Skip to Content
Skip to Navigation

 

How our blog got its name

Sidney Hillman was a powerful national figure during the Great Depression, a key supporter of the New Deal, and a close ally of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

When the rumor spread that President Roosevelt ordered his party leaders to “clear it with Sidney” before announcing Harry S. Truman as his 1944 running mate, conservative critics turned on the phrase, trumpeting it as proof that the president was under the thumb of “Big Labor.”

Over the years, the phrase lost its sting and became a testament to Hillman's influence.

It's hard to imagine a labor leader wielding that kind clout today, but we like the idea—and we hope Sidney would give thumbs up to our blog.

Close window

Charles Kaiser's blog

Must Reads from Mayer and Barry

 

Rick Welts, president of Phoenix Suns, comes out (in The New York Times); Jane Mayer writes a blockbuster about the Obama Administration's dangerous obsession with leaksContinue reading...

Winners & Sinners: from Mary Murphy to Mark Mazzetti

 

Pulitzer winner David Leonhardt, National Magazine Award winner Scott Horton, Filmmaker Mary Murphy, New York Times reporter Mark MazzettiContinue reading...

Triumph & Tragedy

 

President Obama announcing the Death of Osama Bin Laden; The Terrorist in his prime

 Above the Fold

    There are plenty of reasons to rejoice over the death of Osama Bin Laden, including the sense of closure his killing should bring to the relatives of all the victims of his heinous attacks.Continue reading...

Extremism In Defense of Idiocy

Quick Takes

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says  the only thing left that is holding up a bill that would prevent a government shutdown is the intransigence of Republican extremists in the House, who are demanding the complete defunding of Planned Parenthood.Continue reading...

Brian Chokes on The Donald; Fox Bids Beck Good-Bye

  

Donald Trump, Glenn Beck, Brian Williams

Above the FoldContinue reading...

Quick Takes

Paul Ryan’s budget is being championed by “sensible” conservatives like David Brooks  To read the sober truth about it, don’t miss the great Harold Meyerson in Wednesday’s Washington Post, where he explains what it really is: "the repeal of the 20th Century."Continue reading...

Fortune and ProPublica Attack The New York Times--Without Any Facts

Fortune Magazine and ProPublica humiliated themselves this morning with a story  by Jeff Gerth and Allan Sloan which purports to debunk the story in The New York Times which said that General Electric paid no taxes in 2010.Continue reading...

The End Game in Libya

 

Barack Obama, speaking about Libya, and Muammar Gaddafi, the longest-lasting dictator in the world

 

Above the FoldContinue reading...

The War on Labor: Required Reading (II)

While the media's attention has pivoted toward the civil war in Libya and the multiple catastrophes in Japan, the war against labor goes on across America.  Here are some of the best places to keep up with it:Continue reading...

Winners & Sinners: from Remnick to Gupta

 

David Remnick, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bill Keller

Winners: The Security Council of the United Nations. The news that the UN has authorized military force against the Gaddafi regime is the best thing that has happened this year.Continue reading...