October 12 - Running on Hate: The Trump Campaign Doubles Down; The Organizer of the Onslaught of Hate; Bringing US-Russia Relations Back From the Brink

Full Program

Part 1

We will begin with an analysis of the deep well of hatred towards Hillary Clinton that Donald Trump and his closest advisers David Bossie, Steve Bannon and Roger Ailes are tapping into, bringing the usually hidden sleazy side of politics, opposition research, from the back room to the front as the centerpiece of the Trump campaign. Jennifer Mercieca, a professor in the Department of Communications at Texas A&M where she teaches courses on political communications and presidential rhetoric, joins us to discuss why the first woman running for president is being attacked for being a woman and the intensity of the hatred that spews forth at Trump rallies where his followers shout “lock her up” and T-shirts are sold saying “Trump that bitch” and social media hashtags of #Killary proliferate.

Part 2

Then, with Hillary Clinton heckled at rallies yesterday and President Obama interrupted at a rally in North Carolina by followers of the right wing talk show host Alex Jones, who on Friday offered $1,000 to supporters who show up on TV wearing a “Bill Clinton rape” T-shirt and $5,000 to anyone heard shouting “Bill Clinton is a rapist”, we will focus on the organizer of this onslaught of hate speech and his connection to the Trump campaign. An expert on cults and conspiracy theorists, Arthur Goldwag, the author of “The New Hate: A History of Fear and Loathing on the Populist Right”, joins us to discuss how the cottage industry of Obama-haters suffering from “Obama derangement syndrome”, are migrating to Hillary Clinton who Alex Jones claims is a demon who smells of sulfur.

Part 3

Then finally we will speak with a veteran CIA analyst of the Soviet Union and Russia to assess the ramifications of the tailspin that U.S. – Russia relations are in and whether they can be brought back from the brink before an incident in Syria or Ukraine could spark a military confrontation. Melvin Goodman, a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy and a Professor of Government at Johns Hopkins University who is the author of “National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism” and the forthcoming book “Whistleblower at the CIA: The Path to Dissent”, joins us to discuss how Obama is reckless in his disregard for Russia while Putin is more and more isolated from professional advice as he surrounds himself with sycophants and yes-men.