Category Archives: Campaigns

This Week

Harvard Professor Ryan Enos has studied what happens when racial or ethnic groups live and work in close proximity. The results are not always positive, and that’s a potential problem for maintaining the Obama voting coalition.

Former House Democratic whip David Bonior laments the decline of social justice and the ravaging of labor unions.

And Bill Press talks with Representative Rosa DeLauro about dinner with President Obama – jobs, immigration and gun safety.

  • May 12, 2013 May 12, 2013 Professor Ryan Enos says watch out for voter backlash. David Bonior wants more focus on social justice. And Rep. Rosa DeLauro discusses dinner with the president.
  • Ryan Enos Ryan Enos There is potential trouble for the Democratic coalition that re-elected President Obama, says Harvard Professor Ryan Enos. He reports on evidence that as people from different races or ethnic groups get together, they don’t always stay together.
  • David Bonior David Bonior David Bonior was the longest serving elected party whip in the history of the House of Representatives. Now long retired, he has some suggestions on how to improve the place – including a change of heart on term limits.
  • Rosa DeLauro Rosa DeLauro Bill Press and his guest Representative Rosa DeLauro talk about a meeting between President Obama and House Democrats.
  • Jim Hightower Jim Hightower Diverting shareholder funds into "dark money" politics.

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April 28, 2013

A leading economist says the Dodd-Frank bill is not enough reform, and the first order of business is to resist the forces trying to weaken regulation of Wall Street.

A labor leader says the 2014 mid-terms are going to be just as important to Democrats as the 2012 presidential election was.

And, Bill Press speaks with Dick Durbin, the assistant majority leader of the Senate.

  • Apr. 28, 2013 Apr. 28, 2013 Former Fed executive Alan Blinder says watch out for attempts to gut Dodd-Frank … Union leader Paul Booth says progressives must pay attention to 2014. And Bill Press talks with assistant Senate majority leader Dick Durbin.
  • Alan Blinder Alan Blinder Dr. Alan Blinder is a former vice chairman of the Fed. He is warning that Wall Street reforms under the Dodd-Frank bill are not enough and that Democrats need to resist continuing attempts to let the big banks run wild again.
  • Paul Booth Paul Booth In the continuing battle for human rights, the focus has shifted from the federal courts to state legislatures, and that is not necessarily a bad thing says labor leader Paul Booth.
  • Dick Durbin Dick Durbin Bill Press and his guest, Dick Durbin, the assistant majority leader of the Senate.
  • Jim Hightower Jim Hightower George W's $250-million can of whitewash.

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February 3, 2013

Elections have consequences, and the proof is the sudden impetus for a bipartisan immigration bill. Just before a few Senate Republicans decided to join progressives in starting immigration reform, we spoke with Maria Teresa Kumar, head of the advocacy group Voto Latino.

And we continue our conversation with Erica Seifert, the election analyst who has identified a new group of voters that she calls the “Rising American Electorate.”

And Bill Press talks with Tom Buffenbarger, head of the International Association of Machinists, about threats to the labor movement.

  • Feb. 3, 2013 Feb. 3, 2013 Movement on immigration reform. Why? Look at the election results!
  • Maria Teresa-Kumar Maria Teresa-Kumar One argument that might help speed immigration reform along could be the economic aspect. Reform advocate Maria Teresa Kumar, the head of Voto Latino, says new Americans will contribute taxes and application fees to the economy.
  • Erica Seifert Erica Seifert Polling expert Erica Seifert has identified and named the Obama voting coalition. They constitute, in her words, the “Rising American Electorate.” She analyzes the 2012 election and points out that not only does gerrymandering raise questions about how Congress functions … so does our tendency to live where our political friends live.
  • Tom Buffenbarger Tom Buffenbarger Bill Press and machinists’ union president Tom Buffenbarger discuss the threats to the labor movement.
  • Jim Hightower Jim Hightower Good retail jobs would be good for America.

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December 16, 2012

The 2012 election is still being digested, and the aftertaste is good for progressives. The Obama campaign got its messaging right and its target voters right, but Democrats are going to have to work just as hard to keep this new coalition together for the 2014 midterm elections. And it’s clear that something is wrong with election procedures. We will hear from a polling analyst and an elections expert.

And Bill Press interviews Michigan Congressman Sander Levin about his state government’s assault against working men and women, and Bob Cusack, managing editor of The Hill.

  • Dec. 16, 2012 Dec. 16, 2012 The Rising American Electorate comes through for Obama, but will they be there in two years? In four?
  • Erica Seifert Erica Seifert Polling expert Erica Seifert deconstructs the 2012 election and concludes Obama’s victory was NOT inevitable. It was made possible by what she terms “the Rising American Electorate” – unmarried women, nonwhites and people under 30. But, she warns, the 2014 midterm elections are not a lock for Democrats if they don’t show up again.
  • David Becker David Becker December’s Electoral College meeting makes formal the people’s choice in what everyone agrees was a fair presidential election. But there are still massive inefficiencies in the registration and voting process. Expert David Becker says millions of people may be incorrectly registered – although it is a matter of antiquated rules, not fraud.
  • Sander Levin Sander Levin Bill Press interviews Michigan Congressman Sander Levin about his state government’s assault against working men and women, and Bob Cusack, managing editor of The Hill.
  • Jim Hightower Jim Hightower Jim Hightower's commentary on the Czardom of Michiganistan.

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