Coffee Party USA Radio

"Who the hell is Grover Norquist anyway?"  That's what  President H. W. Bush said recently of the man who wants to drown our Republic in the bath tub, and, to whom many in Congress pledge their loyalty instead of the U. S. of A. Thirty years of "Voodoo" has put the US economy in a lot of Doo-doo. Tonight Don Manning is your host as we examine how and why.  Help us take a closer look at Grover's royalist agenda, and how he uses big money and big media to enforce it on the GOP, and on our country. How does one millionaire wield so much power over the elected officials sent to Washington to represent We the People? Is this democracy at work, or more "in your face" corrpution and politics as usual?" Also, we'll talk about tomorrow's historic hearing in the United States Senate on the impacts of Super-PAC's and "Citizens United."  T-shirt goes to caller who can best connect the two subjects! Or, just call and tell us what's on your mind! Every Monday evening we open the phone lines to whatever America wants to talk about. Politics, Environment, Culture, Social Issues, Local, National, even International. The direction of the dialogue is up to you! The host and guests take your questions and comments live. Civil Discourse Lives on "Speaking of America" Monday evenings @ 8pm PST / 11pm EST. Let's Talk About It!

As we approach the historic Senate hearing about the impact of Super PAC's and the "Citizens United" decree, Jessica English welcomes Mattea Kramer of National Priorities Project as her guest.  Mattea's article, Four Spending Myths Holding Up the Economy, has been bouncing all over the Internet, including TomDispatch, CBS News, Mother Jones, Huffington Post, and Salon.  Read the article, and come up with a good quetions for Mattea! My favorite (actually least favorite) was Myth 4: The Affordable Care Act -- Obamacare -- will bankrupt the federal government while levying the biggest tax in U.S. history. Coffee Party Radio from 5 PM to 6:30 PM eastern time each Sunday.

by Egberto Willies We'll have to begin with the Aurora Colorado Shooting & Massacre. How many more mass murders do we need before we finally decide to have sensible gun control policies? When will we stop believing the cliché “Guns do not kill people? People do”? We need a new one. Guns do not kill people. Policies allowing people to use guns indiscriminately do. At 10 past the hour, I'll ask Marge Baker of Free Speech for People. Marge will tell us why we need Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United, and, abou the US Senate hearing on Tuesday to discuss just that. At 20 past the hour, we'll open up the phone lines and take your calls.  SIGN OUR PETITION: I support, and I ask the United States Senate to support, a Constitutional amendment to overturn "Citizens United," preserve the integrity of our elections, and protect our right to self-governance. Politics Done Right With Egberto Willies runs on Saturdays from 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM Central Time (1 pm to 3 pm Eastern Time).

Voter Polarization and Voter Suppression - the battle for 4 Million votes is casting CIVILITY to the wind. According to pollster Frank Luntz, most Americans have set their flag for a presidential candidate, so the billions about to be spent is for the benefit of 4 million undecided voters in eight battleground states. Is it a coincidence that six of those states are among the several embroiled in the voter suppression controversy?  In an article released today, the Brennan Center for Justice reported that 500,000 Americans could face significant challenges to obtain their free state ID. Can civility and reason win the day? Tell us what you think. [MORE]

from today's blog by ERIC BYLER As my friend and co-host Michael Charney has pointed out from the Republican vantage point, if Republicans oppose laws that curtail the amount of influence corporations and super-wealthy individuals can have on our elections because such spending HELPS their electoral chances, isn't it also a fair criticism that Democrats want to limit the influence of said corporations and aristocrats because their involvement HURTS their electoral chances?  Michael has pointed out, much to the dismay of liberals and progressives, that Opera Winfrey has given money to politicians on the Democratic side.  If money in politics is a corrupting influence when it flows into Republican coffers, why not also when it benefits Democrats?  And, aren't both parties acting in their self-interest when they vote on a party line on bills like the DISCLOSE Act?   Which side do you fall on?  Senate Democrats are not giving up on the DISCLOSE Act.  What outcome do you feel is best for the American people?   Help me and Michael sort it out tonight on The Middle Ground, 8 to 9 pm ET on Coffee Party Radio. We want to hear from you this week to see where YOU draw the line. Should there be a $ limit? People only, but not corporations? Why is it that, for some, intention is the driving force? Why is it that Dems justify Maher's donations and Reps justify the Kochs?

Update; During our interview with Karen Teegarden, several callers offered their version and opinion of the post march fallout between some women and the Unite Women organization itself. Claims of hijacking Facebook pages and state membership rosters, name calling etc. Civility ruled but the air gets thick. Have a listen and decide for yourself, has UniteWomen.org got too big too fast? Were some treated poorly and banned from the group? Tonight our guest will be Karen Teegarden, one of the founders of Unite Women.org. I'll ask her what's next for the organization, what growing pains has it suffered, and where is the next battlefront? Plus whatever's on your mind! Every Monday evening we open the phone lines to whatever America wants to talk about. Politics, Environment, Culture, Social Issues, Local, National, even International. The direction of the dialogue is up to you! The host and guests take your questions and comments live. Civil Discourse Lives on "Speaking of America" Monday evenings @ 8pm PST / 11pm EST. Let's Talk About It!

We’re going to examine the pitfalls of government of, by, and for the economic elite.  Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, this has been the most successful method of government, in the United States, and around the world.  But is it the only way?  And, is it the best way forward TODAY — when centuries-old economic and political theories are being challenged by new innovations of the Age of Network Intelligence. Our guests will include Chris Franks, founder and CEO of Moblify, and, Tiffany Espinosa, entrepreneur and Ph.D.   Join Jessica English for The Bottom Line on Coffee Party Radio Sundays from 5 PM to 6:30 PM eastern time.

  These are serious times. Many in the mainstream media are simple treating the election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney as a sport. It is not a sport. The Lakers winning versus The Heat does not have a material impact on anyone’s life. The person elected President and those elected to the Congress matter. In that light, let us have a discussion on the real issues. Let us forget the stupidity of birth certificates and a dog being carried on the roof of a car. Let us talk about real issues. Today my friends, you make the show. Call me let us enlighten each other and enlighten America and give them the real consequences of the vote. Please call me at (646)929-2495 let us discuss these issues. I want to hear and discuss ALL points of views. Listen And Chat Here at your computer or smartphone

ACTION ALERT on today's LUNCH WITH LOUDEN:  The US Senate will soon vote on legislation that will allow We the People to know who is bankrolling our politicians, and, today we are thrilled to host Lisa Rosenberg of the Sunlight Foundation, author of today's blog "What You Need to Know About the DISCLOSE Act." Join Sunlight Foundation's Letter to the Editor campaign. Lisa Rosenberg is Sunlight's Government Affairs Consultant, lobbying Congress to make legislative changes to improve transparency in government. She has extensive experience in the legislative branch, having worked for many years on and off Capitol Hill. As a Legislative Assistant for Senator John Kerry, Lisa advised the senator on issues relating to technology, consumer protection, campaign finance reform and judicial nominations. As Counsel for the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee's Special Investigation into campaign finance irregularities, Lisa investigated illegal and improper campaign finance activities during the 1996 federal election and coordinated hearings for Ranking Member John Glenn.    About the Lunch with Louden: Jeanene Louden is the first elected Secretary of the Coffee Party Board of Directors. 

Co-hosted by award-winning filmmaker Eric Byler and political author Michael Charney, the show airs every Tuesday 8-9 PM EST/5-6 PM PST.  Our guest for the July 10th show is Dr. Peggy Wireman, who will join us to continue our discussion on poverty. This week we focus on macro issues: poverty as a system, the roles of both local communtiies and government, and the way that money can impact the poor. Dr. Wireman, a resident of Madison WI, is the author of "Connecting The Dots: Government, Community, and Family."  She has extensive experience working as a legislative aide in Congress and in the executive branch in both Democratic and Republican administrations. She has worked as a grassroots community organizer, as a Congressional Fellow, and provided policy analysis for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development..

I said it last night on Jessica English's radio show: "We've hit snooze for the last time."  I was speaking of America, in the context of Citizens United and the corrupting influence of money in politics. Tonight, instead of speaking, I'll be listening mostly.  I want to hear what you think, and more importantly, I want the rest of the nation to hear.  I know you've got something to say, so call me tonight between 8 pm and 10 pm Pacific Time: (646) 929-2495 "What's on Your Mind?" Every Monday evening we open the phone lines to whatever America wants to talk about. Politics, Environment, Culture, Social Issues, Local, National, even International. The direction of the dialogue is up to you! The host and guests take your questions and comments live. Civil Discourse Lives on "Speaking of America" Monday evenings @ 8pm PST / 11pm EST. Let's Talk About It!

The Bottom Line with Jessica English My guest today is Mark Hayes of the highly regarded good-government organization, Public Citizen.  Mark writes on the issue of money in politics: "At Public Citizen, we’re pursuing a host of reforms to address the big problems that moneyed interests pose to our political system.  We’re pushing for greater disclosure of campaign contributions and outside expenditures. We’re also advocating for reforms in the corporate world that would require corporations to get approval from shareholders before spending money from corporate treasuries on election-related activities.  "And, because of transformative effect the Court’s disastrous decision has had on our ability to effectively regulate campaign spending, we’re building a national campaign to call for a constitutional amendment that would reverse the effects of Citizens United and ensure that people, not corporations, have the ultimate say in our democracy." MORE about Coffee Party Radio.

Great VIDEO to watch with this show. Politics Done Right With Egberto Willies is honored to welcome David Cobb: National Projects Director of Democracy Unlimited Move To Amend Executive Committee Member 2004 Green Party Presidential Candidate This week, with the passage of AJR 22, California joins 5 other states, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Maryland in calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. David Cobb will discuss the different amendments being offered by several groups and why he feels Move To Amend's version is the best.  I'll ask David, "Where do we go from here?"  We'll also talk about the political developments of the past week, and as always we are thrilled to take your calls. Join us on Saturdays from 12:00 Noon CST to 2:00 PM CST.

About the show: Happy Birthday USA! How did you celebrate? I took the opportunity to reaffirm my pledge to civility. Between the political campaigns and the super pac ads, some days I just want to scream. Then I go to www.coffeepartyusa.com and watch Annabel in the snow and remember why I am doing all this....

On our July 3rd show, our guest will be ALLISON SMITH. Allison has committed her life and career to working with the poverty stricken all over the world.  She will share with us her experiences working in Kenya (both with children and with victims of sex trafficking) as well as here in the United States where, she surprisingly tells us, poverty isn't all that different.  Join us with your own stories, too. Presented by Coffee Party USA, "The Middle Ground," co-hosted by award-winning filmmaker Eric Byler and political author Michael Charney, airs every Tuesday 8-9 PM EST/5-6 PM PST.