Good Politics Radio

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

Nature and Humanity are running off the rails and governments stand seemingly helpless before the juggernaut. Into the breach are stepping new players, inventing strategies to transform the way we do things, and they are forging surprising alliances in the process. Two initiatives are seeking to move the needle on urgent issues: one on climate change, the other on the global tea industry.
This program was funded by listeners like you.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

On his weekly radio address to the nation, President Barack Obama asks Congress to pass historic Wall Street reform which will make the toughest financial reforms since the Great Depression the law of the land.  The Wall Street reform bill, which reflects 90 percent of what the President originally proposed, includes the strongest consumer financial protections in history with an independent agency to enforce them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSN2uuuqrsI

“This weekend, I’m traveling to Toronto to meet with members of the G20. There, I hope we can build on the progress we made at last year’s G20 summits by coordinating our global financial reform efforts to make sure a crisis like the one from which we are still recovering never happens again. We’ve made great progress toward passing such reform here at home. As I speak, we are on the cusp of enacting the toughest financial reforms since the Great Depression.

I don’t have to tell you why these reforms are so important. We’re still digging ourselves out of an economic crisis that happened largely because there wasn’t strong enough oversight on Wall Street. We can’t build a strong economy in America over the long-run without ending this status quo, and laying a new foundation for growth and prosperity. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. He said that the Democrats’ unprecedented decision to cancel this year’s budget will wreak havoc on our economy and make it even harder to put people back to work.

“Hello – I’m Paul Ryan – I work for the people of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District and I serve as the top Republican on the House Budget Committee. Yes, Congress does have a budget committee, but I’m afraid it hasn’t been very busy this year.

“In fact, this week the House Majority Leader announced that Democrats are canceling this year’s budget. Instead of reining in out-of-control spending that has pushed our national debt past $13 trillion, Democrats have made clear their intention to raise taxes on middle-class families to fuel their continued spending spree.

“Talk about a recipe for disaster: Democrats are offering no budget, no priorities, and no restraints – yet all their taxing, borrowing, and spending continues unchecked. (more…)

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Ken Blackwell, author of Blueprint: Obama’s Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build An Imperial Presidency about a move to expand the federal courts and pack them with liberal judges; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the Real Story behind conservative primary victories in South Carolina and Utah; And, Dr. Paul Kengor of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College has an American Radio Journal commentary on a memorable Father’s Day experience. (more…)

Mark Levine’s Inside Scoop on Washington

Mark Levine covers numerous topics on this show.  He starts out by discussing aspects of the Gulf oil spill.  He talks about Congressman Barton’s apology to BP for the $20 billion fund that was set up.  He gives some history, specifically about the Exxon Valdez spill, to explain why the fund was necessary.

Levine also talks about government spending.  He states that he actually supports more spending to stimulate the economy.  He’s afraid that the Democrats are following Herbert Hoover’s strategy which proved to be ineffective.  He makes the point that he believes it is important to spend now to get jobs back and pay back the deficit later when the economy is healthy.

Click here to listen to this podcast. (more…)

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

Lily Yeh is a remarkable woman who has found a way to love life that is both ingenious and inspirational. As an artist, she has taken her work altogether out of the studio and into the streets. Not just any streets, but the mean streets of inner city Philadelphia, where vacant lots riddle a ruined landscape. (more…)

On his weekly radio address to the nation, President Barack Obama calls on Republicans in Congress to put scoring political points aside, and instead to focus on solving the problems facing the nation.  At the time of this address, the Republican leadership is blocking progress on a bill to boost the economy, retain jobs for teachers and cops, and help people buy their first home; another bill which would hold oil companies accountable for any disasters they cause by removing the current $75 million liability cap; and 136 highly qualified men and women who have been nominated to government positions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktWiD6Jl9zs

“At this moment, our nation is facing a host of big and difficult challenges.   And more than anything else, what’s required to meet those challenges right now is a sense of cooperation and common purpose among our leaders.  What we need is a willingness in Washington to put the public’s interests first – a willingness to score fewer political points so that we can start solving more problems.

That’s why I was disappointed this week to see a dreary and familiar politics get in the way of our ability to move forward on a series of critical issues that have a direct impact on people’s lives.

In the United States Senate, we have legislation that would boost our economic recovery and help Americans who’ve been affected by the worst recession in generations.  We’ve certainly made progress since we were losing 750,000 jobs per month around the time I took office.  Our economy is growing again, and we’ve added jobs for five straight months.   But there are still millions of Americans out of work, and millions more who are struggling to pay the bills.  The legislation in the Senate right now would extend unemployment benefits to those workers who lost their job through no fault of their own.  It would provide relief to struggling states that would help save the jobs of thousands of teachers and cops and firefighters.  There are also provisions in this legislation that would extend the tax credit for first-time homebuyers, as well as tax cuts to keep research and development jobs here in the United States. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi. He talked about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and President Obama’s leadership during the disaster.

“Hello, I am Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi.

As we enter the third month of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, we continue to learn more and more disturbing information about gross negligence on the part of BP — and about some proposals from the Obama Administration that will do more harm than good.From the Oval Office Tuesday night, President Obama attempted to recover from a widespread perception that he has not made this crisis a priority.

The public outcry about the President’s inattention has been loud and it has been bi-partisan.

I’m glad President Obama is finally putting this catastrophe at the top of his agenda, but his response has been too slow. He was slow in listening to state and local leaders, slow in….

…getting skimmers to the Gulf, slow in understanding the seriousness of this crisis, and slow in taking ownership and responsibility for the recovery. Many of his actions have actually taken us in the wrong direction. (more…)

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) about the evils of the Value Added Tax (VAT); Andy Roth has the Real Story on the latest efforts to repeal Obamacare; And, Colin Hanna has an American Radio Journal commentary on why the oil crisis in the gulf is not a reason to pass Cap and Trade legislation.

___________________________________________________

American Radio Journal is produced and distributed by the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc. The Lincoln Institute is a 501c3 non-profit educational foundation based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1993, the mission of the Lincoln Institute is: “To promote the ideals of free market economics, individual liberty, and limited government through the conduct of public opinion research and related educational programs.”

The Lincoln Institute accepts no government money and is completely funded by philanthropic grant making foundations, corporations, and individuals.

To listen to the broadcast click here.

Here’s a good example of some political humor.  This is a clever song parody of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” from 1972.  The song seeks to make fun of a sensitive subject, the current Gulf of Mexico oil spill, or as I’ve also seen it referred to, the Gulf petroleum enhancement event.

The song is the production of comedian Paul Shanklin.  You can learn more about Shanklin here.

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

The story of Steve Fugate, who after losing his beloved son to suicide, learned to love life again while walking nearly 22,000 miles carrying a sign over his head saying, simply, “Love Life.”

This program was funded by listeners like you who love life.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Mark Levine’s Inside Scoop on Washington

Mark Levine hosts the Leslie Marshall Show while she is away on vacation.

Mark Levine announced that the subject of this 3 hour show will be to examine Israel’s history by working backward.  He began by saying that he is approaching the subject “with trepidation.”  He said that with this show he is “coming out as a Jew” and that he is generally supportive of Israel, though he believes that the government of Israel is not always right.

Mark said that he wants to answer a couple of questions during this show.

1) Why does anyone question why Israel exists?

2) Who are the indigenous people of Palestine?

During the show he commented on the recent remarks on Jews and Palestine by Helen Thomas.

Mark starts with the recent Israeli action against the flotilla of ships that was headed to Gaza and which resulted in the deaths of personnel aboard one of the ships.  Included in his discussion of this event, Mark plays a recording of the warning that was given to the flotilla and their response.

From this recent history Mark works backward in time and makes numerous interesting observations.

Along the way Mark takes questions from interesting callers.

It’s an excellent show for anyone interested in a perspective on the recent conflicts between Israelis, Palestinians, and other neighbors in the region.

Click here to listen to this podcast.

_________________________________________

The Inside Scoop is nationally syndicated on the Head-On Radio Network and iTunes. The show can be heard on radio weekdays, 5-6 pm Eastern, and can be seen on television Monday 7-8 pm Eastern.

Since June 2003, Mark Levine has given listeners The Inside Scoop from political players inside the Beltway – news that the Media almost never reports and those in power in the Government do not want you to know about. Mark welcomes all during his talk radio hour, and he particularly values calls from folks who disagree with him.

Visit Radio Inside Scoop.com to access more information and additional podcast shows.

Left, Right and Center is a weekly half-hour radio broadcast and podcast produced by KCRW in Santa Monica.

The panel talks about the recent primary elections in several states.  They start by talking about the California primaries where Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina were victorious.  This raised the question of campaign financing.  Can only those who can spend large amounts of money get elected?  They also talk about the propositions that passed in California.

Next, the panel talks about Sharon Angle’s victory in Nevada and whether her victory will make it easier for Harry Reid to retain his seat in the general election.  Home foreclosures are a major issue in Nevada which may favor Angle.

The panel then discusses Blanche Lincoln’s victory in Arkansas and whether the labor unions wasted their money opposing her.

Next, the panel talks about the role of Sarah Palin in the Tea Party and the future elections.

The participants on the show are Robert Scheer who represents the left, David Frum sitting in for Tony Blankley who represents the right, Lawrence O’Donnell sitting in for Matt Miller, the moderator, who represents the center, and  Arianna Huffington, who represents the progressive blogosphere.

At the end of this entertaining show the participants each have a 30 second rant to summarize the issue that each sees as most significant.

Click here to be taken to the Left, Right and Center home page where you can download or listen to the podcast.

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio.   He called on President Obama to work with Republicans to produce needed budgetary spending cuts and to create more jobs for America.

“While I hope President Obama will work with us to stop this spending spree, if he won’t hold Congressional Democrats accountable, then the American people will.”

“Hello – I’m John Boehner. In these tough economic times, American families have done their level best to stay afloat – spending less and working more while trying to map out a financially sound future. They deserve that same degree of discipline and vigilance from their government.

“But instead of bringing fiscal sanity to Washington like he promised, President Obama has spent taxpayer dollars with reckless abandon, refusing to make tough choices and pushing the burden on to future generations. No price tag has been too high for Washington Democrats, and now we’re all paying the price.

“Unemployment is still close to 10 percent. The private sector is at a near-standstill. Our small businesses are still gasping for air. And having run a small business, I can tell you that the new health care law, with its burdensome mandates and tax increases, is already stalling these engines of our economy. (more…)

On his weekly radio address to the nation, President Barack Obama called on Senate Republicans to stop blocking a vote to prevent a 21 percent pay cut for doctors who see Medicare patients – a pay cut that will hurt America’s seniors and their doctors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWooyMTB_7k

“More than a decade ago, Congress set up a formula that governs how doctors get paid by the Medicare program.  The intent was to slow the growth of Medicare costs, but the result was a formula that has proposed cutting payments for America’s doctors year after year after year.  These are cuts that would not only jeopardize our physicians’ pay, but our seniors’ health care.

Since 2003, Congress has acted to prevent these pay cuts from going into effect.  These votes were largely bipartisan, and they succeeded when Democrats ran Congress and when Republicans ran Congress – which was most of the time.

This year, a majority of Congress is willing to prevent a pay cut of 21% — a pay cut that would undoubtedly force some doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients altogether.  But this time, some Senate Republicans may even block a vote on this issue.  After years of voting to defer these cuts, the other party is now willing to walk away from the needs of our doctors and our seniors. (more…)

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Michael W. Grebe, President & CEO of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation about the annual awarding of the Bradley Prize; Eric O’Keefe of the Sam Adams Alliance has results and analysis of recent primary elections; And Col. Frank Ryan, USMC (ret.) has an American Radio Journal commentary on the energy disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

___________________________________________________

American Radio Journal is produced and distributed by the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc. The Lincoln Institute is a 501c3 non-profit educational foundation based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1993, the mission of the Lincoln Institute is: “To promote the ideals of free market economics, individual liberty, and limited government through the conduct of public opinion research and related educational programs.”

The Lincoln Institute accepts no government money and is completely funded by philanthropic grant making foundations, corporations, and individuals.

To listen to the broadcast click here.

Today we hear how a close associate of Martin Luther King, together with a pioneering generation of activists, led the desegregation of lunch counters and intercity buses, voter registration movements and Poor People’s Campaigns. And we’ll hear why, despite the many unfulfilled promises of that era, Bernard Lafayette remains as active and optimistic as ever about human possibilities.

Guests:
Bernard Lafayette’s full interview

(Please click on the guest’s name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits:
Host: Mark Sommer
Senior Producer: Gregg McVicar
Associate Producers: Matt Fidler, Naihma Deady
Production Engineer: Michael Schwartz
Field Engineer: Marianne Gardner

Music in this program: Open – “Klan Meeting” by Ry Cooder – Warner Bros.; “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Youssou N’Dour – Putamayo World Music; “This Little Light” by Mavis Staples – Anti Records; “We Shall Not Be Moved’ by Mavis Staples – Anti Records; “We Shall Overcome” by Charlie Haden & Hank Jones – Jazz Heritage; “I Got To Climb A High Mountain” by Johnie Lewis – Arhoolie Records; “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” The SNCC Freedom Singers – Sugar Hill Records.

Funding: Listeners Like You

Duration: 55:00 minutes

Click here to listen to the podcast.

On his weekly radio address to the nation, President Barack Obama discusses the hardships local residents and small business owners are facing as a result of the BP oil spill. He pledges to make sure those responsible do not shortchange them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2yQJ5VCHA0

“I’m speaking to you from Caminada Bay in Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the first places to feel the devastation wrought by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  While I was here, at Camerdelle’s Live Bait shop, I met with a group of local residents and small business owners.

Folks like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth-generation oyster fisherman.  This is the time of year when he ordinarily earns a lot of his income.  But his oyster bed, along the north side of Grand Isle, has likely been destroyed by the spill.  Terry Vegas had a similar story.  He quit the 8th grade to become a shrimper with his grandfather.  Ever since, he’s earned his living during shrimping season – working long, grueling days so that he could earn enough money to support himself year round.  But today, the waters where he’s spent his years are closed.  And every day, as the spill worsens, he loses hope that he’ll be able to return to the life he built.  “You can put a price on a lost season,” he’s said.  “But not a lost heritage.”

The effects of the spill reach beyond the shoreline.  I also spoke with Patti Rigaud. For 30 years, she’s owned a small convenience store – a store opened by her father.  She depends on the sales generated by tourism each summer.  But this year, most of the boats that would line these docks are nowhere to be seen.  Dudley Gaspard, who owns the Sand Dollar Marina and Hotel, has been hit hard as well.  Normally, this time of year, rooms are filling up and tackle is flying off the shelves.  But he too has been devastated by the decline in tourism and the suspension of fishing in the waters off the Louisiana Coast.

Their stories are familiar to many in Grand Isle and throughout the Gulf region.  Often families have been here for generations, earning a living, and making a life, that’s tied to the water – that’s tied to the magnificent coasts and natural bounty of this place.  Here, this spill has not just damaged livelihoods.  It’s upended whole communities.  And the fury people feel is not just about the money they’ve lost.  They’ve been through tough times before.  It’s about the wrenching recognition that this time their lives may never be the same. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by RNC Chairman Michael Steele. He talked about the controversy surrounding the Administration’s offers to Congressman Joe Sestak and Andrew Romanoff.

“President Barack Obama promised that he “won’t stop fighting to open up government,” and that he would have “the most transparent administration in history.” Really?

Of course, it’s one thing to keep that promise when you think it’ll help you politically. The real test of a man’s word is if he keeps it when it’s inconvenient, embarrassing or potentially damaging. On this test, the President and his people have failed.

There’s a reason we have a law that prohibits Federal officials from offering things of value to people for political gain. It’s called transparency. And the White House’s efforts to use federal appointments to entice candidates out of competitive Democratic primaries goes directly against the Obama Administrations claims of openness and transparency.

From day one of this current flap involving Congressman Joe Sestak and now Andrew Romanoff, the White House efforts to deny, obfuscate, and mislead have only served to raise suspicions even further.

Three months ago, when Congressman Sestak claimed the White House offered him a job in return for dropping his primary challenge against Democrat incumbent Arlen Specter, the White House flatly denied it.

After Sestak refused to recant his version of events, the White House finally conceded that some conversation happened but their message was “trust us, it wasn’t inappropriate, so move along, nothing to see here.”

This exoneration-by-fiat didn’t pass the laugh test. It’s not up to the White House to judge the ethics of their behavior – that right is reserved for the American people once all the facts are on the table. So the demand for these facts continued. (more…)

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Gary Aldrich of the Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty about their new project: Operation Restore Liberty; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the Real Story on upcoming primaries in California, Nevada and South Carolina; And, Dr. Paul Kengor of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College has an American Radio Journal commentary on why we should not forget the battle for the Aleutian Islands in World War II.

___________________________________________________

American Radio Journal is produced and distributed by the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc. The Lincoln Institute is a 501c3 non-profit educational foundation based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1993, the mission of the Lincoln Institute is: “To promote the ideals of free market economics, individual liberty, and limited government through the conduct of public opinion research and related educational programs.”

The Lincoln Institute accepts no government money and is completely funded by philanthropic grant making foundations, corporations, and individuals.

To listen to the broadcast click here.