A boost for abortion rights in red states, workers nationwide
Amid national chaos, there are some good things happening
Welcome to a Wednesday edition of Progress Report.
Just when you didn’t think the world could tilt any further off its axis, the news breaks that delegates at the RNC are wearing giant fake ear bandages in honor of Donald Trump. Also, President Joe Biden has Covid-19, forcing hm to head back for isolation in Delaware, where he’s reportedly showing signs of being open to withdrawing from the presidential race. We’re living in chaotic times.
On another note, here’s my new report on unionizing Delta workers. It’s a two-decade story about corporate consolidation, industry monopoly, toothless regulation, and some very determined workers.
Lots to talk about tonight, from campaign developments to ballot initiatives and important economic and policy news. Let’s dig into it.
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It’s a strange time here at Progress Report HQ, where the feeling of vindication is being tempered by the circumstances.
Longtime readers may recall that back in March of 2022, I wrote a piece predicting that the cost of housing, which at the time was beginning to creep up, would become a key election issue. I then spent the next two-and-a-half years urging Democrats in Washington to both take concrete action and make it a centerpiece of their campaigns, but it did not seem to be a priority at the federal level.
Ever since the demise of Build Back Better, I’ve also argued that the party should build a platform around its most popular elements, including universal childcare. Again, crickets. And for the past four years, I’ve been agitating for Democrats to go big on measures to reform the Supreme Court, another idea that didn’t seem to find much purchase.
Over the past few weeks, President Joe Biden has finally come around on all of those things, some of which feature prominently in his surprising new policy platform. The housing proposal is particularly based, as it calls for capping rent increases at 5% in many buildings across the country. He’s also close to proposing term limits and binding ethics reform for crooked Supreme Court justices.
It’s better late than never, but it’s very late, with the president sliding further down in the polls and two-thirds of Democratic voters now preferring another nominee.
It’s significant that Rep. Adam Schiff, the darling of the MSNBC set, now publicly agrees with that large majority of voters, given how much he reflects the mainstream establishment of the party. Chuck Schumer’s weekend heart-to-heart with Biden is an even bigger deal. The willingness from top party brass to urge a once-unthinkable power shift is encouraging, even if it’s borne out of desperation. I think Biden’s belated policy proposals suggest that the Democratic Party is also undergoing an important policy realignment.
Historically, when Democrats have gone into poll-induced panic mode, they’ve tacked to the right and emulated conservatives, something that Howard Dean once called “Republican-lite.” Biden has engaged in plenty of it, as recently as last month’s executive order limiting border crossings, but it’s very encouraging to see his campaign recognize the futility and shift to full-throated economic populism and partisanship during a crisis.
Credit also goes to Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who met with Biden last week and pushed him to adopt some of these positions. Many observers and pundits were surprised to see the vanguard of the left stick by Biden early during his post-debate crisis, but it was actually a deft political play.
First, they understood that Biden was likely to be more open to their ideas than some of his potential replacements, and he needed their support far more than any potential replacement would need it. Plus, as I pointed out last week, any successful effort to force Biden to withdraw had to come from the centrist powerbrokers and swing district members of the Democratic Party; pressure from the left would have been more likely to rally them to his side. Now their agenda has new oxygen and the president is warming to an orderly torch-passing.
In an ideal world, Biden withdraws and whoever takes the nomination not only sticks to those proposals, but also builds on them. It’ll probably take Democrats coalescing behind a single alternative candidate for that to have any chance of happening, and it’s unclear whether any potential contenders are willing to take the plunge, but they’ve got a platform waiting for them if they do.
How long they’ll even have to jump in also remains to be seen, as the DNC machinations continue to grind on as dissidents stew behind the scenes. If nobody steps up, Democrats may not be in position to put that policy shift into action for a very long time, but as Republicans push unhinged right-wing policies, the contrast in ideas and values has never been more clear.
With the Supreme Court delegating more power to states and activists seeking to overcome far-right legislatures, the drama around ballot initiatives has never been more intense. Here are a few key updates on several different initiatives that we’re following; click here to see our entire list of initiatives and the latest on each of them.
⚕️🪧 Arkansas: Pro-choice activists on Tuesday officially filed suit against the state’s top elections official over his decision to disqualify their proposed constitutional amendment. Secretary of State John Thurston cited alleged incomplete paperwork last week when he rejected the more than 101,000 signatures that activists collected in support of the amendment, which would protect reproductive rights up to at least 18 weeks of pregnancy.
The activists dispute Thurston’s claims and argue that even if they had forgotten some paperwork, they’d be entitled to a chance to correct it. Their lawsuit asks the Arkansas Supreme Court to order Thurston’s office to start counting and verifying the signatures so that they can meet a late August deadline.
👌 🗳️ Montana: Now for some definitively good news for abortion rights in a red state.
The rest of our ballot initiative coverage, which includes education battles and minimum wage fights, as well as good economic news for working people and other headlines, are available for paid subscribers. It’s just $5 a month to support this tireless work!
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