09/07/12 09/07/12 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" we are breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency. we are broadcasting from the democratic-to convention, inside and out. >> we don't think the government can solve all our problems, but we don't think the government is the source of all of our problems. any more than our welfare recipients or corporations or unions or immigrants or gays, or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles. >> president obama accepts the democratic nomination in charlotte, asking voters for four more years. we host a debate on the obama presidency with glen ford of

black agenda report and michael eric dyson, professor at georgetown university. >> what is it going to be like under romney and ryan? like that song, if you think you're lonely now, wait until overnight. see how extremely difficult and complicated and nightmarish our future could be. >> all of that and more coming up. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from charlotte, north carolina. president obama accepted the democratic presidential nomination thursday night in a lengthy speech closing out the democratic national convention. obama argued he has rescued the economy from disaster and planted the seeds for a continued recovery. he vowed to create 1 million new

manufacturing jobs by 2016 and to double exports by 2014. on foreign policy, obama highlighted the killing of osama bin laden, the withdrawal of troops from iraq and the planned drawdown from afghanistan. in a theme he touched on throughout his speech, obama said the "change" he promised four years ago would take time, but was surely underway. >> our problems can be solved. our challenges can be met. the path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place and i'm asking you to choose that future. >> we will have more from president obama's speech after the headlines and host the debate. at least 50 people i've been killed in a pair of earthquakes in southwestern china. the chinese government says the quakes damaged thousands of buildings, displacing some 20,000 people. the united nations food agency says global prices have

stabilized at levels near those of the 2008 crisis that sparked unrest across the globe. ahead of the food and agriculture organization said international action could prevent a crisis in part by addressing the harsh impact of the recent u.s. drought. >> there is a risk of more price increases, but at the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that is an inevitability. the very sharp reduction in u.s. production because of the worst drought for 50 years had a major impact on stock levels and on prices. the overall global stock use ratio has fallen to a historic low of just over 13%. in the u.s., is significantly lower than that.

>> more than 100 striking miners in south africa have been released from jail after they were arrested during the killings of their colleagues. dozens were initially charged for the murders, despite the fact the victims were in fact shot dead by police. the slain miners were killed more than a week after walking off the job at the marikana platinum mine in a call for higher pay. despite their release, many still face charges and are due to appear in court early next year. for a discussion with the south african ambassador to the united states, you can go to democracynow.org. in israel and the occupied territories, six palestinians have been killed in a pair of israeli attacks on the gaza strip. the victims included three civilians -- two of them brothers -- struck by an israeli tank shell. israel said it was targeting militants planning attacks. the vice chair of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral james

winnefeld, visited israel on thursday amidst ongoing talk of military action against iran. he met with the israeli defense minister just days after the top u.s. military official, general martin dempsey, said he doesn't want to beat complicit in an israeli attack. barak said the u.s. and israel share the same goals, but are on different timetables. >> today i met with the vice chairman of the u.s. joint chiefs of staff along with the american ambassador and discussed the situation in the region, and talked about iran. we are facing a joint challenge, but our clocks are in different tempos. israel is maintaining its right for sovereign decisions and the u.s. respects that. >> president obama has publicly disclosed what he says are his administration's criteria for carrying out drone strikes and targeted assassinations abroad.

obama spoke to cnn in some of his most extensive comments on the drone attacks to date. >> it has to be a target that is authorized by our laws. it has to be serious -- a threat that is serious and not suppletive. it has to be a situation in which we cannot capture the individual before they move ford and some sort of operational plot against the united states. this is an example of where i think there is been some misreporting. our preference is to capture if we can to gather intelligence, but a lot of terrorist networks, the most dangerous networks, operate in remote regions and it is difficult to capture them. and we have to make sure that and what ever operations we conduct, we are very careful about avoiding civilian

casualties. >> president obama's comments comes days after least 11 civilians were killed in the u.s. drone strike in yemen, including three children. republican vice-presidential nominee paul ryan addressed supporters in colorado thursday, at a president of his acceptance speech here in charlotte. ryan said the republican ticket would welcome a debate over medicare, despite ryan's own support for turning it into a voucher program. >> president obama can give great speeches. he can blame other people in the past, but he cannot tell you we are better off as a nation. i love this debate about medicare. by the way, this debate is one we want. it is a debate we will have, and one we will win. >> those are some of the headlines. rt.s is "democracy now!," i'm amy goodman. from charlotte, north carolina,

this is "democracy now!" we are breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency. our special daily two hours of coverage from the democratic national convention inside and out. president obama accepted the presidential nomination thursday here in charlotte, north carolina, in his bid for reelection. obama took to the stage after being introduced by illinois senator dick durbin -- the same man who introduced him eight years ago at the dnc when obama was a relatively unknown candidate for the u.s. senate. during his speech, he forcefully argued he had rescue the economy from disaster and planted the seeds of recovery -- a recovery that all would be stymied by a republican victory this november. he vowed to recreate -- to create 1 million manufacturing jobs by 2016 and to double exports by 2014. on foreign policy, obama mentioned the killing of osama bin laden, the withdrawal of combat troops from iraq in the

planned drawdown from afghanistan by 2014. on the environmental front, president obama called the 2012 election upheaval moment in the battle against climate change. -- a pivotal moment in the battle against climate change. he criticized republicans is a global warming is a hoax, but also gave support for widely expanding natural gas drilling. we begin today's broadcast with an excerpt of his speech. >> i refuse to ask middle-class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for another millionaire's tax cuts. i refuse to ask students to pay more for college or kick children out of headstart programs to -- i am not going along with that.

[applause] and i will never turn medicare into a voucher. should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies. they should retire with the care and dignity they have earned. yes, we will reform and strengthen medicare for the long haul, that we will do it by reducing the cost of health care -- not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more. and we will keep the promise of social security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it -- not by turning it over to wall street. [applause] this is the choice we now face.

this is what the election comes down to. over and over, we have been told by our opponents that bigger tax cuts and fear regulations are the only way, that since government cannot do everything, issued almost nothing. if you cannot afford health insurance, hope that you don't get sick. if a company releases toxic pollution into the air your children breathe, well, that's the price of progress. if you cannot afford to start a business or go to college, take my opponent's advice and borrow money from your parents. [laughter] [applause] you know what? that's not who we are. that's not what this country is about. and as americans, we believe we are endowed by our creator with

certain inalienable rights, rights that no man or government can take away. we insist on personal responsibility and celebrate individual initiatives. we're not entitled to success, we have to earn it. we honor the strivers, the dreamers, the on to canoers who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system, the greatest engine of growth and prosperity the world has ever known. but we also believe in something called citizenship. citizenship. a word at the very heart of our founding, a word at the very essence of our democracy. the idea this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another, and to future generations. we believe that when a ceo pays his autoworkers enough to buy the cars that they build, the

whole company does better. [applause] we believe that when a family can no longer be tricked into signing a mortgage they cannot afford, that family is protected, but so is the value of other people's homes and so is the entire economy. [applause] we believe that the little girl who's offered an escape from poverty by a great teacher or grant for college could become the next steve jobs or the scientist who cures cancer or the president of the united states -- and it is in our power to give her that chance. [applause] we know that churches and charities can often make more of a difference than a poverty program alone. we don't want handouts for people who refuse to help themselves, and we certainly do not want bailouts for banks that

break the rules. [applause] we don't think the government can solve all our problems. but we don't think that the government is the source of all of our problems -- any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles. >> president obama also sought to differentiate himself from his republican rivals mitt romney and paul ryan by criticizing their trickle-down economic policies. as he concluded his speech, obama roused the crowd by telling them to make their voices heard this election. >> that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election. if he rejects the notion our government is forever beholden to the highest bidder, you need

to stand up in this election. if you believe new factories can dot our landscape, that new schools can provide ladders of opportunity to this nation of dreamers, if you believe in a country where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules, then i need you to vote this november. [applause] america, i never said this journey would be easy and i will not promise that now. yes, our path is harder, but it leads to a better place. yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. we don't turn back. we leave behind we pull each other of.

we draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon knowing that providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on earth. thank you. god bless you, and god bless these united states. >> president obama accepting the democratic nomination last night here in charlotte, north carolina. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" we are breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency. we turn to our two guests for discussion and debate about president obama's speech and record. we turn to who is joining us here in charlotte, north carolina, a professor of sociology at georgetown university, author of many books including, "can you hear me now? the inspiration, wisdom, and insight of michael eric dyson." , a

he also wrote "making malcolm: the myth and meaning of malcolm x." was also joined by glen ford. we welcome you both to "democracy now!" last night you were in the time warner cable arena those of us to be held at the bank of america stadium, but because of the weather, it was canceled. talk about your response to his address. >> it was electrifying in the sense that obama had before him the task of repudiating all of the lies and deceptions and deliver distortions generated just a week earlier in the republican convention, but also to rally the base. various aspects of that base have been either disaffected because they felt were marginal or his progressive agenda he initially articulate it has not come to fruition, but many have been chastened by the republican

congress that refused to acknowledge anything of word that the man could put forth. he is operating in a difficult zone. he has to organize his resistance to the republicans, galvanize the base, give a speech flowing enough in poetry but rooted enough and public policy. starting with michelle obama before the him, and bill clinton himself and his vintage form, i think obama took the baton and ran the last leg and did so with oratorical flourish. >> it certainly is not the sports like assessment that i just heard from the good doctor. we have been saying for some time obama is not the lesser of evils, but the more effective evil. we base that on his record and on his rhetoric at the convention. we prefer to talk about what history making events have gone down under his presidency.

first of all, he has created a model for austerity a veritable model with his deficit reduction commission. his introduced preventive detention, a law for preventive detention and expanded drone wars and made an unremitting assault. i think possibly the biggest impact to his presidency, and not talking about all of this like an eerie stuff from the convention, but probably what will go down as his biggest contribution to history is a kind of merging of the banks and the state with $16 trillion being infused into these banks, and to wall street under his watch. and the line between wall street and the federal government virtually disappearing. >> you know, what is

interesting, look, despite the poetry of my dear friend glen ford, the reality is, the american left will never be able to participate in the pageantry of american politics and the light and very things and the fluff, it may be true as he has indicated, but the reality is, obama is as progress of a figure who has a chance of being elected in america. all of this stuff glen ford has talked about is right in an ideal world or the politics of erosion can be stemmed by progressive forces that have an insurgents of the possibility of getting elected. if you're not in the game, miami heat -- talking about sports, plan the oklahoma under. it is not i prefer it be the loss angeles lakers, this is the

game i am talking about. if the american left cannot be involved in the practice of government to offer the critical insights available, so take 2001 siding with ralph nader that out or who should of been president who would have prevented some of the stuff we see happening, did not occur, the left will not take responsibility for the fact with the extraordinary intelligence of a glenn ford and many leftists notwithstanding the reality is that he is the most progressive president as one who teaches at this and it argues, since fdr. those are the stakes on the ground. talking about earned income tax credit, bailing out the automobile industry, speaking of affordable health care act put forth, pre-existing conditions -- when you speak what obama has been able to do despite the republican party, then you talk about on the ground practices of actually achievable political goals. we have to take that into

consideration. >> what barack obama has done is move the entire debate to the right. he claims he is the one standing between the republicans and social security and medicare and the entitlements, but it was obama two weeks before he even took the oath of office who said that entitlements would all be on the table. this is at a time in which the republicans were in disarray, cannot mount a challenge to anything. obama followed through and created this model for austerity with his deficit reduction commission, which came up with the figure of $4 trillion in cuts, which he now includes among his solemn promises to the american people. those cuts would savage medicare and medicaid and social security. we say that he is the more effective evil because he is able to accomplish more of that

right-wing agenda than the republicans ever could. remember, george bush tried to privatize social security. he got his worst domestic defeat of his term in so doing. the republicans were reeling from that, even in 2009. it to barack obama to introduce the model for austerity. it certainly is a twist on history. i think it is a lie to claim he is the bulwark of defense. we need to tell the truth. that is our first obligation. not just get in the game as the rules of the game have been laid down by either of those corporate political parties. >> we're going to take a break and come back to this debate. glen ford is the editor of black agenda report.com and michael eric dyson is a professor of georgetown university in

washington, d.c.. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we will also play more clips from president of in his address and hear from some others who have been taking the microphone this week here in charlotte, north carolina. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" we are breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency. our special two hours of daily live coverage from the democratic-the convention, inside and out. as we turn to more of what president obama said last night in his acceptance address here in charlotte. >> in tempo or more than happy

to talk about everything they think is wrong with america, but they did not have much to say about how they would make it right. they want your vote, but they do not want you to know their plan. and that is because all they had to offer is the same prescriptions they have had for 30 years -- have a surplus? try a tax cut. deficit too high? try another one. feel a cold coming on? take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning. [applause] now, i have cut taxes for those who need it.

middle-class families, small businesses, but i don't believe another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our doors to the shores, or pay down our deficit. i don't believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of china. after all that we have been through, i don't believe that rolling back regulations on wall street will help the small businesswoman expand or the laid-off construction marker keep his home. we have been there, we've tried that, and we're not going back. we are moving forward, america. >> president obama in his acceptance address last night here in charlotte, north carolina, the didnc. glen ford is our guest in new york. and michael eric dyson is here

with us in charlotte. your response to that? >> first of all, glen ford is always intelligent and insightful, but when you say, our first obligation is to tell the truth, let's do so on both sides. let's talk about -- you talk about effected evil, what about effective political practice of the left that is not always talking about ideals as opposed to the realities? when you said to me, our job is to tell the truth not about getting in the game, i'm saying if we're not going to be involved in the process to intervene or restructure it, i think we destroy it, then the option is we're on the sidelines with-leading discourse and rhetoric, but not the possibility of making a difference in people's lives. no. 2, acting as if obama is the worst thing since hitler begins to converge with right wing

rhetoric that has insulted his person and refused to and knowledge the new one's perspective that might be disappointed or upright disagree with the sow being but acknowledges the hand he was dealt in the conditions under which he serves. when you talk about entitlement reform, obama is reacting to a hostile congress that holds the cards. this notion that before then he had out right consideration or influence and per view misses the fact that blue dog democrats within his own party were refusing to so-called play ball with obama. he had resistance from within the intransigence without bridge when we talk about health care, are you not going to address the fact that 40 some odd million people now have the possibility of having their conditions dealt with? most poor people have to use the emergency ward as some form of health prevention. nowadays they have a pre- existing condition removed,

planned parenthood is there, the predatory lending that was going on with consumer practices has been addressed, the way in which the liberal international policy published liberal not progressive or radical -- liberal internationalism has reintroduced and openness to a muslim world despite the complicated and contradictory practices that exist there. in the real world of the existing political practices in which the left has any hope of participating, you cannot just and on the silence throwing mud. if glen ford was here in charlotte, engaging in and talking to people, maybe the nuances of existential banks to people who are tired idealism on either side but engage in the actual politics that we can engage in, that might make a difference in your own analysis. >> glen ford? >> the good doctor is certainly

not going to get us to defend a lack of coverage of people for health care. the fact of the matter, the real history of health care is that obama's bill was actually born into heritage foundation, a right-wing republican think tank in the late 1980's, essentially the same bill with -- was a republican bill in 1993. bob dole ran on that bill in 1996. mitt romney picked up that bill from massachusetts later on and it then emerged as the obama bill. the year 2009 was the year for single payer. what obama actually did was browbeat, isolate the part of the democratic party -- which was a majority of the democratic party and republicans took no part, in order to impose this regime, which in fact, puts the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies in the

money flow for billions and billions of dollars, and does not reduce the rising cost of health care. it cannot. their profits are all tied to it. as the costs of health care increase, the pressures for austerity increased. they are already being used as excuses for austerity. then obama comes with this model for austerity and his $4 trillion cuts introduced by his hand-picked commission for deficit reduction. so you are painting -- this is the attempt to people who want to defend obama from the left. you attempt to say he is a victim of these republican forces, but in fact, he is the initiator from within the democratic party of these austerity measures. he is the initiator of preventive detention. preventive detention, which is savage -- is savages the bill of

rights, basically abolishes the rule of law in this country. it was just a theory under bush, a presidential opinion inherent in the presidency was the right to detain, to lock up, and throw away the key forever anybody, including u.s. citizens designate a by the president. but that was just the president's opinion. it fell to president obama to nurture and guide through congress a bill, actual legislation, that brings, for the first time, to the u.s., preventive detention without trial. that is making history. that is part of the obama legacy. and that was not a republican concoction. that makes and the lesser of two evils not because he is more evil than the republicans even, certainly not hitler as you try to put on us, but it is because he can accomplish because people

like yourself insist, even though you acknowledge most of these crimes that i have listed have been committed under his watch, even though you acknowledge this, you continue to support him and make him [indiscernible] allow him to bring in more and more of the right-wing agenda, which then passes in ways the republicans could never get it passed, just as george bush not complete his assault on social security. if president obama puts his muscle behind the $4 trillion cuts, and the deed is done. that makes him the more effective evil. >> what is interesting is, boy, the obama you are painting, glen ford, is a superman but my god, you're making me appreciate even more his purview -- i'm a

baptist preacher. for some kind of super power. where is this guy? who is this man york for training? obama insists in the confines of a republican right-wing assault and resurgence that has been driven as i think we both can agree by subtle and not so subtle racist intransigence, the denial of his very humanity. you're not speaking anything about the rise of the tea party, the evangelicals who have organized their political dissent under the rubric of a religious coordinated and a firm belief that release of birds potential for grasping hold of the very progressive policies we would speak on. you're acting as if his existing outside the confines of that intransigence and resistance to him and the varied and i'll to himself as a human being, much less the president of the united states of america out of a

certain level of dignity and respect. so in that context, all of which -- much of what you're talking about i agree with. and your point is, since i agree with it, and complicit in the very evil eye 0.2. i am a baptist preacher. i ain't got no kind of idealist notions that people who argue about justice don't have blood on their hands as well, including the black left and the american left that sits around and engages in rhetorical revolutionary analysis without getting inside the game that people have to play. this is what i mean by the sports analogy. if you come to any poor spot in american culture where people are being deprived of certain resources, obama's practices as consolatory to a right-wing methodology or in acknowledging the political realpolitik of the real politick on the ground, that is to say taking the heritage or the republican pedigree of a conservative idea

and then translating that into a workable solution to actually existing problems for poor people is the best we can do right here. what is not good art are deals and rhetorics that do not have the practice, the possibility of changing the condition to analyze. otherwise, your engaging in a form of rhetorical narcissism and illogical sell preoccupation that has no consequence on the material conditions of that actually existing for people. >> that is professor, a preacher michael eric dyson. i want to ask glen ford, as you talk about president obama in it more effective evil, are using it would be better to have romney in the white house? >> i am not saying that. i am saying with romney in the white house, even dr. dyson and others, many others, would join in the resistance to austerity, the resistance to war.

apparently, they cannot muster the energy to do that under a democratic president, under the first black president. it is their behavior that does in fact facilitate these austerity assaults and this warmongering. because they don't resist it, and they accept it as something that is an inevitability. what our obligation is to resist austerity. i do not accept that obama has to make these so-called compromises cou. i don't think there compromises, but part of his overall plan with the republicans. but if you accept that, the worse than the democrats could not on their own stop these assaults on social security. and that is just not true. they cannot be expected to stop these assaults on entitlement programs if there is a democrat

president in office who is putting his bully pulpit and its prestige within the party itself toward these compromises. that is what obama has done. that is how he facilitates it. if you do not have been effective critique, effective demands against this president, then he will go on his right wing drifting merry way. >> well, look, look, look. i am no doubt what glen ford as articulate it is necessary, that is principled opposition to president obama. i think there should be consistent and persistent forms of critique, but forms of critique that generate political practices that have the chance of acting on the lives of poor people read look at redistricting, for example. we're acting as if john conyers and maxine waters are not facing stiff resistance from the lines that are drawn, the geopolitics,

if you will, of their particular districts, that change the democracy of the people who will even vote for them rent until the left deals with on the ground political reality, talking about austerity measures -- when you compare the republicans to the democrats were pleased obama in the last 3 1/2 years to what the republicans have put forth, austerity is not what he is talking about. he is acting in the context of the cards that have been dealt to him. >> professor dyson, a quick question around the issue of progressive dollars single president of women to all the can to appease republicans, and we see where that has gone, but with the progress of uprisings of the last year, whether we're talking about occupy wall street or the massive uprising in wisconsin, the biggest in history, as they try to take on

governor walker getting public unions this of president obama missing in action. >> no question about that. bringing up the rear sodas begone occupy wall street because they finally acknowledge the legitimacy of people's out rates and then wanted to channel that for their own particular purposes. the kind of practice that refuses to of knowledge the progressive agenda and says there are moments when you can intervene, some of that fear derives from the fight a republican controlled congress, if you cannot even get your ideas that taken part, as glen ford brilliantly argued, some of the elements from the republican ideology ain't no sense in believing that it out right progressive resistance to certain practices within the

republican party are going to work from a democratic president. that being said, it doesn't mean as occupy wall street or what happened with scott walker's recall in the progress of resurgence in wisconsin are not effective and should not be used to criticize president obama, i acknowledge that. but at the same time, those comments of political resistance the progresses' can engage in beyond our disgruntlement come out to ask glen ford to move beyond the politics of disgruntlement and say, here's the deal -- romney is the other guy. romney and ryan is the other ticket. as much criticism as you want to leverage against obama and biden, what redoing to make sure romney does not engage or doesn't become effective? you think they're both evil. you're encouraging a kind of, i think, dangerous apathy among voters or the collapse between any distinctions morally,

ethically, and god does politically, between competing parties that have a significant impact on their lives should romney and ryan become the president and vice president of america. >> glen ford? >> we have absolutely no impact on what the tea party and right- wing republicans and racists do or say. it has been the most current progressive constituencies in the u.s., so we direct our comments there. the african-american community is involved deeply in the democratic party, and that is where our critique should be and that is where it would have the most of fact. i have to remind -- >> are you voting for obama? >> obama introduced his model for austerity in 2010. that is when the democrats controlled both houses of

congress. that is when the republicans could pass nothing. i think they can pass nothing like the draconian measures they propose today, unless they get help from the democratic president. the deficit reduction commission, which he commissioned to make that model for austerityy most of or enough of the commission to make the verdict of the commission itself. so when he >> -- quotes it, he is talking about who he appointed. he adopted the $4 to lean figure they came up with. it is the figure he offer the republicans last summer, if you will remember. the republican figure in terms of spending cuts was essentially the same as obama's figure. the difference is that obama included some modest tax hikes and republicans would have no

more of it. but the people on the receiving end of those cuts, it really did not matter to them whether there was a modest tax increase or not. they absorbed the pain. that is the same $4 trillion he solemnly promise is to carry forward and a second term. so obama is president, he is an agent of his own will. he is not a super human being. he is the president who can make lots of democrats in congress bent to his will and accept austerity as the law of the land in the future. >> we're going to take a break and come back to this discussion. i want to set the labor figures are in print the economy added 96,000 jobs in august, unemployment fell to 8.1% from 8.3%. analysts predict it would come in around 125,000 jobs. we're speaking with glen ford

and with professor michael eric dyson. his author of many books including, "can you hear me now? the inspiration, wisdom, and insight of michael eric dyson." as well as, "making malcolm: the myth and meaning of malcolm x." we will be back with this discussion in a moment. ♪ [music break]

>> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" we are breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency. we are broadcasting from the democratic master convention, the morning after the last day. we will go to foreign policy. in his speech, president obama touted his foreign policy experience, also saying his opponent wants to "take us back

to an era of blustering and blundering that cost america so dearly. >> for all the progress we have made, challenges remain. terrorist plots must be disrupted. europe's crisis must be contained. our commitment to israel's security must not waver, and neither must our pursuit of peace. [applause] the iranian government must face a world that stays united against its nuclear ambition. the historic change sweeping across the arab world must be defined not by the iron fist of a dictator or the hate of extremists, but by the hopes and aspirations of ordinary people who are reaching for the same rights that we celebrate today. [applause] so now we have a choice. my opponent and his running mates are new to foreign policy. [laughter] [applause]

but from all that we have seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost america so dearly. after all, you don't call russia our number one enemy -- not al qaeda, russia -- unless you're still stuck in a cold war mine were -- time warp. you might not be ready for diplomacy with beijing if you cannot visit the olympics without insulting our closest ally. [applause] my opponent said that it was tragic to in the war in iraq, and he won't tell us how fell in the war in afghanistan. well, i have, and i will. and while my opponent will spend more money on military hardware

that our joint chiefs don't even want, i will use the money we're no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work -- rebuilding roads and bridges and schools and runways. because after two wars that have cost us thousands of lives and over $1 trillion, it is time to do some nation-building right here at home. >> president barack obama last night giving his acceptance address, talking about foreign policy. our guests are michael eric dyson, professor of sociology, author of many books, and glen ford, from black agenda. your response? >> he is the war president and recognized as such, that is why his were making prowess has such a high profile in his reelection campaign. at one point, president obama was simultaneously drone bombing

five countries for yemen, somalia, libya, afghanistan, and pakistan. he succeeded in redefining war. these are historical accomplishments of the worst kind he did this with libya after bombing this country for seven months certainly afflicting tens of thousands of deaths, although the u.s. does not a knowledge how many people were killed. after seven months of bombing libya, president obama tells the u.s. congress that this does not come under the war powers act because it was not a war at all. and it wasn't a war at all because as far as we know, no americans were killed. this is the definition of -- re definition of war. it is not a war as far as obama's doctrine is concerned unless americans are killed. he and slaughter is many people in the world as you want to as

long as -- you can slaughter as many people in the world as you want to come as long as americans are not killed. so this is definitely a war president. i do not understand why people who are peace minded like the good doctor are not up in arms, why folks who oppose republican wars cannot seem to bring themselves to oppose democratic wars. but as a result of their failure to oppose these wars and expansions of the definition of the authorization of the definition of course, these will continue. and that lies on people like dr. tyson's head. >> that is because of that crown you have laid on my head or read or crown of thorns. the reality is, the usa's use of torture has been rejected under

obama, secret prisons from the cia have been rejected. there's no question glen ford's stinging indictment of america's foreign policy has to be taken into consideration and absolutely right, some of the contradictions of those of us on the left who have not spoken against the drones are not spoken out against the practice of redefining what war is or what casualties are. i have no interest in defending that. but what is interesting is, again, and left foreign policy looks like what? the death of osama bin laden and the murders is, what can we expect from the left in terms of dealing with a geopolitical realities of an international foreign-policy that not only have to take into consideration indigenous forms of democracy that are being facilitated by people who ask for american intervention and who want the protection and the safeguard of

a certain american presence on the one hand, and an opening up avenues and borders of resistance through social media where the arab spring obviously was not inviting american empire to rest squarely on its neck, but asking for american into g to hoist its own democratic entity. again, a left foreign policy has to take that into consideration. i would ask the good brother for the question, what does the american, the black american left do? to encourage people to vote? do you encourage them to vote for obama over romney or to encourage the kind of apathy that says, "we cannot do anything about the policy that obama is practicing, hardly distinguishable from what preceded him with the interventionist politics, the prevention, if you will come out of the pre intervention of a george w. bush? i do not hear glen ford

articulating for actual voters on the ground, what we do november 6? >> we certainly are not encouraging people to vote for the more effective evil. however, members of my family and friends and people that we of black agenda report deal with closely, politically, are going to vote for president obama. all we ask of them is that they not tell any lies about his record in the process. tell the truth. truth telling is not something that is just engaged in in hi flitting principle. we make our decisions based upon the truth. dr. dyson just alerted -- alluded to president obama is new foreign policy which is that any time some group of people, and you can always find some group, asked the united states intervene in the internal

affairs of their country, then the u.s. should. he never mentioned the term international law. this is one of the great historical legacies of the obama administration. he has ignored international law, laws that have evolved over hundreds of years, ignored the sovereignty of nations and decided, well, wherever the u.s. deems evil to occur, it will and should intervene militarily. that is anarchy. that is chaos. but it is aptly called imperialism. >> just one tick thing, i should point out we are in charlotte, north carolina. charlotte is where samir heine lived, killed last october in a drone strike. his family filed suit against defense secretary leon panetta and david petraeus and two senior commanders of the special forces in a drone attack that was authorized by president obama. >> there is blood on the hands

of america in regard to foreign policy no question about that. always has been, always will be. it should be strategic -- our resistance to it as a matter of conscience and conviction should be made explicit. just because i did not mention international law does not mean i think we should not abide by it. my argument here is that when we began to speak about the function and a fact of american foreign policy, we cannot just focus on one side while discounting legitimacy of indigenous forces for insurrection within those countries that you want to seek sovereignty to print and sovereignty in this --exists in legitimacy. if you have a heart of aside a question about legitimate affect of power, that we have to make a moral judgment about intervention at that point.

it is muddy, bloody, a very new ones, which means in a perfect -- but i think it begs the question as to how we will intervene when people ask us to intervene. i am not suggesting it is willy- nilly. i am saying there is a much more strategic form of liberal -- >> we have to leave it there. you can get a copy of today's show on democracynow.org. glen ford and michael eric dyson. we continue our tour tonight in asheville, north carolina. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to oueaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaea