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Part One:
We talk with Rob Odell, senior investigative reporter at The Arizona Republic, about ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council). Representing the interests of large corporations and wealthy donors, ALEC writes “model” legislation that advances the interests of their rich clients. ALEC then pushes their proposed bills upon Congress and state legislators, lobbying them to adopt these policy positions which favor the 1% of Americans.
Our guest interviewed a great many legislators around the country and learned that they often agree to sponsor or co-sponsor ALEC’s bills, even when they do not know exactly what is in the bill. Shockingly, many such legislators have not even read the bills, and are uninformed as to the pros and cons of any of the policy prescriptions contained therein.
Having infiltrated our legislatures, ALEC is one of the most effective lobbyists for corporate special interests, and it goes mostly unreported.
Part Two:
We speak with Jim Newell, reporter for Slate.com, about the two current “favorites” for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Are either of them the best candidate to defeat Pres. Trump (or VP Pence)? Many of Bernie’s staff and supporters are urging him to open up more and “tell his personal story.” For some reason, Bernie has always been reluctant to reveal his personal side, sticking to policy issues.
Certainly the substantive issues are essential in making the decision of whom to vote for, but voters have a reasonable desire also to know who the candidates are. Are they honest, fair-minded, and compassionate? Do they understand — and do they care about — the real needs of ordinary Americans?
The question for Joe Biden is almost the 180-degree opposite. What are his views on all the issues of the day? What specific policies would he support, amend, or repeal? How would those policies affect us, ordinary Americans? Biden has been rather vague about the answers to these questions.
In contrast, his personality has for decades been open and visible to all. In fact, some are saying — with the recent debate about his “inappropriate touching” — that he has been too open and personal.
Regarding both Bernie and Biden, we wonder — not so much about any specific action or behavior but — about whether they are sufficiently “woke” to be able to connect to millenials and other folks on the younger end of the demographic spectrum. Both Bernie and Biden have shown a lack of sensitivity to the way in which today’s Americans view many aspects of the world. One example is Bernie’s response to the allegations of sexual discrimination/harassment among his campaign staff: “I was too busy running for president.” That sounds more like a corporate CEO defending his company against accusations of discrimination than it sounds like a “woke” millenial. The same is true of Biden’s response to the allegations of inappropriate touching — “I didn’t intend to make anyone feel uncomfortable.” How will the younger half of voters be hearing these world-views?
