I see from an e-mail that Margy sent me earlier today that the Democratic Leadership Council's Idea of the Week is the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation that would require employers to recognize a union once a majority of employees have signed a card requesting representation. (Under current law, employers can petition the NLRB for a formal election, which gives them the chance to put all sorts of pressure on employees, and engage in various anti-union activities.) So, this isn't exactly Nixon going to China, but it's a good first step for the DLC and a good sign for the progressive movement. If you're going to push globalization, free trade and other measures that may boost economic growth, but don't necessarily do much to share that growth among all Americans—and also make workers' lives a lot more insecure—the least you can do is bolster institutions like unions that contribute to shared growth. Exception: Stack empty.