Democracy Now! and Free Speech TV team up with Aspen Public Access Channel, Grassroots TV, for historic national broadcast.
Filed under D.N. in the News
I was on a panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado this week when Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter asked me, “Is Obama a sellout?” The question isn’t whether he is a sellout or not—it’s about what demands are made by grass-roots social movements of those who would represent them. The question is, who are these candidates responding to, answering to?
Filed under Weekly Column
The world lost one of its great comedians this week with the death at age 71 of George Carlin. Carlin had a career as a stand-up comic that spanned a half-century, in which he continually broke new ground, targeting those in power with his wit and genius.
Filed under Weekly Column
While the TV meteorologists document “extreme weather” with their increasingly sophisticated toolbox, from Doppler radar to 3-D animated maps, the two words rarely uttered are its cause: global warming.
Filed under Weekly Column
Amy Goodman on MSNBC’s Hardball, discussing the women’s vote in the 2008 election.
Filed under D.N. in the News
“This way to better media,” read the floor sign directing people through a skyway to the Minneapolis Convention Center. Thousands of people gathered there for the fourth National Conference for Media Reform, hosted by freepress.net. They came from all walks of life and all ages to address a central crisis in our society: our broken media system. I was one of the invited speakers.
Filed under Weekly Column
David Iglesias is an evangelical, Hispanic Republican—yes, that one, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico—and he has positive things to say about Barack Obama.
Filed under Weekly Column
“Utah” Phillips died this week at the age of 73. He was a musician, labor organizer, peace activist and co-founder of his local homeless shelter. He also was an archivist, a historian and a traveler, playing guitar and singing almost forgotten songs of the dispossessed and the downtrodden, and keeping alive the memory of labor heroes like Emma Goldman, Joe Hill and the Industrial Workers of the World, “the Wobblies,” in a society that too soon forgets.
Filed under Weekly Column
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The Democrats have seized control of the House for the first time in 12 years and could also take control of the Senate if they hold on to win two tight races in Montana and Virginia. Tuesday’s election marked a major defeat for the Bush administration and its Iraq war policy. [includes rush transcript]
As the Democrats take control of the House for the first time in 12 years, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi is set to become the country’s first female House speaker. Tuesday was a day of others firsts across the country. Among them, Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison was elected as the first Muslim to serve in Congress. He is also the first person of color from Minnesota to be elected Congress. Ellison joins us on the line from Minneapolis. [includes rush transcript]
In Vermont, Bernie Sanders to become the country’s first self-described socialist to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Running as an independent, Sanders won 65% of the vote, easily beating his Republican opponent Rich Tarrant. We speak with Sanders about what it means to the country’s first socialist senator. [includes rush transcript]
We get analysis on Tuesday’s election and the Democratic victory in the House with consumer advocate and former presidential candidate, Ralph Nader. Nader says, “This election was basically a mandateless election for the Democrats, there was really no mandate other than against Bush and do something about Iraq. Domestically there was virtually no mandate about rearranging of power–shifting it from corporations to workers, consumers, taxpayers, to communities.” [includes rush transcript]
In addition to the closely watched House and Senate races, 200 ballot initiatives were decided across the country on Tuesday. Among them, in South Dakota voters rejected a ballot measure that would have banned nearly all abortions in the state. Voters in Missouri approved a measure backing stem cell research. We discuss some of the state-wide ballot initiatives with the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. [includes rush transcript]
Election polls showed Iraq as the top issue on the minds of American voters. For an Iraqi perspective, we speak with Iraqi blogger and architect Raed Jarrar. [includes rush transcript]