2011 Program Archive

July 26 - The Economic Hostage Crisis Face-Off; Tea Party Tempests; White House Debt-Ceiling Strategy?

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We begin with the big story in the news and that is the economic hostage crisis, with an analysis of dueling speeches at the eleventh hour, the President’s and John Boehner’s. They were afforded equal time in the press, even though only one side is threatening to destroy the full faith and credit of the United States if they don’t get 100% of what they want. Jonathan Cohn, a senior editor at The New Republic joins us to discuss who is really responsible for the deficit and the debt.

Part 2

 We talk to a presidential historian who studies both the American Right and the presidency. Allan Lichtman, the author of White Protestant Nation: The Rise Of The American Conservative Movement. He assesses the role of the Tea Party in preventing compromise as the American ship of state heads for the abyss.

Part 3

Then, in light of criticism from James Carville and others who faced a similar situation during the Clinton Administration when Newt Gingrich threatened to shut down the government, which he did, we talk strategy, which according to many is sorely lacking in the Obama White House.  Karl Agne, a campaign strategist joins us to explain whether Obama’s latest speech is too little too late, and what moves might be left for him before the economy is destroyed and his election chances end up as collateral damage.

 

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July 25 - Rise of the Radical Right; A Christian Jihad in the US?; Pakistan: Playing with Fire

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 In the wake of the targeted massacre in Norway, we begin with an analysis of the relationship between the resurgence of far-right extremism and political violence. Jonathan Birdwell, a researcher on the Violence and Extremism Program at Demos in London, joins us to discuss how the extreme right in Europe has not only become more palatable, but they have already exerted a gravitational pull on the center, with British Prime Minister Cameron and German Chancellor Merkel both recently proclaiming the death of multiculturalism.

Part 2

 We examine further the rise of the radical right and Christian fundamentalism here in the United States with Frank Schaeffer, the son of one of the founders of the religious right.  He discusses the dangerous notion pervasive on the religious right amongst Christian fundamentalist and some Tea Party activists, that equates godliness with a hatred of government.

Part 3

 We talk about a nuclear-armed country at war with itself, Pakistan. Washington Post correspondent Pamela Constable, the author of a new book Playing With Fire, joins us to explain a country she has reported on extensively, one that is riddled with corruption, devastated by natural disasters and terrorized by Islamic extremists.

 

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July 24 - Tragedy in Norway - Tone Bringa; Thomas Hegghammer; The Economic Hostage Crisis - Alan Grayson

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Part 1

 We speak with a Norwegian cultural Anthropologist Dr. Tone Bringa, to try to find an explanation for how such callous and methodical mayhem could occur in a country famous for its tolerance, social peace and cohesion. Tune Bringa

Part 2

 Dr. Thomas Hegghammer, a Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment, joins us to help explain how the mass murderer was able to kill so many young people for so long, how he got his weapons and explosives and what motivated the killer. Dr Hegghammer is quoted in Sunday’s New York Times pointing out the irony that the killer’s manifesto is an exact mirror image of Al Qaeda’s declarations and manifestos.

Part 3

 Congressman Alan Grayson joins us to try to make sense of the economic hostage crisis in Washington DC that has the president being whipsawed by Republican walkouts and blackmail to extract concessions by threatening to crash the economy. We will talk about Congressman Grayson’s nationwide petition at No-cuts.com demanding that there be no cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

 

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July 21 - Anxiety in Kabul as U.S. Begins Withdrawal; Grover Norquist the No-Tax Eminence Grise ; The Triple Agent

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 We begin with long-time Afghan observer Thomas Barfield, the author of “Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History.” He is in Kabul where there is growing apprehension as the withdrawal of US and NATO troops begins, that the Taliban will take over.  We discuss the possible scenarios that might follow and the regional players who could fill the vacuum.

Part 2

 Then we examine the power of Grover Norquist who has 95% of Republican lawmakers signed on to his no-tax pledge and when he even suggested that not extending the Bush tax cuts might not be a tax increase, he set of a firestorm forcing a quick retraction. Michael Ettlinger, who is Vice President for Economic Policy at the Center For American Progress joins us. We try to find out why this obscure Washington power player has so much influence and who his financial backers are.

Part 3

 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joby Warrick who covers national security for the Washington Post joins us. He is the author of a new book, “The Triple Agent: The Al Qaeda Mole Who Infiltrated the CIA.”  We look into the shocking story he has uncovered that led to one of the greatest disasters in the CIA’s history.

 

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July 20 - The Greek Debt Crisis; Selling out Medicare?; The Too Big to Fail Media Tycoon.

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Part 1

 Matias Vernengo, a professor of Economics at the University of Utah, who is in Geneva working with the United Nations Development Program, joins us to talk about the Greek debt crisis that has the leaders of France and Germany huddled in Berlin trying to avert a default that is all but inevitable. We discuss whether it will be an orderly default or a disorderly one that could drag down the Eurozone with it. 

Part 2

 We talk about the fate of Medicare that is apparently a key part of the President’s compromise with the Republicans in both the big 4 trillion dollar deal he wants and the 3.7 trillion deal the so-called "Gang of Six" Senators are calling for. Ethan Rome joins us.  He is the Executive Director of Healthcare For America Now, a public interest group defending the much maligned Healthcare Reform bill that is supposed to reduce out-of-control heathcare costs that are the biggest contributors to the deficit.

Part 3

Former Federal Communications Commission commissioner Nicholas Johnson talks about how citizens in a democracy can take back the public airwaves media tycoons like Rupert Murdoch have been allowed to take over and not just increasingly control news and information, but own our politicians and decide who gets elected and who does not.

 

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