September 14 - Trump's the Salesman's Successful Marketing of Himself; The $38 Billion US Gift of the Latest Arms to Israel; The Reverend Billy on Bayer Buying Monsanto

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with an analysis of why Donald Trump could become the next president of the United States given that Trump is a successful salesman who has caught the political world by storm skillfully selling a product which happens to be himself. Alan Abramowitz, a Professor of Political Science at Emory University and author of “Voices of the People: Elections and Voting Behavior in the United States”, joins us to discuss if this election will be decided by whether there is a majority of Americans who are no longer active citizens but have become passive consumers, so much so that in November, a well-marketed product will beat a well-established politician. In short have decades of relentless capitalism made us more experienced as consumers of products and advertising, than students of history and facts as informed citizens in a democracy.

Part 2

Then we look into the $38 billion ten-year arms deal with Israel announced today that will provide the latest U.S. military technology which President Obama said “will ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself from all manner of threats”. Kate Gould, the Legislative Representative for Middle East Policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby in the public interest fielding the largest team of registered peace lobbyists in Washington D.C. joins us. She lobbies for Israeli-Palestinian peace and we discuss this increase in the annual taxpayer subsidy for Israel and its arms industry which makes Israel the largest recipient of U.S. aid even though it has a remarkably robust and wealthy economy.

Part 3

Then finally the Reverend Billy joins us to discuss the merger announced today with the German pharmaceutical, chemical and pesticide giant Bayer buying Monsanto in a $66 billion all-cash takeover, the largest cash deal in corporate history. The anti-corporatist activist, who in the role of a revivalist minister leads the Church of Stop Shopping, joins us to discuss the Thanksgiving dinner he hosted in front of Monsanto’s world headquarters in St. Louis, protesting the killing of honey bees by Bayer and Monsanto whose have joined forces today in what the Reverend Billy sees as a deal with the devil.