Left, Right & Center
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Provocative, up-to-the-minute, alive and witty, KCRW's weekly confrontation over politics, policy and popular culture proves those with impeccable credentials needn't lack personality. This weekly "love-hate relationship of the air" features four of the most insightful news analysts anywhere.
Photo from L-R: Tony Blankley, Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington, Matt MillerPhoto credit: Salvador Farfan, caughtinthemoment.com
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KCRW's Left Right & Center summary 8.22.08
(Left, Right and Center) 2008-08-22 12:54
RECENT SHOWS
Pulling out of Georgia; Pulling out of Iraq; How many houses?
Legacy Player:
Is Russia honoring its deadline to pull out of Georgia? A very substantive and fascinating discussion of how to deal with Russia ensues with Tony insisting that Russia be punished and temporarily banned from the G8, and that the country must be dealt with firmly but reasonably and Bob disagreeing quite vehemently, wondering about the double standard in effect between Russia’s Georgia venture and the US venture in Iraq...
Russia, Georgia; DemoCon-Hill, Bill; Dems and Oil; SwiftBoat2
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Russia continues to occupy Georgia and doesn't appear to be backing down. Is this Georgia's fault? Instead of windsurfing in Hawaii, should Obama have been making daily press statements, in a suit, with flags waving behind him? Also, the big debate about the Clintons at the Convention. (Bob Scheer and Matt Miller are away. Marc Cooper moderates.)
Campaign Energy Wars; Are Dems Doomed? China’s CloseUp
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The fight over US energy policy has been the dominant message on the Presidential campaign trail this week: who’s got it right, who’s pandering and who’s been a demagogue? Tony’s for any plan that doesn’t involve tax subsidies, and prefers the multi-pronged approach. Bob and Arianna think Obama’s trying to...
Anthrax; The Race Card; Trade Talks; Globalization & US
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The presumed suicide of the biochemical researcher whom the FBI was set to indict has set off alarm bells: after all the money spent going after terrorists overseas, is the enemy really within - and will we ever know at this point? This week’s Presidential campaign raised the issue of the race card: is Obama to blame by saying he doesn’t look like the other presidents on the dollar bills? Or is Rick Davis, of McCain’s campaign exploiting this, saying Obama dealt the race card from the bottom of the deck? Are we in a...
Obama Overseas, McCain, The Poll Truth, Mortgage Bill
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Obama’s obvious overseas success may be a triumph of visuals over substance; will it come back to haunt him? The panelists agree that this campaign should be a walk for a Democratic candidate, so why are the polls on McCain and Obama so close? McCain’s week has been as bad as Obama’s has been good – by anyone’s standards...
Iraq Troops; Is Al Gore Serious? VPstakes; Blog question
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The White House announced it’s agreed on a “general time horizon” for possible troop reductions in Iraq. Tony says we’ve succeeded; Arianna says we’ve failed; and Bob says we never should’ve gone in the first place. An interesting conversation about Left-Right divisions ensues, wherein Tony tells the left what it thinks and Bob corrects him; Arianna defies these obsolete political labels, including the “archaic name of our show!”...
Oil’s Up, Market’s Down; Iran’s Missiles; Iraq’s Timetable
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Today’s show raised the issue of the Presidential candidates’ response to the extreme dive in the Dow Jones and the announcement that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are in freefall. Plus, Iran shot some missiles and shot their credibility in the foot by doctoring photos. But that doesn’t mean the threat of Israel versus Iran isn’t scary and dangerous. Plus, Iraq appears to be calling for a timetable for a US departure. Is that serious?
Patriotism; Obama Shifting Right? McCain Campaign Shake Up
Legacy Player:
A substantive discussion amongst the panelists about what patriotism means. Bob expounds on George Washington’s farewell speech; Tony talks about how the theme plays out politically; Matt shares thoughts by Peter Beinart of The New Republic that the right says “America’s great,” the left says, “Here’s what would make America great;” and Arianna mentions the USA Today poll that says 2/3 of Americans think that protesting is patriotic. Are Obama’s moves toward swing voters going to win him votes or just the animosity of his base? And will John McCain’s campaign recover its footing with new guy, Steve Schmidt, at the helm.
SCOTUS on Guns/N. Korea/Oil/Dem Unity/Obamacons
Legacy Player:
The decision on gun control will raise many issues at the level of local regulation. Now that W has taken North Korea off the “black list” (against the will of Cheney and Bolton), what will this lead to, will it become the new Vietnam, the new South Korea? The oil market is skyrocketing, the stock market has the jitters: what’s to become of the American economy? So now that Obama and Hillary have kissed and made up, will Bill’s legacy get scrubbed up? And a unique phenomenon worth exploring: conservatives for Obama.
Obama/Public Finance; Offshore Drilling; China Economy
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Obama announces he won’t take public funding--is campaign finance reform dead? Is it good news or bad news when more Americans add their dollars to elections? Would offering every voter a voucher to apply to whatever they support make Goldman Sachs’ money less influential? Should we start offshore drilling to offset the increase in oil prices? Or is that just more backward thinking, promoting further environmental ruin for not much of a difference in supply or demand? And finally, does China’s Communist-party controlled economic growth prove that America’s liberal capitalism is no longer a role model for the world’s developing powers? Tony’s just back from a trip there and shares his observations.
SCOTUS Bombshell; Economy: Obama/McCain; Media and Democracy
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The Supreme Court delivers a blow to Bush policy on Guantanamo detainees; Obama and McCain square off on the economy, plus a dissertation on why Obama’s Social Security plan isn’t good; and is the media helping to destroy democracy? Amity Shlaes guest hosts.
The New New Deal and the New Center
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Amity proposes that we need a new center….not a new New Deal that is narcissistic; Bob says it should be a center that doesn’t eliminate Free trade but stands for protections for workers, child labor and the environment – matt says the left should be open to more market friendly ideas, and Arianna says, this is just exactly the kind of discussion the country needs as we turn a new page in our history. Amity Shlaes sits in for Tony Blankley.
McClellan’s Revelations; Hillary’s Last Stand
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Is Scott McClellan “an inconsequential cipher” as Tony describes him? Can his new memoir’s revelations about the Bush White House’s deceptions be trusted? Why, if he knew, didn’t he tell the nation the truth about what the White House was doing in the lead up to the Iraq War? And are we seeing Hillary’s last stand? After the last primaries this Tuesday, and tomorrow’s rules committee meeting, does she have any defense left for staying in the race?
Hill’s endgame; McCain VP BBQ; Obama’s Talking Tyrant Gaffe; Oil
Legacy Player:
Whose fault is it: sexist Americans, the media or…a messy campaign? Hillary’s endgame – when will she bow out, and should she? Why won’t super-delegates declare? McCain’s grilling up some VP options, or is it just a friendly barbeque? Obama made a gaffe when he declared he’d meet unconditionally with tyrants, and McCain’s making hay with the statement. But can Obama turn it around with the right argument, and what is that argument? Lastly, just a little commentary about the rising price of oil. Plus the rants, as usual.
Gay Marriage; Obama-Appeaser? Is GOP toast? Hill still here.
Legacy Player:
Will CA decision re: gay marriage matter in the election? Is Barack an appeaser? Pres. Bush, not naming names in Israel, says talking to our enemies is like appeasing Hitler and the Nazis— and Barack strikes back as Dems are outraged. Is the GOP suffering a nervous breakdown in view of recent election losses? And after all is said and done, Hillary is still here…and taking it to end game.
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Hosts
Arianna Huffington (independent progressive) is the editor of the Webby Award-wining online blog, Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of numerous books, most recently Right is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe.
Tony Blankley (Right), who served as press secretary to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, is a columnist for the Washington Times newspaper. He is Executive Vice President of Edelman Public Relations in Washington, DC and a visiting senior fellow in national security communications at the Heritage Foundation. He is also the author of The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations, published by Regnery.
Matt Miller (center/moderator) is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress; a columnist for Fortune, and an award-winning contributor to The Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times Magazine and many other publications. A former aide in the Clinton White House, Miller's first book, The Two Percent Solution: Fixing America's Problems In Ways Liberals And Conservatives Can Love, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller. His next book, The Tyranny of Dead Ideas, will be published by Henry Holt/Times Books in January, 2009.
Robert Scheer (Left) is Editor of the Webby Award winning political website Truthdig.com. He’s a syndicated columnist based at the San Francisco Chronicle and a clinical professor in Communications at USC. He has authored numerous books, most recently The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America.
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