Here is show 8.
Show notes
- Intro by SKetkar
- Convention talk, DNC, RNC, our impression on the speeches, McCain’s VP pick Sarah Palin
- Voice Messages and special piece from Real Time with Bill Maher, corespondent Matt Taibbi.
- Finish convention talk
- end of show crap
Enjoy!
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One Comment
Another great show!
I am with the host of the show – a constitutional amendment banning anyone from giving money to a candidate that they cannot vote for would be fantastic! Not only would it prevent individuals from giving money to congressional candidates across the country – it would prevent companies and unions from interfering directly with politics. It would also reduce the big advantage in fund raising that incumbents currently enjoy in our political system.
I would also like to respond to Big Al’s response to my previous post. I do not agree with him that the fact we have troops/bases in other countries is the same as having “invaded” them. We are in those other countries with the consent of those countries’ governments. I do agree that our military presence abroad might provoke some adverse reactions, and our presence in the Middle East was one of the stated reasons why Bin Ladin said he organized the 9/11 attacks. But that still doesn’t make our military presence in Germany, for example, the same as having invaded Germany (at least not in the last 50 years). As for how we would react if China occupied Mexico – I would assume we would react very negatively. The same if Russia placed missiles in Cuba. I never said that the United States wasn’t capable of behaving very hypocritically.
Finally, I would like to voice my disagreement with the hosts about the actions of Congress in regards to the Wars Powers Act. I do not believe that the War Powers Act is constitutional, though I have to admit to not being a lawyer or a constitutional scholar. However to me it seems very clear to me that the Constitution not only gives Congress the power to declare war, it gives them the responsibility to declare war. While Congress can cede its power, it cannot cede its responsibilities. However, I believe it is very unlikely that Congress will ever confront the President to get this power back – they don’t want it. If Congress actually had to decide on whether to deploy troops to places like Afghanistan or Iraq, that would mean they would have to take responsibility for the consequences of those actions. Today, you can have the same people that voted in a non-binding resolution to support the invasion of Iraq, totally disavow any responsibility for the war. And, legally, they are even right.