"With great power comes great responsibility" may be the most quoted comic-book lines in existence. It is a credo and also, a warning, issued by Peter Parker's Uncle Ben around the time (unbeknownst to the uncle) young Peter became Spider-Man. Someone looking at politics without cynicism might say that the same could be part of the oath given to every public official all the way up to the President.
The point can't be made forcefully enough: politics is about power, increasingly great all the way up to Congress and the White House. Certainly, there are some dedicated public servants, perhaps on both sides of the aisle, who get into the business with altruism in mind -- but it is difficult to argue to power doesn't come with the position, and that the pursuit of that power is endemic to political campaigns, and the use of it is necessary to run government effectively.
Today, we'll look at power from a number of perspectives. First, we'll introduce the latest edition of This Week in Voter Suppression!™ (we're about to trademark that), digging through the fine print of Pennsylvania's voter-ID legislation. We'll look at how power is used in actual governance, from domestic to foreign policy. And as the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches this week, we'll examine the power of violence and terrorism in our lives, and how the definitions of those words have changed since that horrible day. Lastly, Melissa will end the show with a hopeful Footnote which you don't want to miss.
Our guests include:
- Judith Browne Davis, co-director of the Advancement Project.
- Mickey Edwards, former U.S. Congressman, vice president of the Aspen Institute, and author of "The Parties Versus The People."
- Amaney Jamal, politics professor at Princeton University and author of "Of Empires and Citizens."
- Valarie Kaur, Sikh American filmmaker and director of Groundswell, an initiative at Auburn Seminary.
- Eboo Patel, author of "Sacred Ground" and founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core.
- Kenji Yoshino, law professor at New York University.
As always, folks -- be sure to interact with us during the show here in the comments of this post, on Facebook, and on Twitter, using the hashtag #nerdland. We look forward to having you join us at 10am ET on msnbc!
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When I was little, my Dad told me that when I grew up and voted, I wouldn't even have to tell my husband who I voted for. I remember being surprised to hear that. So many years ago, my Dad impressed upon me that the right to vote is my sacred right. If you aren't sure how to vote, especially this year when there seems to be a deliberate confusion campaign, help is available for instance at your library, senior center, your place of worship. I will be out canvassing for President Obama this afternoon. I encourage everyone to participate in this upcoming election.
I'm for the Obama/Biden and the Democrats in 2012 only because the Republicans are ****'n INSANE! After Progressives, Liberals, Independents and disgruntled Republicans get rid of the GOP in 2012 then in coming elections we'll do a hostile takeover of the Democratic Party and force the government back to the PEOPLE (corporation are NOT people) concerncitizens.blogspot.com
Oh no. Don't tell me Melissa is going biblical now. I was very disappointed to see Melissa comparing Obama's speech to Paul in the bible. And here I was thinking she was an intellectual. What a disappointing turn of events in her story.
Read James 2:1-5, and you will see the comparison fits. Obama himself, and his policies are very Christian. But even if one is not Christian, even Hindus, Buddhists, and Humanists have compassion for the least of the brethern.
About the Bucknell students "right to vote" piece, if the tens of hundreds of thousands of out of state students in PA are eligible and registered to vote in the state they live in, why should they also get to vote in PA? If someone moves to PA to attend school or for any other reason and decides to register to vote there, fine. But notwithstanding the very valid arguments against the PA voter suppression law, why should a college ID alone satisfy local voter registration requirements? Absentee ballots are available to out of state students, or they can designate PA address as their residence and vote there.
People keep forgetting there are already federal laws that have severe criminal and civil penalties for voter fraud.Also if the way out of state college students vote bothers you.It's also the way most military members and their families stationed in the U.S. (but not their home state) vote.Absentee ballots are far less popular among military and students.I never felt like my ballots were counted personally and that feeling intensified the farther I was from home.Conversely at home in 2000(Florida) I was escorted out of the poll under threat of incarceration and told I could not vote.I was told I am not a citizen.Eventhough I had my military,state and social security cards.
It is important to vote for the President and down ticket for members of Congress that are willing to work with him to forge ahead. Congress needs an overhaul. So little has been discussed about the unpresidented levels of obstruction from the republican members of Congress. Even less has been said about the reported decision by key figures of the GOP to agree to oppose everything the President proposedey while in office. If it is true that they met on Inauguration Day and decided this, there was no way that the President or anyone could work with them. Even if anyone doubts that, Mr. McConnell's declaration that the Republican Congress' mission is to "make President Obama a one term president." is factual. It was made 2 years ago in the midst of the job losses. They made their chief priority clear. Jobs were not at the top of their list. That too is factual and is evidenced them not bringing the American Jobs Act to the floor for a vote. Who has the American people's best interests at heart? Even if one does not agree with the president, it seems to be impossible to ignore the role that obstruction has played. No one anywhere can get things done when they are being opposed from the start. President Obama has limited controls in one branch of the government. This is by design. Congress has abdicated its role and has not governed. We can change that by paying greater attention to the entire ticket. Generally, we get what we vote for. A lesson of 2010 may be that Americans have to take responsibility for how we vote or not. We can change the make up of this negative Congress by giving the President branches of government he can work with. Who knew that obstruction would be the subtext of our economic crisis? The lengths that some people will go to to "take their country back" is alarming. There really are some facts that are impossible to ignore.
It is time to stop
wasting our breath by asking the "Republicans" in congress to
cooperate on behalf of the American people. There are no longer any Republicans
available to ask. The Republican Party is DEAD! Left in its stead is an amoral
minority ... an organization that is corrupt from the top down. The choice
has become clear.
This November you will
vote for a president or you will vote for a board director. You
will vote for someone who looks at our country as a cherished possession
in need of protection or you will vote for someone who looks at our country as
just another company with a bottom line. You will vote for a man who
respects you as a fellow citizen in possession of a good amount of
intelligence or you will vote for someone who looks upon you as only human
capital and has judged you to be as dumb as a herd of cattle.
This November you will
vote for a Democrat or a Plutocrat. In other words, this November
you will vote for a sole proprietorship --- YOU --- or you will
vote for a corporation --- THEM.
This November you will need to THINK!