Think Progress

September 2009 Progress Reports

• Economy -- How Progressives Should Deal With The Deficit, September 30, 2009
  

  This year, the federal deficit will exceed 11 percent of the gross domestic product -- higher than at any point in the country's post-war history.

• Afghanistan -- Weighing The Options, September 29, 2009
  

  As the debate over Afghanistan intensifies, there is one thing nearly everyone in Washington agrees on: President Obama inherited a serious and deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the result of years of inattention and neglect by the Bush administration, in addition to a refusal to send additional troops requested by previous commanders.

• International Relations -- Time For Iran To 'Come Clean', September 28, 2009
  

  Last Friday at the start of the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, President Obama -- flanked by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and with the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- revealed the existence of a secret Iranian uranium enrichment facility near the seminary city of Qom, 60 miles south of Tehran.

• Economy -- A Global Investment, September 25, 2009
  

  The fifth annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference is taking place this week in New York City.

• Economy -- Minorities In A Pinch, September 24, 2009
  

  Yesterday, the Center for American Progress released a report indicating that Latinos and African-Americans have "lost economic ground" more quickly than their white counterparts and will likely regain it at a slower pace due to fundamental structural problems in the U.S. economy.

• Climate -- Getting Serious About Global Warming, September 23, 2009
  

  Even as pressure builds for the U.S. Senate to take action on global warming, polluters have intensified their campaigns to block clean energy reform.

• Afghanistan -- Debating The Strategy, September 22, 2009
  

  Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who replaced Gen. David McKiernan last fall as the top U.S. and NATO commander for Afghanistan, has delivered his long-awaited assessment of the conflict to President Obama.

• Health Care -- Obama Defends Baucus Bill, September 21, 2009
  

  President Obama appears on five Sunday morning talk shows and defends his health reform package.

• National Security -- Smarter Missile Defense, September 18, 2009
  

  In what the Guardian called "arguably the most concrete shift in foreign policy from that of the Bush administration," President Obama announced yesterday that the United States would abandon President Bush's plan to construct a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic and instead focus defensive measures on more immediate threats, such as short-range Iranian missiles capable of targeting the Middle East and parts of Europe.

• Radical Right -- The Right Wing's Values, September 17, 2009
  

  While promoting his organization's upcoming Value Voters Summit Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, praised the "outpouring of concerns" at the rally.

• Economy -- Closing The Books On Bush's Legacy, September 16, 2009
  

  While still in office, President Bush and his allies used to get frustrated when reporters would ask them to speculate on what the administration's legacy would be -- especially in light of the President's abysmal poll numbers at the end of his term.

• National Security -- Testing Iran, September 15, 2009
  

  On Wednesday, Iran submitted a proposal to six nations -- the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany -- in which Iranian leaders pledged to "embark on comprehensive, all-encompassing and constructive negotiations," but "did not name the nuclear program as an issue for the talks." 

• Immigration -- Joe Wilson's Red Herring, September 14, 2009
  

  Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-SC) outburst during President Obama's speech before a joint session of Congress last week signaled the resurgence of the Republican Party's preferred tactic du jour: the immigration wedge strategy.

• Radical Right -- Glenn Beck's 9/12 Project, September 11, 2009
  

  This Saturday, right-wing protesters will gather in Washington, DC for a march to oppose health reform, President Obama, "corruption," and "an overall conversion to a socialist style government."

• Health Care -- Obama's Primetime Address, September 10, 2009
  

  Last night, President Obama urged a joint session of Congress to pass comprehensive health care reform by the end of this year.

• Radical Right -- Crazy Czar Conspiracies, September 9, 2009
  

  The right wing's new conspiracy-based campaign against the Obama administration deals with special advisers to the President that conservatives and media are referring to as "czars."

• Education -- Indoctrinating Hard Work, September 8, 2009
  

  President Obama addresed elementary and high school students across the nation -- the first time a president has spoken directly to America's students -- in a back-to-school speech emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility in education. Some conservatives spent last week heavily criticizing the President's plan to speak.

• Labor -- What Workers Face This Labor Day, September 4, 2009
  

  Obama's speech will come at a difficult time for America's workers as job losses continue. In the current recession, 6.7 million jobs have been lost through July, with another 216,000 jobs lost in August.

• National Security -- Pushing For Accountability On Torture, September 3, 2009
  

  Some progressives think that the parameters of  Holder's investigation are too narrow, and any investigation into torture should examine the high Bush administration officials who authorized the techniques.

• Immigration -- Nativists Hijack The Health Care Debate, September 2, 2009
  

  As part of their tireless quest for any excuse to slam "Obamacare," hardcore health care reform opponents have welcomed their deceptive antics with open arms.

• Radical Right -- The Right's 'Tenther' Constitution, September 1, 2009
  

  "Tenther" constitutionalists like Bachmann, DeMint, and Perry hope to dismantle an entire century's worth of progressive legislation.