Culture
Bernie’s TV Ad Creator: Reviving the Democratic Party From the Ashes
It was a disastrous day for Democrats. Senior strategist and media advisor to the Bernie Sanders Campaign Mark Longabaugh (remember that great “America” ad?)talks about opportunities ahead for traditional liberal Democrats. He argues Trump’s victory was less about hate and
Days Before 11/8: Profound Weakness in the Republican Party
Everyone wants it to be over. On November first, the chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party sees real weakness in the Republican Party, despite its projection of powerful anger and hate. Raymond Buckley also fills in the blanks as
Turning Streets into Powerful Art and Action
From the Dadaists through Abbie Hoffman to today, the art of transforming everyday life into theater, challenging and befuddling unjust authority, has unique power to make real change. The unique new book is Tactical Performance: The Theory and Practice of
The Danger of Trump Increases After Nov 8th
We’ve already seen the propensity of the angry, pumped up Trumpist mobs to violence. In his final debate performance, Donald Trump warned that his supporters might not abide by the results. Would the defeat of Trump be the end of
Harm to Kids from Authoritarian Schools
Is there a worse crime than child abuse? Is the complicity by knowing adults just as bad? Is there something about the very nature of authoritarianism in schools? Guest on this show is Amos Kamil, author of Great is the
Who’s Serving Who: The Power of the National Security State
In addition to the three thousand lives, what else did we lose on 9/11? America’s founders wisdom carries well across a quarter millennium but the mission creep of the National Security State threatens that balance. Some see it as a
“Humanitarian Intervention:” A New Cover Story
It just sounds so bad: wars for domination. The new and improved justification is “humanitarian intervention” or Responsibility to Protect (R2P). It’s prime advocate is US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, likely to get a prime spot in a
Born On Third Base
Oscar Meyer was Chuck Collins’ great grandfather. At age 26, he turned aside his inherited fortune. Why would anybody do that? His new book is called Born on Third Base; A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing
Same Sex Marriage: Making it Better For All?
Far from the fears right wingers had that same sex marriage would be a threat to the institution, lawyer Elizabeth Schwartz who specializes in the field, argues same sex marriage may actually strengthen the institution. Too many people go into
Time to Move Beyond Caging People?
Prisons are a very old concept and it’s time to ask: Do they still work? Do they accomplish the goals for which they were created? What can we do with dangerous people if we do away with prisons, how can
Fall 80 Years Ago: Young Americans Went to Spain to Fight Fascists
They mostly came from big cities on the coasts. But why did fourteen young men came from rural New Hampshire in the Fall of 1936 to risk their lives in a foreign war? It was illegal for them to go
Populism: Where To Now?
Populism has been part of our country’s identity since before the Constitution. It looked like there was a great populist uprising this year. Now, with the scare of Bernie Sanders behind them the corporate-serving Democrats are back to their “happy
Labor Day 2016: Taking Power
The right to organize is a basic human right. So says MIT professor and co-director of the Institute for Work and Employment Tom Kochan. In the face of decades of assaults against workers rights, this election year holds realistic hope
Under and Over 70: The Israel Divide
Is the dream over? The socialist democratic Israel our parents generation dreamed of is not the right wing Israel we see today.What’s happening with Jewish Americans who are under 70? Why does the right wing Israel lobby still have so
Army Ranger Opposing Child Soldier Recruitment in America
http://media.blubrry.com/keeping_democracy_alive/dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48358971/YoungWarComplete.mp3They call it “youth development programs.” Seven hundred million of our tax dollars are being used to lure kids into the schools-to-soldier pipeline. The mainly poor students are presented the image of exciting video games, which millions of kids love.
A Tough Vote Forward
With Trump as president, it would be a major effort to just move back to the center. With Hillary Clinton, and sustained pressure from progressives, forward motion is possible, if difficult. This is for progressives thinking about the election. Michael
Smashing the Glass Ceiling: Those Who Went Before
How many women do you think have run for president? Of the 200 or so who have done it, there are three before Hillary who made a difference. In her new book, The Highest Glass Ceiling; Women’s Quest for the
What Could Have Been: RFK, The Making of a Liberal Icon
From ruthless cold warrior to taking on his nemesis LBJ over the war in Vietnam, was Bobby Kennedy an opportunist? Who was the “runt” of the Kennedy litter? In this remarkable interview, bestselling author Larry Tye tells us how Bobby’s
NH Candidate//The Lawsuit vs the DNC: Democracy Alive?
On the first half, candidate for NH executive council Joshua Bourdon. Beginning at about 28 minutes, Jared Beck lead lawyer for the class action lawsuit alleging the DNC failed to follow its own rules and tilted the nominating process toward
Would Our Founders Recognize Today’s “Independence?”
Independence day: Many Americans see our freedom to choose as consumers as what independence is all about. But recovering corporate CEO and Huffington Post columnist Richard Eskow on this show shines a light on how far we’ve veered from what
Disruption of Establishment Politics: The Meaning of Brexit
This changes everything. “Britons may have made a short term tactical mistake, but the true error is Europe’s” according to Patrick Lawrence, Salon’s foreign affairs columnist. He adds that Bernie Sanders got it right in saying, “Let’s be clear. the
Spatialized Blackness In Chicago
They sought a better life from the Jim Crow South and freedom, but what they found was something else. It may not be bricks and mortar prison, but black citizens have been intentionally limited to specific areas on the map
Turning Streets Into Art and Action
From the Dadaists through Abbie Hoffman to today, the art of transforming everyday life into theater, challenging and befuddling unjust authority, has unique power to make real change. The unique new book is Tactical Performance: The Theory and Practice of
No Space For Black Girls To Heal
Girls of color make up 16% of female high school students, yet they make up more than a third of all girls with a school-related arrest. They are systematically pushed out of the education system, and that helps no one.
The North and Southern Values Both Won
Of course the North beat the South but Southern Values also won. Northern collusion with slavery, annexing Cuba, the 1% vs the 99%, and the wisdom of Phineas T. Barnum are all entertainingly discussed in Ecstatic Nation: Confidence Crisis and
An Ethical Toolkit for Educators: It Matters to Us All
Our founders knew how essential education is to have a functioning democracy. Teachers today face challenges more than one might imagine: balancing community demands with needs of individual students. In their new book, Dilemmas of Educational Ethics, authors Meira Levinson
The War Left Out of Your History Books
Adam Hochschild has written best selling books about a Belgian King’s holocaust in the Congo and another about the brave British women who fought against the insanity of the first world war. His new book is Spain in Our Hearts:
Nuit Debout: Say What?//Clinton Erodes Habeas Corpus
Hundreds of thousands of people in France and elsewhere in Europe gather nightly. It is huge, but you probably have never heard of it. The blackout has been intentional. It’s more than a protest, it’s a serious movement. As Sorbonne
Democracy Endangered in Israel
And not just for Palestinians. With the ascent of the nationalistic right, even Jewish Israelis are feeling the sting of government assaults on democracy. Allan Brownfeld, editor of the magazine of The American Council for Judaism, explains how democracy is
New Democrats Their Own Worst Enemy
To research for his new book, Thomas Frank specifically went to pro-Bill Clinton sources. Yet what he found left a profoundly negative impression of his presidency and what it did to the Democratic Party. Author of 2004’s What’s The Matter