UEPI News and Commentary

Obama and urban policy; Moyers on inequality and LA labor; Dumon on responsible business practices

Friends and Colleagues:

My column in today's Huffington Post focuses on putting the nation's long-neglected cities and metro areas  back on the political agenda.

Next week, Barack Obama will be addressing the US Conference of Mayors annual meeting, while John McCain has so far not accepted the USCM's invitation to speak. To win the White House, Obama has to both increase turnout in cities and capture more than a majority of suburban voters. My article, which draws on a Brookings Institution report released this week, suggests how an Obama Administration and the next Congress might address the challenges and potentials of America's metro areas, cities and suburbs alike. The U.S. has many serious problems that are disproportionately located in cities and older suburbs, but these are national problems and require federal solutions. We can't have a strong national economy without healthy metro areas.

The Mortgage Mess and the Economic Meltdown: What John McCain (and the rest of us) Should Learn from the Keating Scandal

The nation's escalating economic troubles -- triggered by the growing wave of home foreclosures, declining housing prices, and bank failures -- was entirely preventable. In today's Huffington Post, I diagnose the symptoms, examine the root causes, discuss the politics, and suggest a five-point remedy that candidates for president and Congress should embrace. Here it is.  Comments and criticisms -- on the HuffPost website or just to me -- are most welcome. 

Peter

Is Obama just a "hope monger?"

Friends,

My article in The Nation today, "The History of Hope," examines  the controversy over Barack Obama's emphasis on "hope." The Clinton campaign says Obama is peddling "false hopes,"  is more about "words" than action, and doesn't understand how to bring about change. Obama counters that his years as an organizer taught him that change only comes about through a combination of hope and struggle, and he uses examples from the history of grassroots movements to make his point.

An article I wrote for American Prospect a few weeks ago (with Kelly Candaele), "The Year of the Organizer," examines Obama's background as an organizer and how he's incorporated the culture and strategies of community organizer into his campaign, symbolized by the frequent use of the phrase "Si Se Puede/Yes We Can," the slogan of the United Farm Workers movement, at Obama rallies. 

Thanks.
Peter Dreier

Rep. John Lewis Tilts to Obama, and other reports about the Prez campaigns

Friends,

Congressperson John Lewis of Georgia, a hero of the civil rights movement, is now supporting Barack Obama. See story in today's New York Times, below. Plus, an article from American Prospect on what Clinton and Obama should do to win over Edwards' supports. Plus, Harold Meyerson's column on why the Democrats' need to avoid a bitter convention fight that will only help McCain. Plus, Barbara Ehrenreich on the Obama campaign. Plus, SEIU's endorsement of Obama.

Peter