Staff

Lee Drutman

Lee Drutman is a senior fellow and the managing editor for the Progressive Policy Institute.

The Environment: What the Public Thinks

It’s Earth Day, but as far as problems go, the environment now ranks last among 15 issues that the public thinks Congress and the President…

Why Budget Line Items Don’t Die

In today’s Washington Post, David A. Fahrentold marvels at what he calls the “Line Items That Won’t Die” – federal programs that benefit narrow interests,…

Obama Needs a Bipartisan Elder Statesman Road Show to Tackle the Deficit

As President Obama begins taking the budget deficit battle show on the road, he faces a number of obvious challenges. But perhaps the most pressing…

How to Think About AEP v. Connecticut

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments in AEP v. Connecticut, a case that will decide whether eight states have the right…

Lobbyists and Corporations Have Too Much Power?

I’ve been mulling over a Gallup Poll that came out this week on who has too much power. You probably won’t be surprised to hear…

As Obama Prepares to Speak, PPI Hosts Tax Reform Forum

Today, President Obama is speaking on long-term deficit reduction. He’s expected to embrace the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform’s general framework (also known…

America’s Come Undone

Book Review: Age of Fracture, by Daniel T. Rodgers The Princeton Historian Daniel T. Rodgers has written a fascinating new book about how the U.S….

The American Electorate and the Budget Battle

As the budget negotiations grind to a halt, it’s helpful to keep in mind two important characteristics of the American electorate. The first is that…

Why Obama Shouldn’t Play it Safe in 2012

So, surprise, surprise, Barack Obama is officially running for re-election in 2012. As someone who knocked on doors in 2008, I watched the official 2012…

Is the Tea Party Finally Boiling Over?

Maybe the Tea Party is finally starting to boil over, after all. According to CNN’s latest polling, 47 percent of the public now views the…