LIBERADIO(!)

Guests: Bob Mueller, News2 Anchor and host of This Week with Bob Mueller; Antonia Juhasz, Visiting Scholar, Institute for Policy Studies, and Author The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time; Media Matters for America Research Fellow, Elbert “The Body” Ventura.

So 2007 is barely underway, and the field is already crowded with contenders for the presidency in 2008. With a slew of announcements this past week alone, we wanted to present a list of where people stand with a bit of prognostication.

Based on the current who’s who, among Democrats, I predict that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will occupy the limelight of the Democratic stage for the duration of the campaign. The media is already falling all over itself to scrutinize their every interaction in the Senate, and they seem to be playing right along by sponsoring point-counterpoint legislation. John Edwards’s official announcement got sadly (in two regards) Gerald Forded, and he’s going to be playing catchup for the rest of the pre-primary season. Tom Vilsack did what he had to do by announcing early and then doing everything right until the luminaries got into the race. He did well on his Daily Show appearance, which is a good thing. But he and Bill Richardson and Joe Biden are all going to be fighting for the scraps left on the table by the two new faces and the one has-been. Dennis Kucinich will once again be relegated to also-ran status, much to his chagrin and to the chagrin of the far-left, which has little to no sway over (Bill) Clinton’s Democrats, very unlike the far-right, to which all serious Republican candidates will pay serious lip service. John Kerry may make a cameo to help his friends in the late night comic community.

Winner: Hillary Clinton (as much as I hate to say it…)
Freddie’s pick: Tom Vilsack

I think the Democrats need to nominate a governor. Their track record as an opposition party in the Senate during the Bush administration has been pathetic, and that includes the track record of Senator Clinton. My guess is that, based on skeletons in his closet, Bill Richardson can’t play ball in the big leagues, whereas Vilsack’s down-home, progressive-centrist appeal is shored up by his pragmatic record of governance in Iowa. Executive experience is exactly what Democrats need, and Vilsack just delivered a completely Democratic legislature to Iowans.

Among Republicans, I think John McCain will wind up being the safe choice. His military past and muscular mouthpiece present will solidify his support among red-meat Republicans, and his pro-life rhetoric and kowtowing will possibly bring the James Dobsons and Pat Robertsons into line without too much trouble because there’s no way they’ll back social liberal Giuliani or Mormon Romney. Romney will present a surprisingly tough thorn to McCain’s side. He’s a ruthlessly skillful campaigner with a lot of charisma and a proven ability to win where he shouldn’t (Massachusetts, although a re-election bid would’ve failed). Giuliani, though revered in Manhattan and polling well, will probably not have the prowess it takes to compete on a national stage with McCain and Romney. McCain will out-gravitas Giuliani, and Romney will out-fundraise him. Surprisingly, though, the Republicans don’t really have a deep bench for 2008. They’ve got a number of good governors or former governors who could make a go, but Romney is among the worst of them at actual relevant governance, and the others don’t have a national stage. Sam Brownback might soak up some support from the religious right, but their period in the ascendancy will end during the dusk of the Bush administration. Evangelical leaders will place a safer bet.

Winner: John McCain
Freddie’s pick: John McCain

I think the Republicans need a reformer to clean up the mess of the Bush era. McCain has been a reform-minded politician ever since he got his own political clock cleaned by financial shenanigans in the 1980s. Though he’s too conservative for my taste, he’s a campaign finance reformer and actually pays attention to the science of global warming. He is also a budget hawk, which will mean that the unfortunate largesse of the Bush administration (yes to corporate welfare, no to social programs) will come to an end.

And now, on to the Liberadio(!) 2008 Presidential Scorecard!

If you’re tired of the rallys and the rhetoric, please come to this educational forum. It would be really great if Eric Crafton, Phil Valentine and the Rev. TJ Graham show up.

Immigration: Making Sense of the Debate
Monday, January 22, from 7- 9 p.m.
University School of Nashville Auditorium, 2000 Edgehill Avenue, Nashville, TN

“Immigration: Making Sense of the Debate” is an educational forum designed to illuminate the complex and emotionally-charged rhetoric surrounding the immigration debate. This session will center on a thoughtful and constructive conversation on immigration and the positive steps that can be taken to address the associated problems. The forum will address: the history of immigration in America, the influence immigration has had on the democratic process, current trends in immigration in Nashville, Tennessee, and the nation, the impact of immigration on the US economy, the national and local legislation being proposed, alternative solutions to the problems and challenges at hand.

Presenters include Dr. Katharine Donato (Vanderbilt Professor of Sociology), Stephen Fotopulos (Policy Director, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition), Tom Negri (Tennessee Hotel Association/General Manager Loews Vanderbilt Hotel), and members of our immigrant community. The panel discussion and audience participation will be moderated by Caroline Blackwell, Director of Multicultural Affairs, University School of Nashville.

The forum is being sponsored by University School of Nashville’s Office of Multicultural Affairs in partnership with the Coalition for Education and Informed Conversation on Immigration.

For more information about this event, contact Caroline Blackwell at (615) 277-7480 or
at cblackwell@usn.org. The forum is free and open to public.

Stephen Colbert’s encounter with conservative author and speaker Dinesh D’Souza is much better than his O’Reilly encounter (Which was really good as well, don’t misunderstand me. But then again, everything Colbert does is superb. But I digress.). D’Souza’s new book, The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11, blames “liberal culture” for 9/11 using cherry-picked historical context and flimsy logic. Colbert manages to skewer him while agreeing with everything he says. Brilliant. Watch Part 1 Watch Part 2

Our friends over at NoFactZone.net call it one of the most “nail-tastic” interviews on The Colbert Report EVER and have a thorough list of links discussing the appearance (Olbermann, Salon.com, Crooks & Liars, Daily Kos, & more).

Summary: It’s our first official podcast of 2007 and we’re looking forward to next week’s State of the Union, which would be in a lot better shape had we spent $1.2 trillion on it rather than on “stay the course.” We also found a letter from the Bush administration to Iraq which reads, “Dear Iraq, We’ve killed tens of thousands of your civilians, we’ve left you a sectarian cesspool of strife, and we’d like now to plunder your primary natural resource. At a premium. Love, The United States of America.” And what’s the neo-con difference Iraq and Iran? Only one lil’ ‘ol letter! Plus, Steve Gill got the anti-Obama fax this morning. What’s he going on about now? We’ll tell you but keep it under your hat ’cause he heard it from Hillary Clinton!

Listen to: Excuse Us, Was That $1.2 Trillion Burning a Hole in Your Pocket? (29:56 13.7MB)

“What $1.2 Trillion Can Buy“, by David Leonhardt (New York Times)
A nice piece in Economix helps us get our heads around what $1.2 trillion actually means, and what some alternatives to pre-emptive war in Iraq might’ve looked like.

“Eyes on the Prize: About That Oil…“, by Arthur Silber (Once Upon a Time)
Arthur serves up another well-researched, carefully explained treatise on the downside of American foreign policy in the modern era. His blog in general is full of thought pieces that deserve reading.

“On the Clock: Democrats Close the ‘First 100 Hours’“, by Jake Tapper (ABC News Politics)
Well, we’re 100 hours in to Democratic control of Congress, and they’ve already accomplished more good works on behalf of the American people than the 109th Congress did during its entire reign. Now let’s just hope the Senate follows suit…

Colbert v. Dinesh D’Souza (Comedy Central) – It’s better than the O’Reilly appearance, we promise. D’Souza’s new book, The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11, blames liberals for 9/11 using historical context and flimsy logic. Colbert manages to skewer him while agreeing with everything he says. Brilliant. Colbert v. D’Souza Part 1 Colbert v. D’Souza Part 2

On Tuesday, January 23, at 7:00 pm, Nashville’s only liberal talk radio show, Liberadio(!), will team up with Democracy for America and DFA Nashville (the official Davidson County chapter of Howard Dean’s Democracy for America) to host a “State of the Union” watching party.

The event, dubbed The “Where are We Going and How Did We Get in This Hand Basket?” Party will be held at The 5 Spot at 1006 Forrest Avenue in East Nashville and will feature the State of the Union address by President Bush, the Democratic response (given this year by Freshman Sen. James Webb, D-Va), Bush Bingo for fun and prizes, and a ticket giveaway for the Tennessee Women’s Theater Project production of ‘Nickel & Dimed’ (based on the book by Barbara Ehrenreich).”

“Last year I watched the State of the Union alone in my living room yelling at the TV,” Liberadio(!) co-host, Mary Mancini said. “This year, I’ll spend it in a bar with a bunch of other people yelling at the TV.”

Freddie O’Connell, the show’s other co-host, added, “I need to be around other people for the sublime moment when the president of us all, George W. Bush, explains to us that the State of the Union is ‘very strong.’ That’s because I was nominated to be the bookmaker. I don’t want to skew my odds by saying this, but I’m personally betting on ‘very strong.’”

Joining Liberadio(!) will be Democracy for Tennessee chairman, Mark Naccarato, to share the Democracy for America 2007 Plan of Action. Like Mary & Freddie, Mark believes in the power of participatory democracy as well as the need for coping mechanisms to deal with the trauma of a Bush Speech.

Liberadio(!) is heard live Monday mornings from 7:00 to 9:00am on Vanderbilt University’s WRVU-FM, 91.1. Archived shows and podcasts are available daily at www.Liberadio.com.

Summary: It’s the first episode after the National Conference on Media Reform in Memphis, TN, and we interview conference panelist, media scholar, associate professor of sociology at New York University, and author of the new book, Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media, Eric Klinenberg. This one’s for Terry Frank (“Marxists in Memphis”), Bill Hobbs (“The National Conference on Media Reform is and always was about silencing conservatives and enslaving media in the service of the leftwing agenda…”), Tman (“if you want the government to be in charge of the ‘free airwaves’ I suggest something like a Cuba, or North Korea. They will make sure it’s fair alright”), and Mick Wright (“…a band of 3,000 converged in Memphis. They are the few, the proud, the ‘nut-roots’).

Listen to: Fighting for Air (32:46 23MB)

Just in time for the holidays, we surprised a number of our guests with questions about who was better: Heat Miser or Snow Miser. To our great disappointment, not a single one of our guests had heard of the misers from The Year Without a Santa Claus. During the show, since Mary and I publicly disagreed about our individual preferences for the misers (she’s a Snow Miser gal; I’m a Heat Miser guy), we threw out the notion of a Heat Miser / Snow Miser 2008 presidential ticket.

To our pleasant surprise, we were contacted after the show by someone who put together a brilliant visualization of how this might look on a bumper sticker. As soon as we can get a higher resolution edition, trust us, these will be available for sale. Thanks, H-Beam!

As Mark Halperin says on This Week All Week, “it’s never too early”…

Okay, so I used to kind of mock Mary for suggesting that the Iraq war was only about oil. Though I’m surprised that there was never a more significant degree of outrage regarding the marketing campaign about WMDs that sold the war to the American people (just like I’m surprised that there wasn’t more public outrage about the way the 2000 presidential election played out), I do think that our true reasons for going to war with Iraq are multi-faceted. It’s true that we have an administration more in tune with Big Oil than possibly ever before, but I also think that Cheney and the neoconservatives in the administration are doubly focused on security issues (see Cheney’s One Percent Doctrine) and promoting the spread of democracy in the Middle East. So there’s more to it than oil, in my opinion.

Still, Arthur Silber’s recent post about plans for developing Iraq’s buried oil wealth is distressing. Here we’ve created a situation where we’ve directly caused the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, left them a sectarian quagmire, and now we’re planning to convince their nascent leadership to sign away their rights to the one thing they have going for them in terms of economic development in the 21st century? The Bush administration, of course, is helping lobby for the legislation in Iraq that would allow this. Is it any wonder our credibility is shot throughout the rest of the developed populations of the world, much less the undeveloped?