Today’s the big day in Wisconsin’s recall elections. I had a piece published yesterday in the American Prospect on how these six races will test the efficacy of populist appeals from the left in red districts:

Democracy for America spokesperson Levana Layendecker credits the Tea Party’s ascendance to “a populist message” about “government bought out by corporate interests—and I agree with them.” She and other activists expressed excitement about the chance to take a clear, class-conscious message to voters in red districts and to send a message not just to austerity-happy Republicans but to national Democrats as well. “If we can pull this off,” says Democracy Addicts’ Ed Knutson, “we have a blueprint that can be adapted to other situations.”

Check it out – as well as this great resource from the Prospect. I also covered the shift in energy from protests to recalls for Alternet last month. And if you’re in Wisconsin, go vote!

Here’s my Alternet piece about what happens when companies with decent labor relations in Europe cross the pond (Spoiler Alert: they don’t tend to play nice):

Management organized anti-union meetings, and rumors started about the plant closing down if workers chose a union. The IAM filed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charges against Ikea, charging illegal anti-union tactics, including firings of union supporters. Ikea announced that it had sent auditors to investigate conditions at the Danville plant and found it in compliance with Ikea’s code of conduct.

Check it out. And then watch this video.

Yesterday Portland’s KBOO radio aired a discussion I had with host Joe Clement on “The Old Mole Variety Hour.” Joe invited me on to talk about my Dissent piece on what the AT&T merger debate shows about different approaches to pursuing economic democracy. We discussed why news coverage has focused on AT&T donations to merger supporters while ignoring the possibility that industrial power for workers could rebound to the benefit of consumers.

The audio of our segment is on-line here.

Before heading out on vacation, I wrote this Alternet piece on the consensus among the major players in debt negotiations that the role of non-security discretionary spending in our economy should plummet:

In this year’s State of the Union address, Obama pitched a strategy to “Win the Future” by combining a five-year freeze on annual spending on the one hand and investments in “innovation, education and infrastructure” on the other. Obama bragged he would bring discretionary spending back down to Eisenhower levels, while also warning that “Cutting the deficit by gutting our investments in innovation and education is like lightening an overloaded airplane by removing its engine.” So he would cut bad spending while strengthening smart investments.

But EPI’s analysis shows that public investment – education, infrastructure and research and development – is actually the majority of the NSD budget. In other words, the part of the plane Obama is looking to lighten is largely engine.

Check it out if the debt drama hasn’t already depressed you enough. I’ll be back from vacation at the end of this month.

Here’s my American Prospect piece on why some Wisconsin unions have concluded going forward without any legal recognition is better than pursuing the kind available in Walker’s Wisconsin:

WSEU—and any other union that turns down the certification process—is making a gamble. It’s giving up the chance to negotiate over wages, but also freeing up its members to spend their time organizing for respect from managers and politicians rather than running through annual elections. That choice should force workers and staff to wrestle with what a union is beyond the bargaining table.

Check it out.