by Ed Schultz
medical tourism and, 76–77
Medicare, 44, 48, 66, 68, 71–72, 73–74, 75–76, 80, 81–82, 85, 86, 162, 196
pharmaceutical industry and, 75–76, 79–80, 86
Hegemon: China’s Plan to Dominate Asia and the World (Mosher), 115
Hightower, Jim, 1
Himmelstein, David, 74
Holman, Craig, 84
Hong Kong, 57
Hoover, Herbert, 25
housing market, 39
Huddy, Juliet, 45
Huffington Post, 140, 174, 180
Hughes, James, 152
Hurricane Katrina, 15
immigrants, 44, 106
immigrants, illegal, 103–13, 157, 158
health care and, 83, 84
income, 3, 45, 46, 109–10, 142, 184
India, 43, 44, 107, 111, 120, 132, 147, 160
Inequality.org, 3
infant mortality, 67
Inhofe, James, 125
Institute for Policy Studies, 158
insurance companies, 64–65, 67, 75, 77, 81–82, 86, 164, 183
International Center for Technology
Assessment, 34
International Labor Organization, 109, 147
International Trade Commission, 144
Internet:
media on, 180, 182
sales on, 171
Iran, 58, 62, 121, 132, 136, 138
Iraq War, 28, 30–33, 47, 50, 59, 62, 90, 121, 126–30, 135–36, 137, 163, 174, 175
Israel, 32, 137
Jackson, Andrew, 163
Japan, 57, 67, 117, 119, 120
jobs, see workers
Johnson, Alex, 57
Johnson, Lyndon, 69, 71
journalism, 177, 178, 180–82
Kaplan, Jeffrey, 185
Karzai, Hamid, 131–32, 189
Kennedy, Edward “Ted,” 46, 66
Kennedy, John F., 30
Kennedy, Robert F., 87
Kerry, John, 185, 187, 194
KFGO, 9
Klein, Joe, 170
KNDK, 2
Korea, 57, 62, 136, 143
Korean War, 30
Krugman, Paul, 117, 165–66
KTOX, 2
Landrieu, Mary, 85–86
Lay, Ken, 164
Lerner, Stephen, 41–42
Levi Strauss, 143–44
Libby, I. Lewis “Scooter,” 127
Lieberman, Joe, 69, 85
life expectancy, 67
Limbaugh, Rush, 1, 175
Lincoln, Abraham, 69, 197
Lincoln, Blanche, 85, 86
loans:
home, 39–40
small business, 153
student, 60–61
Los Angeles Times, 108, 121
Lovins, Amory B., 98
Lynch, Michael, 82
Macau, 67
McCaffrey, Barry, 111
McCain, John, 18–19, 125, 185
McGovern, George, 191
McNamara, Robert, 30
Madden, John, 12
Maher, Bill, 124
malpractice lawsuits, 82–83
Manlove, Kari, 102
Marshall, Joseph, III, 198
Massing, Michael, 176
Matthews, Chris, 128, 179, 197
Meacham, Jon, 72
media, 173–82
Medicaid, 44
Medicare, 44, 48, 66, 68, 71–72, 73–74, 75–76, 80, 81–82, 85, 86, 162, 196
Mexico, 43, 90, 111, 132, 143
drug wars in, 111–13
immigrants from, 104, 105, 106, 107, 109, 157
NAFTA and, 107, 110, 141
Meyers, Seth, 125
Meza, Santiago, 112
Miller, George, 46
Moaveni, Azadeh, 137
Moore, Michael, 163
Morici, Peter, 144, 145
Morning Joe, 64–65
mortgage business, 39–40
Mosher, Steven W., 115
Mother Jones, 180
MSNBC, 2, 9, 20, 22, 23, 64, 66, 128, 174, 176, 177, 178, 179, 193
MSNBC.com, 57
Mullen, Michael, 115
Multinational Monitor, 167
Murdoch, Rupert, 173, 181
Musk, Elon, 34
Nader, Ralph, 191
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), 107, 110, 141, 146
Nation, 180–81
National Commission on Children, 56
national debt, 28–29, 41, 47–48, 73–74, 162–63, 164
China and, 116–17
NATO, 31, 128, 133
Nelson, Ben, 86
net worth, 3
New America Foundation, 72, 74, 81
Newhouse, Joseph P., 76
News Corporation, 173
Newsweek, 41–42, 72, 122, 133, 136
New York Times, 5, 76, 95, 117, 143–44, 165
9/11, 15, 31, 32, 36–37, 59, 126, 130, 134
Nixon, Richard, 42, 80, 116, 125
North Dakota, 9–10, 49, 52, 94, 96
North Korea, 62, 136
nuclear weapons, 126, 136, 137, 138
Obama, Barack, 2, 4–5, 18, 19, 25, 29, 42, 46, 59, 60, 62, 65, 68, 69, 87, 101, 104, 105, 111, 112, 117, 124, 125, 126, 137, 146, 147, 153–54, 157, 175, 178, 183, 194–95, 196
al-Qaeda and, 133–34
Chinese tires and, 140, 146
Clinton and, 179
election of, 187, 188, 194
Fox News and, 176, 177
health care and, 64–65, 69, 70, 73
Iraq and Afghanistan and, 31–32, 128, 130, 132–33, 135
Nobel Peace Prize won by, 124–25
political appointments by, 190
Russia and, 138
stimulus package of, 25–27, 40–41, 62–63, 145, 163
O’Donnell, Lawrence, 177–78
oil, 33–35, 90–92, 95, 116, 121–22, 127, 145, 164, 166
Olbermann, Keith, 64
OPEC, 6, 34, 90, 91, 92
OpenSecrets.org, 85, 86
O’Reilly, Bill, 178
outsourcing, 45–46, 107–8, 141, 142, 147, 152, 157, 161
Packers and Stockyards Act, 53–54
Pakistan, 111, 129, 132, 133–34, 137, 147
Palestinians, 137
Palin, Sarah, 117
Patriot Act, 35–36, 37–38
Patton, 28–29
Paul, Ron, 30, 37–38
PBS NewsHour, 156
Pell Grants, 61
Perot, Ross, 110, 191
Petraeus, David, 135
Pew Research Center, 104, 106, 108
pharmaceutical industry, 75–76, 79–80, 86
Philadelphia Inquirer, 87
physical fitness, 77–78
Physicians for a National Health Program, 82
Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, 51
Ping, Lueo, 120
political action committees (PACs), 185
political parties, 190–91
Politico.com, 186
PolitiFact.org, 163
Portfolio, 40
poultry industry, 51–52
poverty, 45, 50, 56, 118
Progressive Foundation, 167
Progressive Policy Institute, 168–69
Project for the New American Century, 127
Project on Managing the Atom/Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, 36
Public Campaign Action Fund, 86
Ravitch, Diane, 58
R-CALF, 53
Reagan, Ronald, 3, 42, 47, 110, 159, 164, 179, 184
Medicare and, 71
taxes and, 170
ReclaimDemocracy.org, 185
Rector, Robert, 108
Reid, Harry, 16
retirement, 66, 152, 168–69
Ridge, Tom, 188
Rogers, Jim, 97
Rolling Stone, 69
Roosevelt, Franklin, 25, 26–27, 29, 40
Roosevelt, Theodore, 166, 185
Rosenweig, Cynthia, 99
Rove, Karl, 125
Rubin, Avi
, 188
Rumsfeld, Donald, 127, 129, 174
Russia, 62, 126, 136, 138–39
Rutherford Institute, 176
Saddam Hussein, 30, 135
Salk, Jonas, 79
Sanders, Bernie, 142, 147
San Francisco Chronicle, 36
Saturday Night Live, 125
Scarborough, Joe, 64
Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags, 143
Schultz, Wendy, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20–21, 23, 92
Schumacher, Herman, 53
Scott, George C., 28–29
Scripps Research Institute, 54
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 129
Seneda, Joseph, 152
September 11, 15, 31, 32, 36–37, 59, 126, 130, 134
Service Employees International Union, 41
Sevareid, Eric, 9
Shapiro, Robert, 167–68
Sheikh, Imran, 98
Shierholz, Heidi, 111
Shuster, David, 22–23
Sierra Club, 96, 99
Singapore, 57, 67, 68, 81
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, 20
60 Minutes, 97
small businesses, 153–55
Smith, Stephen A., 87
socialism, 14, 39, 42
health care and, 72, 73
social programs, 41, 43–44, 143, 196
Social Security, 27, 44, 48, 80, 108, 170, 196
South Korea, 143
Soviet Union, 31, 129, 131, 132, 138
Specter, Arlen, 46
Stabenow, Debbie, 16
Steele, Michael, 125
stem cell research, 79
Stewart, Jon, 180
Stiglitz, James, 163
Stiglitz, Joseph E., 33, 90
stock market, 159–61, 164, 165
Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 61
student loans, 60–61
Sudan, 121
Summers, Lawrence, 95, 154
Supreme Court, 185, 191
Switzerland, 68
Syngenta, 77–78
Taiwan, 57, 116
Take This Job and Ship It (Dorgan), 141
Taliban, 128, 131–32, 134–35
TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program), 25, 38–39, 62–63
Task Force on Middle Class Working Families, 153, 157
Tax Equality and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 170
taxes, 3, 6, 28, 32, 47, 48, 142, 143, 146, 158, 162–72
estate, 48–49, 169
flat, 167, 168
Internet and, 171
paid by corporations, 166–67
progressive, 167–68
Tax Reform Act, 167
term limits, 186, 189–90
terrorism, 62, 126, 127, 129, 131, 174
London bombings, 37–38
9/11, 15, 31, 32, 59, 126, 130, 134
1993 World Trade Center bombing, 36, 37
Tesla Motors, 34
textbooks, 57–58
Thoma, Mark, 41
Thornton, Joe, 11
Time, 132, 137, 170
tobacco industry, 78–79
Tofani, Loretta, 155–56
Toyota, 98
trade, 42–43, 54–55, 63, 115, 117–18, 119–20, 140–49, 152, 157
NAFTA and, 107, 110, 141, 146
trades, working in, 154–55
Turner, Ted, 181
Tyson Foods, 51, 53
unemployment, 43, 45, 109, 110–11, 118, 140–41, 142, 143, 149, 152, 163
unions, 27, 42, 44–47, 85, 106, 142, 147, 151–52, 155–59
campaign contributions by, 185, 186
teachers, 57
United Auto Workers (UAW), 46
United for a Fair Economy, 158
United Kingdom, 117, 120
USA Today, 57
Uzbekistan, 148
Vanden Heuvel, Katrina, 181
Ventura, Jesse, 189
veterans, 11, 13, 60
Vietnam, 143
Vietnam War, 11, 13, 30, 128, 131, 132, 177, 185
Voice of America, 110
Volcker, Paul, 42
voting, 187–89, 191, 195
WABC, 1
wages, 43, 45, 46, 50, 107, 109, 110, 142, 149, 155
freezing of, 42
minimum, 45
Wall Street bailout, 4, 38–42
Wall Street Journal, 77–78, 93, 110, 140
Walmart, 42–43, 45, 85, 115, 142, 143, 144, 171
Walsh, James, 36
war and national defense, 24, 29–38, 62, 115, 121, 125–26
Washington, University of, 54
Washington Post, 32, 61, 84, 100, 102, 137, 162
Washington Times, 138
wealth, 3, 47, 164–65, 166, 168, 169, 170, 184
Weinberg, Micah, 72
Whitehead, John, 176
WHO (World Health Organization), 52
Wolfowitz, Paul, 127
Woolhandler, Steffie, 74
workers, 147
children as, 147–48, 156, 161
outsourcing and, 45–46, 107–8, 141, 142, 147, 152, 157, 161
stock prices and, 160
unemployment and, 43, 45, 109, 110–11, 118, 140–41, 142, 143, 149, 152, 163
unions and, see unions
wages of, see wages
World Trade Center bombings:
of 1993, 36, 37
of 2001, 15, 31, 32, 36–37, 59, 126, 130, 134
World War II, 27, 29, 114, 145, 164
Wyden, Ron, 168
Zakaria, Fareed, 122, 136
Zandi, Mark, 111
Zazi, Najibullah, 37
Acknowledgments
Although the name on the cover of this book is mine, any project of this scope requires a team effort. It started with Will Balliett, who brought this project to Hyperion and placed it in the capable hands of my editor, Barbara Jones. Barbara, a woman of tremendous energy and vision, did a fantastic job of helping us improve the manuscript. I truly appreciated the enthusiasm for this project that I found at Hyperion. These aren’t people just looking to churn out another book—these are people who want their work to make a difference. They embraced my message and have worked hard to help me share it.
Special thanks goes to my agent Connie West, the consummate pro, for helping me navigate the literary world, and to my friend and collaborator, Tony Bender, the best writer I know, who did such a great job of helping me organize my thoughts into chapters.
An awful lot of this book originated in conversations with my producer James “Holmie” Holmes and my manager, Vern Thompson, whose research and political instincts are driving factors behind The Ed Schultz Show. I don’t know what I’d do without Vern and Holmie. They’re like loyal black Labs that never get tired of hunting, and if you know anything about me, you know that is high praise.
Vern is the former chairman of the Democratic Party in North Dakota and a former state legislator, and he brings with him remarkable political insight and an unreal work ethic. And Holmie? The man has a black belt in liberalism and has been so loyal he moved his family to New York to make sure somebody had my back. Holmie brings an idealist spirit and a brash energy to the operation.
We might be broadcasting our radio show in every major market in America, and we might have a national television show on MSNBC, but when it comes down to it, this is a mom-and-pop operation. My partner, producer, confidante, wife, and best friend is the amazing Wendy Schultz. She picks me up in the bad times, and she keeps me grounded in the good times. Wendy’s influence brings heart to the show. I wouldn’t be here without her.
ALSO BY
ED SCHULTZ
Straight Talk from the Heartland:
Tough Talk, Common Sense, and Hope
from a Former Conservative
Copyright
KILLER POLITICS. Copyright © 2010 Edward A. Schultz. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to
access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Hyperion e-books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schultz, Ed.
Killer politics: how big money and bad politics are destroying the great American middle class/Ed Schultz.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4013-2378-3
1. United States—Politics and government—2009– 2. United States—Politics and government—2001–2009. 3. United States—Economic conditions—2009– 4. United States—Economic policy—2009– 5. Fiscal policy—United States. I. Title.
E907.S38 2010
330.973—dc22
2010000177
FIRST EDITION
EPub Edition © April 2010 ISBN: 978-1-4013-9601-5
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