The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Good morning, Eric Levitz joins the Majority Report to discuss his essay in New York, "The Bernie vs. Warren Debate We Need," and provide some clarity to the intra-left "Bernie or Warren" discourse. Sam and Levitz begin their conversation exploring the idea that "the American left's bark is louder than its bite." The left has helped shift the country's political discussion in the past several years and has gotten the ear of mainstream political elites and media, but it does not have the institutional power held by centrist Democrats like Schumer, Manchin, and Tester. Levitz argues that there's a gulf between the elite media discourse (which is young and left) and institutional power (which is old and rural) in terms of their desired goals and deliverable actions. Shifting gears, Sam and Levitz discuss the apparent differences between Sanders and Warren. For Levitz, it's not apparent that Sanders would stretch executive power more than Warren. The distinction worth making is that the two progressive frontrunners will push progressive policies through executive action more so than the leading centrist candidate Joe Biden. Sam also explains the political stakes of a Bernie Sanders presidency, and its commitment to a principled policy like Medicare for All. Calling for a vote on real progressive policy will draw more apparent distinctions within the Democratic party. Sam and Levitz conclude their conversation considering what constitutes the Democratic party now and what it would take to build a broader coalition of Democratic voters moving beyond 2020. 

And in the Fun Half: we have the president of Finland ask him a question, Trump would investigate the Bidens if he were Zelensky, Trump has decided his foreign policy actions in the Ukraine are now perfectly lawful, Corey Lewandowski is drunk on Fox Business News, the Blaze's Dave Rubin defends Jordan Peterson's enforced monogamy, the courtroom scenes from the Amber Guyger sentencing, the Ghost of Retroactively Classified documents calls from San Antonio, Ken Langone thinks Bernie Sanders wants to shoot him, Beto goes after Mayor Pete, but Yang is now the premier skater in the Democratic field, plus your calls and IMs!

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Direct download: 10-3-19-Eric_Levitz-pub.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:38pm EDT

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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

It was only a matter of time! Trump’s loyal number 2, Mike Pence, finds himself caught up in impeachment.

Meanwhile, House Democrats threaten to subpoena the White House as they get ready to launch a new phase of the impeachment inquiry. 

And lastly, the cruelty is the point; Trump considers making it nearly impossible for unaccompanied children to apply for asylum in the United States. 

And our QUICKER QUICKIES HEADLINES:

A new USA Today poll finds that Americans now support impeaching Trump by 45% - 38%, and, more interestingly, 45% of Americans now support Trump’s conviction and removal by the Senate while just 35% do not. 

New York Times reports that the White House is moving to begin collecting DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people booked into federal immigration custody each year for entry into a national criminal database.

A 37-year-old man from Cameroon died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody Tuesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage, according to Congressional documents obtained by BuzzFeed News.

And some very important breaking news from The Wrap dot com; Conservative commentator Todd Starnes’ contract at Fox News is not being renewed. Starnes removal comes a few days after he said on his radio program on Monday that Democrats do not believe in the Christian God and instead may worship Moloch, a pagan god often associated with child sacrifice.

Direct download: 100319_AMQ.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 8:20am EDT

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