It's a Peter Peterson operation.
The frame for the discussion is pre-set - the budget is screwed, how do we do austerity. Typically the speakers for these things are stacked so that any progressive voices are heavily outnumbered, if there are any at all. I participated in a similar exercise in the 90s that was a little more even - speakers were me vs. Bill Niskanen - but the frame was the same. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Marty Hart-Landsberg Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 11:37 PM To: Progressive Economics Subject: [Pen-l] request for information on "America Speaks" I wondered if anyone on the list has had direct experience with the town halls being organized under the rubric of America Speaks: Our Budget, Our Economy (http://usabudgetdiscussion.org/). It is a fairly slick program organized to focus attention on the budget deficit and national debt as the main threat to "our" economic future. The group is hosting a meeting in Portland, Oregon (where I live) and I have been shocked at how many progressives in the community are eagerly looking forward to participating-apparently they see town hall and think community gathering-and of course there is a strong anti-government undercurrent that such programs easily capture. Anyway I wondered what experiences if any others have had with this campaign. Marty
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