Obama announced his Economic Recovery Advisory Board, a collection of Establishment figures and no liberal economists.

Two good ideas are better than one. Even if one of them comes from Lamar Alexander.

President John F. Kennedy called Inauguration Day “a celebration of freedom – symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning – signifying renewal, as well as change.” This year, that is dramatically true. President-elect Barack Obama will place his hand on the same Bible President Abraham Lincoln used to take the oath of office. When he does so, at noon on Tuesday, Americans of every party will celebrate both renewal and a long-needed change.

‘Twas the night before Christmas when Wal-Mart told the world it decided to settle 63 lawsuits to the tune of as much as $640 million; most of those lawsuits alleged that Wal-Mart “routinely underpaid its employees.” So what prompted the usually greedy Grinch to give more than half a billion dollars to its employees? The Wall Street Journal says one reason is Wal-Mart’s pending fight against the Employee Free Choice Act.

Conservative ideologues looking to punish workers and the American middle class for auto industry failures are driven by an authoritarian worldview George Lakoff calls the strict parent model.

As I write, I’m lifting a mug o’ coffee and toast to Jane and the entire Firedoglake team who have done so much this election cycle to spotlight the perfidities of the McCain-Palin disaster and otherwise move forward a progressive vision our nation so desperately needs.

Sometime around 1 a.m., on Nov. 5, as I stood yelling in Lafayette Park along with thousands of my new best friends, the true meaning of solidarity—within the union movement and within the broader progressive movement—really hit home.

Wealthy conservative interests are going back to the 1930s and blaming union members for prolonging the Great Depression, and then turning around to accuse Barack Obama of wanting to do the same today because he wants to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. So let’s dismantle this argument.

As a member of a union that I have to wonder about sometimes (ALPA, the Airline Pilots Association) I think it’s certainly worthwhile to talk for a minute about the Employee Free Choice Act and the role of unions in building a stronger middle-class and hence stronger America. A quick and simplistic review for those not old enough to remember the ultimate Federal Union Buster, Ronnie Reagan and his most excellent PATCO adventure.

Voter suppression and intimidation should be a high crime on a level with treason. Barack Obama’s lead in the polls is giving Democrats room to challenge treason democrats, even if the fight detracts from economic messages.

Back in August, I described here how AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka took on the issue of race and the elections head on. Trumka’s speech to the United Steelworkers has, in turn, sparked a debate within the union movement that has been carried forward by other union leaders, including AFSCME President Gerald McEntee and AFGE President John Gage.