republican party
GRITtv: How Will Independents Vote in 2010?
Barack Obama was able to win the presidency in part because of the strong support of self-identified "independent" voters. Yet the Tea Party movement draws many who also refer to themselves as independents. As the 2010 midterm elections approach, who's going to win over those supposed independents this time? And what about independent candidates for office? Joining us to discuss are Bill Hillsman, author of Run the Other Way: Fixing the Two-Party System, One Campaign at a Time, and Malia Lazu, executive director of The Gathering for Social Justice.
Email this pageGRITtv: The F Word: Anti-Union, Anti-Regulation Mafia
OK, so the details keep coming out after the deaths of at least 25 miners at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia. While we don't yet know just what caused Monday's explosion, we have learned a lot about the company that owned the mine, Massey Energy. For that mine alone, Massey received 1300 citations for safety violations since 2005—50 in the last month. And it turns out that rather than fix, their habit was to challenge two out of three violations as a matter of course, part of their "production first approach" to the dangerous business of mining. It makes you wonder - what's it going to take for companies like this one to be treated as political pariahs? Hurt the planet, work your employees to death. . . how come they get to keep contributing to politicians and those politicians can keep their heads up? We don't allow donations from the Mafia. For a start, let's look at the contributions from CEO Don Blankenship. He's given $42,300 in the last two election cycles, $4300 to Senator James Inhofe, $2000 to Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey, and $30,400 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. All Republicans, but a deeper investigation will probably find money spread through both parties. How will any politician who accepted that money face serious questioning? Our colleague Esther Kaplan noted in The Nation that for the first time in history, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is headed by a union man, Joe Main. This is a step in the right direction, but right now we should be punishing not only the violators, but the politicians who enable them. The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Support us by signing up for our podcast, and follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: The F Word: RNC Big Tent Includes Strippers
So maybe they're not so against stimulus after all. In fact, the Republican National Committee has been giving a little stimulus of their own to an overlooked demographic group: strippers. That's right, according to last year's financial filings, the RNC spent nearly $2000 at Voyeur West Hollywood last year. Scoping out the post Schwarzenegger candidate field? Well, maybe, but how open minded! Voyeur West's “a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.” GRITtv with Laura Flanders brings participatory democracy onto your computer screen and into your living room, bridging the gap between audience and advocates. Watch any show, at any time: http://grittv.org Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Max Blumenthal: Israel, the GOP, and the Coffee Party
Max Blumenthal, author of Republican Gomorrah, joins Laura in studio to talk about recent news: the Obama administration's spat with Israel over settlements, the recent California Republican party convention, and the new "coffee party" movement.
