Sam Seder Posts
12/10/12 Digby on Trial Balloons & Plutocrats Destroying Medicare
December 10, 2012 - 4:03pm
Digby explained how the beltway media test bad ideas, why elite Democrats are pushing for raising the eligibility age for Medicare, Digby still thinks President Obama wants a grand bargain and why pressure from the grassroots could save Medicare and Social Security.
On the Better Half: Congresswoman Virginia Foxx has a meltdown when a Congressional staffer rides in her elevator! Michigan Republicans push Union destroying bill through the state legislature,The Romney Ryan face tattoo guy is finally getting his tattoo removed after deciding Romney is a "sore loser" and your calls.
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12/7/12 Cliff Schecter & Film Guy Matthew Casual Friday
December 7, 2012 - 5:03pm
Cliff and Sam talked about the Senate's rejection of the UN treaty on the disabled, Bob Costas speaks sanity on guns and right wing media has
a meltdown, Andrew Cuomo undermines Democratic and progressive power in New York, Mitch McConnell filibusters his own bill and hilarity ensues, and Sam and Cliff reflect on Jim Demint's move from the Senate to the Heritage Foundation.
Sam talks marriage with Film Guy Matthew, Matthew pushed back against Sam on Skyfall, and Matthew rec...
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12/3/12 Sarah Jaffe: Fast Food Workers Strike in NYC & Sam Attacks a Plutocrat
December 3, 2012 - 5:03pm
Freelance journalist Sarah Jaffe, explained the origins of the fast food workers strike in New York City, the logistical challenges of organizing fast food workers, the impossibility of living off of fast food wages, how the strikes grew out of community organizing efforts, the myth of teenage fast food workers and low paying jobs become middle class jobs through organizing.
Sam takes apart a plutocrat on Up With Chris, Obama fundraiser and multi millionaire real estate developer, Donahue Peeples made an disingenuous assertion about the Estate Tax and Sam called him out in epic ...
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11/28/12 Bill McKibben: The Oil Industry is the Enemy
Bill McKibben explained the Do the Math tour, the new evolution of climate activism, the fossil fuel divestment movement, the good news from Germany, why global climate talks are irrelevant until we break the power of the fossil fuel industry and what's coming next.
On The Better Half: a heart warming story, Glenn Beck ever more disgusting and desperate, a Idaho stat...
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11/20/12 Stephanie Kelton: Why the Elite Are Living In an Economic Fantasy
Professor Stephanie Kelton explained the origins of the Bretton Woods system, why US policy makers still make policy as if we were in a gold standard world, why we will not become like Greece, what really creates hyper inflation, why the US can easily reach full employment
without inflation, the problem is demand, why the inflation of the 70s was not driven by government seeking full employment, why the "solutions" to the fiscal cliff will produce a fiscal crises, what is the b...
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11/19/12 Daniel Levy, Gaza & Israel What's Next?
Former Middle East peace negotiator Daniel Levy explained what precipitated Israel's military action in Gaza, why Netanyahu chose to escalate the conflict, the internal politics of Gaza, how the citizens of Gaza have lived under blockade conditions for several years, Israel's lack of coherent strategy and how Israel's worst tendencies are reinforced by American policy makers.
On The Better Half: Rush wallows in self pity in Random Rush, why Sam does not want a Christmas tree and is Lindsey Graham listening to Sam?
And keep the conversation going on the
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11/16/12 Marc Maron & Cliff Schecter On Casual Friday
Cliff Schecter and Sam explained why Simpson-Bowles would tank the economy, where we can make smart cuts, all the money we waste on the Drug war, is Social Security safe?, are progressives drawing a line in the sand? a much more forceful President Obama and the Real John McCain.
Marc Maron talked about his record collection, what he worries about, his arc with Gina Gershon on the pilot of his tv show and recommended the documentary DR. Bronner's Magic Soapbox.
And before we got to the Better Half a new song from Jimmy Reefercake.
the Better Half: why did Hostess g...
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11/15/12 Mattea Kramer, The Fiscal Cliff Myth
The National Priorities Project's Mattea Kramer explained the biggest misconceptions Americans have about the federal budget, what makes up most of the federal budget, why now is a great time for infrastructure investment, the best ways to deal with the deficit, why the fiscal cliff is a myth and some predictions on budget negotiations.
On the Better Half: Matt Bai writes something stunningly disingenuous and Sam nails him on it, the fiscal cliff is a bait and switch, Mitt Romney still a massive A-Hole and the head of the Maine Republican Party proves the GOP isn't just racist in the...
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11/14/12 David Graeber, Occupy Wants To Relieve Your Debt
Professor David Grabaer explained why our understanding of debt is flawed, why we keep telling ourselves a false narrative of debt, student loans and Occupy, how the debt crises and the ecological crises are the same thing, how the Rolling Jubilee will work and what is financial disobedience?
On the Better Half: Spanish banks hold up evictions in cases of extreme hardship after a woman commits suicide, floods threatening Italian economy accelerating due to climate change and Sam takes another Libertarian caller to the Sam Seder Learning Annex.
And keep the conversation going o...
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11/13/12 The Real David Petraeus Scandals and the Surveillance State
BuzzFeed's Michael Hastings explained the full sordid details of the Petraeus affair, how the spying on David Petraeus is typical of today's surveillance state, The hypocrisy of the Washington Press, how Petraeus helped us scrub our record of disaster in Iraq, how he started to believe his own press and why we need a realistic perspective on the Military.
On The Half: the danger of cutting of unemployment benefits, why 96 percent of Americans benefit from government spending, Obama's 2011 grand bargain memo leaked and it does not look good, some in Louisiana and Texas want to Secede ...
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11/9/12 Cliff Schecter, A Progressive America & Andy "Obamabot" Kindler Is Ecstatic
Sam and Cliff rejoice in the Republican meltdown, Karl Rove's public humiliation, the billionaires who wasted their money and why that's important, why the GOP still doesn't get demographics, Can the GOP adjust to reality? Sean Hannity's stunning new position on immigration and new progressive energy in Congress.
Comedian and Obama fan Andy Kindler then joined the show to discuss the big victories on election night. However, something weird happens to this "Obamabot" whenever Sam says our President's name.
And keep the conversation going on the
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11/8/12 Ryan Grim What Now For Marijuana? & What's Next for Congress
The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim (the Nate Silver of Pot) explained wins for Marijuana decriminalization in Colorado and Washington, why attitudes are shifting on decriminalization, Obama's record on theDrug War, is opposing Marijuana turning into bad politics?, what;s the state of the Grand Bargain and the Fiscal Cliff, the advantages the Democrats and Republicans have, will Democrats hold firm? will Harry Reid save Social Security? And hoping for more Republican insanity?
On t...
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11/7/12 Post Election Special With Ari Berman & David Dayen
Democrats win big and Republicans whine hard!
The Nation's Ari Berman, explained how progressives fought back against voter suppression, how Republicans used disenfranchisement to keep the House, how blocking the vote is starting to hurtRepublicans with the broader public, Sam and Ari say Democrats need to get serious about expanding the right to vote, Sheldon Adelson is incredibly stupid and Citizen United still very, very dangerous.
Firedoglake's David Dayen ran us thr...
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11/6/12 Janeane "Katherine Harris" Garofalo & Myla Seder All The Election Analysis You Need
Janeane "Katherine Harris" Garofalo wanted to know how Sam was doing after last weeks "plague", was confidant that Romney would win, commented on her own history of voter disenfranchisement or "voter cleansing" and explained what are "sex pests" are.
And some smart and charming election thoughts from Myla Seder! And Sam's election prediction.
The Better Half: More racism from Rush, Matt and Michael give their election picks, other races we should keep in an eye on and some Random Rush.
And keep the conversation going on the
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11/5/12 Markos Moulitsas With The Election Day "Math" & Occupy Sandy To The Rescue
Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas gave us his election day math, predicted a comfortable Obama victory, Democrats holding the Senate and gaining some seats in the House. Sam asked if Paul Ryan's extremism was exploited enough?
Jeff Smith explained how Occupy responded to Sandy, wealth inequality and hurricane relief, Bloomberg's shockingly tasteless push to keep the New York Marathon going in the face of continued power outages and all the ways that Occupy is coordinating help.
CNN's Eric Erikson says election results don't matter because the rapture is coming, Fox and Friend...
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11/1/12 Sandy: Convinced on Climate Change Yet?, Romney: High School Football Cleanup Just Like Hurricane
Sam updated us on the Hurricane Sandy aftermath, drew a connection between the hurricane and climate change. Sam argued that climate change deniers would be even more empowered in a Romney Administration and and again made the case for voting for President Obama.Independent journalist Michael Tracey reported from Jersey Shore New Jersey where he said the situation was very dire and wondered if many residents in New Jersey and New York would be able to vote on election day.
And ...
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10/31/12 Matt Stoller Debates the Progressive Case Against Obama With Sam
Sam hosted a heated interviewed with Veteran activist and Naked Capitalism Contributing Editor Matt Stoller. Matt argued that Obama's policy agenda was regressive by design, that both major parties are pushing the United States towards petro state status and that progressives should consider voting for a third party as an affirmation of their rejection of the Obama/Romney choice. Sam pushed back against Matt on the consequences of a Romney Presidency for the Supreme Court and emp...
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10/30/12 Frederick Kaufman: How Food Stopped Being Food
On today's show journalist Frederick Kaufman explained Wall Street's speculation in food commodities, why pizza is a great starting point for understanding the global food system, how the financialization of food markets drives up prices and how the "Foodie" movement is overlooking the role of Wall Street abuse in creating unjust and unsustainable food systems.
Also...Hurricane Sandy in NYC.
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10/26/12 Cliff Schecter: Progressive Wins in Swing States?; FIlm Guy Matthew
Cliff Schecter let us know what was happening on the ground in a couple of swing states, the possibility of electing some progressive candidates for Congresswhy Michelle Bachman, Steve King and Allen West might lose, why President Obama’s numbers are rebounding and what will the impact of the horrific statements on rape that Republican candidate have made will be on woman voters?
Film Guy Matthew was hurt that he has been kipped for a couple of show and he took a real shots at Isabel Gillies. Sam was not sympathetic and Film Guy Matthew, recommended the less well known Fra...
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10/25/12 Matt Taibbi, Diagnosing the One Percent
Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi explained President Obama's latest comments on Wall Street reform, why he may defensive about his record, how Mitt Romney is the embodiment of all that has gonewrong in American capitalism, but Matt loves watching Romney lie because he is such a natural at it, reporting from post Soviet Russia was a great training ground for what is happening in modern America and diagnosing narcissism and para...
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