GDAE Podcast Episode 32

Common Interests on the Left & Right - Part III

• Left & Right Populists: The American Populist movement of the 1800s with Jim Hightower (Bill Moyer's Journal).
• Left & Right United: The Tenth Amendment with Michael Boldin (Mother Jones Magazine).
• Green Economy: Energy efficiency and jobs (Demand Side Podcast).
• MUSIC: Brazilita, a sweet little version of the song Brazil.
  

Play Episode 32 from this page:


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Listen to Part II in the series, Episode 31:


Listen to Part I in the series, Episode 30, (20-minute abridged version):


Previous Episodes & 60-Sec Promo:
GDAE Podcast 60-Second Promo

GDAE Podcast Episode 30 April 30, 2010 - Common Interests on the Right & Left
GDAE Podcast Episode 29 March 31, 2010 - Right Left Populist Unity?
GDAE Podcast Episode 28 March 7, 2010
GDAE Podcast Episode 27 February 21, 2010
GDAE Podcast Episode 26 February 7, 2010
GDAE Podcast Episode 25 January 19, 2010
GDAE Podcast Episode 24 December 31, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 23 November 29, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 22 November 11, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 21 October 18, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 20 October 9, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 19 September 27, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 18 September 16, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 17 August 31, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 16 July 30, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 15 June 17, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 14 June 10, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 13 May 22, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 12May 5, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 11 April 24, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 10 April 9, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 9March 28, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 8 March 15, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 7 March 1, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 6 February 17, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 5 February 6, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 4 January 24, 2009

GDAE Podcast - Episode 30

Left Right Populist Unity II

• Bill Clinton mea culpa: On corporate globalization & Haiti


• Humor: Pope's visit to Britain from "Falling on a Bruise" blog


• Bush war-crimes-Prosecution Theater: A Play called "In the Loop", by Armando Iannucci


• MUSIC: "Meet me in the Hills" by Baltimore's Dirty Mothers


• Right & Left: "Power in numbers" through coordination on advocacy for common goals


• Taxes: The Pros and Cons


• Book review: Shari S. Tepper's "The Gate to Women's Country"


• The Mail Bag: Comments on Episode 28


• MUSIC: Jeb Loy Nichols: "Dark Hollow."

Play Episode 30 from this page:


Click to Download Episode 30.

Previous Episodes & 60-Sec Promo:

GDAE Podcast 60-Second Promo

GDAE Podcast Episode 29 3/31/10 - Left Right Populist Unity?
GDAE Podcast Episode 28 3/7/10 - What Motivates Action?
GDAE Podcast Episode 27 2/21/10 - Populist Movements
GDAE Podcast Episode 26 February 7, 2010
GDAE Podcast Episode 25 January 19, 2010
GDAE Podcast Episode 24 December 31, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 23 November 29, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 22 November 11, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 21 October 18, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 20 October 9, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 19 September 27, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 18 September 16, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 17 August 31, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 16 July 30, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 15 June 17, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 14 June 10, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 13 May 22, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 12May 5, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 11 April 24, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 10 April 9, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 9March 28, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 8 March 15, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 7 March 1, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 6 February 17, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 5 February 6, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 4 January 24, 2009

A New Politics

After a discussion about commonalities on the left and right of the political spectrum, a friend of mine summed up a compelling new politics. The "party" of Principled People versus what he called demagogues... it's not about "left" and "right."

Aside: I think he used the term "demagogues" for effect and simply meant "unprincipled" people. Admittedly, on controversial issues the notion of one's "principles" breaks down; the subject of abortion is one such example. But one can recognize principled people who conduct themselves in a fair and honest way.

Today's political situation is in flux and this "new politics," were it to manifest itself in electoral party politics, would be temporary. It would be an instance of moderate elements of the populist left and right asserting control to refresh a corrupted political system. Common people on the left and right recognize the corrupting influence of big money in both legislative and judicial elections.

Other areas of common interest between common people on the left and right include:

Concern about...

• Consolidation of wealth perpetuated by Wall Street's culture of anything goes .

• Consolidated control of the mass media

• Consolidation of corporate control ... Big Business that outsources jobs and makes it impossible for small businesses to compete fairly.... monopolies, cartels, oligopolies.

• We're concerned with what some call "activist judges"... like those Supreme Court judges who recently decided that corporations should have MORE influence over the political electoral process when the Citizens United case before them should have been decided on more narrow grounds.

• We share a concern about police brutality

In other words, we share concerns about the consolidation of power among a small sector of our society.

• We didn't like the bank bailouts that perpetuated this power when we had a chance to put the bankers in their place.

• We believe in national sovereignty, something we give up with so-called "free trade" agreements written by transnational corporate lawyers.

• We share opposition to warrantless wire tapping and other privacy invasions of the USA PATRIOT Act

• We're mutually concerned about the erosion of of Posse Comitatus Act, which places limits on the US military's use of police powers for domestic law enforcement.

• Similarly, we share concerns about the CIA conducting domestic operations contrary to its founding charter.

• We share concerns about joblessness and homelessness

• We share the concern that the two major political parties are increasingly out of touch with real concerns of the people, in part because we recognize they have been captured by a dysfunctional political system corrupted by the consolidated power referenced earlier.

Sources:

GDAE Podcast Episode 29

GDAE Podcast- Episode 25

2009 GDAE Podcast Retrospective



Themes of:

• Music,
• Financial Robbery of 2009,
• Prosecuting Bush era officials for numerous crimes,
• American Exceptionalism,
• Human Exceptionalism
• Climate Change
• Right-wing Fringe Storm Clouds,
• Health Care,
• Perpetual War
• Middle East,
• Media Reform,
• Humor
• Obama
• and more

Play Episode 25 from this page:



Click to Download Episode 25.

Previous Episodes & 60-Sec Promo:

GDAE Podcast 60-Second Promo

GDAE Podcast Episode 24 December 31, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 23 November 29, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 22 November 11, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 21 October 18, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 20 October 9, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 19 September 27, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 18 September 16, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 17 August 31, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 16 July 30, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 15 June 17, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 14 June 10, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 13 May 22, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 12May 5, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 11 April 24, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 10 April 9, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 9March 28, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 8 March 15, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 7 March 1, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 6 February 17, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 5 February 6, 2009
GDAE Podcast Episode 4 January 24, 2009

Sources:

Obama: Get Beyond Clintons

The Clintons represent the corporate wing of the Democratic Party. They're the ones who have made windfall profits while driving the economy into the ground: NAFTA, 1996 Telecommunications Act, allowing speculative investment banks to merge with commercial banks (roll-back of the Glass-Stegal Act).

Obama needs to avoid Clinton era people as cabinet members, like Larry Summers being considered for Treasury. We want change, and Hilary Clinton for Secretary of State would represent the status quo.

It is OK to have Clinton era people help with the transition, given their practical experience with the mechanics of how the White House works. There are also any number of ways to benefit from Clinton era people for advice without giving them Cabinet posts. But Obama has to get beyond the Clinton era people if his message of change is to have legitimacy.

Right Wing News Consolidator

WorldNet.com