America's Democrats

Political science week with Professor Dante Chinni explaining the new geographical divide in politics and Professor Jonathan Zimmerman arguing against term limits for presidents. And Bill Press talks with freshman Democratic congressman Steven Horsford.

The red-state, blue-state divide no longer exists, says political scientist Dante Chinni. But the great political divide is between suburbs and exurbs. Why should a president be allowed to serve only two terms? NYU Professor Jonathan Zimmerman doesn’t see why. He says the 22nd Amendment insults the American voter. And Bill Press interviews freshman Democratic Congressman Steven Horsford of Nevada about the State of the Union address.

Red-state, blue state. Not a Dr. Seuss story, but a political narrative that Professor Dante Chinni says is out of date. The geographical difference between Democrats and Republicans lies not in the states but in the suburbs and exurbs – and Democrats are winning that battle right now.

http://dantechinni.com/

Are American voters not smart enough to know whether their president should get elected again … and again? Professor Jonathan Zimmerman think they are smart enough and argues cogently against the 22nd Amendment’s two-term limit on presidents.

http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_bios/view/Jonathan_Zimmerman

Bill Press and his guest, Congressman Steven Horsford.

http://horsford.house.gov/

The mobsters of Wall Street

Ever hear of Tammany Hall? Author Terry Golway tells us it was one machine that worked. So was the Chicago machine, and former Democratic Senator Alan Dixon of Illinois tells us why. And Bill Press interviews former GOP Senator Larry Pressler.

There’s a lot of talk about the seamy side of politics in New Jersey, but author Terry Golway maintains that political machines used to do some good, at least in New York. Former Senator Alan Dixon looks back, also – at a career that began with the blessing of the Illinois Democratic machine. And Bill Press interviews Republican-turned-Independent Senate candidate Larry Pressler.

Once upon a time, a political machine in New York called Tammany Hall pretty much controlled the national Democratic Party. Though it was known for corruption, author Terry Golway insists that it worked for the little guy before there was a social safety net.

http://chpp.kean.edu/users/terry-golway

Our next guest is former Illinois Senator Alan Dixon, a moderate Democrat who talks about a day when Republicans and Democrats in Congress could actually get things done.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Senator-Alan-Dixon-Memoir-The-Gentleman-from-Illinois/180738472064831

Bill Press and his guest, former Republican Senator Larry Pressler.

http://www.senatorlarrypressler.com/

Wall Street warns Democrats: Avoid Populism!

Health expert Phil Longman says while Obama wants to reduce health care costs, he is not cracking down on hospital monopolies. Tea Party expert Theda Skocpol (scotch-pole) says the GOP is riding the back of a tiger. And Bill Press talks with Congressman Keith Ellison.

How can conservatives and progressives come together to reduce health care costs? Author Phillip Longman says, simply, join forces to oppose the monopoly pricing power of hospitals. Harvard professor Theda Skocpol says mainstream Republicans are riding on the back of the Tea Party tiger, and they may soon regret it. And Bill Press interviews Congressman Keith Ellison, who says progressives should remain optimistic.

No matter how well Obamacare may work, the administration is doing very little to enforce antitrust laws against hospitals, which drive up the price of medical care, says author and health analyst Phillip Longman.

http://newamerica.net/user/92

Theda Skocpol has studied the Tea Party’s death grip on the Republican Party, and the Harvard professor says it is a “pincers movement” applying pressure upward from the grass roots and downward from the big money interests.

http://www.gov.harvard.edu/people/faculty/theda-skocpol

Bill Press and his guest, Congressman and Progressive Caucus chair Keith Ellison of Minnesota.

http://ellison.house.gov/

The millionaires' Congress vs. the people.

Republicans say the war on poverty has been a failure. Are they right? We have an expert who says no. Did the Tea Party weaken itself with the budget shutdown? We have an expert who says, “maybe.” And Bill Press interviews Congressman Tim Ryan.

Republicans like Marco Rubio and Eric Cantor say the War on Poverty, now 50 years in the waging, has been an utter failure. But analyst Chris Wimer says statistics show that without government programs, many more Americans would be poor today. Congress is back in session and professor Alan Abramowitz says it’s unclear how much of a grip the Tea Party retains on Republican lawmakers. And Bill Press interviews Congressman Tim Ryan about the House agenda. Don’t expect much.

Fifty years ago, Lyndon Johnson announced the War on Poverty. Since then, the poverty rate has dropped from 26 percent to 16 percent. Social scientist Christopher Wimer says the evidence shows that the federal programs worked.

http://cupop.columbia.edu/people/christopher-wimer

President Obama’s re-election drove the Tea Party crazy, says political science professor Alan  Abramowitz. Now he says it is unclear with the Tea Party agitators in Congress will continue to drive the Republican leadership crazy.

http://www.democracyjournal.org/31/republican-leaders-two-choices.php

Bill Press and his guest,  Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, Discuss the House agenda.  

timryan.house.gov/‎

Act 2 of the Ford & Radel Show.

Political analysis galore this first week of 2014. Authors Geoffrey Kabaservice and Erica Seifert pronounce the GOP in trouble, and commentator Fred Rotondaro predicts a rosy future for Democrats this year.

What would you call Republicans who are fiscally conservative, socially tolerant, pro-civil-rights and pragmatic problem-solvers? Political scientist Geoffrey Kabaservice calls them extinct. Public opinion expert Erica Seifert says it should be good news for Democrats that, in her words, “The Republic Party is not a rational party anymore.” And, regular commentator Fred Rotondaro looks ahead into 2014 and says Obamacare will eventually be a big plus for Democrats … and that Hillary Clinton will come under pressure from the left.

Professor Geoffrey Kabaservice is an expert on the once vibrant moderate sector of the Republican Party. It is now extinct, he says, and the radical right wing risks losing elections as the price of ideological purity.

http://global.oup.com/academic/product/rule-and-ruin-9780199975518;jsessionid=C06457AE919A9DBEED933E0CF59CAB31?cc=us&lang=en&

Public opinion expert Erica Seifert says the takeover of the GOP by its Tea Party wing could be good news for Democrats because it shows the Republican Party is no longer rational.

http://www.democracycorps.com/Republican-Party-Project/inside-the-gop-report-on-focus-groups-with-evangelical-tea-party-and-moderate-republicans/

Fred Rotondaro of the Center for American Progress and a regular contributor to this netcast predicts 2014 will be a good year for the Democrats, especially as people realize the benefits of Obamacare.

www.americanprogress.org

Bastrop's new war toy

The NSA’s wide surveillance net is just part of America’s permanent state of war. The social safety net is being shredded by Republican cuts in food stamps. And medical safety is being compromised by hospitals outsourcing their labor force.

Legal historian Mary Dudziak says the NSA surveillance is but part of the larger story of an American permanently at war. The Republican effort to slice the food stamp program is the proverbial “canary in the coal” mine, says regular commentator Catherine Poe. And, Professor Dan Zuberi has studied the Canadian and U.S. hospital systems and says patients are at risk from the outsourcing of labor.

Historian Mary Dudziak asks the question of how we can “unbuild” the NSA surveillance apparatus. She also explains how waving the flag helps the American people ignore a very warlike foreign policy.

http://www.law.emory.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/mary-l-dudziak.html

Regular commentator Catherine Poe is worried that the Republican assault on food stamps is just a canary in the coal mine warning about further social service cuts.

https://twitter.com/PoeCatpoe

Health analyst Dan Zuberi has studied labor practices in both Canadian and U.S. hospitals and has found that outsourcing many of the routine jobs can have fatal consequences for patients.

http://www.amazon.com/Dan-Zuberi/e/B00E6OC5VI

A curse, a blessing, and a good food movement

Economist John Schmitt on the minimum wage … Professor Jonathan Zimmerman on the 22nd Amendment … and Politico’s Ginger Gibson on the budget deal.

With states and cities now debating raising the minimum wage, economist John Schmitt says the issue is more about inequality than about jobs. Professor Jonathan Zimmerman explains why he wants to repeal the 22nd Amendment and let presidents serve as many terms as the voters want them to. And Bill Press interviews Ginger Gibson, Politico’s budget expert.

All of a sudden, lawmakers in cities and states are talking about raising the minimum wage locally. Economist John Schmitt says it is a popular idea but won’t happen at the federal level as long as Republicans hold the House of Representatives.

http://www.cepr.net/

Professor Jonathan Zimmerman says that the Constitution’s two-term limit weakens the presidency, weakens the voters and weakens democracy. He wants to repeal it.

http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_bios/view/Jonathan_Zimmerman

Bill Press and his guest,  Ginger Gibson, of Politico.

http://www.politico.com/reporters/GingerGibson.html

Christmas: War!

Music historian Sheryl Kaskowitz on “God Bless America,” Fred Rotondaro on the corporate war on working people and Congressman Chris Van Hollen on the budget deal.

It’s a part of our shared culture, and author Sheryl Kaskowitz tells us how “God Bless America” became such a powerful symbol. Regular contributor Fred Rotondaro says we are at a tipping point in America’s understanding of the corporate war against working people. And Bill Press interviews Congressman Chris Van Hollen on the new budget deal.

Author Sheryl Kaskowitz takes a historical and cultural look at how “God Bless America” became popular and came to serve political purposes.

http://gba.sherylkaskowitz.com/

Regular contributor Fred Rotondaro gives us the lowdown on the takeover of American politics by corporate interests and their war on both politics and morality.

http://americanprogress.org

Bill Press and his guest,  Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen

http://vanhollen.house.gov/

Wall Street regulator replaced by Wall Street conciliator.

Wasserman Schultz’s prescription for America, Feminist Marianne Schnall on chances for a female president, and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer.

Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz talks about working together and dialing down the vitriol in Washington. Feminist Marianne Schnall discusses what it will take for the nation to elect a woman president. And Bill Press interviews the always provocative Governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer.

Congresswoman and DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz has written a book that could serve as a roadmap for Democratic priorities. She also says Obamacare is a cake on its way to being baked.

http://us.macmillan.com/forthenextgeneration/DebbieWassermanSchultz

Electing a female president would be a victory for all women and their daughters, says feminist author Marianne Schnall, who adds it will take the right candidate and one with a thick skin.

http://womanpresidentbook.com

Bill Press and his guest,  the always provocative and entertaining Brian Schweitzer, governor of Montana.

https://twitter.com/brianschweitzer  

Geithner's magical trip through the revolving door.

Politics this week -- former Senator Alan Dixon on Obamacare; Professor Fabio Rojas on Twitter as a predictor of elections; and education expert David Bergeron on the politics of student loans.

A former Democratic Senate leader says his party better start fixing Obamacare right away. An expert on social media says he can predict congressional elections by monitoring Twitter. And a higher-education policy maker has a series of student loan reforms in mind.

Alan Dixon was a senator from Illinois for two terms and was chief deputy whip for the Democrats. Well known as a moderate, he has some harsh words for both parties and calls on congressional Democrats to fix Obamacare.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Senator-Alan-Dixon-Memoir-The-Gentleman-from-Illinois/180738472064831

Indiana University professor Fabio Rojas studies politics and social media. And he believes that Twitter activity can predict the outcome of close House elections

http://mypage.iu.edu/~frojas/index.html

Finally, higher education expert David Bergeron of the Center for American Progress has a plan to firm up the national student loan program. The first place to start is choosing where to go to college in the first place.

http://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/bergeron-david/bio/

Coke's Conspiracy against tap water