#bradcast

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Man I’m so mad right now I missed the rest of the episode SAO 3 because my tv glitched really bad😑 but oh well

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Bradley Simpson via bradcast

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Topics: Unions and progressives, a “dysfunctional family”? Should progressive be afraid to criticize Democrats in the Age of Trump? The pulled security clearances of John Brennan and Bruce Ohr

Pieces discussed: Progressives Ask Why So Many Unions Seem Anti-Progressive

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Discussed:

Deficit Talk Is a Trap. Will Democrats Fall Into It?

Show description:

The stunning announcement by the popular and dogged comedian-turned-Senator comes after fellow Democrats this week called for him to step down in the wake of several allegations of sexual misconduct said to have occurred before he became a U.S. Senator. Franken, who has been a champion for women's rights during his time in the Senate, maintains he either doesn't recall the incidents at all or remembers them quite differently than reported. He has described the most recent charge leveled against him this week by an unnamed victim, said to have been a Congressional staffer in 2006, as "preposterous". Nonetheless, while expressing confidence he would have been cleared by the Senate Ethics Committee of any wrongdoing, he says he will now step aside before that probe was even able to begin in earnest. ...

So, did Democrats fall for another right-wing trap in pushing Franken out? It wouldn't be the first time. We discuss several such traps --- including one that MSNBC seems to have fallen for this week regarding progressive radio host Sam Seder, before wisely changing course two days later --- with longtime progressive writer and blogger GAIUS PUBLIUS, who wrote earlier this week about Democrats falling, yet again, into the Republicans' "deficit trap" regarding federal spending on military and social programs. We debate why and whether Democrats fall into these rightwing traps or if they willingly choose to walk into them, for some reason.

"Why is it that Democrats seem to be one foot in the Republican camp and afraid to be too much in opposition, and one foot in the Democratic camp and not so fully pro-democratic values as we'd like them to be?," Publius observes as we discuss Franken, the 'deficit trap' and more. "I would argue that it's not fear. We're not dealing with cowards here. We're dealing with people who are, in some sense, compromised by their own values. Their own values are putting them in this position where they can't please anybody."

There's lots to chew on in today's conversation on these topics!

GP

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Brad Friedman and I discuss Equifax, Democrats and Medicare For All.

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Updates and Media Appearances

First, updates to this Tumblr feed will appear in batches to bring it up to date. At that point it will stay up to date. Thanks to you all for your patience.

Second, I’m going to start listing media appearances, beginning with the most recent, Brad Friedman’s The Brad Blog with Jacki Schechner and Desi Doyen.

Listen here:      Un-Spinning Trump's Joint Address to Congress: 'BradCast' 3/1/2017

Subjects: Trump speech, the split among the Democrats, and the state of the Resistance.

Thanks to all for your patience and support.

GP

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THE BRADCAST WITH BRAD FRIEDMAN – "Giant Meteor 2016!" – 1 Nov. 2016

On today's BradCast, it looks like "Giant Meteor" could win after all! With one week to go, the race could be back up in the air, as polls tighten, Democrats sue Republicans in federal court, and we take a look at some key statewide ballot measures in California and elsewhere.

(snip)

Then, attorney and Vietnam veteran Ernest A. Canning, long time BRAD BLOG legal analyst now back from his Primary advisory role with Veterans for Bernie, joins us to discuss a number of California ballot initiatives he's been writing about here, as well as the several lawsuits filed by Democrats over the weekend charging "voter intimidation" by the Trump campaign and state GOP operations in Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, in violation of both the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. All of that follows on a decades-long consent decree barring the Republican National Committee from certain racially targeted "poll watching" and "ballot security" activities. That is a restriction they agreed to after getting caught using race-based intimidation tactics at polling places in the early 1980s, when one of the named defendants, Roger Stone --- a long time advisor to Trump and GOP dirty trickster going back to the Nixon era --- actually worked on the "ballot security" operation that got the RNC in trouble in the first place back in NJ in 1981. Then, Canning details a number of state initiatives on the California state ballot next week --- and some well-funded lies about them --- which could have a major effect on prescription drug prices, legalized marijuana (and ending the disastrous "War on Drugs"), the death penalty (two different, competing measures), Citizens United and much more...even porn is on the CA ballot this year! Speaking about one of the initiatives, Prop 61, which he wrote about over the weekend, and which the pharmaceutical industry is spending tens of millions to defeat by falsely claiming that it will harm veterans, Canning explains: "This proposition, more than any other, shows you the problem with money in our political system. They put these [false] ads on --- and naturally, the TV station should say, 'We should fact-check that. That's not true.' But they're not going to do that because that would be like biting the hand that feeds them. These ads have become a major source of revenue for our commercial media" which, he adds, are "the ultimate beneficiaries of Citizens United, which is perhaps one of the reasons why they don't ask questions in the debates about repealing Citizens United!"

Also comments from John Oliver. This show airs on select Wednesdays on Pacifica Radio's KPFK-FM 90.7 mHz in Los Angeles. The weekday version airs on progressive radio stations like KTNF-950 AM in St. Louis Park, Minn., several non-profit stations, and on internet radio outlets such as Progressive Voices Network. Oh and did you know most voting machines allow for something called "fractional voting," where some votes "weigh" more than others (e.g., a black vote is worth three-fifths of a white vote)? Go to bradblog.com for more deets.

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I discovered Brad Friedman’s work on the Bradblog back in 2004 or 2005 when he was doing reporting on the inconsistencies of the 2004 election. At the time, the only place to find this information was the Bradblog and Brian Williams’ blog. I don’t always agree with Brad Friedman (I’m on team Dore when it came to the Charlie Hebdo debate) but I deeply respect his investigation and reporting on election issues. He is my go to place for that. His analysis of the recent gubernatorial race in Kentucky was second to none, and he raised questions without entering conspiracy theory territory.

This nugget I plucked off his show the BradCast. You should check it out!

As some of you know, this art project is posted all over social media, Facebook, Tumblr, Google Plus, Twitter, Pinterest, and Daily Kos. (Daily Kos has the most vocal complainers. Part of the reason I stopped responding, because of the toxicity of the conversations.) I don’t want Donald Trump to win. However, I have been saying this all summer, Clinton can’t beat Trump unless she gives us an idea to rally around. Now the polls are tightening.

If not being Donald Trump is enough to win, then Mitt Romney would have won on not being Barack Obama, same thing with John Kerry and Al Gore for not being George W. Bush! The history of America has winners being someone with a simple idea you can repeat in a sentence. “I’m With Her” says nothing, and there are no ideas to make me be with her.

Here’s the problem, if you follow politics you know the issues. Say “Go to her website” is bullshit because her website doesn’t offer her plans, just some vague ideas which is ironic. Earlier this year she slammed Trump for having vague ideas. I know what Trump is about, he’s going to build a wall, deport 11 Million people, execute Edward Snowden, and hit on his daughter. Clinton has yet to lay out her vision of this country in that way.

Most Americans, and I’m not talking about the trolls on Daily Kos who accuse you of being a Trump supporter when you beg Clinton to be a better candidate, but every day Americans, need something to vote for or they will stay home. This fact is the key to victory. Trump is giving people something to vote for, a very ugly something that frightens me, so now the ball is in Clinton’s court. I’ve also said, she needed to lay this idea out at the convention and control the narrative until the election. After the “Mothers of the Movement,” in which no ideas were offered, the convention became more militaristic and Jingoistic. Nothing to vote for.

Since then, she’s had to play defense because she refuses to play offense and has been slipping in the polls. This is not the fault of Jill Stein or any third candidate, this is on Clinton for not leading. If you want to be a leader, then lead. Do it soon. It’s not too late to win this election, but soon it will be!

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