April 25 – How to Get Money Out of Politics; What Happened to the Party of the People?

On By nusrat_82ght6

Full Program

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Part 1

We begin with the $5 billion dollar election underway, which if you factor in all the local, state and federal elections, will likely end up being closer to a $10 billion dollar spending spree, and speak with Wendell Potter the co-author of a new book "Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It". With the growing likelihood that Donald Trump will win big in tomorrow’s primaries and move closer to the magic 1237 delegate number, we discuss how the Republican money machine will coalesce around him in spite of his claim to not take special interest money and only spend his own. And we also discuss the positive contribution of Bernie Sanders whose campaign has been well funded by small donors and could serve as a future model if the Democrats win the White House and Senate and can overturn "Citizens United" with a new Supreme Court.

Part 2

Then we speak with Thomas Frank, the author of “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” and “Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-times Swindle and Unlikely Comeback of the Right” and his latest book, just out, “Listen Liberal” Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?”  He joins us to discuss why in spite of their venom spewed at Barack Obama, the uber-rich 1% have done very well under his presidency having gotten what they want: more immigration, trade deals and continued defense spending which ironically might be threatened by a President Trump. We look into why the party of the people has become captured by a globalist-minded elite both economically and culturally, while the Republican Party under Trump could become the party of the working class.