On July 17, when the DISCLOSE Act was, once again, filibustered by Senate Republicans, Bill Moyers and Michael Winship wrote, "Once upon a time conservatives supported the full disclosure of campaign contributors. Now they oppose it with their might — and magic, especially when it comes to unlimited cash from corporations."
Indeed, when the Campaign Reform Act of 2002 became law (today we memorialize it as McCain/Feingold) a hefty 42 Republicans voted for it in the US House. And, in the Senate, where the bill passed 60 to 40, 11 Republicans voted for it, including of course its principle author.
What happened in the mean time? Well, for one thing, two important advantages for Republican politicians have eroded:
- Demographic shift has weakened the "white majority" (people of color are voting in larger percentages each year)
- The advent of very, very cheap media outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter has eroded the competitive advantage of buying very, very expensive media outlets such as "news" networks and radio stations.
Money in Politics and the defeat via filibuster of the DISCLOSE Act.
The Middle Ground is hosted by
Michael Charney & Eric Byler
Tuesday's from 8 to 9:30 pm Eastern Time on Coffee Party Radio
CLICK HERE to listen
But as my friend and co-host Michael Charney has pointed out from a principled conservative vantage point, if partisan Republicans fight against laws that curtail the influence of money in politics because it HELPS their electoral chances, isn't it also a fair criticism to say that Democrats fight to limit the influence of money in politics because their involvement HURTS their electoral chances?
Mondays at 11 pm ET —
Don Manning in Port Orchard, WA takes your calls on Monday nights at 11 pm ET (8 pm PT) on Speaking of America. Unlike Jessica, who often has guests on her show, Don prefers an open call format to allow maximum participation from his listeners. He is an outstanding host who never loses his cool. And, with the only Coffee Party Radio show that extends past midnight in some time zones, you can count on the fact that your call won’t be the weirdest of the night.
Don also leads the team behind online newsletter Speaking of America, which you can contribute to here.
Tuesdays at 8 pm ET —
Conservative author Michael Charney and I co-host a show called The Middle Ground on Tuesday nights at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT). Michael, who lives in New Hampshire and is active in the Republican party there, prepares most of the content, including lining up guests, while I do promotion and chime in during the broadcasts. Michael is best known for his Internet rivalry with extremist agitator Glenn Beck, and for his book about the experience Chasing Glenn Beck. His contribution to the Coffee Party conversation has been illuminating and reassuring for me and for many others. I’m proud to share the web-waves with him.
Michael also leads a team behind the online newsletter The Middle Ground, which you can contribute to here.
Thursdays at 3 pm ET —
Jeanene Louden of Corvallis, OR hosts Lunch with Louden on Thursdays at 12 noon PT (3 pm ET). I hope Jeanene won’t mind me saying she is the matriarch of the Coffee Party active citizen community. She can string words together with so much heart and so much love that it’s impossible for callers and listeners not to appreciate the human cost of the political mistakes we make as a nation, and, to redouble our determination to do better in the future.
Jeanene also leads the team behind the online newsletter Coffee Party Feminists which you can contribute to here.
Saturdays at 1 pm ET —
Egberto Willies of Kingwood, TX hosts Politics Done Right, our longest running weekly radio show, on Saturday’s at 1 pm ET (10 am PT). Egberto is fortunate enough to attract callers who disagree with his deeply progressive values that aim to protect the middle class and the working class. I love the way he laughs and refers to his callers as “my friend,” and in so doing completely dissolves the tension we’re so used to seeing on One Percent Media programs.
Egberto Willies has a personal blog at EgbertoWillies.com.
And, leads the team of volunteers behind the online newsletter Politics Done Right which you can contribute to here.
Sundays at 5 pm ET —
Jessica English in St. Paul, MN takes your calls on Sunday at 5 PM ET (2 pm PT) for The Bottom Line. Jessica is the only weekly radio host in America who reaches a national audience with an authentic story of survival. Jessica’s family is one of millions hit hard by the collapse of the Wall Street casino. She is living at the poverty level, and struggling feed her children and finish her degree, but she is not backing down from her duty as an American and as a Christian to strive for justice and give voice to the less fortunate.
Jessica also leads a collectively-curated newsletter called The Bottom Line, which you can contribute to here. Follow @Jess_BottomLine
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