By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
The Daily Digest is taking a break for the holidays. It will return on Monday, January 5, 2015.
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Americans Are Sick to Death of Both Parties: Why Our Politics Is in Worse Shape Than We Thought (Alternet)
Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Thomas Ferguson and Walter Dean Burnham say the combination of incredibly high political spending and low voter turnout signals a serious problem with our democracy.
2014 was fundamentally a democratic debacle. It likely heralds a new stage in the disintegration of the American political order.
Though Republicans jubilate now, the trend is probably as threatening to them as it is to the Democrats. The reason is stark: Increasing numbers of average Americans can no longer stomach voting for parties that only pretend to represent their interests.
So they stayed home, in quite extraordinary numbers. A full accounting of all votes cast in 2014 is still weeks, perhaps months away; it takes that long for all the returns to come in, especially in races in which incumbents faced no challenger or a recount was required. Some high stakes state elections also attract a few more voters than House contests held at the same time, which makes working off unofficial tabulations of a state’s “total vote” even trickier. But our cautious guess is that turnout in this year’s Congressional races will finally weigh in at around 36 percent of the potential electorate that had legal rights to cast a ballot.
Follow below the fold for more.
McDonald's Can No Longer Hide Behind its Franchises (The Hill)
Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Richard Kirsch says that holding McDonald's accountable for labor practices at its franchises is the kind of common-sense labor policy we need today.
Forecast for the 2015 Economy: Sunny (MSNBC)
Suzy Khimm gathers up economists' predictions for the coming year. Trends point toward some increases in wages, which means more people will feel the recovery in their lives.
Yellen’s First Year at Fed: A Remarkably Steady Course (NYT)
Binyamin Appelbaum reviews Janet Yellen's actions and accomplishments this past year. Her distinguishing characteristics as Fed chair include a focus on unemployment and jobs.
Volkswagen’s Employee Engagement Plan Could Weaken Labor (In These Times)
Alexandra Bradbury explains the concerns around Volkswagen's plan, which recognizes groups representing at least 15 percent of workers but doesn't allow any collective bargaining.
Republicans Block Reappointment of CBO Chief Doug Elmendorf (Bloomberg Politics)
Dave Weigel says the decision not to reconfirm Elmendorf to the Congressional Budget Office revolves around the GOP's desire for dynamic scoring, an unproven method of calculating budget costs.
New on Next New Deal
Chuck Schumer and the Democrats' Identity Crisis: Economic Policy vs. Rhetoric
Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Richard Kirsch says that New York Senator Chuck Schumer embodies the dilemma facing the Democratic Party: Wall Street funding vs. the populism it promises voters.