Populism
Populism
For Democrats, Centrism Is Not Pragmatism
The party establishment doesn’t understand that chasing the “centrist” rabbit down the rabbit hole makes no sense anymore. The rabbit isn’t there. That according to Robert Borosage who created the Campaign for America’s Future among other organizations. The focus of
Progressive Populist Potential in Texas. Yes, Texas
What’s the way to win in 2018? More of the same or real change? The structure of the Democratic Party itself is being tested in Texas. The Washington insiders have come down to make their picks,but what about the actual
Little Armenia Leads the World In Stopping Authoritarianism
It was a successful popular movement for empowerment. And it was a close call: the parliamentary leader tried to declare himself prime minister, Armenians took to the streets in creative, even artistic, civil disobedience on a mass scale. They successfully
Breaking Wall St’s Grip on Democratic Party
When big easy money is involved, it’s hard to push back. But that’s exactly what Democrats must do to win future elections. Robert Borosage talks about his current article “Wall Street Has Some Advice for the Democratic party…And Democrats Need
Has All America Become Kansas? Chances for Democrats in 2018
Author of the acclaimed “What’s The Matter with Kansas?” Thomas C Frank discusses the outlook for Democrats in 2018. he says that clearly some in the elite would rather lose than change. On one hand he points out that establishment
Worse Than The First NAFTA//How Progressives Can Win in the South
And you thought the first NAFTA was bad. Trump’s new version puts the globalist corporations squarely in the drivers seat, never mind local or state laws. Food labeling? Forget about it. The crucial work that bees perform? Again forget about
Truth as an Effective Political Weapon: Corbyn//Use Public Money to Fund Public Projects
Is truth still the first casualty of politics? Not in the UK, where Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn stunned PM Teresa May. He dared to tell the truth; authenticity works. So says Marc Weisbrot of the Economic and Policy Research Center. And
Has Populist Wave Crested?//World War One Never Ended
The Democratic nominee was the very antithesis of populism; with her hand out to big money interests seeming to ignore everyday people. So we got Trump. In an article written by internationally recognized historian Alfred McCoy has written about The
Intelligent Disobedience: Democracy Depends on It
“Just following orders” is no defense. In a democracy we assume that individuals in society will take personal responsibility and disobey immoral commands. But as many experiments have shown, people rarely question orders from authorities. Our guest on this show
Why To Not Give Up on the Democratic Party
“Voting third party helps those you despise.” So argues Raymond Buckley, who recently ran for chair of the Democratic National Committee. The fact that the race was high in the news demonstrates the beginning success for necessary changes in the
Out of Disaster A Liberal Renaissance in the 1920s: House of Truth
Liberals were shocked by the outcome of the 2016 election. As they were in 1920 when Republicans put up Warren Harding, a big business Republican who campaigned and won on an America First message, stoking the public’s fear of immigrants
The Revolution Before the War of Independence
We’re all familiar with 1776. But before the actual separation from England, there was revolution across the land. The spirit of 1774 was focused on class-blind democracy and a lot of what happened then, with powerful actions from the grassroots
No Lack of Warnings of American Fascism Yet Here We Are!
” They didn’t call it fascism. They painted it red, white, and blue, and called it Americanism.” That’s from a 1942 movie with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy called Keeper of the Flame, which imagines a full fledged homegrown American
Time to Defend the Republic Against The Government
Sometimes citizens must break the law to uphold the law. History shows that sometimes patriotic resisting requires taking personal risks. But how to determine which risks are worth it and will yield the results we want? For a long time,
Traitors or Prophets: Americans Who Fought A War Against WWI
They were real conservatives. They worried that our republican form of government was at grave risk if America joined the first world war over there. Michael Kazin’s timely new book is “War Against War: The American Fight for Peace 1914-1918.”
Take Action To Stop Trump’s Fascism
Over 3,000 prominent scientists, musicians, religious leaders, intellectuals, artists, actors, and others signed on to a full page ad in the January 4 New York Times, with the bold letters, “NO! In the name of humanity, we REFUSE to accept
Right and Left Solution to Trumpism: Municipalization
People are asking: what can we do to fight the new authoritarianism? Our guest argues: “People power need not be confined to a chant.” Keeping decision making close to home is something both right and left can agree on; municipalization
“Right to Work” a Disguised Assault on Freedom
Most of us thought Right to Work was a 20th century scheme to destroy collective bargaining rights. According to Cedric DeLeon, author of The Origins of Right To Work: AntiLabor Democracy in 19th Century Chicago, it started out as a
One Nation? Never Was.
With the election of Donald Trump, there’s talk of secession in California. But have we ever really been one nation? Certainly not. Colin Woodard, author of the acclaimed book “American Nations,” reveals a history of eleven rival regional nations and
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
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
Political Disarray: Not the GOP, Spain
You think the Republicans are in a mess, look at Spain. They have been without a working government for years. The right is divided, the left is divided. Corruption is rampant. Catalonia wants to break off altogether. There are 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
Kurdish Women Beat ISIS
We’ve all heard of ISIS, we know Iraqi forces flee from them. But have you heard of the Kurdish women warriors of Rojava? ISIS is scared of them. And nation/state powers like Turkey also fear them. Who are these new
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
KDA in the news – Washington Post Article – Inside the exclusive events helping to fund Clinton and the Democratic Party
Washington Post Politics – Inside the exclusive events helping to fund Clinton and the Democratic Party Washington Post quotes KDA’s Burt Cohen on money in politics See Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com
Hillary for Amendment vs Citizens United//The GOP After Trump?
We couldn’t get the simple Equal Rights Amendment passed, but with the support of Hillary Clinton and Republicans across America, Jeff Clements, president of American Promise, believes we can erase Citizens United and restore democracy to American politics. And on
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