Category Archives: Blogging

15th Blogiversary of Seeing the Forest

Posted on by

This is the 15th anniversary of this blog.

This is the Welcome post.

This is the first real post, same day, about an hour later:

Ralph Nader is a Scab

In the union movement we learned the hard way that the only way to fight the moneyed interests is to stick together. It’s called SOLIDARITY. It’s what “union” MEANS.

When unions are in a fight the members stick together, and those crossing the lines are called “scabs”.

In the 2000 election it was the usual fragile Democratic coalition fighting the usual moneyed interests. Ralph Nader broke the solidarity, divided the coalition, and lost us the election. Ralph Nader is a scab.

This is the original at the “Blogger” site.

Job Change

Posted on by

Friday, April 28 was my last day at Campaign for America’s Future / People’s Action and the OurFuture.org blog. After a break (and assuming Trump hasn’t killed us all) I will be writing at the Center for Media and Democracy, the organization that investigates and exposes corruption. You know them for ALEC Exposed, KOCH Exposed, SPN Exposed, SourceWatch and other incredible investigative work they do. I will be writing about corruption and democracy.

Holiday Card From The Johnsons

Posted on by

Happy Holidays from the Johnsons:

That’s our dog Paddington.

The back of the card:
Published by Sudeep Johnson
Doggie Paw Cards, Inc.
www.doggiepawcards.com
Many thanks to Paddington the little white dog, without whom this card would not have been possible.

Here is last year’s: Holiday Card From The Johnsons. (That card has a link to the previous year’s, which has a link to the previous year’s, etc…)

Virtually Speaking Sundays — Dave Johnson and Cliff Schecter

Posted on by

Virtually Speaking Sundays is a counterpoint to the weekly gasbags who air on Sundays. This week we talk about SCOTUS and the Real Donald Trump.

Today at 4pm ET / 1pm PT — Click to listen live, or later,

Dave Johnson — Senior Fellow with Campaign for America’s Future. Read Dave at Seeing the Forest, Campaign for America’s Future, Huffington Post and other outlets. With more than 20 years of technology industry experience, Dave’s earlier career included technical positions, including video game design at Atari and Imagic. He was a pioneer in design and development of productivity and educational applications of personal computers. He helped co-found a company developing desktop systems to validate carbon trading in the US. Follow @DCJohnson

Cliff Schecter — A public relations, political and digital strategist , Cliff is President of Libertas, LLC and a columnist at The Daily Beast and Contributor to The Huffington Post and semi-regularly to the Cincinnati Enquirer op-ed page. Cliff sits on the Boards of

We Act Radio, the Ohio Innocence Project and Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio.

Sunday 5PT 8ET Virtually Speaking Listen Live Or Later

Posted on by

Tonite Jay Ackroyd, Dave Johnson on Scalia, the Democratic pie fights and a plea for progressive unity in the face of policy and constitutional crisis.

Click here to listen live (5:00p pacific, 8:00p eastern) or later recorded: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/virtuallyspeaking/2016/02/15/dave-johnson-virtually-speaking-sundays

This week: Scalia, the Democratic pie fights and a plea for progressive unity in the face of policy and constitutional crisis.

Jay’s guest is Dave Johnson — Senior Fellow with Campaign for America’s Future. Read Dave at Seeing the Forest, Campaign for America’s Future and Huffington Post. Follow @DCJohnson

The 2016 Virtually Speaking Media Panel:

Avedon Carol, Cliff Schecter, Culture of Truth, David Dayen, Dave Johnson, David Waldman, digby, Gaius Publius, Isaiah Poole, Joan McCarter, Marcy Wheeler, Sara Robinson, Susie Madrak, Spocko, Stuart Zechman

Sunday’s Virtually Speaking with Dave Johnson, Isaiah Poole

Posted on by

Listen at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/virtuallyspeaking/2015/11/22/dave-johnson-isaiah-pool-virtually-speaking-sundays

Sanders on Democratic Socialism; Trump on Muslim Americans; Warren on corporate tax reform. Commentary from Dave Johnson and Isaiah Poole you’re unlikely to hear from the DC media villager. Jay Ackroyd host.

The regular VS Media panelists:

Avedon Carol, Cliff Schecter, David Dayen, Dave Johnson, David Waldman, digby, Gaius Publius, Isaiah Poole, Joan McCarter, Marcy Wheeler, Sara Robinson, Susan Madrak, Spocko, Stuart Zechman

Support My Work Without Spending A Dime

Posted on by

If you would like to support the work I do, here is a way to do that without spending a dime. Click here and vote for Institute for America’s Future, my employer.

When you get there, choose the following:

Institute for America’s Future
Institute for America’s Future develops an economic agenda and message to promote economic populism in the United States, fighting austerity and economic inequality while organizing to protect Social Security and rein in Wall Street.

Once more: Click here and vote for Institute for America’s Future, my employer.

Virtually Speaking Today 6PT/9ET

Posted on by

Click here to listen live or later.

Presidential primary campaigns and authenticity; policing America. Sara Robinson and Dave Johnson discuss the absence of coverage of mainstream policy alternatives that are both effective public policy and poll very well, the contrast between the marginalization of the Sanders campaign, and impediments that the symbiotic relationships between cops and prosecutors create cops commit violent crime.

The 2015 Virtually Speaking Media Panel: Andrew Jerrell Jones, Avedon Carol, Charles Lenchner, Cliff Schecter, David Dayen, Dave Johnson, David Waldman, digby, Gaius Publius, Isaiah Poole, Joan McCarter, Marcy Wheeler, RJ Eskow, Sara Robinson, Spocko, Stuart Zechman, Susan Madrak

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/virtuallyspeaking/2015/08/16/sara-robinson-dave-johnson-vs-sundays

Virtually Speaking Tonite 6pm PT / 9pm ET Or Listen Later

Posted on by

Dave Johnson, Isaiah J. Poole. Jay Ackroyd moderates. Political satire from Culture of Truth. Listen live or later http://www.blogtalkradio.com/virtuallyspeaking/2015/07/13/isaiah-j-poole-dave-johnson-schumer-portman-rewarding-corp-tax-evasion

6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern discussing the proposed “repatriation tax holiday” on what corporations owe on “offshore” profits held in tax havens. Also “reform” — a huge tax break to encourage off shore production and profits in the future.

Then, from the morning talk shows: Labor overtime rule, the Confederate battle flag, TPP, Debt crises in Greece and Puerto Rico, HUD announces fair-housing rule.

Commentary from Dave Johnson, Isaiah J. Poole. Jay Ackroyd moderates. Political satire from Culture of Truth.

Listen live or later http://www.blogtalkradio.com/virtuallyspeaking/2015/07/13/isaiah-j-poole-dave-johnson-schumer-portman-rewarding-corp-tax-evasion

My Post That Krugman Links To

Posted on by

Paul Krugman links to a post I wrote last year. With the revote on Fast Track possibly coming up soon I think it is a good post to repeat. So here it is.

Democrats Who Move Right Lose Elections – There Is No “Center”

Mainstream Democratic campaign consultants and pollsters typically tell candidates they should “move to the right” and campaign to the “center” with positions that are “between” the “left” and the “right.” This is the way, they say, to “attract swing voters” who would be “scared off” by a candidate who takes populist positions that favor the interests of the 99 percent over the interests of the 1 percent.

Polling and experience show that exactly the opposite might be true.

Continue reading →