It's Official: David Sirota's Column To Appear Regularly In Democrat And Chronicle

by: robert.harding

Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 15:28:53 PM EST

Here is the official announcement from the D&C:

For the past couple of months, we've been occasionally running David Sirota's syndicated columns on the Editorial Page. Readers have responded favorably with letters, phone calls and emails. They like what he has to say and the way he says it.

As a result, we're adding Sirota to our stable of regular columnists. Sirota, as anyone knows who reads him, is a progressive who isn't shy about telling readers exactly what he thinks.  He currently appears in newspapers  such as the San Francisco Chronicle, The Seattle Times , The Idaho Statesman and the Denver Post, with a combined circulation of more than 1.3 million.

We believe Sirota will be a strong addition to our diverse selection of columnists who appear daily on the Editorial Page.

Let me know what you think: Jlawrenc@democratandchronicle.com

David wanted to thank all of you who supported the effort and commented or e-mailed to the D&C asking them to run his column on a regular basis. And for good measure, he said he will do his best to make the movement proud.

We, along with our friends over at Rochester Turning, have been pushing for David's column to be included in the D&C full-time. The D&C needed to expand its horizons and become more diverse. Today's decision did just that.

Sirota's column did appear in yesterday's D&C, which was a sign that something was in the works. So if you are in the Rochester area and subscribe to the D&C, you have something to look forward to reading in the op-ed section.

Sirota Discusses The WFP And How They Scare Both Major Parties

by: robert.harding

Thu Oct 08, 2009 at 20:49:35 PM EDT

Earlier today, Sirota talked about how the WFP has become a power in New York politics and also about how the Democratic and Republican parties fear the so-called "minor" party.

According to the New York Times, the most recent election proves that the Working Families Party "is now the pre-eminent political force in New York City politics." The WFP has achieved this status not through the usual celebritized/glamorized channels of big money television ads and endorsements, but through old-fashioned grassroots work that too much of the much-ballyhooed Washinton-based progressive "infrastructure" ignores/laughs at. The result is that not only have they built power, but they've built durable power - and that scares the bejesus out of both major parties in the Empire State.

As I showed in my latest book, conservatives, led by Rudy Giuliani, have long vilified the WFP. But a few has-been washouts in the old Democratic machine are freaking out as well. What's so hilarious, of course, is that because these washouts are so overcome with rage, they've forgotten some of the most basic lessons of Economics 101. Specifically, check out this op-ed by former New York Mayor Ed Koch (who endorsed George W. Bush) and former city comptroller candidate David Yassky (whose candidacy just got crushed by the WFP's candidate) using McCarthyist "threat" language - and more specifically, check out the crux of their argument about why the WFP is supposedly a "threat":

   "We see danger when narrow agendas overwhelm the public good. That happened this spring in Albany, when the WFP masterminded a whopping 9% increase in state spending in a year when the state's economy is actually contracting."

The danger? Really? I mean...really? Are you out of your friggin' mind?

Sirota concludes his piece by giving this summary of what the attacks on the WFP mean:

Indeed, being attacked - and in particular, being attacked so dishonestly and spastically in such hysterically McCarthyist terms - is the tell tale sign that something has built the kind of genuine power that is feared by the status quo. That's what the WFP has done - and it should serve as a model and inspiration to all of us working in progressive politics.

To add onto what Sirota said, other aspects of the WFP that are different from the major parties include their focus on certain issues. Take, for example, the push for Green Jobs legislation. The WFP was at the forefront, but they shared in the glory with the Democrats who saw the Green Jobs bill pass the Assembly unanimously and pass the Senate overwhelmingly. They worked hard and the bill passed, even though some Republicans tried to take jabs at the WFP in the process.

This is why the major parties (in particular the Democratic Party) finds it so difficult to pass huge legislation like health care reform. The Democratic Party wants health care reform, but for the party, there is not an individual proposal that they want to see passed. They have the "big tent" and welcome all ideas, which is great, but leads to a stalemate.

The WFP has made it clear: They want health care for all. They created a campaign outlining their 10 standards for reform. You won't see the Democrats (or Republicans) doing anything like that.

The Working Families Party is more than just a political party. They are a think-tank and policy-based party that isn't afraid to address major (or minor) issues.

And that's why they scare the major parties. They have had a lot of legislative success, especially here in New York. That's not something you see from a minor party anywhere. But thanks to fusion voting and a strong infrastructure at the WFP, we have such an institution here in New York.  

Support David Sirota's Column In The Democrat And Chronicle

by: robert.harding

Tue Oct 06, 2009 at 07:39:02 AM EDT

The D & C is running David's column today and the more support he gets, the better. You might say that this is a "trial run" and that the editorial board is looking at how much interest he gets (just like any of the other columns) before deciding to pick him up full-time.

Here is an excerpt from the column, but make sure you go over to the full version, read it and leave comments of support for David.

The war in Afghanistan poses two important questions: What should be done and who should be "the deciders"?

Congressional Republicans say the answer to the first query is military escalation. But according to polls, most Americans disagree.

At the same time, many experts wonder "whether or not we know what we're doing," as President George W. Bush's former deputy national security adviser said recently. One thing's for sure: The U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, says he wants more troops.

Help the cause and go leave some comments for David. This would be huge in this area as we have lacked a real progressive voice in print for some time. Having David's column run in the D & C would be huge and I know that there are a lot of readers in the Rochester area who would read online or pick up the print edition to catch it.

You can also e-mail Editorial Page Editor James Lawrence at jlawrenc@democratandchronicle.com and tell him that you want to see David Sirota's column made permanent.

Anything we can do to get David's column a regular part of the D & C editorial page would be great. So leave your comments, write e-mails and spread the word. It's time for a true progressive voice in the D & C op-ed section.

Sirota In The Democrat And Chronicle? It Could Happen

by: robert.harding

Tue Sep 29, 2009 at 16:12:28 PM EDT

Recently, a column written by progressive voice David Sirota was published in the D & C. It was something I enjoyed seeing, having met David in New York City last year and being a big fan of his work and everything he has done for the progressive movement.

D & C Editorial Page Editor James Lawrence said in a post today that Sirota is being considered for a regular slot in the op-ed section. This would be huge for a number of reasons.

Here is what Lawrence said about Sirota:

After having caught up on my email and voicemail now that I'm back from a week off, I'm catching up on my reading.  Included were online discussions and letters about a syndicated column that ran on Sunday, September 20th.

The piece was written by David Sirota of Denver, who bills himself as a progressive or liberal .  We used him for the first time because his point of view was something different, well argued and well written.  Despite what some  readers may think,  we strive for as much diversity of all kinds on our opinion pages as possible, day in and day out.

The last thing we want to be is predictable. (OK, hold the comments. Predictability is a matter or perception.) Anyway, Sirota is being considered as a regular. I spoke to him before leaving on vacation and he is excited about the prospect of coming aboard as a regular. No decision has been made, but again, he's under consideration.

If you like Sirota's work,  leave a comment here. By the way, I've caught him a couple of times as a talkinghead on CNN in recent weeks.

Help out the cause by leaving a comment (you have to registered) and giving some much needed props to Sirota. Let's make him a regular at the D & C.  

Wealthy Americans Continue To Dodge The Taxman

by: robert.harding

Mon Dec 29, 2008 at 16:43:04 PM EST

For most of us, Benjamin Franklin's words in 1789 still apply: "Nothing is certain but death and taxes."

However, millionaires, by definition, are not most of us. While they can't stave off the grim reaper, they can convince lawmakers to shield them from the taxman and balance budgets on the backs of everyone else.

That's what's going on in revenue-starved states right now: governors are preparing to slash middle-class programs and are resisting calls to raise taxes on the wealthy. Nowhere is this class war more pronounced than in New York - the home of the financial thieves who killed the economy.

Having halved its top tax rate over the last three decades, New York today faces a $15.4 billion deficit. In response, Democratic Gov. David Paterson might have asked his state's Gordon Gekkos to pay higher taxes, especially considering the idea's popularity in polls and the news that Wall Street's elite are still swimming in money. Indeed, according to CBS News, the allegedly beleaguered financial industry is so flush with cash it plans to dole out $14 billion in executive bonuses this year.

Yet, far from forcing robber barons to pay their fair share, Paterson told The New York Times that taxing millionaires is "the last place you want to go." Instead, he proposes to punish Joe and Jane Six-pack by hiking the taxes and cutting the programs that disproportionately impact them. Specifically, he wants to increase sales taxes, college tuitions and licensing fees and slash education and low-income health programs.

The rest of the column below the fold.  

David Sirota On My Radio Show

by: robert.harding

Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 00:13:42 AM EDT

Tune in promptly at 10 a.m. to hear from David. We will talk about the book and discuss a few of the chapters featured in the book.  

David Sirota Event At Strand Tonight

by: robert.harding

Wed Jun 04, 2008 at 00:17:49 AM EDT

I actually ran into David before the event started. He is very approachable and gave a short thank you for the help (the live blog we conducted with him last week plus all the promotional stuff prior to this event). His opening statement during the panel discussion touched on a lot of the topics covered in The Uprising, including the Working Families Party's impact on New York politics.

Check out the book. It is Sirota's best thus far and he brings a true and honest assessment of the populist movement to print.  

David Sirota In New York City Today And Tomorrow To Promote New Book

by: robert.harding

Mon Jun 02, 2008 at 09:51:42 AM EDT

Tonight, Sirota will be joined by Air America's Sam Seder at an event hosted by Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century. The event will take place beginning at 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00) at Red Sky. Red Sky is located at 47 E. 29th Street between Park and Madison Avenues.

Then tomorrow Sirota will be at The Strand (828 Broadway) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for a panel discussion on The Uprising and its look at New York. The panel discussion will feature Sirota, Sen. Eric Schneiderman, Joel Barkin of Progressive States, Andrea Batista Schlesinger of the Drum Major Institute and Dan Cantor, who serves as the executive director for the Working Families Party. The event is sponsored by Progressive States, DMI and the Working Families Party.

If you can make both, great. But try to make at least one of these great events to meet David and to learn more about The Uprising. It is a terrific book and I am certain that both these events will be excellent.

I will be at the event tomorrow at the Strand. I hope to meet many TAP readers there and have an interesting discussion about David's book.

Chronicling The Uprising: An Interview With David Sirota

by: Intrepid Liberal Journal

Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 20:19:34 PM EDT

The topic below was originally posted on my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal and cross-posted at Progressive Historians, the Wild Wild Left, The Peace Tree, the Independent Bloggers Alliance and Worldwide Sawdust.

The centrifugal force in American politics today is the establishment's failure to deliver prosperity and security. In 2006, Americans voted for a change of direction in Iraq and economic policies at home. Instead, President Bush's "surge" in Iraq was enabled by a feckless congress as fuel prices soared, the cost of healthcare kept spiraling out of control and corporate CEOs continued to enjoy the benefits of a twenty-first century Gilded Age. Senseless privatization, predatory crony capitalism, political corruption, incompetence and corporate greed have combined to put the American Dream out of reach for people who work hard and play by the rules.

Today TAP, Tomorrow The Colbert Report

by: phillip anderson

Fri May 30, 2008 at 14:22:06 PM EDT

David Sirota Will Be Guest On The Colbert Report Tonight

by: robert.harding

Thu May 29, 2008 at 13:51:51 PM EDT

David was here yesterday to discuss his book.

Tune in to Comedy Central tonight at 11:30 p.m. for the show.  

Welcome David Sirota To The Albany Project

by: robert.harding

Wed May 28, 2008 at 09:50:47 AM EDT

On May 1, Phillip and I were contacted by David Sirota who was hoping that on The Albany Project we would promote his new book, The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington. When talking about the book, David mentioned that there was a chapter in The Uprising (Chapter four, for those of you who are in possession of the book).

As promised, I will join with members of The Albany Project community in welcoming David Sirota to TAP. David can be best summed up as a writer. This is his second book after debuting with Hostile Takeover in 2006. He also writes a weekly column that reaches 1.6 million readers in the western United States. He has his own blog and recently authored a piece for the New York Times Magazine.

The reason David is here though is to promote The Uprising. The book received advanced praise from Matt Taibbi and Naomi Klein, as well as Joe Trippi. It centers around the populist movements on the left and right, from the Working Families Party and the successes of the WFP in New York to the Minuteman Project operating in the southwestern United States. David's introduction is comedic, yet intelligent. It tells the story of the moment where he discovered that these movements, while on different sides of the spectrum, are interwoven along the lines of said populist revolt. The place was the first YearlyKos convention and he was in a drunken state. I will leave it at that.

I have made it through a good portion of the book and it will not disappoint. As a lover of books and an owner of Hostile Takeover, this is by far the better of the two. Sirota brings the progressive populist movement and the conservative populist movement together to explain the whole populist movement, its meaning and its many parts.

As a final reminder, David will be in New York City for several events. Here is the full rundown from my earlier posts on David's appearances.

Sirota's tour will see him visit New York City for a few different events. From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday (May 30) at The Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive), David will be one of the panelists in a discussion entitled, The Underground Uprising: Alternate Routes to Social Justice in the 21st Century. Joining David will be Bertha Lewis from New York ACORN and Leslie Lowe of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

After making a couple of stops in Pennsylvania, David will return to New York City on June 2 for a couple of events. First, at 6:30 p.m. David and Air America's Sam Seder will be at an event with Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century. That event will take place at Red Sky, located at 47 E. 29th Street.

Later in the day, Sirota will be a guest on Lizz Winstead's Shoot the Messenger from 9 to 10 p.m. The studio is at 45 Bleecker Street and if you want to attend the live show, you can get your tickets here.

Finally, David will wrap up his swing through New York City with another panel discussion from 7 to 8 p.m. June 3 at The Strand Bookstore. David will be joined by New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman, Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor, Joel Barkin of the Progressive States Network and Andrea Batista Schlesinger of the Drum Major Institute. The Working Families Party, Progressive States and DMI are all sponsoring the panel discussion.

Let's have a great discussion and please join me in welcoming David to our community.

David Sirota Coming To The Albany Project Tomorrow

by: robert.harding

Tue May 27, 2008 at 15:19:48 PM EDT

David will be joining us TOMORROW from 10:30 to 11:05 a.m. EST. (Note: He was originally going to be with us for an hour, but has to leave early to record an interview with Air America.) We will be talking about The Uprising, which features a chapter (chapter four in the book) that discusses the Working Families Party and its role in New York State politics.

The Uprising is available in bookstores today. Also today, David embarks on a three month tour promoting his book, beginning tonight in Burlington, VT. That tour will see him visit New York City for a few different events. From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday (May 30) at The Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive), David will be one of the panelists in a discussion entitled, The Underground Uprising: Alternate Routes to Social Justice in the 21st Century. Joining David will be Bertha Lewis from New York ACORN and Leslie Lowe of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

After making a couple of stops in Pennsylvania, David will return to New York City on June 2 for a couple of events. First, at 6:30 p.m. David and Air America's Sam Seder will be at an event with Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century. That event will take place at Red Sky, located at 47 E. 29th Street.

Later in the day, Sirota will be a guest on Lizz Winstead's Shoot the Messenger from 9 to 10 p.m. The studio is at 45 Bleecker Street and if you want to attend the live show, you can get your tickets here.

Finally, David will wrap up his swing through New York City with another panel discussion from 7 to 8 p.m. June 3 at The Strand Bookstore. David will be joined by New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman, Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor, Joel Barkin of the Progressive States Network and Andrea Batista Schlesinger of the Drum Major Institute. The Working Families Party, Progressive States and DMI are all sponsoring the panel discussion.

It is going to be a real treat to have David join us and I will be fortunate enough to have him as a guest on my radio show at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 5. Both should be fun and I am looking forward to both opportunities.

If you can't make any of the events in New York City, David will be at Netroots Nation in July and at the Democratic National Convention in August.

So please join us tomorrow and welcome David to our community here in New York. He is a brilliant writer and The Uprising, based on the parts I have read so far, is an outstanding book and account of this "populist revolt" occurring across the ideological spectrum. I will be posting a review of the book on TAP in the next few days and I promise you this: If you purchase the book, you will not be disappointed.

Again, come tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. to talk with David. Look for a thread entitled, "Welcome David Sirota To The Albany Project."  

SCHEDULING CHANGE: David Sirota Coming To TAP For 35 Minutes Tomorrow

by: robert.harding

Tue May 27, 2008 at 12:33:17 PM EDT

I will have more on David's appearance later. Again, instead of going for a full hour, we will have David on for 35 minutes. Please join us and ask questions. I look forward to welcoming David to the TAP community and hope the TAP community would join us tomorrow for the event.  

David Sirota Coming To TAP To Talk About New Book

by: robert.harding

Fri May 23, 2008 at 15:28:07 PM EDT

Then from 9 to 10 p.m on June 2., Sirota will be appearing on Lizz Winstead's Shoot the Messenger to talk about the book. If you want to attend the show, you can get your tickets here.

And lastly, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. June 3, another panel discussion will take place at The Strand Bookstore (828 Broadway at 12th St.) featuring Sirota, New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman, Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor, Joel Barkin of the Progressive States Network and Andrea Batista Schlesinger of the Drum Major Institute. This event will be sponsored by Progressive States, DMI and the Working Families Party.

David will also be joining me on my radio show to talk about his book. That will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 5.

Come by this Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. to chat with David about the book and welcome him to the TAP community. If you can, try to make one of the events in New York City too. I will be attending the panel discussion on June 3 and might be attending Shoot the Messenger on June 2.

I will be reviewing the book and posting that review here at TAP. I will say this: It is a great book and Sirota really outlines a lot of these topics he discusses extremely well. If you liked Hostile Takeover (also written by David) then you will LOVE Uprising.

Please join us Wednesday to help us welcome David  to the TAP community and the New York blogosphere.  

David Sirota Coming To New York City For Two Events To Promote New Book

by: robert.harding

Thu May 08, 2008 at 13:57:10 PM EDT

From the press release:

May 30, 7:00pm to 8:30pm: David Sirota will appear at the Riverside Church for a panel discussion entitled "The Underground Uprising: Alternate Routes to Social Justice In the 21st Century." The panel will Bertha Lewis, head of New York ACORN and Leslie Lowe of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility - two leaders featured in Sirota s book.

Location: Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive New York, New York. Event is open to the media and the public - and books will be available at the event for sale.

June 3, 7:00pm-8:30pm: David Sirota will appear at a panel discussion about THE UPRISING's exploration of how events in New York state politics are influencing populism across the country. The event will be sponsored by the Progressive States Network, Drum Major Institute and Working Families Party and will feature Sirota, New York state senator Eric Schneiderman, Working Families Party executive director Dan Cantor, Progressive States' Joel Barkin and Drum Major Institute's Andrea Batista Schlesinger.

Location: The Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway (at 12th St.), New York, NY.

We will have more on this in the future. In the mean time, if you are a consumer of Facebook please join The Uprising Book Club which will provide you a glimpse at David's book.