Rachel Ventura

Pelosi's Jihad Against Progressive Ideas And Progressive Leaders

I've been talking to an increasing number of progressive candidates for Congress who have told me that they have no intention of voting for Pelosi as speaker in 2021. Flagstaff progressive and AZ-01 congressional candidate Eva Putzova head it right on the head: "If we are going to address climate and healthcare crises and inequality, we need leaders who understand that yesterday's politics won't work.

Hashtags Are Not Activism... And Social Media Only Accomplishes So Much.

Not all Democrats are the same. Filling Congress with garden variety Democrats isn't even a good idea. It would just enable the worst instincts of the worst power-mad, values-free careerist Democrats, the Schumers, Emanuels, Bidens, Bustoses and Hoyers. Trump is an existential threat to our democracy and our nation. He's got to be dealt with.

Chicago Zip Codes Shouldn't Determine Which Side Of The City's 30 Year Life Expectancy Divergence You're On

This map of Chicago from The Economist shocked me as the magazine makes the point that if you take a ride along Chicago's red line-- a rail service running north-south for 23 miles-- life expectancy varies by 30 years from one end to the other! Thirty years! In a developed country! In the richest country in the world!

The DCCC Sure Has Changed Its Tune On Impeachment! New Memo To All Democratic Members

This DCCC messaging memo on impeachment isn't something you would expect to come from them, considering it seems like just minutes ago when they were raging against Democratic candidates who dared to even talk about impeachment. Cheri Bustos sent this memo out to all House Dems last night. I wonder what she's telling candidates now.

Time To Get To Know Illinois Progressive Rachel Ventura A Little Better

Back in 2009, when union activist and author Jonathan Tasini was running for Senate against Kirsten Gillibrand, I wrote that sometimes I have to pump some political courage into our candidates and incumbents and coax them to support difficult or controversial items on the progressive agenda. Not Tasini, whose politico-spiritual mentor is Paul Wellstone. I wrote that he's the kind of figure who I fully expected to call me and ask me why I'm not working harder to round up more votes for the most difficult progressive positions in Congress.

Even Candidates Enthusiastic About Trump Being Impeached, Would Rather Talk About Substantive Economic Issues

The Trump Snowball Effect by Nancy OhanianThe new Gallup poll-- which was in the field before the gravity of the Ukraine scandal and impeachment hit the mass media-- is pretty devastating for Trump. It isn't just his job approval that is underwater either. Don't get me wrong. His job approval is in the toilet-- just 40% of adults approve.

Sheldon Adelson vs Bernie... Plutocracy vs Democracy

A nexus of pure, unadulterated evil-- Trump and the AdelsonsSheldon Adelson bought the biggest newspaper in Las Vegas for 140 million dollars. His net worth is something like 32 billion dollars and he represents the interests of the far right Likud Party among Republicans in the U.S. His bribes to Trump are over $25 million. He gives immense sums to Republicans in Congress.