Election 2012 Topics

2012 Election

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  • John_lewis

    Rep. John Lewis, Civil Rights Icon, on Re-Electing Obama and Fighting to Protect the Vote

    Among the speakers on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte on Thursday was the legendary civil rights activist and Georgia Rep. John Lewis. During the 1960s, Lewis was arrested more than 40 times and beaten almost to death as he served as chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, marched side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helped organize the Freedom Rides, campaigned for Robert Kennedy’s...
    Sep 07, 2012 | Story
  • Jennifer_granholm

    Ex-Mich. Gov. Jennifer Granholm: "In Romney's World, Cars Get the Elevator, Workers Get the Shaft"

    Among the more attention-grabbing speeches on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention Thursday was a rousing address by former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. "How did [Romney] make that fortune? And at whose expense?" Granholm told the crowd. "You know, too often, he made it at the expense of middle-class Americans. Year after year, it was profit before people." [includes rush transcript]
    Sep 07, 2012 | Story
  • Sandra_fluke-dnc_2012

    Sandra Fluke Takes Fight for Women's Health to DNC After Being Insulted for Contraception Advocacy

    Sandra Fluke became famous after Republicans barred her from testifying at a congressional hearing in favor of insurance coverage for contraception. Right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh blasted Fluke on his program, calling her a "slut" and saying she should be required to post sex videos online. The episode prompted President Obama to personally call Fluke to offer words of encouragement. Six months later, Fluke took center stage...
    Sep 06, 2012 | Story
  • Lilly_ledbetter-dnc_2012

    Lilly Ledbetter, Namesake of Fair Pay Act: From Discrimination Victim to Champion of Wage Equality

    The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is named for a female employee of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company who was paid 40 percent less than male colleagues doing the same job for 19 years. Ledbetter lost her gender pay discrimination lawsuit against Goodyear after the Supreme Court ruled she did not file a complaint on time. One day after addressing the Democratic National Convention, Ledbetter joins us to discuss her journey from victim of workplace...
    Sep 06, 2012 | Story
  • Benjamin_jealous-dnc2012

    NAACP's Ben Jealous on the Voting Rights Battles That Could Roll Back Gains and Decide 2012 Election

    NAACP President Ben Jealous joins us to discuss what some are calling the greatest wave of legislative assaults on voting rights in more than half a century. As shifting demographics give more weight to voters in the South, eight of 11 states in the former Confederacy have passed restrictive voting laws since the 2010 election. Republicans have led the effort, saying voter ID laws prevent fraud. But others call it a political ploy to suppress...
    Sep 06, 2012 | Story
  • Israel-dnc_2012

    As DNC Pushes Through Jerusalem Vote, Critics Ask Why GOP is Dictating the Democrats' Platform

    Controversy erupted at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday when party leaders forced through a platform change to reinstate references to God and the view that Jerusalem is Israel’s undivided capital. The language in question was included in 2008, but was left out when delegates approved their 2012 platform earlier this week. At the reported behest of President Obama, DNC chair and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa presided...
    Sep 06, 2012 | Story
  • Betsy_taylor

    Democratic Donors Withhold Contributions over Absence of Climate Change from Obama Campaign Message

    A group of Democratic donors have announced they will withhold some of their financial support from President Obama’s re-election campaign for not speaking out more about climate change. The group of roughly 100 political donors say Obama should directly address mocking by Republican rival Mitt Romney on climate change last week during his acceptance speech in Tampa. President Obama is also being urged to use his acceptance speech tonight...
    Sep 06, 2012 | Story
  • Melissa_harris-perry

    MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry and Activist Kevin Alexander Gray on Obama's Record and Re-Election

    As President Obama prepares to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination, we’re joined by two guests: Melissa Harris-Perry, host of the show "Melissa Harris-Perry" on MSNBC, professor of political science at Tulane University, and founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South; and by Kevin Alexander Gray, a civil rights activist and community organizer in Columbia, South Carolina,...
    Sep 06, 2012 | Story
  • Amys_column_default

    No Papers, No Fear at the Democratic Convention

    By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
    Convention was gaveled into session Tuesday, outside in the rain, in the paramilitarized heart of Charlotte, democracy in its finest form found expression.
    Sep 05, 2012 | Columns & Articles
  • Michelle_obama_-_dnc2012

    DNC Begins with Fair Pay Advocate Lilly Ledbetter, Mayor Julián Castro and First Lady Michelle Obama

    The 2012 Democratic National Convention kicked off in Charlotte on Tuesday with a heavy focus on President Obama’s achievements on issues ranging from healthcare and women’s rights to immigration and ending combat operations in Iraq. We hear excerpts of the speeches of three speakers: women’s equality leader Lilly Ledbetter, the namesake of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill President Obama signed into law; San...
    Sep 05, 2012 | Story