OBAMA and HUCKABEE WIN IOWA
Obama's win is GREAT NEWS! It means we have embraced a more international candidate who has humility and substance. Obama is a U.S. constitutional scholar and a purist. He would be able to personally communicate with the most provocative nations in the middle east because he is a good listener, has sound principles and a name they can identify with. He would do more good for world peace by his open demeanor. Domestically, I think he'd carefully weigh each bill that came to him, untainted by special interests.
I am also happy that John Edwards came in second. But what happened to Kucinich, the other purist whom we love?
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED! ABC is cutting Kucinich from it's debate tonight in New Hampshire.
KUCINICH SUES By Kevin Tillman, AlterNet.
This is madness. Judging by what I'm reading today, the primaries are all wrapped up. Apparently, 300,000 mostly white, largely rural Iowans will decide our choices for president.
And Ron Paul, with $20 million bucks raised in a quarter, 10 percent of the Iowa vote and a legion of loyal fans, isn't being allowed to debate on Fox News in New Hampshire. ABC is cutting Kucinich, Gravel and Repub Duncan Hunter from it's debate. But this might be the most annoying bit of BS out of all of it.
AP: Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, along with supporter Willie Nelson, have filed a lawsuit to get Kucinich on the ballot in Texas after they say the Texas Democratic Party rejected his application.
The civil lawsuit was delivered late Wednesday afternoon to U.S. District Court for the Western District of the United States, Kucinich spokesman Andy Juniewicz said late Wednesday evening.
The lawsuit says that Kucinich was informed by the Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday that his application was "defective" because he crossed out a loyalty oath in the application that said he would swear to support whoever the Democratic nominee for president might be.
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EDWARDS RECONSIDERED By Norman Solomon, AlterNet
John Edwards was the most improved presidential candidate of 2007. He sharpened his attacks on corporate power and honed his calls for economic justice. He laid down a clear position against nuclear power. He explicitly challenged the power of the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical giants.
And he improved his position on Iraq to the point that, in an interview with the New York Times a couple of days ago, he said: "The continued occupation of Iraq undermines everything America has to do to reestablish ourselves as a country that should be followed, that should be a leader." Later in the interview, Edwards added: "I would plan to have all combat troops out of Iraq at the end of nine to ten months, certainly within the first year."
Now, apparently, Edwards is one of three people with a chance to become the Democratic presidential nominee this year. If so, he would be the most progressive Democrat to top the national ticket in more than half a century.
The main causes of John Edwards' biggest problems with the media establishment have been tied in with his firm stands for economic justice instead of corporate power.
Weeks ago, when the Gannett-chain-owned Des Moines Register opted to endorse Hillary Clinton this time around, the newspaper's editorial threw down the corporate gauntlet: "Edwards was our pick for the 2004 nomination. But this is a different race, with different candidates. We too seldom saw the positive, optimistic campaign we found appealing in 2004. His harsh anti-corporate rhetoric would make it difficult to work with the business community to forge change."
Many in big media have soured on Edwards and his "harsh anti-corporate rhetoric." As a result, we're now in the midst of a classic conflict between corporate media sensibilities and grassroots left-leaning populism.
On Wednesday, Edwards launched a TV ad in New Hampshire with him saying at a rally: "Corporate greed has infiltrated everything that's happening in this democracy. It's time for us to say, 'We're not going to let our children's future be stolen by these people.' I have never taken a dime from a Washington lobbyist or a special interest PAC and I'm proud of that."
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We will be doing an analysis on our show this morning. If you live in Vegas you can tune in Live or go to our website and listen in the audio archives.
The Basham and Cornell Show broadcasts weekday mornings at 8 am Pacific (11 a.m. Eastern) on KLAV 1230 AM Radio live in Las Vegas. All shows are simulcast on the Internet (and archived) and can be listened to at Basham and Cornell Progressive Talk If you've missed our show, check out the audio archives. We have interviewed John & Elizabeth Edwards, Dennis & Elizabeth Kucinich, John Dean, Valerie Plame, Christine Pelosi, Dahr Jamail, Senator Mike Gravel; Pulitzer Prize winner Charlie Savage, Congressman Charlie Rangel, Senator Byron Dorgan; bestselling authors Greg Palast, Paul Krugman, Greg Anrig, Mikey Weinstein, Paul Krugman; Media Matters’ Eric Boehlert and Paul Waldman are regular guests. Upcoming: Obama and Hilary. If you missed any of these shows, check out the archives on our website.
WHAT OBAMA'S WIN MEANS
From Blogger Christopher:
Personally, what last night meant for me is the beginning of the end of the Bush nightmare and the beginning of a new America.
Think of it:
1. The first black president of the Harvard Law Review is poised to become the first black president of the United States
2. Barack Obama, defied the pundits and the polls who just last summer said Hillary Clinton was unstoppable
3. Barack Obama carried the youth vote (17 to 30) by 57%
4. the Iowa Caucus proves that retail politics are alive and well and vital in the USA
5. last night's Obama victory proved the desire for change -- real change, is greater than the desire for experience
7. the international media, from La Republicca, to the Sydney Morning Herald, to the Times of London, to the Times of India, is reporting the USA is again open for business as voters reject the path the Idiot Bush has taken us down these past 7 years
Now, onward to New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina!
clif said...
Obama carried the under 30 womens vote, which means Shillery doesn't resonate as well with them as she thought. It might be the next generational passing of the torch, like 1960 and 1992 were.
A post boomer president.
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And LETTERMAN'S BACK!
My son's father is an Emmy Award-winning writer on the Late Show with David Letterman and we are so pleased that he is back at work. He is a brilliant comedy writer who wrote the Johnny Carson show, many films like the original "Bad Boys" and now writes Letterman's monologue, Top Ten List in collaboration with the other gifted scribes. Kudos to Letterman for standing up for the writers.
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WALK THROUGH THE CAUCUS PROCESS: If you missed the Basham and Cornell show yesterday, check out our audio archives. Yesterday we had John Hunt, Chairman of the Clark County Democratic Party walking us through the caucus process. Nevada is third in line, on January 19, after New Hampshire. Hunt, a decorated veteran, has a son on his third tour of duty in Iraq.
Then at 8:30, we were joined by Jennifer Palmieri, the Senior Vice President for Communications at the Center for American Progress. Prior to joining the Center, she was the National Press Secretary for the 2004 Edwards for President campaign. She was the National Press Secretary for the DNC during the 2002 election cycle, and she's an eight year veteran of the Clinton White House.
The Basham and Cornell Show broadcasts weekday mornings at 8 am Pacific (11 a.m. Eastern) on KLAV 1230 AM Radio live in Las Vegas. All shows are simulcast on the Internet (and archived) and can be listened to at Basham and Cornell Progressive Talk
