America's Democrats

Former Fed executive Alan Blinder says watch out for attempts to gut Dodd-Frank … Union leader Paul Booth says progressives must pay attention to 2014. And Bill Press talks with assistant Senate majority leader Dick Durbin.

A leading economist says the Dodd-Frank bill is not enough reform, and the first order of business is to resist the forces trying to weaken regulation of Wall Street.

A labor leader says the 2014 mid-terms are going to be just as important to Democrats as the 2012 presidential election was.

And, Bill Press speaks with Dick Durbin, the assistant majority leader of the Senate.

Dr. Alan Blinder is a former vice chairman of the Fed. He is warning that Wall Street reforms under the Dodd-Frank bill are not enough and that Democrats need to resist continuing attempts to let the big banks run wild again.

http://www.princeton.edu/~blinder/

In the continuing battle for human rights, the focus has shifted from the federal courts to state legislatures, and that is not necessarily a bad thing says labor leader Paul Booth

http://www.afscme.com

Bill Press and his guest, Dick Durbin, the assistant majority leader of the Senate.

http://www.durbin.senate.gov

George W's $250-million can of whitewash.

Economist Mark Blyth explains the economy in terms of men’s clothing. Journalist  Michael Grunwald says the Keystone pipeline isn’t that bad. And “What’s the Matter with Kansas” author says “Kansas is still messed up.”

Economist Mark Blyth explains exactly why austerity is the worst medicine for the economy – tighter belts work only if we all wear the same pants.

Time magazine correspondent Michael Grunwald makes the case that the Keystone pipeline isn’t the worst thing that could happen to the environment.

And Thomas Frank, the author of “What’s the Matter of Kansas” says Kansas “is still messed up.” And he says Democrats don’t care enough about gun safety legislation.

Mark Blyth is a professor of international economy at Brown University, and he succinctly explains what’s wrong with austerity as a cure for an ailing economy: “Tighter belts,” he says, “only work if we all wear the same pants.”

http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Economics/Political/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9OTc4MDE5OTgyODMwMg==

Time Magazine correspondent Michael Grunwald says the Keystone pipeline is not the worst thing that could happen to the environment, but that if President Obama approves it, he will deserve whatever blowback he gets from his green supporters.

www.michaelgrunwald.com/

Thomas Frank says the NRA will always stop meaningful gun safety legislation because Democrats just don’t have their heart in the debate.

http://us.macmillan.com/pitythebillionaire/ThomasFrank

Putting your neck on the line.

Don’t worry about Kim Jong Un, says nuke expert … Catholic theologian puts Boehner and Ryan on the spot about what pro-life really means. And Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky on prospects for gun safety legislation.

An expert on nuclear weapons says don’t panic about North Korea. The threats of using missiles against the United States are just empty bluster.

A theologian calls out Catholic lawmakers by name to explain that putting reasonable restrictions on firearms is the pro-life position.

And Bill Press talks with Chicago Congresswoman Jan Schakowski, who predicts eventual passage of gun safety legislation.

Joe Cirincione is president of the Ploughshare Fund and an expert on nuclear nonproliferation. He says don’t worry about the empty bluster coming from North Korea. It’s missiles can’t hit anything. The only problem is the possibility of North Korea blundering into a conventional war.

http://www.ploughshares.org/who-we-are/staff/joseph-cirincione

Professor Tobias Winright of St. Louis University says the Catholic Church’s consistent pro-life position should be extended to sensible gun control legislation, and he puts the Speaker of the House and a couple of Democratic senators on the spot.

https://sites.google.com/a/slu.edu/tobias-winright/

Bill Press and his guest, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who predicts eventual passage of gun safety legislation.

http://schakowsky.house.gov/

Where's the cop on the Wall Street beat?

Rendering unto Caesar – conversations this week about income taxes and about the new Pope’s commitment to the poor.

With the deadline for filing your returns just days away, a historian of the income tax says you can’t talk about taxes these days without talking about class.

Our regular contributor and Catholic activist Fred Rotondaro talks about his expectations for Pope Francis.

And Bill Press talks with immigration advocate Angela Kelley about prospects for congressional action.

Professor Molly Michelmore has written about the history of the income tax, now 100 years old. Originally, it was very popular because it was seen as a way of sticking it to the robber barons. Now, she says, we still can’t talk about taxes without talking about class.

http://www.wlu.edu/x25015.xml?InsertFile=x24164

Fred Rotondaro, a regular contributor, is a progressive Catholic activist. He sees the election of Pope Francis as a move toward a new emphasis on the issues of inequality, poverty and the role of women in the Church.

http://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/rotondaro-fred/bio/

Bill Press and his guest, Angela Kelley of the Center for American Progress on prospects for immigration reform legislation.

http://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/kelley-angela-maria/bio/

The wisdom of the wealthy.

The flip side of technology – killing jobs and elevating Republicans. This week -- economist Simon Johnson and political scientist Ian Millhiser along with Congressman David Cicilline on the immoral Republican budget.

Economist Simon Johnson explains that economic inequality is due in large part to the information and technology revolutions that have redefined what a job is.

Political scientist Ian Millhiser tells us that technology is what has allowed the gerrymandering that is keeping Republicans more in control than the voters want.

And Bill Press talks with Congressman David Cicilline

M-I-T economist Simon Johnson is an expert on international finance and the American economy as well. He says income inequality remains stubborn because of the technological revolution that has changed the nature of so many jobs.

http://baselinescenario.com/

We all know that the way congressional districts are drawn is unfair … but until courts strike down gerrymandering as unconstitutional, political scientist Ian Millhiser says it doesn’t make sense for Democrats to unilaterally disarm. The key, however, is winning back state legislatures, he says.

http://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/millhiser-ian/bio/

Bill Press and his guest, Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline, who says the House Republican budget is “immoral.”

http://cicilline.com/

Wall Street Banksters now Too-Big-To-Jail.

This week is the best of Toms! Author Thomas Frank .. former Congressman Tom Perriello … and  Senator Tom Harkin.

Progressive author Thomas Frank takes on the sacred cow of bipartisanship. He says that all bipartisanship means is that liberals win the culture wars and conservatives cut regulations and social services. He also takes on the mythology about Lincoln! Stay tuned.

Former Congressman Tom Perriello of Virginia, however, is a big believer in compromise and believes things might be on the verge of getting a little better on Capitol Hill.

And Bill Press talks with Senator Tom Harkin about the minimum wage.

Best-selling author and essayist Thomas Frank hates compromise! And he says President Obama’s biggest failures result from his loving it. The author of the highly acclaimed “What’s the Matter with Kansas” says bipartisanship is an empty shibboleth, and reminds us that winning the Civil War was anything but a compromise.

http://www.tcfrank.com/

Tom Perriello served only one term in Congress, a progressive representing Charlottesville, Va., until the Tea Party wave defeated him. A believer in the idea of “conviction politics,” he says some members of Congress who came to Washington to destroy government may actually be ready to work with Democrats.

http://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/perriello-tom/bio/

Bill Press and his guest, Senator Tom Harkin, a tireless battler for working Americans, and especially minimum-wage workers.

http://www.harkin.senate.gov/

GOP leaders try putting earrings on their hog.

How should bankers responsible for the financial crisis be handled? A former Fed official says throw ‘em in jail!  And … Marco Rubio … just a Romney with charisma.

A former vice chairman of the Fed says while Wall Street is looking a lot better, Main Street is just slogging along. And he says a number of bankers belong in jail!

The author of that Time Magazine cover story on Marco Rubio tells us the Florida senator is a strong contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination because he is “Romney with charisma.”

And Bill Press talks with two progressive members of the House – Keith Ellison and Peter Welch – about what the Paul Ryan budget would do unto others.

Dr. Alan Blinder was a member of Bill Clinton’s council of economic advisers, and later, vice chairman of the Fed. That makes him an expert on the financial crisis, and he has written a book that explains why it happened. He also tells us some unnamed bankers ought to be in jail!
http://www.princeton.edu/~blinder/

If you’re a Republican and think the party’s problem is that Mitt Romney was too rich and too white, but otherwise was right, then Marco Rubio is your guy. That’s the view of journalist Michael Grunwald of Time Magazine. If you ARE a Republican, by the way, welcome to the show!
http://www.michaelgrunwald.com/

Bill Press and his his guests, Democratic Congressmen Keith Ellison and Peter Welch, on the Republican budget silliness.
http://ellison.house.gov/
http://www.welch.house.gov/

Standing up for a senator who took a stand.

A Bank of England advisor sneers at economic austerity … and a historian invokes Donald Duck to explain how Americans got to love the income tax.

Is austerity the way to go to get us out of the fiscal crisis? One of the world’s leading economists says no, that austerity is a “lose-lose” proposition right now.

And with the deadline just one month away, a historian tells us that the income tax was an idea supported by the “little people” – and Donald Duck.

And Bill Press talks with a Catholic journalist, and priest, who says the odds are against an American being elected pope.

Adam Posen is one of the world’s leading economists, and until recently the only American to serve on the British equivalent of the U.S. Federal Reserve bank. He tells us why austerity is not the answer to our fiscal woes and that deficit reduction should wait until economic times are better.
http://www.iie.com/staff/author_bio.cfm?author_id=9

How did Irving Berlin and Donald Duck figure in the history of the income tax? Historian Molly MIchelmore explains that income taxes were once seen as good for farmers, working people and small businesses … but some Hollywood hoopla was needed to get people to support increased taxes to pay for World War 2.
http://www.wlu.edu/x25015.xml?InsertFile=x24164

Bill Press and his guest, Father Tom Reese on the chances of an American becoming pope.
http://votf.org/page/rev-thomas-j-reese-sj/6168

The mythical "Dow" versus the real "Doug".

Wisdom from congressional alumni on domestic and foreign policy … and a new senator urges common sense on sequestration.
 
Today, some straight talk from a couple of former Democratic Congressmen. Tom Allen, from Maine, argues that bad things happen when lawmakers ignore evidence.  

Mike Barnes of Maryland, a foreign policy expert, says we need to rethink our policy toward Cuba, and the rest of Latin America.

And Bill Press talks with new Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Tom Allen is a former Congressman from Maine who has written a book about why Congress is broken. Not surprisingly, he makes the argument that Republicans, and their disregard for evidence of what works, is to blame.
http://publishers.org/staff/2/

How do you hasten the end of Cuba’s dictatorship? Former Congressman Mike Barnes, an expert on Latin America, says send cruise ships full of tourists, send business leaders. He argues that an influx of American dollars makes it less possible for a dictatorship to survive.
http://www.ciponline.org/about-us/experts-staff/michael_barnes

Bill Press and his guest, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin the day before sequestration took effect.
http://www.tammybaldwin.com/splash/

The new boom in mergers: A boom for whom?

Will a 12 dollar an hour minimum wage  work?  Five dollar a gallon of gas  certainly does NOT. Nor does Chinese computer theft of America’s secrets.

Economist James K. Galbraith talks about the “mania” on the right about cutting Social Security and Medicare, which he says will only further weaken the purchasing power of the elderly.
Gas prices are going through the roof … and Steven Coll, president of the New America Foundation, has written a book exposing how Exxon-Mobil determines both the price of gasoline AND U.S. foreign policy.
And Bill Press talks with an expert on the Chinese hacking of America.

James K. Galbraith, a world famous economist, sheds some light for us about the effects of any cuts in Medicare or Social Security … and he makes the case for a minimum wage of TWELVE dollars an hour.
http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/directory/faculty/james-galbraith

The GOP's disdain for low-wage workers.

Now, with gas prices on everyone’s mind, we’ll hear from Steven Coll, author of a book exposing how Exxon Mobil influences U.S. energy and foreign policy. He says that over the decades, the U.S. government has not achieved its energy objectives, but Exxon has.
http://www.amazon.com/Private-Empire-ExxonMobil-American-Power/dp/1594203350/ref=la_B001H6OLII_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361734296&sr=1-1

Bill Press and his guest, Dan McWhorter, a computer expert who reveals how China is stealing America’s intellectual property.
http://www.mandiant.com/