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2016 Programs
2016 Program Archive
February 12 - The Severe Versus the Sanctimonious Conservative; A Reflection on Permanent War; Thomas Frank's Pity the Billlionaire
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We begin with a wry report on the conservative conclave C-Pac that just concluded in Washington with a keynote speech last night by Sarah Palin. Alternet’s Washington Bureau Chief Adele Stan joins us, she has an article at Alternet “Occupy Protesters Mic-check Palin During C-Pac Speech”. We discuss the civil war within Republican ranks as Mitt Romney desperately defends his conservative credentials while Rick Santorum assails the party establishment for backing a moderate. |
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Then Mary Dudziak joins us in studio. She is a Professor of Law, History and Political Science at the University of Southern California and the author of a new book, just out “War – Time: An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences”. Since the United States has been engaged in constant armed conflict for over a century and has a permanent war economy, Mary Dudziak’s inventive meditation on war, time and the law, offers a welcome and important insight into our politics of war. |
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Then finally we are joined by Thomas Frank, the author of a new book “Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right” which examines how the worst economy since the 1930’s that crashed under George W. Bush, brought about a revival of |
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| MUSIC: Monty Python - Every Sperm Is Sacred; Titus Andonicus - Four Score and Seven; Shabazz Palaces - Gunbeat Falls |
February 9 - Eric Cantor Sells Out; Winner-Take-All Politics; Syrian/Americans Speak Out
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We begin with a brazen act of complicity between the House Majority Leader and Wall Street interests, witnessed today on Capitol Hill as Eric Cantor gutted the Stock Act, meant to stop insider trading by the Congress, and forced through the passage of a watered-down weak bill. Dr Craig Holman, the legislative representative for Public Citizen on Capitol Hill joins us to discuss Cantor’s craven move and the outrage it has generated from lawmakers, including the Republican sponsor of the Senate’s Stock Act bill, Chuck Grassley.
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Then we speak with Paul Pierson, who is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley and the co-author of “Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer – And Turned its Back on the Middle Class”. We examine the capture of our government by the super-rich and look into ways to restore a government of the people, by the people and for the people. |
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| MUSIC: Shabazz Palaces - Echo From the Hosts That Profess Infinitum; My Morning Jacket - The Day is Coming; Dirty Projectors - Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie; Syrian Protesters - Bashar Must Go |
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February 8 - The Bigots Are Back; The War On Women's Health; Rumors Of War Intensify
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We begin with Rick Santorum’s blowout victories in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado that indicate a resurgence of the electoral influence of the religious right and an undertone of bigotry toward the Mormon front-runner. Frank Schaeffer, the son of famous evangelicals who grew up surrounded by the likes of Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and James Dobson, joins us to discuss the revival of Santorum’s candidacy and the growing attacks on Obama over his fictional war on religion. |
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Then we look into the latest assault on women’s rights and the further politicization of women’s health as Republican presidential candidates and their House and Senate leaders join the chorus of defending religious liberty from the imaginary threat of birth control. Dr Susan Wood, a former FDA Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health and the Director of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at George Washington University joins us to clarify the contraception rule in Insurance coverage that has riled up the Catholic bishops and other fundamentalists. |
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Then finally we speak with M.J. Rosenberg of Media Matters about the growing calls for war with Iran from Capitol Hill and the increasing pressure on President Obama to abandon a containment policy towards Iran’s alleged nuclear program in favor of a pre-emptive military strike. |
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| MUSIC: Cinematic Orchestra - Ode To The Big Sea; Dirty Projectors - No Intention; Bill Evans Trio - Gloria Take 1; Jim O'Rourke - Close To You |
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February 7 - A Court Victory Against Discrimination; Mitt's Momentum Meets Minnesota; Who's In Charge in Iran?
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We begin with the 2 to 1 decision today by a three judge Federal Appeals panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit upholding a 2010 ruling by former U.S. District Judge Vaughan Walker that overturned Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage in California. Tobias Wolff, who teaches Constitutional Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and has participated in some of the highest profile gay rights cases, joins us to assess the impact of the ruling and the likely appeals ahead that could go to the Supreme Court. |
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Then we get an update on today’s Republican primary in Minnesota with Lawrence Jacobs the Director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. With an upset victory by Rick Santorum expected, we will examine the rollercoaster ride of Mitt Romney, who has long been projected as the winning nominee, but can’t seem to maintain momentum as the restless Republican base searches for an alternative to the establishment candidate. |
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The finally, following the President’s recent remark that “knowing who is making decisions at any given time inside Iran is tough’, we try to find out who is in charge in Iran with Dr. Trita Parsi who is the co-founder and president of the National Iranian American Council and author of “A Single Role of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy With Iran”. |
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| MUSIC: Of Montreal - Enemy Gene; My Morning Jacket - Gideon; Jim O'Rourke - Please Patronize Our Sponser; |
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February 6 - Bail Out Banks or the Sinking Middle Class?; Syrian Blood Flows After Russia's U.N. Veto; Israel and the Helpless Superpower
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We begin with the proposed $25 billion settlement of the mortgage mess expected at any moment and whether the Obama Administration will step up in a showdown with the banks. Robert Kuttner the co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect joins us to discuss this crucial election year issue for the Obama Administration, given that one in four American households are underwater and so-far the banks, who have committed massive and systemic fraud, have not been held to account. |
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Then we look into the deepening humanitarian tragedy in Syria where, since the Russian and Chinese veto in the UN, the Assad regime has rained down shells, rockets and mortars on civilian populations, especially in the restive city of Homs. An important member of the Syrian opposition, Radwan Ziadeh, joins us to describe how the regime is taking advantage of the window provided by the Russian veto to try to eliminate the lightly armed opposition fighters and the civilian population they are defending. |
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Then finally we examine the President’s freezing of all Iranian Government assets held or traded in the U.S. and his recent answers on NBC where he was asked if Israel could launch a preemptive strike on Iran. The president said “I don’t think Israel has made a decision on what they need to do”, but when asked the direct question whether Washington would be consulted first about an Israeli strike, the president declined to answer saying only that the U.S. and Israel “have closer military and intelligence consultation than they’ve ever had”. The former Senior Director of Middle East Affairs at the National Security Council, Flynt Leverett joins us to discuss mixed signals from the White House as the screws tighten on Iran. |
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| MUSIC: Shabazz Palaces - Echo to the Hosts That Profess Infinitum; Africa Hitech - Out In The Streets |
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