if we go beyond identifying the problem you're trying to rational debate and a real discussion critical issues facing america are you ready to join the movement then welcome to the big. welcome back to the big picture i'm tom arbonne coming up in this half hour last night's state of the union address left a lot to be desired for us it is with the president barely talking about today's most important progressive issues what should he have brought up and how can the progressive agenda gain traction in two thousand and fourteen and five years ago a group of the most powerful republicans in our country gathered for a four hour dinner at a restaurant in washington d.c. the plan the president's take down is a nice daily take i'll tell you why that dinner was responsible for much of what president obama said last night state of the address. we are now more than five years of the obama presidency and despite the big legislative successes of his

first year in office has for years have been very difficult for those for president republicans have done their best to sabotage and obstruct his every move and at times he has seemed all too willing to compromise with his opponents on the right according to pew research center poll numbers on the eve of last night's state of the union address show that the president had an approval rating of forty three percent just two points higher than his all time low forty one percent last november last night's state of the union was no doubt an important speech for obama he needed to both redefine his own agenda heading into the second year of his second term and at the same time as the effective head of his party give democrats campaigning in this year's midterm elections a message to run on so how did he succeed joining me now for more on this is shannon bellows democratic candidate for the u.s. senate in maine and adam green co-founder bolpur resins and the progressive change campaign committee shana adam great to have you with us thank you for joining us so . first of all there were a lot of things that the president did. talk about last night in my long you know

he didn't talk about card check he didn't talk about the carbon tax or even cap and trade he didn't talk just a whole whole bunch of these things. five years ago the night that the president and his wife were dancing in union station i was down there with ellen ratner and. at that very moment in the caucus room restaurant over a d.m. mine there were fifteen republicans getting together with newt gingrich and frank luntz to plot basically the destruction the obama presidency newt gingrich came on my show just couple months ago and basically bragged about it so yeah that's what we did and pete sessions afterwards said we're going to be the taliban he literally said that we have two of the taliban taught us how to do this we're going to be an insurgency we're going to prevent him from accomplishing anything and it seems to me like they've won they they've done this have have the republicans won while the result has banned and do nothing congress the most gridlocked congress and recent

history which is truly hurting mainers and americans across this country people are struggling they feel like washington isn't listening at all and a lot of people are blaming the president for this which is really in my opinion unfair but you know it doesn't help when he says like in his speech last night he said if congress would make the decision to do something i'm sorry congress did a lot nancy pelosi passed over two hundred fifty pieces of legislation that republicans filibustered in the senate you know the senate has passed a lot of good legislation that john boehner won't take up in the house why don't why does he say republicans in this republicans do this a lot they put bad ideas on the table sometimes democrats compromise and adopt those ideas they go wrong and then republicans blame democrats for congress or government not working but i actually found very encouraging about the speech last night was that economic populist themes came across very loud and clear and a new willingness to fight came across right this is actually departure from some say the unions we've seen in the past where there was a lot of olive branch a lot of compromise and for those of us including yourself who are part of i would say. elizabeth warren wing of the democratic party yes those who want to fight for

the little guy in our economy it was actually several steps in the right direction didn't get us all we wanted wall street reform wall street accountability was on the table and i say wiretapping was on the table expanding social security was on the table a lot of positive steps were taken in the right direction for example well the minimum wage you know there are years worth of data showing that when voters go into the voting booth thinking about the minimum wage democratic reform it's because that is great news for people like senate bill is and others and democratic ticket absolutely i grew up daughter of a carpenter grew up without running water electricity and told in fifth grade my mother is a nurse i'm from working class america i understand what it's like to struggle and there are so many americans across this country who are barely making it who are working full time or working two or three jobs to make ends meet so the president's message his willingness to raise the minimum wage i think was an inspiration to all of us who are standing up for working americans across this country i think that's how we win that's how we win the tough races in the senate this year he's he's

having to do this though i mean he's basically saying by executive order i'm going to require that you know federal new federal contre this is going to affect a few hundred thousand people is not like the enormous stimulus that if the entire nation were to see the minimum wage increase you know when we look back at minimum wage increases all back to one hundred thirty five every single time there's a minimum wage increase the economy grows i mean it stimulates the economy it's injecting money at the bottom the economy create stimulation how how do we do the next step how do we get to the next step as you know. change campaign committee led a nationwide effort today we launched petitions calling on republican members of congress to raise the wage and the response in maine was amazing in just a couple of hours thousands of mainers signing our petition that spirit is in collins saying it's time to raise the minimum wage it's time. to hear what's going

on here in our community susan crowds of posed to raise in the minimum wage will see what she does in terms of her votes but the problem is she's been in congress eighteen years and the minimum wage has completely stagnated income inequality is just rising and people are feeling that washington is not hearing their concerns to knowledge and ten cents is what the minimum wage would be if it was at nine hundred sixty eight levels right in fact it's below what it was frankly i think we need to do better. so so so you know in answer to your question about next steps you know a lot of this is a long game right you know you want a small voice on the radio and your voice is going over the years and we have zero members now we're up to a million elizabeth warren was on it's unknown on the national scene and look where she's come and look how she's changed the conversation it's not a one year thing it's not a one of action cycle thing it's about building power and changing the agenda and the fact that we have gotten this president who was talking about compromise and a lot of kind of pro corporate positions a couple years ago talking about the little guy to be talking about the growing gap

between the rich and the rest of us talking about raising the minimum wage which is a keep us a priority again we are moving the conversation as progressives as a movement and a great people like china bellows and others who joined us on this nationwide petition today get elected that will be several more steps in what direction and you know next week a lot of these candidates in maine oklahoma kentucky south dakota all across the nation will be doing local petition deliveries with the media in tow putting the pressure and chains of conversation in their local communities so we'll see where that goes but again it's a step by step year by year thing you know i don't want to this is this is important stuff there was on the top twenty of think of january so we could half of the or so there was an article in the national journal about this debate going on within the democratic party and within the white house about whether the president was going to make income inequality at the center of his speech or whether it was going to be ladders of opportunity you know basically the you know stack pies higher to paraphrase during. which and and it turns out that stacking the pies

higher one as opposed to incoming i mean he mentioned the word inequality three times he never preceded it with the word income and. it was you know it was a lot softer in that area it seems that and this is not to knock the president seems that any politician. you know our constitution doesn't say we elect leaders as we elect representatives and that what politicians are waiting for is a big enough parade that they can safely jump in front of it and hoist a flag and say this is my parade and so. assuming the political truth of that and if you disagree with that please tell me but assuming the political truth is that how do we build that bridge well i think the minimum wage is an example of where the people have led and the politicians are now following but there are so many other issues where the people are calling for change and i say spying privacy protections is another area that i'm making a huge part of my campaign because the people are saying enough is enough stop

spying on us and the president talked about privacy briefly but didn't make a concrete commitment didn't mention angry birds and. an angry birds or that website that the n.s.a. has that they're recruiting children to get involved and i think that we need to stop n.s.a. spying we need to repeal the patriot act we need concrete measures to restore public trust in government and protect the constitution the bill of rights the values on which this country was founded well and those are a lot of those are issues where you'll find agreement by tea partiers frankly and there and the other thing i don't get is you know we've got to lower in strengthening social security holes eighty percent you know closing all the loopholes in medicare that have been drilled in there over by republicans over the years to get the buy private health insurance from private companies to supplement medicare polls incredibly high raising the minimum wage polls and credibly beat basically every single progressive disease. all the conservative positions turn so

security over to wall street in the in the tank right nobody wants that how it how is it that this stuff isn't just flying through congress adam oh you know there's a lot of corporate money that's that you know greasing the wheels of the system and that's what we're always up against as progressives right but again over the last couple years progressive have been screaming from the sidelines look the polls are on our side even republicans agree with us and it was still nice to see the president finally again coming in the right direction that said you know in two thousand and twelve the teachable so you've got to change campaign committee was the number one grassroots supporter of elizabeth warren with we thought she would be a game changer on economic populism issues i do want to make a huge right we were right and i want to double down make reaction right here on the show if i can make a little news here please all right i predict the future will see predicts that in two thousand and fourteen shot about lows will be the elizabeth warren and it's a issues elizabeth warren of civil liberties and constitutional freedoms and that will help us change a conversation in the future so again steps along the way are bank you know what

say you are going to get. we need more champions and congress we need people with the courage and the honesty told me. it's. good on you for being willing to step up and do that i mean that's that's something that. takes a lot of the future of our country is at stake it's too important for people to stay on the sidelines we have to get involved we have to take action ok we have a half a minute left what what do you both either of you or both of you see as the most important issue right now that we should jobs jobs fixing the economy for people addressing income inequality i also think constitutional freedoms climate change and expanding social security so that was for ok if you go along and also maybe a constitutional moment this is money is not we need to get big money out or how does the carpenter start or thank you for a run for federal office that's why we have a congress of millionaires serving corporate interests instead of working people there you know ok. shaina bellows adam green thank you so much for being with us this extent. coming up republicans should be absolutely thrilled that president

obama's state of the union address i'll tell you why inside still we take. we welcome aaron eight and abby martin two of the two of the hosts on the our team network. it's going to give you a different perspective give me one stock i'll never i'll give you the information you make the decision don't worry about how breaking the said we're going to mind it's revolution ideas and consciousness and frustrated with the system extremely

your problems would be described as angry i think in a strong you know when you're single. i marinate join me. in that impartial and financial reporting commentary cancer news and much much. only on bombast and. i know c.n.n. the m s n b c news have taken some not slightly but the fact is i admire their commitment to cover all sides of the story just in case one of them happens to be accurate. that was funny but it's closer to the truth and might think. you know it's because one whole attention and the

mainstream media works side by side the joke is actually on you. and our teen years we have a different brain. because the news of the world just is not this funny i'm not laughing dammit i'm not how. you guys think of the jokes well handled in the us ok. just. the it's the good the bad of the very very little aphasia slip ugly the good the american solar industry two thousand and thirteen was another banner year for american solar energy companies great in the fourth annual national

solar jobs census the u.s. economy added more than twenty three thousand solar related jobs last year raising the total number of solar jobs nationwide to over one hundred forty two thousand solar foundation the group that conducted the study says that it expected a similar rate of growth in years to come and he's like germany don't get nearly as much sunlight as we do have been harnessing solar energy for years it's good to see that america is finally catching up and to catch in some way. the bad representative randy weber on tuesday the texas congressman had the less than glorious honor of being the first republican lawmaker to call president obama a socialist on the day of the state of the us while waiting for the president to take the podium weber sent out this tweet on for a house waiting on common in chief the socialistic dictator who's been feeding us a line or is that a lie yep that's right the president out of the benefits of free trade deals during his state of the union address is a rampage and socialist dictator it's ridiculous to think that after five years the

tea baggers would get a little more creative with their insults but barely and a very very ugly leadership c.e.o. of europe pacific capital is under fire today for controversial remarks he made about the minimum wage during an interview that aired last night on the daily show shift told interviewer samantha bee that it's ok to pay a mentally challenged person as little as two dollars an hour because wages should match how much someone is in work check it out. if we eliminate the minimum wage law then individuals would be free to accept jobs at whatever pay they are able to get me a picture of a person. whose work would be worth two dollars an hour you know somebody who might be maybe somebody who is you know what's the politically correct word you know for you know mentally retarded what's the new ok i guess what i believe in the principles of the country was was founded on that i'm not going to say that we're

all created equal you're worth what you were i don't know what's worse that shift thinks exploiting disabled people is ok or that he thinks that's what our country is founded in either case it's very. easy to learn exploding parts of doom played in your farts on fire as a time worn tradition of middle schoolers and slapstick comedians everywhere in the one nine hundred ninety four jim carrey film dumb and dumber flammable flatulence was the centerpiece of one of the movies more memorable scene it's. not. really.

i truth be told far it's actually can be lit on fire especially cow farts as want unlucky farmer in raster of germany learned on monday farms cow population apparently really so much methane rich farts for so many that a small static charge was enough to start a blazing fire that damaged part of the barn word yet on whether the raster cows have taken responsibility for the fire rumor has it that the united states is threatening to take action against what it calls a clear violation of international norms regarding the weapons a bombing campaign could begin an hour or so the cows and over there find this part stockpile. the publican should be thrilled president obama's state of the union address that's

because the extremely limited vision of government that he presented last night is exactly what republicans have been plotting to create since day one of the obama white house and his fifth state of the union address the president essentially said that he's going to go it alone his major policy plan for two thousand and fourteen is to bypass congress altogether and use targeted executive orders to get things done. i'm eager to work with all of you. but america does not stand still and neither will i so wherever and whenever i can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more american families that's what i'm going to do as part of this plan for a so-called year of action president said that he will soon issue an order unilaterally raising the minimum wage for federal contract workers at least new federal government workers to ten dollars and ten cents an hour a flurry of executive orders is obviously better than nothing but it's hardly the kind of bold change this country needs to undo the destruction caused by thirty

three years of reaganomics in the next few weeks republicans will no doubt say that obama's plans to use executive power are evidence that he's a tyrant intent on shredding apart the constitution but ignore their whining a weakened president who has given up on pushing for broad reforms is exactly what republicans want and they've been planning this moment since the day obama took office on january twentieth two thousand and nine a night when most americans were out celebrating the end of the bush years and the beat in a new era a group of powerful republicans was planning the end of the obama presidency before it even really began at the caucus room restaurant right here in washington d.c. republican leaders drew up a plan to intentionally sabotage obama at every point possible on the guest list for the invitation only meeting were republicans congressman eric cantor paul ryan kevin mccarthy pete sessions jeb hensarling pete hoekstra and dan lundgren and

republican senators jim de mint jon kyl tom coburn john ensign and bob corker. the whole thing was orchestrated by republican propaganda master mind master mind frank luntz over the course of four hours this group of the most powerful conservative lawmakers in our country committed themselves to a plan of action they promised each other they would filibuster to obstruct any and all legislation supported by the new president obama congressman pete sessions said in march of two thousand and nine that the republican sabotage plan hatched in the caucus room restaurant was modeled after the insurgent campaign run by taliban terrorists in afghanistan he said that the taliban insurgency is an example of how you go about to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message and we need to understand that insurgency may be required when dealing with the democrats on the other side. newt gingrich who was also there at the caucus or dinner appeared on my radio show a few years ago and actually bragged that the whole reason for the dinner was to

come up with a plan to undermine president obama. you were quoted in the book as saying that. after this dinner you'll remember this is the day the seeds of two thousand and twelve were sown is that all accurate well in part or so were you guys insurgents against the obama presidency one of the factors not the opposition party ought to sit down and try to figure out how to get back in power and that's why they're the opposition party they're not going to back in power they might as well switch parties and join the incumbent party i don't disagree flash forward five years later it's clear that the caucus room conspiracy has worked like a charm except for a brief period during his first year in office when he pushed through health care reform and financial reform president obama has not been able to accomplish much of anything over the last four years probably going to block his nominees filibustered his bills even shut down the government and what eventually turned out to be a futile attempt to defund obamacare so continue on that there's a reason that this year's state of the union address sounded

a lot like last year's state of the union address because republicans in congress have made it pretty much impossible for president obama to accomplish any of his goals as chief executive just this past year they killed gun control set an immigration reform and froze efforts to raise the minimum wage as well as cutting off long term unemployment benefits with his announcement last night that he will essentially go it alone and sign executive orders to get things done president obama gave up the fight against the modern day do nothing congress he all but admitted that the caucus room conspiracy has succeeded somewhere frank luntz is smiling while progressive should support the president as he works to make his year of action a reality. we should demand more than just a small scale strategy reza should demand that the president call out republican sabotage for what it is a naked shameless plan to protect the interests of the richest americans at the expense of everyone else if president obama wants to do more than just issue

executive orders he needs to match the republicans point for point to what harry truman did back in one thousand nine hundred eighty eight and call them out for being the party of special interests. the republican party as i said i want to go favors the privileged few and not the common everyday matter and. ever since its inception that party has been under they're going to throw out special privilege and make concrete they approved it in the a.t.f. congress. there's a very good chance the this president won't pull a harry truman or an f.d.r. who said they hate me and i welcome their hatred. he's not going to stick it to the g.o.p. he's been in office for five years and except for a few brief periods over the past year and the year before during his reelection campaign he's largely been unwilling to embrace the kind of bully pulpit grassroots populist politics that made old school democrats like harry truman and f.d.r.

so successful. part of this i believe has to do with the president's self at his core he's not a bleeding blue progressive music more of a clinton democrat the kind of person beltway types call a moderate support liberal causes and bring the fight to the republicans but only when he's pushed by people on the left. and that's where we the people are. if we want president obama to do more than just sign executive orders then we have to start over from the ground up we need an inside outside strategy inside political parties and outside the political we need to do with tea party to start taking over local political bodies like. precinct committees taking over the party we need to rally behind the elizabeth warren's of our country people who can singlehandedly shift the debate surrounding issues like student loans social security reform. the stakes couldn't be higher we are now more than halfway through

the second two term democratic presidency in the past two decades this is an opportunity that should not be missed demographics are shifting in favor of progressives and all of the country is still mired in reaganomics and republicans have succeeded in neutering this president there's still a chance for real change the kind of change obama promised when he first came to washington. but that kind of change is only going to happen if progress is rallied together call out republicans for conspiring to bring down the obama white house and push our president to the left he may be satisfied with small scale year of action but that doesn't mean we should get active. and that's the way it is tonight wednesday january twenty ninth two thousand and fourteen and don't forget democracy begins with you get out there get active the occupy something today your it sort of .

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but if this guy like you would smear that guy stead of working for the people most issues in the mainstream media are working for each other bribe writers vision to find problems. they did rather. well if underwater home army wife should be making news all the face i describe you know. it was. a pleasure to have you with us here on t.v. today i roll research from.

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