Usually when I guest host the Randi Rhodes Show, I do it from my own home studio.  Today, there was a staffing issue, so they asked if I’d drive up to her studio in West Palm Beach.  Fifty-two miles (and 1/4 tank of gas) later, I was there.  And even after already doing two hours of my own show, there was still plenty to talk about, without repeating anything…

Congressman Raul Grijalva, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus was my first guest.  He joined me to talk about The People’s Budget, which was introduced by the CPC, and is exactly what we need to get this country back on the right track.

I also shared a couple of Paul Krugman’s missives, in which the Nobel Prize-winning economist agrees with me (or, I guess, it’s the other way around) — his blog entry from Friday, April 22, entitled “The Progressive Budget Alternative,”  and today’s column, “Let’s Take a Hike” (the latter is sheer genius and a must-read!).

In hour two, I invited Dave Johnson, a fellow with the Campaign for America’s Future, to join me to discuss this post he had up on Daily Kos called Republicans Hearing Citizen Backlash at Town Halls – Actions You Can Take.  Follow the link to get more info, and find out if your representative is holding a town hall meeting this week.  (If it’s not on the list, you can still go to his/her website or call their office to find out.)

He gave me some great advice for tomorrow night, as I’ll go to Allen West’s Town Hall meeting.  Yes, you can feel sorry for me, as I do live in FL-22.

I also spoke with Cliff Schecter, president of the progressive firm Libertas LLC, and author of the 2008 best-seller The Real McCain.  One of his consulting clients is an organization called Mayors Against Illegal Guns. With them, he’s helped defeat the NRA in five different cases in the past two weeks, including keeping guns off campuses in Ohio, Arizona, Tennessee and Texas. And a new bill is being introduced next week that’ll fix the gun show loophole, among other things.

Of course, there were lots of listener calls too…