The Best and Worst Policies of 2009

A look at a key report from the Drum Major Institute.

The Drum Major Institute, a non-partisan think tank that generates ideas to fuel the progressive movement, has given their 2009 Year in Review the very apt theme of "digging out". Last January, President Obama took office and immediately faced staggering challenges that, by the end of the year, left many voters feeling like their concerns were drowned out amidst the mess.

DMI further asserts that on top of the policy challenges of bank bailouts and rising unemployment, climate change, crumbling infrastructure, and two wars, the President was backed up by "a numerically strong but internally fractured Democratic majority, still too much under the sway of powerful industries and cautious ideologies to take the bold actions necessary to confront the nation's problems."

But even in a tumultuous year there was progress, and DMI outlines the top ten best and worst policies of the year from a progressive perspective. Highlights include far-reaching national policies like the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act that put an end to some abusive practices by the credit card industry; and things you might not have heard about, like a new "wage watch" program out of New York's Department of Labor to intensively go after employers that violate minimum wage laws.

The report also features the 2009 Injustice Index - a compelling by-the-numbers look at "what's just not right". Look here for the total estimated drop in property values in 2009 due to foreclosures ($502 billion) or the number of Senators who voted against allowing judges to require banks to modify mortgages for bankrupt homeowners (51).