benjamin jealous

Election 2010: it just keeps getting weirder. Now that the primaries are mostly over, a motley crew of Tea Partiers and abstinenceaholics are taking aim at Congress, and some of what they have to say is hilarious--or would be, if these weren't the nominees of one of the two major parties in the U.S., and the other party hadn't managed to alienate a good chunk of its base. Lizz Winstead joins guest host John Fugelsang to look--and laugh--at Jim DeMint, Christine O'Donnell, Meg Whitman, and more as we get closer and closer to voting time. The One Nation rally this past weekend was intended to offer an alternative to anger and hate, to give progressives a way to come together to organize around the issue most pressing to nearly all Americans: the economy and jobs. The idea was the brainchild of Ben Jealous, the youngest leader of the nation's oldest and largest grassroots civil rights organization, the NAACP, along with George Gresham of 1199 SEIU. They don't intend for this to be a one-time rally, either, and Jealous sat down with Laura while they were both in Washington to discuss the rally, strategies for moving forward, the current political climate, and just what happened with Shirley Sherrod.

President Obama came to New York to deliver a speech at Cooper Union this week, critiquing the financial crisis and making the case for the financial regulation bill heading for a Senate vote. He made the case for both free markets and for regulations on those markets, and called for Americans to come together to support financial regulation. GRITtv headed to Cooper Union as well, and spoke to Sarah Ludwig of the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Program about Obama's speech and whether government intervention is the solution, and Kai Wright of ColorLines and The Nation about the ongoing problem with foreclosures and whether Obama's solutions will help anyone keep their home. Dorothy Height and Benjamin Hooks both passed away recently. As trailblazing leaders in the movements for civil rights, they both worked to make a better world not just for African-Americans, but for everyone. Height was a feminist and an outspoken activist for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and Hooks led the NAACP through a transitional period in its long history. Joining us via Skype from Washington, D.C. to remember Drs Height and Hooks and to talk about the next steps in progressive movements is regular guest Bill Fletcher Jr. of Black Commentator and the Center for Labor Renewal. "We are gathered here because the so-called developed countries didn't meet their obligation of establishing substantial commitments to cutting greenhouse gas emissions in Copenhagen," said Bolivian president Evo Morales at the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. Tami Woronoff and Jennifer Utz are in Cochabamba for the conference, and sent us this report from their conversations with activists, organizers, and representatives on the ground.

In the second of a three-part interview, reporter Herb Boyd talks with NAACP head Benjamin Jealous Wednesday night after President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech.