The Case

The Basics

Why We Call It "The Big Con"

Conservative government during the past few years has failed—even some conservatives acknowledge that. But the problem is not just that conservatism has failed to live up to its promise; it is that conservatism cannot live up to its promise

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Conservatism: Flawed By Design

Inherent ideological flaws cripple the ability of conservatives to govern:

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Symptoms of Conservatism

Conservatism’s flaws give rise to inescapable symptoms that tend to benefit a powerful few at the expense of most Americans.

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Talking Points

Isaiah J. Poole's picture

CAF STAFF

The Truth About Government Waste

By Isaiah J. Poole
October 22nd, 2008
Footnote: 

"The Truth About Waste in Government," Making Sense 2008, Campaign for America's Future. Posted October 22, 2008.

Conservatives promise to crack down on “earmarks”—federal spending allocated in legislation for a specific project or location. No more "bridges to nowhere." That’s great, but it doesn’t add up to much—$18 billion of a $3 trillion federal budget. Want to root out waste in government? more »

Isaiah J. Poole's picture

CAF STAFF

Tainted Food, Tainted Government

By Isaiah J. Poole
August 15th, 2008
Footnote: 

Maing Sense alert, "Tainted Food Threatens All Americans."

Remember the salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 1,200 people this summer? more »

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Pro vs. Con

CONservative Spin:

“In answer to the question, 'Are you better off today than you were before George Bush took office more than seven years ago,' if you look at the overall record and the millions of jobs that have been created since President Bush took office, you could make an argument that there's been great progress economically over that period of time.”
Isaiah J. Poole's picture

CAF STAFF

PROgressive Response:

By Isaiah J. Poole
April 18th, 2008
Related Topics:

Here are the facts:

  • Between March 2001 and March 2008 the nation lost almost 3.3 million manufacturing jobs, and only gained 5.3 million jobs overall—just slightly more than half the number of jobs needed to keep pace with the 9.8 million people added to the labor force during that period. That's why the unemployment rate is 15.7 percent higher in March 2008 than it was in March 2001. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  • The share of the population with jobs declined from 64.3 percent of the population in March 2001 to 62.6 percent of the population in March 2008. It's the first time on record that a period of "economic recovery" has been marched by an actual decline in the employment rate. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic Policy Institute)
  • Hourly wages rose 3.6 percent over the past year, the slowest growth rate in two years, and well behind recent inflationary readings, which have been around 4 percent. What's worse, employees on average have been keeping their workers on the job for fewer hours in the past year, so weekly earnings are up only 3.3 percent over the past year. (Economic Policy Institute).
  • Since the late 1990's, average incomes fell by 2.5 percent for those in the bottom fifth of the income scale and rose by just 1.3 percent for those in the middle fifth. Meanwhile, incomes climbed 9 percent for those in the top fifth, not counting income from capital gains. (Economic Policy Institute)
  • At the same time, the consumer price index from March 2001 to March 2008 has increased 17.5 percent. (Inflation Data.com)
  • People in the top 1 percent of the income bracket captured about half of the overall economic growth between 1993 and 2006. (Emmanuel Saez, University of California, Berkeley)
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