Sam Seder Posts

The Atlantic's Steve Clemons explained what was missing in yesterday's foreign policy debate, how President Obama offers tactical mastery but little strategic vision while Romney has neither tactical mastery or strategy, where President Obama has been a foreign policy success and where he has fallen short of the progressive policy he articulated in 2008, the stunning lack of discussion of climate change, Steve's pessimistic outlook on the Middle East, what is really driving Iran's nuclear program and the urgent need for a new Global social Contract.
On the Better ha...

Ari Berman talked the GOP's ongoing vote suppression. How GOP is helping people register, then after seeing who they register for, destroy the registration. How Republicans made a huge deal over ACORN and how different their complains about ACORN were compared to the much more sinister methods of voter suppression they use. Sam and Ari then preview tonight's debate on foreign policy, Mitt Romney's vagueness and how the media is seething at the mouth waiting for Obama to mess up the debate so they can basically write his obituary.

In the better half Sam disc...

Cliff and Sam both see many paths to an Obama victory, Cliff praised George McGovern for his legacy on issues of war and peace, should recent polls make liberals worried? Could Obama lose the popular vote and win the electoral college?Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid throw monkey wrenches in potential post election grand bargain negotiations, Obama has committed himself to vetoing any legislation during the lame duck that wou...

Did you know that Mitt Romney profited from the auto bailouts? Greg Palast explained how Mitt Romney and a shadowy group of hedge fund investors made a killing off of the auto industry bailout,
how they extorted the federal government and shipped jobs oversees, what new favors Mitt's friends want from him if he is elected and why they hate Obama so much.
Also Mitt's son Tagg wants to "slug" the President, isn't tha...

Obama comes out of debate 2 with a win. Digby was not surprised that he performed so much better this time, thought Romney did fine but fact checks will hurt him, people respond better to Obama's articulation of a optimistic vision, as long as Obama talks grand bargain Romney can lie his way to the middle, Romney's strange answer on equal pay, both candidates compete to see who can pollute America more, are Democrats going the way of gun control and the death penalty on climate? Romney's huge blunder in the Benghazi exchange, how the right pushed the Libya story and why it worked ...

On today's show Sam epically tears apart Paul Ryan for his epically cynical visit to a soup kitchen. Sam also broke down Wall Street's latest theatrics, Andrew Ross Sorkin wants us to know that if Wall Street needs to be bailed out again it might not be so generous as to save itself without as many pre conditions. And in other Wall Street news Sam is puzzled by the former Morgan Stanley executive who stabbed a cab driver and won't be charged.
On the Better Half: Ezra Klein argues that it actually isn't brave for affluent, air conditioned room dwelling policy wonks to advocate ra...

It's Casual Friday! Cliff Shecter and Sam take a look at last night VP debate and discuss how the right wing loves Republican bullies but then blast Joe Biden for being "a meanie" to Paul Ryan, how Conservatives pundits are fixated on Joe Biden's "smile" (because they know they lost), some of the topics from the Vice Presidential debate last night: Medicare, Social Security, and more. They also discuss good times in Vegas over the past few days!
In the better half (but it's a Freebie Friday, so you all get it!), Sam and Cliff continue their conversation. They discuss Darrell Issa's p...

First up Sam spoke with Cliff Schecter about why democrats struggle with messaging, what cutting social security will do to the American worker and how Joe Biden can win his debate with Paul Ryan tonight.
Remember when the big telecoms worked with the Bush Administration to illegally spy on Americans? Now the Supreme Court has joined Congress and the Executive Branch in insuring that those companies will never be held accountable for breaking the law, Virginia Senate Candidate Tim Kaine says he won't cut Social Security and a Paul Ryan endorsed State Rep says "some girls, they rape s...

Former Washington lobbyist and policy advisor Jeff Connaughton author of The Payoff, explained why Washington never takes on Wall Street, how careerism shapes law enforcement decisions in Washington, the failure of the regulatory apparatus and why aggressively reigning in the major banks would help the economy as a whole. Sam and Jeff also discussed the "Blob" and how there is no two party system when it comes to the financial sector.
And Ron Seifert, of tarsandsblockade.org explained his groups work in direct action against construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in Texas, how...

Author Kevin Baker discussed his new Harper's story Why Vote? Kevin noted the steady erosion of democracy and some of the political myths that Americans cling to, why this Presidential election matters, the extremism of Romney's agenda and how the push for right-wing austerity economics is not isolated to the United States.
...

Cliff chronicled his many many moments of frustration with Obama's debate performance, why the Social Security response was Obama's weakest moment and the debate reminded Cliff of the mistakes President Obama made when he first came into office, the expected failure of Jim Lehrer, the many, many, many ways to mock Mitt that Barack missed.
Also Producers Matt and Michael gave out some movie recommendations
On...

Author Ari Berman and Sam agree-Romney won last nights debate, Obama looked and sounded tired and unfocused and didn't take advantage of numerous opportunities to push back against Mitt, Ari wanted to know where the aggressive Obama was last night?
Ari than brought us up to date on the latest news in voter rights, on a positive note state courts have been overturning voter ID laws across the country, but the Supreme Court may reverse parts of the Voting Rights Act.
On the Better Half: Sam took Jim Lehrer to task for being terrible at moderating, Romney wo...

Nan Aron, President of the Alliance for Justice explained why the next Supreme Court term matters so much, the future of affirmative action and the voting rights act and Justice Robert's troubling history of hostility to civil rights. How the Supreme Courts decisions on CitizensUnited and the Affordable Care have reminded people of the Court's power and the broader implications of the Roberts Courts strikingly pro corporate st...

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, discussed his new documentary on the war on drugs The House I Live In.  Jarecki, explained the origins of his commitment to social justice, how the business of the drug war works, why politicians from both major parties have internalized the idea that they always need be "tough on crime", the roots of racial targeting in drug sentencing laws and why good police work is degraded by drug policies.
On the Better Half: California becomes the first state to ban "homosexual conversation therapy" for teenagers, Sam explained how George Soros...

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 a...

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."

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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!

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!

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!

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!