October 23 – Abandoning Pakistan; A New Low Point in Presidential Disrespect; An Overview of the Economy

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the White House visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and speak with Pakistan expert Christine Fair who is a professor in the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University. She joins us to discuss the strained relations between the U.S. and Pakistan and concerns that America will abandon Pakistan after its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Part 2

Then we examine the latest display of racist disrespect for the president that occurred in a recent White House meeting when a top House GOP leader told Obama to his face that “I cannot even stand to look at you”. Chris Parker, a professor of Social Justice and Political Science at the University of Washington and author of “Change They Can’t Believe In: The Tea Party and Reactionary Politics in America” joins us to discuss the disgusting and dangerous level of hatred in American politics.

Part 3

Then finally we have an overview of the economy and an analysis of why the Republicans, having lost the fight over the shutdown and the debt ceiling, are dominating the national conversation over the size of government and the deficit which a lot of Americans see as our biggest problem even thought it is demonstrably wrong. Justin Wolfers, a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan and co-editor of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity joins us to discuss the Republican’s focus on deficits while ignoring the collapse of the Middle Class and the growing inequality as almost all of the economic gains go to the top 1%.