Incredible Democracy Now! today. (Marcia writes: "Tell everyone this is a do not miss episode!")
Headlines for March 10, 2005
- Pentagon: Official Policy Not to Blame For Detainee Abuse
- U.S. To Hand Over Abu Ghraib Prison To Iraqis
- Ex-Marine Claims U.S. Fabricated Capture of Saddam
- Official: Bush Social Security Plan Will Worsen Funding Problems
- Guatemalan Protesters Force Delay in Passage of Trade Agreement
- U.S. Withdraws From Part of Vienna Convention
- FBI Casts Doubt on Capability of Al Qaeda to Strike U.S.
- Counter-Military Recruiters Charged With Felonies For NYC Protests
Political Activism or Grassroots Organizing? A Debate on the Future of Organized Labor
In recent weeks, a group of some of the largest unions have begun considering leaving the AFL-CIO. At the center of the controversy is the issue of political activism and organizing: The AFL-CIO camp advocates directing more resources to the federation's political program while the SEIU and its backers want the focus to be on grassroots labor organizing. We host a debate with the AFL-CIO and UNITE HERE.
Is the Democratic Party Turning to Anti-Choice Candidates to Attract Conservative Voters?Pro-choice activists are accusing the Democratic Party of abandoning its commitment to abortion rights and turning to anti-choice candidates in order to woo moderate and conservative voters. We speak with members of the National Organization for Women and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Immokalee Tomato Pickers Win Campaign Against Taco Bell
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers - a group of tomato pickers from Florida - claimed a decisive victory in their national boycott of fast food giant Taco Bell to improve wages and working conditions. We speak with a farmworker with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and a member of the Student Farmworker Alliance.
Worth watching always but note Phil Singer's "At the end of the day, we lost!" attitude. (We'll put in the actual quote when a transcript is available.) We just dealt with that nonsense yesterday:
Now we can talk about the weaknesses of the Kerry campaign (campaign -- I'm deleting a whole section on specific individuals because it's too out-of-school and I'm not in the mood for it tonight) but we need to do so honestly.
We also need to realize the strength provided by factors outside the campaign and the fact that even if people do not see the Ohio vote as an issue, the fact remains that Kerry got an amazing number of votes and the Bully Boy did not receive a mandate. Beinart or Tomasky might shoot back, "All that matters is who won!" (For differning reasons. Tomasky because he's a team player, Beinhart because he's got a beef.) If they or anyone else made that argument, they're sadly mistaken.
Singer's not mistaken, he's playing you for a "rube." We'll discuss this segment later tonight.
