Obama’s presidency has to be a starting point, not a final destination, for the diverse movements that carried him to the White House. read more »

When Barack Obama assumes the presidency Jan. 20, he will bring a slew of Clinton-era bigwigs in tow: Larry Summers, Eric Holder, Rahm Emanuel, Peter Orszag and the former first lady herself, Hillary Clinton. Perhaps it’s not surprising then that many commentators claim Obama has abandoned his hope-and-change platform for a Clintonian restoration. Much of the appeal of both Clinton and Obama lies in the soaring rhetoric of the “American Dream.” read more »

Barack Obama has promised to revise or reverse many Bush administration policies on everything from the environment to workplace safety to reproductive rights. Will he renounce the vast expansion of executive authority that Bush claimed gave the president near monarchical powers over the lives of mere mortals? read more »

On Feb. 17, if GM reaches a deal with autoworkers to cut costs and bond holders to reduce debt, it will receive $4 billion more in bailout money. Around the same time, Congress will probably pass the largest civilian economic stimulus since the Great Depression. read more »

After pouring at least $300 million into supporting Democratic candidates for the White House and Congress last year, labor unions are hoping that the new president will help enact their number one legislative priority: The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). read more »

Future generations will probably regard the Bush administration as the most environmentally destructive presidency in history. But it will not just be for the reasons fresh on our minds today — namely the rollback of many major environmental laws of the last four decades. The Bush years, will also be remembered for its neglect and outright denial of climate realities, crucial time that could have been spent preventing the planet from warming beyond a manageable level. read more »

Barack Obama’s election seems to have dispelled some of the despair that grew up in the repressive war-making aftermath of September 11 and the subsequent invasion of Iraq and Bush’s re-election. This is good for organizing — people step up out of hope, not despair. Many of us who have a deep critique of Democrats, political parties and politicians, however, are left conflicted or confused. read more »

Expectations for Barack Obama’s presidency have continued to soar since his historic election. Millions believe change is possible. But what kind of change? And to whose benefit? read more »

From the podium at the Christian Right’s Values Voter Summit in mid-September, Kate O’Beirne of the National Review Institute pronounced that the “selection of Sarah Palin [as the GOP vice presidential nominee] sounded the death knell of modern American feminism.” read more »

In the haze of dust and smoke from the latest F-16 strike, a family evacuates its home. The dispatcher at the Jabaliya Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) receives call after call from terrified residents fleeing their homes. It’s a new year, a new Nakba, and an old scene; Israel is bombarding Gaza once again and the world is standing idly by. read more »

Despite the so-called “liberal” media’s endless barrage of pro-Israeli propaganda, a significant portion of the U.S. public is opposed to the current attack on Gaza. As the casualties mount and peace is pushed further out of reach, The Indypendent’s Jaisal Noor exposes three big myths of the conflict. read more »

Nuclear waste dumping, fish poaching and U.S.-backed proxy war drive coastal crisis. read more »

"Internal and external colonialism have come to an end," Bolivian President Evo Morales proclaimed on Sunday night after voters approved a new constitution that expands the rights of Bolivia's indigenous majority while also giving the state greater control over the economy. For more on Bolivia's transformation, read more »

The Democratic Party’s progressive base has been repeatedly disappointed in recent decades by the triangulating, pro-corporate tilt of the party’s Washington-based establishment. Will things be different this time under President Barack Obama? read more »

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Fun? Yes, but not quite with either former President Richard Milhous Nixon or Marxist revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara in the two current movies carrying their names. Both films, however, are well worth seeing. read more »

Events in and around the New York City area January 21st through February 13th. read more »

Readers respond to the December 12th issue of The Indypendent read more »