I started posting on HowieinSeattle in 11/04, following progressive American politics in the spirit of Howard Dean's effort to "Take Our Country Back." I decided to follow my heart and posted on seattleforbarackobama from 2/07 to 11/08.--"Howie Martin is the Abe Linkin' of progressive Seattle."--Michael Hood.
GRITtv, video (02:15): When Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Congress on Your Corner event was attacked on January 8th, gunman Jared Loughner did more than just go on a shooting spree. John Nichols notes that he attacked the very right of U.S. citizens to peaceably assemble and communicate with their representative in the government. When the 112th Congress first met this year, their first order of business was to read the Constitution out loud, and Rep. Giffords was the one who read the portion of the First Amendment that deals with the right to peaceably assemble, and Nichols argues that we need to honor Giffords and those killed that day by standing up for that right.
UPDATE II: I am eternally grateful to the family of one my childhood friends who took me along with them to a "Prayer Vigil" featuring Martin Luther King, Jr. @ the Lincoln Memorial in 1956, in the early days of the movement to remedy the injustices in our nation. It was a consciousness raising experience. We drove to DC from New York in the family's station wagon, with us kids sprawled out on blankets in back. The young man of the family, who was my classmate, is now a prominent law professor who has written and advocated forcefully on civil rights and affirmative action.
What happened in my race was frustrating. What happened in 2010 was frustrating. But it is going to be worse in 2012 unless we do something—much worse. That's why money in politics is such a fundamental issue. In terms of the incredibly corrosive effect that unlimited spending by corporations has, we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg.... I think the process is being destroyed by this. Some of my future activities will involve challenging that directly.
It's not unusual for a president to reshuffle staff at term's halfway point, but President Barack Obama's recent pick for some of the most powerful jobs in Washington might represent a significant shift in his governing strategy.
With his new selection of the White House chief of staff and the director of National Economic Council (NEC), Obama may pursue a path different from his first two years -- a more centrist, pragmatic and corporate-friendly way. MORE...
Howie P.S.: Guest host Cenk Uygar pleads for a progressive agenda in 2011. Steve Kornacki (Salon) joins Cenk to give his take on the 2011 political landscape.
Richard Kim from The Nation discusses progressive organizing under a conservative Congress and an administration not willing to fight. Watch the full interview at http://grittv.org! Distributed by Tubemogul.
