Oliver Stone, Eric Foner: KPFK 11/21

 LISTEN online HERE — SUBSCRIBE to iTunes podcast HERE
OLIVER STONE talks about his “Untold History of the United States,” a 10-part documentary series on Showtime, Mondays at 9 (and other times) – this coming Monday is episode 3 on The Bomb–video preview HERE.   Companion volume, co-authored by Peter Kuznick: info HERE.   More info at The Nation, HERE.

Plus: HAROLD MEYERSON on Washington politics—and that fiscal cliff we hear so much about.  Harold writes a column for the Washington Post op-ed page and is editor-at-large of The American Prospect.

Also: ERIC FONER comments on “Lincoln,” Steven Spielberg’s highly-praised film about passage of the 13th Amendment banning slavery.  Spielberg’s point: Lincoln freed the slaves.  Eric says that’s not quite right—first we had the abolitionists; and then during the Civil War the slaves did a lot to free themselves.  Eric’s book The Fiery Trial won the Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize; it’s out now in paperback.

Oliver Stone’s ‘Untold History’: The Nation 11/12

If you thought Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States—a ten-part documentary series premiering November 12 on Showtime—would offer a series of conspiracy theories concerning the American past, you would be wrong. Despite Stone’s 1991 film JFK, there’s no JFK assassination conspiracy here—just a statement that the public found “unconvincing” the Warren Commission’s conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. There’s no 9/11 conspiracy, and no allegations that Franklin Roosevelt schemed in secret to get the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor as a backdoor way to force the United States into World War II.  The series’ massive, 750-page companion volume, co-written with historian Peter Kuznick, also shuns conspiracy theories. . . .
. . . continued at The Nation HERE

An Appeal to the GOP: TheNation, 11/10

An appeal to Republicans: don’t listen to the pundits who say the lesson of 2012 is that you should change course to appeal to women and minorities in order to win elections. You should stick to your principles—and with the the old white men who provided tens of millions of votes on Election Day.. . . .”
. . . continued at TheNation.com, HERE.

 

The Bad News About White People: The Nation 11/7

If  only white people had voted on Tuesday, Mitt Romney would have carried every state except for Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut and New Hampshire, according to the news media’s exit polls. Nationally, Romney won 59 percent of the white vote, a towering twenty-point margin over Obama.
. . . continued at TheNation.com, HERE

It Wasn’t Even Close: KPFK 11/7

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“It wasn’t even close,” says JOHN NICHOLS at TheNation.com.  John will talk about Obama’s two-million vote margin.  John was MSNBC’s man in Ohio last night, reporting for Rachel Maddow & Co. from the Teamsters’ Hall in Toledo.

Also: TOM FRANK will talk about what Obama will do with his win: pursue “the grand bargain” and make a deal with Republicans to cut the budget.  Tom’s new book, Pity the Billionaire, is out now in paperback.

And HAROLD MEYERSON will look at the Senate races, where Democrats triumphed across the board — and billionaires failed to put their candidates in office.  Harold writes about politics for the Washington Post op-ed page and The American Prospect, where he is editor-at-large.

Berlin Wall Exhibits in the US: The Nation 11/1

For Republicans today, Ronald Reagan provides the gold standard of political virtue. In their view, perhaps his greatest achievement was “winning” the cold war—the icon for which is the Berlin Wall. Pieces of the Wall are on display in a surprising number of American locations, from the low-down (a Las Vegas casino men’s room) to the more upscale (the Microsoft Art Collection in Redmond, Washington). . . .
. . . continued at TheNation.com HERE

“Ladies, Don’t Fall for Moderate Mitt!” KPFK 10/31

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“Ladies, don’t fall for Moderate Mitt!” – that’s KATHA POLLITT’s advice.  She’s a poet, essayist and columnist for The Nation.  PS from Katha:  “Did I mention that the gender gap is huge this year?”

“Mitt Romney’s America is the America that was,” HAROLD MEYERSON says.  “Barack Obama’s America is the America that will be…. And the distance between the two is greater, perhaps, than in any election we’ve had since the Civil War.”  Harold writes a column for the Washington Post op-ed page and is editor-at-large of The American Prospect, where he reported recently on politics in Florida.

Plus: ERWIN CHEMERINSKY on the Supremes: “If Romney wins, we can expect a frighteningly conservative high court. A victory for Obama could mean a liberal majority for the first time since 1969.”  Erwin is founding dean of the Law School at UC Irvine and wrote recently for the LA Times op-ed page.

Romney Says He’s Winning: KPFK Wed. 10/24

LISTEN online HERE — SUBSCRIBE to iTunes podcast HERE
THE SECRET HISTORY OF DISCO: Peter Shapiro talks about how disco brought a polysexual, polyracial, polymorphous celebration — to a space beyond the reach of church, state and family; how it became a worldwide phenomenon; and how it ended in a homophobic, racist backlash. His book is Turn the Beat Around.  PLAYLIST: Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive” 1977 #1; Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive” 1979 #1; Sister Sledge, “We Are Family” 1979 #2; Chic, “Good Times” 1979 #1.

also: JOHN NICHOLS on the presidential race, and on Massachusetts, where Democrat Elizabeth Warren is ahead, and Wisconsin, where Democrat Tammy Baldwin is ahead.  John is Washington correspondent for The Nation and a frequent guest on The Ed Show on MSNBC.

Plus: TOM FRANK says there is one grand political issue that defines our time – in the words of Elizabeth Warren, “the system is rigged.”  Tom writes a column for Harper’s–this month he writes about Paul Ryan as a fan of Rage Against the Machine.  Tom’s new book Pity the Billionaire is out now in paperback.

 

John Lennon & George McGovern: TheNation 10/21

George McGovern died today; his 1972 campaign changed many lives, including John Lennon’s.  Lennon had moved to New York City in 1971, and it was his support for McGovern—who died Oct. 21 at age 90—that led the Nixon administration to try to deport the ex-Beatle. The story begins with Jerry Rubin. . .
…continued at TheNation.com HERE