Republican fantasies about "repealing and replacing" the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are crashing on the rocks of two-to-one public opposition, and a tidal wave of ordinary people who are demanding their Members of Congress vote NO. So what about a real plan to make the ACA even better? What about a plan to provide even more access to health care and make premiums more affordable – especially for working people — rather than the GOP plan to take health care away from millions? ...

David Wood - Huffington Post Heather Booth doesn’t look like a revolutionary. She sits demurely on a sofa, dressed simply in black, fingering a silver necklace. She speaks softly, selecting her words with care and enunciating cleanly. Dignity. Respect. Community. But something comes over her when she begins to talk about helping people organize to make their world better. The sweet smile fades. She sits up straighter. Her voice tightens, the words come faster. Power. Together. Act. She strikes a gently curled fist into an open palm. IM-pact. ...

Brings Creative Experience to the Intersection of Arts, Culture, and Political and Issue Campaigns Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2016) – Democracy Partners, the firm formed by some of the nation’s most experienced political strategists, communicators and organizers, today announced the addition of Wyatt Closs, principal of Big Bowl of Ideas, as partner in the firm.  ...

There is so much craziness going on in the political world right now that it makes it hard to think, as random supernovas of strangeness keep exploding in the political atmosphere. But like physicists trying to explain all the seeming contradictions and strange anomalies of how the universe operates, maybe we should be looking for a theory that unifies everything, a theory that can explain all the total weirdness of American politics right now. Today, I go in search of a unifying theory of political everything. How to explain all this weirdness in the political universe: ...

Despite what the pundits say, the outcome of Democratic primary is far from inevitable Reported as being 25 points down in the polls only one week ago, Bernie Sanders shocked the Clinton campaign—and more interestingly, political pundits and pollsters by besting Clinton in Michigan. And only one week ago, reading the headlines and listening to the pundit-class commentary on Clinton’s big victory on Super Tuesday and her goliath lead over Sanders’ delegate count one could have assumed that the race is over. ...

Chicago has a long history of wars. The bootlegger wars of the 1920s, the Council Wars of the 1980s and the annual winter parking spot wars, to name a few. Now, thanks to Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno, 1st, we may have a chance at another — garbage wars. Moreno has proposed that Chicago's new monthly garbage fee of $9.50 per household for single family residence be replaced with a "pay-as-you-throw" fee. Under his proposal the more garbage a household creates, the more it would pay. ...

Via In These Times http://inthesetimes.com/article/18884/bruce-rauners-1-percent-friendly-p... The near-billionaire governor keeps insisting his policies increase opportunities for Illinoisans. But the numbers tell a different story. BY Marilyn Katz ...

Real change requires that we expand our understanding of what actions are needed on the part of the mayor, the police and anyone who claims the mantle of the city’s leadership. Two films that premiered this past fall provide guidance of the kind of leadership that today is missing. BY MARILYN KATZ ...

Here's Bob Creamer's latest piece from the Huffington Post outlining the new billionaire-backed attacks on the California Teachers Association - and by extension - all hard-working Americans. Warning: CEO Class’ Next Big Attack on the Incomes of Ordinary Americans If you’re like most ordinary Americans, you’re not thrilled that ever since George W. Bush came into office 15 years ago your income has flat lined.  ...