The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Cliff Schecter discussed the new evidence confirm his and Sam's predictions that Ryan was an awful choice as a running mate for Romney, pretty much everyone agrees he should have picked Bob Portman instead also more polls showing the shocking result that people like Medicare. The success of Obama's populist campaign in Ohio and Todd Akin knows he is gaining ground on Claire MCcaskill because of her "unladylike" behavior and Cliff thinks if the Republicans lose bad they may become even more crazy and intransigent.

Isabel Gillies joined Sam for a "TMI" edition of movie recommendations which began with a long discussion of Menopause and concluded with Isabel telling us to watch the great Japanese documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Mitt Romney is the type of hero! that would help a friend dock a boat for a minute, Dick Morris makes some election predictions so crazy that even Sean Hannity can't believe it, Bibi Netanyahu uses some very silly visuals to explain how close Iran is to a nuclear bomb, Bibi has been saying that Iran is months away from having a nuclear weapon 1992 and Mitt Romney is now less popular than George W Bush. We get Dubya's reaction.

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Direct download: 09-28-12-Cliff-Schecter-Isabel-Gillies.PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:23pm EDT

Thomas Frank explained why the mainstream Democratic Party rejects populism, the succes of the rights toxic social populism and how our economic debates are no longer empirical. Sam and Thomas reminisced about Rick Santelli's rant at the Chicago Stock Exchange that helped launched the Tea Party and agreed that electoral reform was essential for the recovery of American politics.

On the Better Half: Mitt Romney tries to get a crowd of supporters to chant his name and fails, The Blaze takes Sam to task for not recognizing that Mitt Romney was joking about Airplane windows that open, Massive anti austerity protests in Spain and Greece, a new video of Mitt Romney explaining how Bain's business model is based on "harvesting" firms and Sam takes yet another Libertarian caller to the Majority Report "Learning Annex."

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

 

Direct download: 09-27-12-Thomas-Frank.PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:39pm EDT

J.A. Myerson, offered a recap of Occupy's first year, from first being ignored and ridiculed, to gaining press attention and eventually inspiring Occupy actions across the globe. How the success of Occupy led to a violent crackdown and Sam wondered what was happening at Occupy encampments that possibly could possibly have motivated such an extreme response from authorities? And J.A. and Sam considered possibilities for Occupy moving forward.

Richard "ChemChampion" Champion a longtime friend of the Majority Report took democracy into his own hands and has become a leader in the Washington State Democratic Party. He explained to Sam how he did and how you can too.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-26-12-Richard_Champion-JA_Myerson-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:41pm EDT

Professor Juan Cole gave a regional overview of recent events in the Middle East, cleared up some of the confusion on the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi, described a poor security situation in Libya and noted that the transitional government is making slow progress there. Cole noted that the Protests in Cairo were small and considered a failure by Egyptian standards, but that President Morsi's response to the demonstrations was problematic and may alter US-Egyptian relations.

And on the Better Half: Mitt Romney is a preparing his presidential transition...Sam and crew laugh at this, Scott Brown campaign staffers give meaning to the word "Masshole", polling data shows the only white working class voters Obama has no traction with are in the south also Lady Gaga "a slut" for smoking weed according to a prominent Staten Island Republican.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-25-12-Juan-Cole.PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:11pm EDT

Yale Professor Jacob Hacker explained his new project "Prosperity Economics", why obsessing over the deficit right now is putting the cart before the horse, how low interest rates mean now is an excellent time to invest in infrastructure, eduction and human capital.

Why debt hysteria holds us back and how it is based on a fundamental misconception of the economic and political crises facing America. Sam loved the Prosperity agenda but wondered if ideological extremism would continue to make good policy impossible, while Hacker saw reason to hope for change in some public opinion polling.

On the Better half: former New York congressional Dan O'Connor candidate debated Sam on the legality of the federal government giving money to the states, Dan seemed convinced that the spending was unconstitutional but couldn't explain how it was, we also learned from a caller in Georgia how American could be tax and debt free! Sam wheeled it back in by sharing some troubling news on the Grand Bargain and Mitt Romney is confused as to why airplane windows do not open.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

 

Direct download: 09-24-12-Jacob-Hacker.PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:58pm EDT

Cliff Schecter joined Sam to discuss, Romney's awful week, how Mitt lurches from gaffe to gaffe, why he is dangerous on foreign policy and the man from Bain's bizarre conviction that he is somehow at a disadvantage for not being Mexican.

Matthew Film Guy talked with Sam about whether or not liberals can enjoy Vigilante movies and recommended the Ryan Gosling film Drive.

Sam did an epic take down of a Fox and Friends non story involving Barack Obama, Bibi Netanyahu and a pirate, Anne Romney says its really time for Republican critics of her husband to "stop it!" and Paul Ryan must really be regretting his decision to take up Mitt Romney on his VP offer right now.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-21-12-Cliff_Schecter-Matthew-Weiss-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:12pm EDT

Time Magazine's Michael Grunwald explained why all Americans are "on the dole" from tax credits to public tennis courts, why so many of us are in denial about how much we benefit from government spending across the economic spectrum,how the affluent gain from incentives in the tax code and why even though he hasn't worked in six years Mitt Romney pays a lower tax rate than middle class Americans.

Also Tim Pawlenty got a lobbying gig he simply couldn't wait to take. So good in fact that he quit his position as co-char of the Romney campaign weeks away from the election day so he could start lobbying for Wall Street as quickly as possible.

On the Better Half: Sam highlights sections of the Romney tapes that have received less attention but further reveal how delusional he is, also in a surprise development the author of PA's voter ID law thinks voting shouldn't be easy and many are to lazy to deserve the right to vote and Sam does an epic George W Bush impression that sheds light on success and luck.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-20-12-Michael_Grunwald-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:11pm EDT

David Dayen explained why the leaked Mitt Romney videos are dividing Republicans between those that still argue that trickle down economics benefit all Americans and more aggressive conservatives who are embracing the fact that Republican tax policies simply favor their base, Sam noted that one of the most encouraging things to come out of the tapes is that the Republican donor class is as ill informed as your average tea party supporter and Romney also threw the Middle East and United States security into jeopardy by disavowing the Peace Process.

And David told us why the gobbling up of foreclosed homes across the United States by hedge funds and investment firms could lead to another housing bubble. Scary stuff.

On The Better Half: Sam explained that the Chicago teachers went on strike not over pay but teaching conditions, discussed a Swiss tax evasion scheme that may involve one US presidential candidate and reflected on his weekend hosting Up With Chris.

Direct download: 09-19-12-David_Dayen-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:56pm EDT

On today's show Kristina Rizga of Mother Jones Magazine, talked with Sam about her reporting on Mission High School San Francisco, what makes a school successful, how the high stakes testing regime advocated by corporate reformers is hurting vulnerable students and why its better to look for best practices instead of one size fits all rules for education.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-18-12-Kristina_Rizga-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:08pm EDT

On today's show Majority Report producers Matt & Michael reported from Occupy Wall Street's one year anniversary and found an energetic group of protesters committed to getting Occupy back in the center of American politics.

They also spoke with several Occupy protesters including Allison Kilkenny from Citizen Radio, freelance journalist and our Occupy Wall Street guy Jeff Smith, and retired Philly Police Captain Ray Lewis and others.

Also in a pre-recorded interview Sam spoke with economist and author Jeff Faux about his new book the Servant Economy on why America's middle class is hollowing out and how and why we are turning into a servant driven economy.

Direct download: 09-17-12-Occupy_Anniversary-Jeff_Faux-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:49pm EDT

On today's show Sam was joined by Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald to discuss the Justice Department’s decision not to prosecute murder cases related to the Bush Administration’s torture program in Afghanistan and Iraq.Glenn explained that this investigation was the last remaining opportunity that the Obama Administration had to bring some accountability to those involved in the torture program and Sam wondered if it would take another couple of decades for a real reckoning the crimes of the Bush era.

But, first Occupy activist Jeff Smith talked with Sam about the events planned for next week to mark the one year anniversary of Occupy, how the mainstream media coverage of Occupy often ignored the issues that drove the movement, the ongoing police efforts to disrupt people’s right to peacefully protest and why he feels Occupy should stay independent  as a movement.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-13-12-Jeff_Smith-Glenn_Greenwald-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:58am EDT

On today's show Sam and Rick Perlstein discussed the Teacher's strike happening right now in Chicago. Rick explained how effective the Chicago Teacher's Union has been in gaining public support, the corporate special interests funding the "education reform" movement and how Rahm Emanuel's disdain for unions is driving Chicago city politics. Sam focused on the ideological nature of the attack on public schools and Rick said that universal education has always been vital to our economic societal success.

On the Better Half: a Libertarian caller sounded a bit confused but definitely loved Gold, Sam went over Kurt Eichenwald's new reporting on the Bush Administration stunning negligence before September 11th, Pat Robertson is confused as to whether men can be beat their wives in America but knows they can in Saudi Arabia and Sam shared his memories of September 11th.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-11-12-Rick_Perlstein-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:31pm EDT

Digby joined Sam to discuss the state of the shambolic Romney/Ryan campaign, how the weakness of the GOP ticket may hurt progressives and why Bill Clinton so artfully explained why Medicade was not only a program for the poor but also the middle class. Digby pointed out that Obama left himself a lot of wiggle room for cuts in his acceptance speech and said she felt the same way watching the push for austerity as she did in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. Both she and Sam agreed that progressives can still influence economic policy and that they should keep pushing to reverse the austerity madness. 

On the Better Half: Sam noted the rise of the Neo Nazi Party in Greece and how the response to catastrophic economic situations is not always progressive populism filled us in on the Chicago teachers union strike and Paul Krugman educates Rand Paul on government job losses during the Obama Presidency and much more. 
Direct download: 09-10-12-Digby-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:43pm EDT

On today's show Sam spoke with Cliff Schecter about the DNC. Both Cliff and Sam agreed that the production value of DNC was a lot better than the RNC's debacle and that the only thing people remember from Tampa is Clint Eastwood's chair address. Cliff told us what he liked and didn't like about Obama's speech, the importance of keeping up the fight against Social Security and Medicare cuts and the disturbing pro Simpson-Bowles sentiments expressed by the keynote speakers. Obamabot (Andy Kindler) had a different reaction to the speech and reminded Sam that we must continue to believe in hope and that drones get the job done. Abi Hassen from the National Lawyers Guild told Sam about protests that took place during the DNC from both left and right and said that Charlotte was far less militarized than Tampa. Also the The National Lawyers Guild is fundraising to support its vital work in protecting demonstrators.

On the Better Half: Germo's wife is afraid that the Majority Report is a cult and Sam offers to have her in studio to clear out her negative energy, Sam maintains there is a real difference between Obama and Romney winning, but says the best scenario for protecting social security is Democratic control of Congress plus all of your calls and IMS.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-07-12-Cliff_Schecter-Andy_Kindler-Abi_Hassen-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:42pm EDT

On today's show Harper's Magazine's dynamic duo Jack Hitt & Kevin Baker called in from Charlotte and discussed Michelle Obama's successful speech, how forgiving and organized the Democratic Party base is and how the bear hug between Bill Clinton and Barack Obama represented the cultural bestof the Democratic Party. Sam noted that Elizabeth Warren's speech could be seen as an implicit critique of Bill Clinton and he agreed with his guests that Clinton is turning into a Democratic Reagan, even though his Presidency was problematic from a progressive perspective. A deeply disillusioned Kevin said that the Republican Convention was so disturbing that he was almost ready to campaign for and contribute money to Obama again.

Comedian Dean Obeidallah let Sam know about his new comedy tour, why he wants to be Vice President, how the Republican Convention "looked like an early bird special at Cracker Barrel." And Dean spoke about the real world consequences of the anti Muslim hate speech of Michelle Bachman, Joe Walsh and Allen West.

The Better Half: Sam spoke about the DNC amending its Platform on Jerusalem and the word God and contrasted the platform with official US policy on Jerusalem. Mentioned good news from Michigan on collective bargaining and took your calls and IMS.

Members make the Majority Report possible.  Please join us by becoming a MEMBER.  You can also show your support by clicking thru to the DONATE button for a one-time donation — anytime.  And don't forget Sam is live every week day at noon. Thanks!

Direct download: 09-06-12-Jack_Hitt-Kevin_Baker-Dean_Obeidallah-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:24pm EDT

On today's show Matt Taibbi called in to discuss his new Rolling Stone feature story: Greed and Debt. The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital. He and Sam talked about how Bain Capital and Mitt Romney exemplified the shift from an industrial economy based on making things to a economy run on speculation, how Bain moved away from investing start up capital to simply loading existing companies with debt and stripping their assets and how the restaurant scene in Goodfellas is the best way to understand how Bain's business model works. Sam lamented that the Democrats haven't followed up on Newt Gingrich's attacks on Bain he made during the primary and he and Matt agreed that the Democrats are still committed to making nice with Wall Street.

Better Half: What Sam liked and didn't like about the DNC. The worlds richest woman had some more inspiring things to say about how people move up the economic ladder, the Ted Kennedy tribute at the DNC was great and Sam thinks Teddy would love that he is getting to destroy Mitt Romney post posthumously and Sam outlined three scenarios for what happens to Medicare and Social Security after the election.

Direct download: 09-05-12-Matt_Taibbi-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:35pm EDT

On today's show the Nation's Ari Berman spoke with Sam about some recent encouraging Court decisions at the state level against voter suppression, described how the GOP is attempting to politically re-segregate the south and he and Sam debated the merits of holding the Democratic Convention in North Carolina. Tina Dupuy the editor-in-chief of TheContributor.Com described a pleasant atmosphere in Charlotte and said the DNC had less of a police state feel than last week's RNC. John Knefel, co-host of the podcast Radio Dispatch, gave an update on the many different protests and outside pressure groups meeting in Charlotte to fight for labor rights and genuine immigration reform.

On the Better Half:
Sam continued the Grand Bargain watch and highlighted David Koch's new generous offer to possibly accept some small tax increases in exchange for gutting Medicare and Social Security, a caller from North Carolina explained the power of the Occupy in NC and we discover the incredible danger that Mitt Romney placed himself in during Vietnam War (hint he did not experience this danger in Vietnam).

Direct download: 09-04-12-Ari_Berman-Tina_Dupuy-John_Knefel-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:29pm EDT

Happy Labor Day! Today on the program we bring you a collection of great speeches that celebrate labor and people power from FDR, Mario Savio, John Lewis, & more!

Direct download: 09-03-12-Labor_Day_Special-PUB.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:34am EDT

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