I’m heading back to Washington DC tonight – along  with thousands of 99ers!   From the official website:

WHAT

Thousands will converge on the nation’s capital to show Congress what democracy looks like, shine a light on corporate greed and the human suffering it has caused, and demand justice for the 99%. For four days we’ll hold spirited but peaceful actions, speak-outs, and protests—from the halls of the Capitol to the offices on K Street—as well as spend time together learning and sharing stories, ideas, and inspiration.

A few highlights:

  • Monday, December 5 – Set up the People’s Camp. After checking in, pitching tents, and creating signs and banners, an orientation and entertainment will be hosted by OurDC, a local organization of unemployed and underemployed 99%-ers.
  • Tuesday, December 6 – Take Back the People’s House. From the People’s Camp, we’ll form groups and fan out to congressional offices, remind members of Congress that the Capitol is the People’s House, and demand that theyrepresent the 99%.
  • Wednesday, December 7- “Make Wall Street Pay.” We’ll swarm K Street, the lobbying center for the world’s most powerful corporations, and track down those responsible for crashing the economy and causing millions of 99%ers to lose their jobs and homes—while failing to pay their fair share of taxes.
  • Thursday, December 8 – Demand Justice for the 99%. The day’s events will include multiple speak-outs throughout the Capitol, a national prayer vigil with unemployed folks and faith leaders, a mass march on key congressional leaders, and a lively jubilee action.
  • Friday, December 9 – Take It Home. We’ll pack it up and head home, where we need to keep the pressure on our representatives in Congress to do right by the 99%.

The awesome Shane-O will hold down the fort on RadioOrNot, and I’ll call in with reports each morning.  I’ll do my best to post reports here each evening too.  Stay tuned!

This morning on the show, I spoke with Jay Chambers, an unemployed iron worker who was on the bus heading down to DC from Boston to participate in the Take Back the Capitol events.  It should be a big week.

But those aren’t the only big actions planned.  Tomorrow – Dec. 6 – is a national day of action for Occupy Our Homes

!

My pal Greg Basta or NY Communities for Change, one of the many organizations participating in that day of action, joined me for a few minutes to give some of the details for tomorrow!

As we do every Monday, I spent the second hour of the show with Nicole Belle of Crooks & Liars.  She watches the Sunday talking head shows so we don’t have to… and we talk about ’em, with audio! Here’s what she brought us today:

Once again, the Sunday morning talking heads prove that what’s true for the 99 percent is not necessarily what needs to be discussed.

Retiring congressman Barney Frank finds the whole Republican line up so ludicrous that he feels like he’s casting a remake of “The Wizard of Oz”.

To prove Barney’s point, Michele Bachmann voiced the patented Frank Luntz talking points on the Occupy protesters, claiming that their goal is ‘having other people pay for their stuff.’ Ironic from a person whose own small business (her husband’s reparative therapy clinic) relies on government money.

Quite inexplicably to me, Newt Gingrich is now the forerunner in the Republican primary. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. But if Republican voters think they’re getting someone who will bring a new tone to the White House…someone who isn’t corruptible and committed to strong conservative values, I’m not sure Newt’s the first guy who should come to mind. In addition to the sheer overwhelming amount of oppo research on the man, it’s pertinent to remember that Gingrich isn’t personally very popular in Washington, even within his own party. Sen. Tom Coburn told Chris Wallace that he found Newt lacking in leadership and was not the kind of person to bring the country together.

And that’s not the only place that Newt fails. According to rival Rick Santorum, Newt fails on a social conservative level, putting those all-important issues ‘in the back of the bus’.

Ron Paul doesn’t want you to count him out, however. Despite the fact that he’s never enjoyed frontrunner status within the GOP, he assured Candy Crowley that he is the “flavor of the decade”.

And speaking of Candy Crowley, she actually did get around to talking about the 99%…if only to show her complete ignorance of them. In discussing the latest unemployment report, she wanted to know who these ‘discouraged workers’ were and why there weren’t looking for work. Alice Rivlin, of the Brookings Institution and the Simpson/Bowles Deficit Commission, guessed that maybe it’s because their spouse has found a job and they don’t need one themselves.

I told you Jackson Browne will be appearing at Freedom Plaza this afternoon, after a visit to Zuccotti Park last week… Here’s some video from that!

;

I’ll talk to you and Shane-O tomorrow morning, live from DC, radio or not!