governance, this time with Democrats at the helm.

Thursday night's spending showdown saw progressive Democrats unexpectedly emerge as the agitators ready to drive the nation off a cliff to win concessions and progressives say it will happen again.

"The fight last night was a shot across the bow that progressives are ready to stand and fight, and there are millions of Americans ready to jump into the fray," Ben Wikler, Washington director for MoveOn.org, a progressive group, said on Sunday.

Progressive members of the Democratic Party are gearing up for what they expect to be many battles needed to defend their values as Republicans seek to chip away at a variety of Democratic priorities when they take control of Congress next year.

A prime example of such skirmishes came last week. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren objected to a GOP provision -- attached to a broad spending bill -- that rolled back a key portion of the Wall Street reform law. Her opposition prompted dozens of Democrats to defect and triggered a last-minute scramble for support; President Barack Obama himself made calls to win lawmakers back and stave off a potential government shutdown.

The spending bill eventually passed the Senate on Saturday night and on Sunday, Democratic leaders downplayed a possible rift within the party.

READ: Top Dems deny there's a party rift

But the nearly 2,000 progressive activists and operatives who descended on Washington over the weekend for the annual Rootscamp gathering felt otherwise.

Panels addressed things like #HillaryProblems and the lack of understanding between the grassroots and establishment wings of the Democratic Party. And panelists and attendees alike endorsed the newly antagonistic moves from their elected officials this week.

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Get ready for kamikaze governance

Ekiti budget: APC slams presentation, puts EFCC on notice

EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde

The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State said in a statement on Monday that Governor Ayodele Fayose breached the Constitution by presenting his 2015 budget to only seven of the 26-member state House of Assembly.

The opposition party also put both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission on notice, asking the anti-graft agencies to monitor the alleged illegal financial transactions going on in Ekiti.

The APC, in the statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, counselled Fayose to always follow legal steps in the governance and financial management of the state.

It recalled that the seven members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state Assembly had earlier sat to illegally confirm commissioner-nominees and also approved the dissolution and reconstitution of the local governments, among others.

Olatunbosun said, The Monday illegal sitting with a full house of thugs was a new dimension to the constitutional breaches and lawlessness by the Executive.

We never knew that Ekiti people could be brought to this low record in decency and respect for the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by herding thugs to the hallowed chamber of the House of Assembly to join seven members to present state budget.

The standard practice is for the governor to present the state budget to members in full session while the public sit at the gallery to watch proceedings. But in this instance, thugs intermingled with the lawmakers in a plenary in such a way that you cannot differentiate a lawmaker from a thug.

The APC called the attention of Nigerians and lovers of democracy around the world to the reign of impunity in Ekiti State and urged all organs and agencies of government responsible for budget processing not to be involved in any financial transactions based on the illegal budget.

But in a reaction, Fayose also counselled the APC to bring back its 19 runaway lawmakers to the state, saying, no individual, group or political party can hold the state to ransom.

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Ekiti budget: APC slams presentation, puts EFCC on notice

Economics Daily Digest: What progressives lost in the Cromnibus fight – Video


Economics Daily Digest: What progressives lost in the Cromnibus fight
Economics Daily Digest: What progressives lost in the Cromnibus fight.

By: Cimmiyotti

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Economics Daily Digest: What progressives lost in the Cromnibus fight - Video

Progressives Not ALEC Is Not a Gamechanger – Video


Progressives Not ALEC Is Not a Gamechanger
Progressives #39; Not ALEC Is Not a Gamechanger.

By: Ciaramitaro

Continue reading here:
Progressives Not ALEC Is Not a Gamechanger - Video

Progressives gird for Capitol Hill battle

Washington is entering a new era of kamikaze governance, this time with Democrats at the helm.

Thursday night's spending showdown saw progressive Democrats unexpectedly emerge as the agitators ready to drive the nation off a cliff to win concessions --- and progressives say it will happen again.

"The fight last night was a shot across the bow that progressives are ready to stand and fight, and there are millions of Americans ready to jump into the fray," Ben Wikler, Washington director for MoveOn.org, a progressive group, said on Sunday.

Progressive members of the Democratic Party are gearing up for what they expect to be many battles needed to defend their values as Republicans seek to chip away at a variety of Democratic priorities when they take control of Congress next year.

A prime example of such skirmishes came last week. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren objected to a GOP provision -- attached to a broad spending bill -- that rolled back a key portion of the Wall Street reform law. Her opposition prompted dozens of Democrats to defect and triggered a last-minute scramble for support; President Barack Obama himself made calls to win lawmakers back and stave off a potential government shutdown.

The spending bill eventually passed the Senate on Saturday night and on Sunday, Democratic leaders downplayed a possible rift within the party.

But the nearly 2,000 progressive activists and operatives who descended on Washington over the weekend for the annual Rootscamp gathering felt otherwise.

Panels addressed things like #HillaryProblems and the lack of understanding between the grassroots and establishment wings of the Democratic Party. And panelists and attendees alike endorsed the newly antagonistic moves from their elected officials this week.

"How do we make change in general, as we're seeing from the streets of DC to Ferguson to New York? I do think that sometimes you have to shut it down," said Alana Krivo-Kaufman, a 27-year-old Rootscamp attendee and an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace.

And with Republicans taking control of the Senate next month, the imperative for progressives to hold their ground on key issues could grow ever more urgent.

Read more:
Progressives gird for Capitol Hill battle