Today’s pre-show music was all about change, and I usually close the show with a clip of Clapton’s “Change the World.” In 2008, Barack Obama ran on a theme of Hope & Change. We can still hope, but are left waiting for the change.
Instead of waiting, we can make change… In the first hour of today’s show, we explore a couple of ways.
One is to get involved. Democracy for America grew out of Dean for America and has become a great progressive force for change. Arshad Hasan, DFA’s executive director, is in Miami where he led a training this weekend. He joins in at the top of the show to talk about the organization, their training programs, their Netroots Nation scholarship contest currently underway (vote for Shane-O, Kenny Pick and Danielle the Left-Neck Chick!), and more.
Another way is to vote for true progressive candidates for local and congressional office. Our friends at the Blue America PAC do a great jof vetting. We’re presenting some of their endorsed candidates each Monday morning. Today, it’s Patsy Keever from North Carolina’s 10th district. Listen to her this morning (or on the podcast), join in a live chat with her tomorrow at Crooks and Liars, and donate to her campaign here!
In hour two, it’s Fools on the Hill with Nicole Belle of Crooks and Liars. Today:
Welcome to John McCain-land. No, really. John McCain made his eighth appearance in twelve weeks on a Sunday show and was congratulated by host David Gregory for surpassing Bob Dole as the most frequent guest on Meet the Press with his 64th visit. Now, I’ve had conversations with producers and bookers on these Sunday shows and when I bring up the ridiculousness of having the guy who lost the presidential election on far more than any member of the actual president’s staff, they always bring up the fact that he’s the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Fine. So Gregory asks him about Syria, where McCain is cheering for another military action. What’s the next question? Afghanistan? Bringing home traumatized troops after multiple tours of duty? Nah…it’s about the Republicans’ war on women, naturally. Despite co-sponsoring the Blunt Amendment, McCain now tells Gregory that the GOP needs to ‘get off’ of the issue.
Speaking of having issues…Rick Santorum was on several shows, trying to drum up support to take his surprisingly successful (in all ways except in the delegate count). On This Week, Santorum took up the curious and uniquely Republican mantle of wanting desperately to debate Romney, to prove his presidential mettle. It’s almost as if the Republicans think that we choose the highest office in the land the same way we pick Student Body President in high school. I’m not sure where this notion comes from, but I like to believe that even Republicans know that there’s more to being president being able to argue a point, especially when there are so little actual facts involved in their debates.
Need proof that Santorum’s grasp of facts are a little shaky? He’s decided to double down on the social conservative platform of saying that as President, he’s going to go after pornography. Because that is a pressing issue for the Commander in Chief. And obviously, Obama is failing to protect our children from porn now.
But he’s not the only one suffering from “It’s all Obama’s fault.” Haley Barbour—who does not get introduced on the This Week panel as a lobbyist, but only as a former governor—suffers from one of the most severe case of Bush-nesia I’ve ever seen. It’s almost as if the country wasn’t careening towards a catastrophic collapse before January 2009.
And if we have time, Romney insists that Obama WANTS high gas prices.