As Katrina vanden Heuvel writes this week at washingtonpost.com, at a time when the country desperately needs Congress to have the courage to take on the powerful entrenched interests that now threaten our future—big oil, King Coal, Big Pharma, Wall Street, the military-industrial complex, the medical complex—politicians are strutting about their courage in cutting programs for the elderly, the disabled, the ill and the vulnerable.

Election Day was a smashing victory for progressives and middle-class populism. In the face of this mandate, the “grand bargain” would lower top rates on the wealthy and corporations, target Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security for cuts and inflict austerity that can only cost jobs. Now we need to speak out louder than ever. Please implore your representatives in Congress to reject the so-called “Grand Bargain.” After weighing in, please share this post with your friends, family and Twitter and Facebook communities.

In Salon, Michael Lind makes a strong case against the “Grand Bargain,” arguing that any deal that cuts entitlements is bad for mainstream Americans.

In this video, Cenk Uygur explains why the grand bargain isn’t a bargain at all, leaving one side (the middle class, veterans) without much benefit and another (big corporations, defense contractors) rolling in tax cuts.

A weekly guide to meaningful action, this blog connects readers with resources to channel the outrage so many feel after reading about abuses of power and privilege. Far from a comprehensive digest of all worthy groups working on behalf of the social good, Take Action seeks to shine a bright light on one concrete step that Nation readers can take each week. To broaden the conversation, we’ll publish a weekly follow-up post detailing the response and featuring additional campaigns and initiatives that we hope readers will check out. Toward that end, please use the comments field to give us ideas. With your help, we can make real change.