As Ernest Canning explains, American majorities support her progressive economic policies on everything from labor unions to taxing the wealthy to corporate price-gouging...
Climate crisis woven into 2024 DNC; 99% of Americans affected by extreme weather since May; PLUS: 2024 second only to 2023 for billion dollar weather disasters so far...
Guests: Heather Digby Parton of Salon, 'Driftglass' of The Pro Left Podcast; Also: A problem worth noting after FL's Congressional primary elections on Tuesday...
Catastrophic flooding in CT; Climate change dramatically increased record wildfires last year; PLUS: As DNC gets underway, climate groups endorse Harris-Walz...
Ernesto takes down Puerto Rico grid, again; Wealthy beachfront property owners cost taxpayer dollars; U.S. Forest Service tells freeloading bottled water company to beat it...
CO election clerk 'guilty' of vote software breach; NY rules RFK Jr. used 'sham' residence for ballot; Musk, Trump charged with labor complaint after disastrous Twitter chat...
Hurricane Debby releases tons of raw sewage across FL; July 2024 was hottest ever; PLUS: Repubs' Project 2025 aims to delete all govt references to 'climate change'...
THIS WEEK: Rs Get Weird and Weirder ... Ds Try Something New ... RFK's Bear Bones ... and more! In our latest collection of the week's best political toons...
Debby isn't done with the East Coast yet; Hottest oceans in 400 years threaten Great Barrier Reef; PLUS: Dem VP candidate, Gov. Tim Walz, is a proven climate champion...
Felony charges dropped against VA Republican caught trashing voter registrations before last year's election. Did GOP AG, Prosecutor conflicts of interest play role?...
State investigators widening criminal probe of man arrested destroying registration forms, said now looking at violations of law by Nathan Sproul's RNC-hired firm...
Arrest of RNC/Sproul man caught destroying registration forms brings official calls for wider criminal probe from compromised VA AG Cuccinelli and U.S. AG Holder...
'RNC official' charged on 13 counts, for allegely trashing voter registration forms in a dumpster, worked for Romney consultant, 'fired' GOP operative Nathan Sproul...
So much for the RNC's 'zero tolerance' policy, as discredited Republican registration fraud operative still hiring for dozens of GOP 'Get Out The Vote' campaigns...
The other companies of Romney's GOP operative Nathan Sproul, at center of Voter Registration Fraud Scandal, still at it; Congressional Dems seek answers...
The belated and begrudging coverage by Fox' Eric Shawn includes two different video reports featuring an interview with The BRAD BLOG's Brad Friedman...
FL Dept. of Law Enforcement confirms 'enough evidence to warrant full-blown investigation'; Election officials told fraudulent forms 'may become evidence in court'...
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) sends blistering letter to Gov. Rick Scott (R) demanding bi-partisan reg fraud probe in FL; Slams 'shocking and hypocritical' silence, lack of action...
After FL & NC GOP fire Romney-tied group, RNC does same; Dead people found reg'd as new voters; RNC paid firm over $3m over 2 months in 5 battleground states...
After fraudulent registration forms from Romney-tied GOP firm found in Palm Beach, Election Supe says state's 'fraud'-obsessed top election official failed to return call...
The DNC seems to have wanted their Democratic Presidential Debate in New Hampshire over the weekend to remain a secret. Otherwise, why would have they have scheduled it on the Saturday before Christmas?!
On today's BradCast, we spoil the secret by talking about that and everything else that actually went on during Saturday's debate on ABC between Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley.
Joining me are financial journalist David Dayen of The Fiscal Times, Salon, The Intercept and everywhere else and health care reform advocate and journalist Jacki Schechner, formerly of CNN and CurrentTV.
Among the issues covered in today's post-debate coverage and analysis:
Do voters actually care about last Friday's database breach by the Sanders campaign?
Is the DNC 'in the bag' for Hillary Clinton?
Do Democrats play into GOP/corporate media narratives by spending so much time discussing ISIS and terrorism?
Is there any real daylight between Clinton and Bernie Sanders' positions on gun safety reform?
Does Martin O'Malley bring anything to the contest that Clinton and Sanders don't already have covered?
Why did ABC News spend so much time on Republicans during Saturday's Democratic debate?
Does the math really work for Sanders' plan to provide free college tuition to all public colleges and universities by instituting a tax on Wall Street transactions?
Does the math really work for Sanders' call for a single payer health care system?
Did ABC's Martha Raddatz completely misinform America in her question to Clinton concerning Obamacare?
All of that and much more on today's BradCast, as expertly answered by Dayen and Schechner! Especially helpful to those of you who might have had something else to do on a Saturday night before Christmas...like, I dunno, go see Star Wars!
Download MP3 or listen to complete show online below...
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Nemo - Apologies for that! That clipping noise *should* stop a bit later in the show, though we hadn't realized it existed at all until after the show was done today. We're actually producing the show on the road for the first time today, and we ran into several unexpected technically difficulties that we *hope* will be cleared up tomorrow!
Fingers crossed and thanks for your patience as we figure it out...
COMMENT #3 [Permalink] ...
ChicagoMel
said on 12/21/2015 @ 11:04 pm PT...
"Clipping noise?"....pshaw!
The ABC network NATIONAL 'live stream' was a motherfucking Third World technological disaster!!!....screen freezes every goddamn 40 seconds, audio visual disconnect, cursor lockup, crashes, reloads, UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE!!...AN AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE....was it the feed, my Comcast provider, who the hell knows??!....Clutch Cargo was better synched (ha ha, go look it up)....i'm running Win 7 Pro on an HP 64-bit tower, so it's not me....rice paddies in Cambodia get tighter Internet service, for god's sake....i wound up listening to AM radio out of friggin Louisville!....and NO, i don't own a TV, haven't since the Nineties, it's a zombie-baking piece of shit that Howard Beale knew how to dispose of (improperly, to be sure, but VERY effectively)...
So yes, Brad, you're fine...
Time for that year-end $upport, peoples...
COMMENT #4 [Permalink] ...
Adam
said on 12/21/2015 @ 11:35 pm PT...
CHICAGOMEL, I'm in Canada, but I've sent payments to Bradblog myself. I don't even always agree with stances on BradBlog, but I respect the intellectual honesty and genuine well-researched investigative journalism here that I almost never find on other news sources, certainly not on the mainstream news media.
COMMENT #5 [Permalink] ...
Adam
said on 12/22/2015 @ 2:44 am PT...
Everything you need to know about Hillary Clinton...
COMMENT #7 [Permalink] ...
Coyne Tibbets
said on 12/22/2015 @ 2:19 pm PT...
"Do voters actually care about last Friday's database breach by the Sanders campaign?"
I think much of what happened is political nonsense. Worse, there seems to me to be a lot of unanswered questions.
A goodie: if this "glitch" allowed Sanders staffers to see Clinton team data then the reverse is almost certainly true. So did any Clinton staffers access Sanders team data?
The improper access by Sanders staffers was discovered very quickly. Given the apparent nature of the data, I wouldn't expect auditing to reveal this problem so quickly. In addition, the nature of the cross-team access seems unlikely to happen "accidentally" during an upgrade. Taken in whole, does that indicate a setup?
COMMENT #8 [Permalink] ...
ChicagoMel
said on 12/22/2015 @ 5:15 pm PT...
It's called entrapment....Bernie was having a good week with fundraising and endorsements going into the debate, so Debbie decided (or was told, more likely) (think Bridgegate and Christie) to kneecap him with sensational accusations and penalizations at a well-timed moment....DWS and HRC are colluding, which is either illegal or AT BEST unethical, giving us a depressing glimpse into their "ends justify means" bankruptcy of leadership style, no different than your typical shitstick Republican's...
So pull up a chair and listen very closely to what i'm going to say to you now: Clinton could actually lose to Trump on perceived trust issues with voters....did you catch what i just said??....could actually LOSE to that fucking jackwad!....the one and only presidential candidate consistently rated highest in personal integrity and honesty is Bernie Sanders....woe to any R he ultimately runs against for the Presidency!....they will Bern, baby, Bern...
COMMENT #9 [Permalink] ...
Larry Bergan
said on 12/22/2015 @ 8:57 pm PT...
I think Debbie Wasserman could have been scared off by the 250,000 signers at MoveOn against her, so she aborted a possible scam, and reinstated Bernie's access to his files.
It may be too late to fix the damage she's done to Sanders as a former Clinton campaign co-chair.
I think Sanders should make a big deal out of the obvious conflicts of interest with Wasserman as DNC head. It's the ONLY way he's going to make the "news" anyway.
COMMENT #10 [Permalink] ...
ChicagoMel
said on 12/22/2015 @ 10:20 pm PT...
No damage at all, Lar, because Bernie is that MIRROR i was talking about, and he boomeranged back that bullshit DWS/HRC ambush so fast and so fierce it was practically jiu jitsu....the Establishment Democratic Party tipped its hand, showing desperation, not strength....Hillary is the Titanic, impervious and unstoppable, pretending to dismiss that little chunk of ice in the water as ridiculous....but their sonar is picking up something massive and serious below the waterline, hidden from Sunday talk shows and cocktail parties, and they're getting scared....the revolution will not be televised....WE WILL WIN THIS, my friend, not because we know we will, but because we're not even sure we can, but don't really give a flying fuck about that and just hang tight in the fight....THAT'S when all the good stuff always happens!....someone goes down and holy fucking shit!, it's not you, it's the OTHER guy!
COMMENT #11 [Permalink] ...
Larry Bergan
said on 12/23/2015 @ 12:39 am PT...
Sanders is a just a man, but he's also the movement we've been waiting for. If some winger terrorist assassinates him, we become thrice as strong, at least.
I think Debbie Wasserman could have been scared off by the 250,000 signers at MoveOn against her, so she aborted a possible scam
The DNC caved just prior to a scheduled meeting with a federal judge. If it hadn't, it faced a significant prospect of a court order to immediately provide access.
Under the terms of the Sanders Campaign contract with the DNC, DWS could not have terminated access without a minimum of ten days notice and opportunity to cure.
COMMENT #13 [Permalink] ...
ChicagoMel
said on 12/24/2015 @ 9:04 am PT...
And for all you anatomy voters, listen up: you've already HAD your Hillary presidency, 7 years now and counting, the full version director's cut with original title and a TOTALLY BOGUS sequel in the works....we're DONE with that, you squandered your big chance, now get the F(it's Christmas) OUT OF OUR WAY and see how butt is REALLY meant to be kicked in Washington for a change.... Clinton, seriously?????....her only vision is staring back at her from her vanity, everything else is just platitudes, attitudes and those appetizing horse latitudes of rudderless flotsam and jetsam....
Sanders will make good on what Obama promised but rarely had the intention to actually make happen....Bernie's got deez nuts!....and don't even start that bullshit about Hillary being the strongest candidate, it's imbecilic nonsense....the Republican Establishment (AND the Democratic Establishment!) and the overlord billionaire class AND their corporate stooge media are all shitting in their pantaloons scared to death of Sanders....Wonder why??....because they can't touch him, he's the REAL DEAL, and he means every single thing he says about unrigging EVERYTHING that's been so carefully rigged in their affluenza favor for so many years....yes, including the Clinton administration, kids....so get out of our way dammit!!....we're here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and we're all outta bubblegum....
COMMENT #14 [Permalink] ...
Larry Bergan
said on 12/24/2015 @ 6:59 pm PT...
"we're here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and we're all outta bubblegum"
"They live" is a great movie. I saw it with a gathering of "Occupy Salt Lake" people here.
COMMENT #15 [Permalink] ...
ChicagoMel
said on 12/25/2015 @ 8:01 am PT...
John Carpenter's "They Live" is precisely how i view the frightening infiltration and zombification of our nation's entire political system, from sleeper presidential candidates ALL the way down to sleeper school board members and local judges....they pretend to be like you and me but they're not, their wiring has been pulled and replaced with agendas that cannot and MUST NOT be revealed to the rest of us....no "special glasses" required....but you need to see THROUGH these people, not just look at them....you need to see that their hearts and souls are corrupted or missing entirely....the entire affluenza Republican field is not even human, they are merely well dressed humanoids that would actually scare the living shit out of you if they were your neighbors spewing their horrific vitriol over the backyard fence....seriously, you would notify authorities!...."Officer, PLEASE patrol my block and keep an eye on Donald and Carly, there's something really REALLY wrong with those people and my children have never felt safe since those two moved next door"...
And YouTube any of the recent Democratic debates for a second look, paying particular attention to facial expression and body language....when Bernie responds, he's totally just a friend or a good neighbor talking one on one directly to you, from the heart, and making complete and perfect sense....but Hillary's and Martin's eyes glaze over as over-rehearsed smiles and expressions cover their faces, and theatrical body movements give a car dealer's facsimile of neighborly conversation....but it's as phony as..."They Live"...
COMMENT #16 [Permalink] ...
ChicagoMel
said on 12/25/2015 @ 8:19 am PT...
Frank Capra and John Carpenter would be a deeply rejuvenating double feature for the whole family (kids, popcorn, cell phones off) this holiday season...
Blessings to all...
COMMENT #17 [Permalink] ...
Larry Bergan
said on 12/26/2015 @ 7:19 pm PT...
In addition "It's a Wonderful Life", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is also a very remarkable movie Frank Capra made in 1939. It holds up perfectly today, showing corruption in the media as the problem in Washington. Why can't we seem to fix that?
The hilarious, unending, fight scene in "They Live" is a great illustration of how hard it is to get people to see the truth. If we had a pair of glasses you could put on to see how dangerous the voting machines are, you'd have to beat the hell out of people to get them to put the damn things on, and they'd probably just go home afterwards, and watch "Dancing With The Stars".
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