Seder on Sundays Blog

After 4 plus years, this Sunday's Seder on Sundays very well may be my last regular appearance on the Air America Radio schedule. I've been told that I am one of those being considered for the 3-6pm slot but, frankly, particularly in this economy, I'd advise you not to place a bet on it.

Anyway, I will remain and am very appreciative to AAR for letting me continue as the online editor for AirAmerica.com. We are building an important online component to progressive talk. That said,  I am confident this will not be the last opportunity for you to hear/watch me on political talk. 

I am proud of my work over the past four years, I started out as a pretty bad broadcaster but think I 've certainly become mediocre! Whether on the Majority Report, the SamSederShow or Seder On Sundays, my ratings have always been an improvement of the show that I have replaced or better than those that have replaced mine.

Some moments I am particularly proud of.. 

On the Majority Report, we gave now Senator Jim Webb his first national exposure when he was still a primary candidate during our Fighting Dem series we did with DailyKos.

I gave Ned Lamont his first national exposure before he declared for Senate in CT and he ultimately first "unofficially" declared his run with me on a Friday when I was filling in for Randi.

The time I got the right wing caller Dewey to cop to having some "feminization issues". 

My long talks with the disputed Senator of Florida Katherine Harriss. 

Today all new interviews with authors- pre recorded! Next week will be my last Sunday show. It will also be all new interviews (or mostly all new, not sure yet- regular listeners know I can't get enough of the Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein).  Anyway, I will probably jump on air live at the end of next week's show.

On the show today.

Christine Wicker - The Fall of the Evnagelical Nation: the Surprising Crisis
Inside the Church

Joel Kovel - The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the
World?

Mark Crispin Miller - Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy,
2000-2008

Ha-Joon Chang - Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of
Capitalism

Robert Auerbach - Deception and Abuse at the Fed: Henry B. Gonzalez Battles Alan
Greenspan's Bank

 Four great authors today.

Rick Perlstein's NixonLand is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. It also happens to be incredibly relevant. In many ways the era between 68- 73 lead us to where we are today

Rick Perlstein - Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of
America

Jeffrey Feldman weighs in on the violent nature of Right Wing Rhetoric.... Personally I think it reflects an organ deficiency ..if you know what I mean.

Jeffrey
Feldman - Outright Barbarous: How the Violent Language of the Right Poisons
American Democracy

This interview with Phillipe Sands was ran live last week when I was on 3-6pm. I spoke with Prof Sands the day before he testified before Congress on our Torture regime. I take some pride in this interview... I found some audio which I have neither seen nor heard anywhere else, of John McCain talking of his experience being tortured until he confessed to being a war criminal. Sands related hearing this audio in his testimony to Congress and On Bill Moyers show...nice feeling to know that the broader conversation can be influenced in this way. 

Philippe
Sands - Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values

The Panel:
Cliff Schecter Author of the Real McCain,
Glenn Greenwald and Christy Hardin Smith
Third hour:
David Novick, filmmaker on Burning the Future: Coal in America
and
Weekend Watchdog:
with Bill Scher

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watch on the SammYCam in effect here (lg) and here (small) small gives most users better stability

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Sam Seder interviews Sen. Feingold (D-WI) on secret law hearings