Tonight's guests include:
Karen Tumulty, national political correspondent for The Washington Post
Bob Herbert, Distinguished senior fellow at Demos and former New York Times columnist
Buddy Roemer, Republican presidential candidate and former governor of Louisiana
Senior show producer Cory Gnazzo shares a preview of tonight's show:
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Republicans are the kind of people that say they are for family and Christian values but criticize others for their flaws and make themselves holier than thou.
You are correct, there are some who fit this definition. But, it is not the majority. There are even Democrats who fall into the same aforementioned category.
Do you live up to your own moral ideals? There is nothing "holier than thou" in saying here is the standard to which I believe we should strive and hold ourselves to and then falling short of that standard. If we only set goals or believe in values that are easily obtained, we've fail to thrive, to grow, to seek improvement.
It is not that we fail, it is what we do with that failure and how we respond with others fall short as well.
afrommi, since you made the comment, if you would like to point out the examples of Republicans "criticizing other for their flaws" that give evidence to your point, I'm willing to listen.
Dear Dr. Maddow,
Behold, your mood music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKPoHgKcqag
Cheers,
MG
I have a song that better describes tonight's show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upxzaVMhw8k
So here's my response to Buddy Roemer's discourse pertaining to big money in politics: http://politics.newsvine.com/_news/2011/11/26/9044826-conservatives-mount-expensive-air-assault-on-obama?threadId=3281645&commentId=60253075#c60253075
Sorry for the length of the link. Mr. Roemer is right about too much corporate money in politics, but to whom does this money flow? I think that the entities that are in direct contribution to this money should bear some accountability for what airs (errors?) across their network(s).
I have to applaud Buddy Roemer for sticking to his guns and continuing to wage his single issue campaign. I only wish he could get more attention.
It's no surprise that none of the front running candidates for the Republican nomination will ever bring up campaign finance reform, especially considering the requirements for entry in the last Republican debate.
When will this issue get the attention it deserves?
Also happy to see that Tim Pawlenty made an appearance and promised to return as a guest. Maybe he will be able to help answer the campaign finance reform question when you have him on?
Microgeek,
For some reason I cannot reply to posts of others on newsvine, but I think this: http://youtu.be/7PPoOV1bOmA would be better mood music for the Maddow/Pawl...zzz #getitonathon
Is our fourth estate able to be accountable for all messages that run on their networks, including political advertisements?
Rachel, I LOVE Buddy Roemer, man oh man, I feel for him. He had a very interesting career when he was Governor! He pissed off Republicans back then and Democrats....he's been like this the whole time! He didn't just suddenly have a moment of clarity and for that, I applaud him! That interview was fantastic, as was the last time you had him on.
The Tim Pawlenty cameo was HILARIOUS. Wow. Great.
Keep up the SUPERLATIVE work, no one is like you on TV.
Please inform Rachel my prediction has come true. Yet again! I believe it was a year ago I informed her what the GOP and Tea Party were really up to by cutting public sector jobs and railing against the government. I believe I said they were trying to destroy the Black Middle Class of this country. Destroying the Black Middle Class means stopping progress. I believe there were a few other reasons that were given by other people but me being a Black man I know when people are trying to destroy me.
As public sector sheds jobs, blacks hit hardest
Government jobs gave African Americans a refuge from racial discrimination
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS of the New York Times
Its time for us to put on our big boy pants and big girl bras. This is and has always been about race. The election of President Obama has awaken the sleeping giant known as pure racism in this country. So the Tea Party has waged a campaign to destroy the Black Middle Class and it is working. Black Friday and Cyber Monday seemed to didn't hurt the White Middle class that much since those days were deemed historic in the papers today. Sales were UP from last year.
This has always been about race. The ProLeft don't care because their needs are being addressed. Gays getting their way. Women getting their way. Unions, teachers, police, firefighters getting their way. 99ers got their way. YET, the Black Middle Class is still struggling like they have always struggled since the end of the Civil (Moral) War. Heck, Obama told Black folks to quit complaining.
Again, the election of Obama has re-awaken the truth. This country hasn't "really" changed in 200 plus years. And all you closet conservatives out there pretending to be liberals should at least stand by your convictions instead of lying to our faces.
You guys think they are trying to "starve" the Government. What they are really doing is trying to "starve" the Black middle class. We know Black folks don't get "call" backs for job interviews based on their Black sounding name. So in steps the government to try to fill in the gap. That's what the Tea Party wants to SHUT DOWN. They want to shut down Black upward mobility.
Everything they have done in the last 3 years affects "who" the most? Obama can't even appear to have sympathy for Black folks less he be labeled the new Harriet Tubman. He actually came out and told Black folks to quit complaining. Just vote for him but quit complaining.
I actually might vote for Huntsman. At least he is a compassionate conservative. Unlike the compassion less Democrats we seem to have in elected office.
While I certainly agree that there is discrimination against minorities in this country, I have a hard time believing that blacks have been targeted in some kind of conspiracy. The racism most of us deal with today is enculturated. It is inherent to our social structure, but we who are aware of it (well, most of us) work hard to overcome it.
While it seems pretty certain that racism plays a part in how blacks and other minorities are treated as well as the standards they are held to (just look at the push-back against the election of Obama - you can't take all that in and not see how racism is still operating in the US), I am going to need far more evidence to be convinced that groups of powerful people are gathering in smoke-filled back rooms and actively plotting to put down those "uppity" blacks.
In most of these instances of systemic racism, much of the blame these days must be directed at the long-standing economic status of minorities (and the limited access to good schooling and decent jobs that comes with living in poor urban areas). I'd hazard that about half of those who rail against social programs designed to alleviate that situation do so out of selfishness more than racism.
Sure there are still influential hard-core racists (look at Rush Limbaugh). But the idea that they could organize any effort to promote a specifically racist agenda strikes me as beyond the capabilities of those morons.
It's not the upward mobility of blacks in particular that these politicians want to shut down.. it's everyone's upward mobility. And that is largely a consequence of their real goal, which is to preserve and solidify high powered positions for themselves at everyone else's expense. Their motives are less dictated by hatred than by greed.
Dear Rachel,
Thank you for your coverage of the Pennsylvania potential redistribution of electoral college votes. However, I am disheartened listening to you and the governor confer that this CHANGE would "violate the spirit of one person, one vote" without ever mentioning that the BASIC PREMISE of the electoral college does exactly that and always has. in fact, that is WHY it was instituted and it is time to change that system. As a person who believes in democratic representational government, please please please start exposing the basics of the system for what they are - undemocratic. We CAN (eventually) change the existence of the electoral college, but only when mainstream Americans start recognizing it as both faulty and changeable.
Thnak you,
Melinda