Blue Collar

President Obama Ties Reform To Rebuilding Middle Class

POLITICO | Carol E. Lee | Posted 11.15.2009 | Politics


PITTSBURGH -- President Barack Obama delivered his most strongly worded speech in defense of organized labor since taking office - tying health care r...

Happy Labor Day: an Oxymoron

Will Durst | Posted 10.20.2009 | Comedy


Will Durst

There are no fireworks to watch or ugly birds to cook or chocolate covered bunnies to steal marshmallows from. Just one Monday off for all those ordinary guys and gals trying to make ends meet.

Pop Your Blue Collar: The Case For Working With Your Hands

New York Times Magazine | Matthew B. Crawford | Posted 06.22.2009 | Living


The television show "Deadliest Catch" depicts commercial crab fishermen in the Bering Sea. Another, "Dirty Jobs," shows all kinds of grueling work; on...

The Nasty Class and Anti-Union Bias of Auto Bailout Opposition, or the Wall Street-Detroit Double Standard

Robert Weissman | Posted 01.12.2009 | Business


Robert Weissman

Nancy Pelosi says the Congressional Republicans are playing Russian Roulette with the economy by refusing to agree to an auto industry bailout. But f...

Taxes Are Not Always A Bad Thing

Jennifer Bernard | Posted 11.18.2008 | Home


Jennifer Bernard

The taxes on Joe-the-Plumber's $250,000 bought me my first-grade textbooks when my family was on food stamps. I do not feel guilty that Joe may have had to drink less-expensive champagne that year so that I could have a sandwich for dinner.

Working Class White Voters Are Ditching McCain

AP | KIMBERLY HEFLING | Posted 11.10.2008 | Politics


KITTANNING, Pa. — The steel mills and coal mines of western Pennsylvania helped fuel the nation's economic engine. Today, old factory shells and...

Obama Campaign Target: Blue-Collar Women Face Worst Gender Gap

Philip N. Cohen | Posted 10.16.2008 | Politics


Philip N. Cohen

Except among the highest earners, women with only a high school degrees face the highest gender gaps compared with men at their own education level.

How to Grab the Attention of Undecided Voters

Jonathan Leigh Solomon | Posted 09.26.2008 | Politics


Jonathan Leigh Solomon

Small details, exact costs, specifics, particulars -- all are fatal to a convention speech. Just ask Bill Clinton as he walked off the podium after delivering his keynote address at the 1988 Democratic Convention.

McCain to Hold "Virtual Town Hall" To Woo Clintonistas

M.S. Bellows, Jr. | Posted 06.20.2008 | Home


M.S. Bellows, Jr.

The Lieberman-inspired move to woo non-Republicans is designed to look like nonpartisanship, but it's really about maximizing the schism that the Clinton campaign created in the Democratic base.

Edwards' Endorsement Frees Obama In Picking Running Mate

M.S. Bellows, Jr. | Posted 05.22.2008 | Home


M.S. Bellows, Jr.

Clinton doesn't help Obama with his electoral map in November. He needs someone who has both pull in the states he wants to win and who can help repair rifts with rural white voters. Two names immediately come to mind.

The $109 Million Dollar Question: Is Clinton Really A Populist?

Dan Treul | Posted 05.12.2008 | Home


Dan Treul

This weekend, as Clinton defended her gas tax proposal against what she described as the "elite opinion" of professional economists, I, like so many others, had to ask the obvious question: Since when does a Clinton get off as such a populist?

It's The Con Job, Stupid!

Chip Collis | Posted 04.22.2008 | Home


Chip Collis

Two of the three presidential candidates are running a major con job on you right now: It's in their attacks on Obama. He was right about economically disadvantaged and politically sidetracked Pennsylvanians.