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Newport jazz festival this weekend on NPR; jazz and folk festival archived at NPR music

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:04:38 -0700

Great music on your radio and computer this week.
You can hear the jazz festival live later today and archived sets here
http://www.npr.org/music/newportjazz/index2.html

You can hear 30 concerts of great artists, streaming and for download, of folk and folk-rock artists like gillian welch, pete seeger, Fleet Foxes, Decembrists, etc from last weekend's Folk festival here:
http://www.npr.org/music/newportfolk/index2.html

Take a look at these sample artists:

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Best Iran news, blog, TV and Tweeter sites -- after you read Nico Pitney at HuffPost

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:57:00 -0700

You can open these websites in multiple browsers

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/iran-demonstrations-viole_n_215189.html

http://iran.twazzup.com/

http://iran.robinsloan.com/translate/

http://iran.robinsloan.com/

http://niacblog.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/iran-updates-june-22/

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/iran.elections/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8113552.stm

http://www.juancole.com/2009/06/guardianship-council-rules-out.html

http://twitter.com/persiankiwi

http://www.youtube.com/user/mightierthan -- perhaps best collection of Iran-related video on YouTube.

http://66.102.1.132/translate_c?hl=en&sl=fa&tl=en&u=http://balatarin.com/links/recent&prev=hp&rurl=translate.google.com&usg=ALkJrhiZ0Em_wm29QRs4-2vu2BXp7v0zRw

http://tehranbureau.com/iran-updates/

International TV including BBC, etc.: http://www.fomny.com/

http://iran.twazzup.com/?q=%23iranelection

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VINCENT GRAY DARES SEN. ENSIGN: RUN FOR DC COUNCIL!

Sat, 16 May 2009 00:47:00 -0700

By Art Levine
At a meeting of about 50 progressives Thusrday night at Busboys and Poets, DC Council Chair Vincent Gray lashed out at Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign, a key sponsor of the guns-gone-wild amendment sabogating DC voting rights in the Senate. Clearly beyond caring about ticking off powerful legislators, the nattily-dressed, somewhat nerdy, but still folksy Council Chairman said of Ensign, "I never heard of him before this -- and then they start coming out of the woodwork."

He then threw down a surprising, if joking, dare to the influential Senator: "Why don't you run for D.C. Council if you want to be all up in our business? I have no doubt he'd go down to a resounding defeat."

The council chairman, sitting on a stool on the Busboy and Poets backroom stage, was explaining the council's legislative priorities to activists invited by two independent progressive groups, DC for Democracy and DC Drinking Liberally. He started talking about the city's deepening budget crisis -- even reading from an in-depth Power Point handout (sample dull-but-worthy eye-glazer: "Current deficit aproximately $260M, before considering spending pressures that may add another $50-$60M" ) before DC for Democracy's chair Keshini Ladduwahetty politely interrupted him sooner than expected to invite questions from the audience. But his bitterness over the District's ongoing lack of voting rights for its citizens emerged frequently in biting off-the-cuff comments as he discussed several local issues with an aplomb and an in-depth knowledge that impressed the audience, although those soundbites could also serve as fodder for the city's right-wing critics.

Among the highlights:

When asked about the Mayor's proposed budget-saving through abandoning the Emancipation Day celebration, Gray remarked, "If we have to eliminate a holiday, let's eliminate Independence Day: We've got nothing to celebrate, we're not independent."

When a questioner prodded him about the need for eco-friendly street-cars Washington (a cause Gray supports), the audience member led up to the question by referring to "the capital of the greatest country on Earth" -- and Gray promptly snapped back, "What country is that?"

At another point, Gray, his frustration at Congress mounting, remarked, "Maybe we should consider civil disobedience." Pausing with expert comic timing, he added, "What are they going to do -- disenfranchise us?"

That was the sore point that always galled him. Near the end, he said, "Our country was founded on 'taxation without representation.' We are the only country in the free world with a capital without represetnation in the national legislative body."

And, Senator Ensign, he's still willing to take you on when you decide to quit the U.S Senate and run for City Council

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Where's the progressive activism to get a sound bank rescue plan?

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 01:28:00 -0700

    The Los Angeles Times reports about the new activism to pass Obama's budget.

     But there's no comparable coordinated action yet to improve the banking bailout schemes that many leading economists, notably Paul Kruman, the subject of this week's Newsweek cover, don't think will work. Tom Edsall interviews and quotes from leading progressive and pessimistic economists who disagree over whether Geithner's highly subsidized toxic assets plan can work. But even those who now, surprisingly, think it has the potential to work believe that insolvent banks should be nationalized:
"On his own blog,[Noriel] Roubini added a crucial warning: 'the Geithner plan is not an alternative to nationalization: insolvent banks should be nationalized and the Geithner plan should not apply to them. But solvent banks still need to have their toxic assets disposed of; and for these banks the Geithner plan provides a solution that - all in all - is better than the alternative.'"

        A former IMF economist has a grimmer view in the new Atlantic: Our banking institutions and self-serving elites have turned us into a banana republic, with taxpayers being the ultimate losers.

       James K. Galbraith in the new Washington Monthly has a historically well-informed look at why even the New Deal didn't get the banks lending again (it just kept them from collapsing), and why Geithner's new plans won't work,either -- and millions of Americans, especially senior citizens, are being left vulnerable to Great Depression-like privations as their stock portfolios and housing values plummet.

   He writes about the current economic meltdown:

       "In addition, some of the biggest banks are bust, almost for certain. Having abandoned prudent risk management in a climate of regulatory negligence and complicity under Bush, these banks participated gleefully in a poisonous game of abusive mortgage originations followed by rounds of pass-the-bad-penny-to-the-greater-fool. But they could not pass them all. And when in August 2007 the music stopped, banks discovered that the markets for their toxic-mortgage-backed securities had collapsed, and found themselves insolvent. Only a dogged political refusal to admit this has since kept the banks from being taken into receivership by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation—something the FDIC has the power to do, and has done as recently as last year with IndyMac in California...

  "A brief reflection on this history and present circumstances drives a plain conclusion: the full restoration of private credit will take a long time. It will follow, not precede, the restoration of sound private household finances. There is no way the project of resurrecting the economy by stuffing the banks with cash will work. Effective policy can only work the other way around.

hat being so, what must now be done? The first thing we need, in the wake of the recovery bill, is more recovery bills. The next efforts should be larger, reflecting the true scale of the emergency. There should be open-ended support for state and local governments, public utilities, transit authorities, public hospitals, schools, and universities for the duration, and generous support for public capital investment in the short and long term. To the extent possible, all the resources being released from the private residential and commercial construction industries should be absorbed into public building projects. There should be comprehensive foreclosure relief, through a moratorium followed by restructuring or by conversion-to-rental, except in cases of speculative investment and borrower fraud. The president’s foreclosure-prevention plan is a useful step to relieve mortgage burdens on at-risk households, but it will not stop the downward spiral of home prices and correct the chronic oversupply of housing that is the cause of that.

" Second, we should offset the violent drop in the wealth of the elderly population as a whole. The squeeze on the elderly has been little noted so far, but it hits in three separate ways: through the fall in the stock market; through the collapse of home values; and through the drop in interest rates, which reduces interest income on accumulated cash. For an increasing number of the elderly, Social Security and Medicare wealth are all they have.

" That means that the entitlement reformers have it backward: instead of cutting Social Security benefits, we should increase them, especially for those at the bottom of the benefit scale. Indeed, in this crisis, precisely because it is universal and efficient, Social Security is an economic recovery ace in the hole. Increasing benefits is a simple, direct, progressive, and highly efficient way to prevent poverty and sustain purchasing power for this vulnerable population. I would also argue for lowering the age of eligibility for Medicare to (say) fifty-five, to permit workers to retire earlier and to free firms from the burden of managing health plans for older workers.

" This suggestion is meant, in part, to call attention to the madness of talk about Social Security and Medicare cuts."

And what will the rest of us do about this crisis?

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The Atlantic on The Quiet Coup: How Bankers Seized America -- View of Krugman and Rolling Stone, too

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:42:00 -0700

This new Atlantic article by a financial insider shows how threatening the current banking/financial crisis is. It echoes points I quoted in my article on Geithner's banking plan -- a bailout well-received by Wall Street and Washington pundits, but not progressive or many centrist economists -- and the dangers and series of banking scams are vividly portrayed by Matt Tabbai's new Rolling Stone piece. Here's a link to my piece, written before Wall Street, joyous that taxpayers and not hedge funds will take virtually all the risks in buying up toxic assets, greeted the Geithner banking plan with an upswing in stock prices. His proposal later in the week to broaden overisght of the essentially unregulated non-banking institutions is long overdue, but won't be enough to stop the economic crisis. I also have added an angle about populist rage as boosting union political efforts:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/could-anger-at-aig-and-ge_b_177893.html

These views about the Geithner plan and the dangers of the current Wall Street-favored recovery plan are also echoed by Paul Krugman's commentaries. Krugman followed up late this week with a scathing look at the Obama administration's continuing faith in the magic of the marketplace:

It has become increasingly clear over the past few days that top officials in the Obama administration are still in the grip of the market mystique. They still believe in the magic of the financial marketplace and in the prowess of the wizards who perform that magic...

The market mystique didn’t always rule financial policy. America emerged from the Great Depression with a tightly regulated banking system, which made finance a staid, even boring business. Banks attracted depositors by providing convenient branch locations and maybe a free toaster or two; they used the money thus attracted to make loans, and that was that...

After 1980, of course, a very different financial system emerged. In the deregulation-minded Reagan era, old-fashioned banking was increasingly replaced by wheeling and dealing on a grand scale. The new system was much bigger than the old regime: On the eve of the current crisis, finance and insurance accounted for 8 percent of G.D.P., more than twice their share in the 1960s. By early last year, the Dow contained five financial companies — giants like A.I.G., Citigroup and Bank of America.

And finance became anything but boring. It attracted many of our sharpest minds and made a select few immensely rich.

Underlying the glamorous new world of finance was the process of securitization. Loans no longer stayed with the lender. Instead, they were sold on to others, who sliced, diced and puréed individual debts to synthesize new assets. Subprime mortgages, credit card debts, car loans — all went into the financial system’s juicer. Out the other end, supposedly, came sweet-tasting AAA investments. And financial wizards were lavishly rewarded for overseeing the process.

But the wizards were frauds, whether they knew it or not, and their magic turned out to be no more than a collection of cheap stage tricks. Above all, the key promise of securitization — that it would make the financial system more robust by spreading risk more widely — turned out to be a lie...

In essence, the administration seems to believe that once investors calm down, securitization — and the business of finance — can resume where it left off a year or two ago.

To be fair, officials are calling for more regulation. Indeed, on Thursday Tim Geithner, the Treasury secretary, laid out plans for enhanced regulation that would have been considered radical not long ago.

But the underlying vision remains that of a financial system more or less the same as it was two years ago, albeit somewhat tamed by new rules.

As you can guess, I don’t share that vision. I don’t think this is just a financial panic; I believe that it represents the failure of a whole model of banking, of an overgrown financial sector that did more harm than good. I don’t think the Obama administration can bring securitization back to life, and I don’t believe it should try.

Let's hope that a Nobel Prize winner and others are wrong. Noriel Roubini, though, "Dr. Doom," thinks it might work.

You can get an overview of previous explanatory journalism of how we got in this mess -- although the Rolling Stone piece is by far the most accessible and entertaining -- in my earlier round-up piece:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/7-trillion-meltdown-101-h_b_147285.html

Here's more information on the Atlantic article:

In the upcoming May issue of The Atlantic, former IMF economist Simon Johnson writes about the way the finance industry has effectively captured the US government. Johnson argues that the state of affairs is more typical of emerging markets, and that recovery will fail unless we break the financial oligarchy that is blocking essential reform.

He summarizes, “The conventional wisdom among the elite is still that the current slump ‘cannot be as bad as the Great Depression.’ This view is wrong. What we face now could, in fact, be worse than the Great Depression—because the world is now so much more interconnected and because the banking sector is now so big. We face a synchronized downturn in almost all countries, a weakening of confidence among individuals and firms, and major problems for government finances. If our leadership wakes up to the potential consequences, we may yet see dramatic action on the banking system and a breaking of the old elite. Let us hope it is not then too late.”

I invite you to read the full essay, now posted at http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200905/imf-advice.

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Economic Meltdown 101: How We Got Here and How We Might Dig Ourselves Out

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:07:00 -0800

Here are some basic primers on the economic crisis:

The most lively overview is Matt Taibbi's "The Big Takeover," mixing fresh reporting about corrupt decision-making by federal regulators and the shortsighted business and government actions that brought about our current crisis.

This preview of the film Heist is a short primer of the schemes that destroyed the economy in what Les Leopold dubs in his book "The Looting of America."

You can also go here to see some of the smartest recent articles here about how we're turning into a potential Banana Republic and why we could be facing a crisis as potentially severe as the Great Depression for certain groups, such as the elderly, in our society.

The federal government is committed to spending or guaranteeing $7.8 trillion -- more than the Vietnam war, the New Deal and the space program, and other federal initiatives combined -- -- to salvage the financial system.

This is the simplest presentation, with captioned pictures, one after the other of how the financial crisis unfolded:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1846697_1846700,00.html

The Associated Press reports how the Bush administration bowed to financial industry pressure to ignore warnings about the risk posed to the economy by "no money down" home loans. The headline is "Report: Banks torpedoed rules that could have saved them."

The Atlantic Monthly has a smart piece from Henry Blodgett, the disgraced Wall Street trader-turned-journalist, about the causes of the latest bubble and why Wall Street never learns from its mistakes.

A clear explanation of how Fannie Mae wasn't the primary cause of the subprime crisis, but unregulated private sector loans subsequently packaged by Wall Street, has been done by McClatchy:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/53802.html

"60 Minutes" does a strong job of explaining "The Bet That Blew Up Wall Street," the so-called "insurance" policies on risky mortgage-backed securities, also known as credit default swaps. This segment makes clear that anyone could purchase these "swaps" as side-bets in a wild gambling spree that caused the country's major financial institutions to tumble.

If you listen to this presentation from This American Life, or skim the transcript, it can bring home the issues pretty clearly and in a personalized way exploring those involved all along the line, from a defaulting homeowner to a Wall Street investment banker:

http://www.thislife.org/radio_episode.aspx?episode=355

Then here's a well-written lively overview in layman's terms:

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1842123,00.html

A video presentation of subprime mortgages, by PBS:, with props and an effort to make it clear:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec07/subprime_08-30.html

Paul Solman also uses simple cartoon images and other props to explain the screwy world of "credit default swaps" -- insurance policies on risky securities composed of risky subprime loans. Much of the world's leading economic institutions invested in assorted financial instruments that were built on the sand of risk loans -- and no one factored in falling house prices as even a possibility.

Newsweek explains how credit default swaps became "The Monster That Ate Wall Street"

This is a handy mix of captioned pargraphs, with charts underneath, explaining how we got in this mess:

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/09/16/business/16primer.span.ready.html

Here's a detailed look in The New York Times how each deregulating or short-sighted institution and key player failed the public and the economy. Everybody with real power got it wrong, or did the wrong thing; others who tried to do the right thing were ignored or marginalized as greed and ideology triumphed:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/series/the_reckoning/index.html

Brad DeLong summarizes the major mistakes the country's leading economists made -- with few exceptions -- in ignoring the warning signs of a troubled economy and a housing bubble that would soon burst. He asks leading economists to issue a mea culpa. He acknowledges, despite his prescient analysis pointing to a major economic downturn, that even he couldn't predict just how irresponsible, reckless and clueless the private financial institutions and government regulators proved to be.

This is a crisply written, anecdotal three-part series on the collapse of the subprime mortgage market and how it brought down Lehman brothers, chronicled in The Washington Post in the "Bubble" series:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/creditcrisis/

The Washington Post brings this up-to-date with a look at the failed regulation of shady thrifts such as Countrywide as they made increasingly risky loans without the capital to back them up in the case of failure.

In the last month or so:

Michael Lewis takes us inside the world of those few analysts who realized what a flimsy house of mortgage-related cards the greedheads in the financial institutions had built their wealth on, how it was going to come crashing down, and few people in power bothered to listen, although a few of those analysts made money on the pending crash by "selling short". It's so long it's worth buying the magazine for it, but it's only for those who want a long narrative.

From a top-down perspective, read this balanced but still critical look in the New Yorker at the way federal officials, especially Ben Bernanke, handled the exploding crisis over the last few years.

Now, we've learned that the global economic crisis will foment third-world instability, failed states and more terrorism. That's another side effect of GOP-led greed and deregulation run amok. That, plus the failed war in Iraq, is all part of George Bush's legacy.

SOLUTIONS, RESOURCES FOR REFORM AND MONITORING THE CRISIS

You can keep up on economic news from a progressive perspective with Brad DeLong, among others, here:

http://delong.typepad.com/ And you can hear his explanation of our current crisis , the underlying shakiness of the economy, and why major domestic spending initiatives shouldn't be put off , heard in the second half hour of the "D'Antoni and Levine" radio show here, starting at 44 minutes, from mid-October:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/HeadingLeft/tomandart/2008/10/16/DAntoni-Levine

NPR's Planet Money (useful if "objective") is also informative:, plus a daily podcast posted online:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/planet_money_podcast/

That's how we got here, and let's hope our new leadership can dig us out.

How to get out of this mess? Read Paul Krugman , Brad DeLong, Campaign for America's Future, and the Center for American Progress for some sound ideas.

And, in the opening segments of his 60 Minutes interview, President-elect Obama explains what ought to be done to help homeowners, the economy and the auto industry:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4608198n

Finally, Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman explains what to do about the current debt and economic crisis in a recent New York Review of Books.

-- Art Levine

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Music Maven David Dennie's favorite NPR live concerts: Part II

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:29:00 -0800

Here's another installment of David Dennie's NPR live in concert series:

Lovers of jazz, folk, blues, rock and singer-songwriter genres will find something to like in this list of the best of NPR's Live Music shows, hand-selected by music buff and librarian David Dennie, drawing largely from the archives on the

http://www.npr.org/music/ site. I've also posted this list at my blog-by-email website:

http://artnews.posterous.com/ so you can bookmark it in your "favorites" section in your Web browser for easy access.

If you don't find anyone you like on this list, I'd be surprised

Thursday, May 24, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Stefon Harris Quartet in Concert in New York

May 24, 2007

Vibraphonist Stefon Harris' new album African Tarantella: Dances with Duke features music from Duke Ellington's 1970 "The New Orleans Suite" and "The Queen's Suite." Harris' Quartet performs those songs well as his own compositions in a full concert recorded for JazzSet.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Creators at Carnegie

The Joshua Redman Trio

May 26, 2007

Saxophonist Joshua Redman has been the darling of jazz critics for more than a decade. With bassist Reuben Rogers and percussionist Ali Jackson Jr., he performs an improvisational set of bebop, blues and Broadway at Zankel Hall.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Brit Folk Legend Richard Thompson in Concert

June 22, 2007

Richard Thompson has been making inspired music for forty years. A guitar virtuoso, early innovator of the British folk-rock movement, and one of the era's finest songwriters, his distinctive style as an artist has influenced two generations of musicians and poets.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Femi Kuti in Concert

July 13, 2007

A veritable superstar in his native Nigeria, Femi Kuti is the standard bearer for Afro-beat, the blend of American jazz and funk with African percussion and vocals pioneered by his father, Fela Kuti in the 1970s. Hear Femi Kuti recorded live in concert from Washington, D.C.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Christian McBride Band at the Kennedy Center

August 2, 2007

Fun-loving, strong-willed bassist Christian McBride can play anything he wants, and he likes to "mess with the jazz fans." McBride performs with his band at the Kennedy Center in concert recorded by JazzSet.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Dee Dee Bridgewater at the Kennedy Center

August 9, 2007

Christian McBride is guest host as Dee Dee Bridgewater takes the stage on JazzSet at the 2006 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Trombonist Sarah Morrow opens the show. Hear the concert recorded by JazzSet.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Big River Concert at Chicago's Symphony Center

August 16, 2007

This JazzSet is the second of two "Big River" concerts, both organized by pianist Peter Martin (pictured). The music flowed and so did the money for flood relief. This program present a New Orleans style musical embrace with Ellis Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Victor Goines, Herlin Riley and others.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Distinguished Crooner Nick Lowe, in Solo Concert

September 17, 2007

A sharp-witted English singer-songwriter, Lowe has been making music for more than 30 years, first as a pub rocker and later as a new-wave innovator and country-rock singer. Now a distinguished crooner, Lowe performs a full concert from Alexandria, VA.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Rilo Kiley in Concert

September 26, 2007

The hauntingly soulful voice of singer Jenny Lewis has drawn legions of fans to the L.A. band Rilo Kiley. Now on tour in support of Under the Blacklight, Rilo Kiley visits Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club for a full concert, originally webcast live on NPR.org Sept. 26.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

The Music of Don Byas Featuring James Carter

September 27, 2007

In the 1940s, saxophonist Don Byas (1912-1972) was a pivotal player, but he's no longer well known. James Carter brings back Byas's glorious sound, in a tribute with the Jazzorchestra of the Concertgebouw recorded live at the 2006 North Sea Jazz Festival.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Live Fridays From XPN

Loudon Wainwright III in Concert

October 5, 2007

A singer-songwriter who injects his music with wry humor and piercing insight, Wainwright has recorded more than 20 albums while frequently composing work for other artists. Hear Wainwright perform a concert from WXPN and World Café Live in Philadelphia.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Nellie McKay in Concert

October 26, 2007

Born in London and raised in Harlem, 25-year-old Nellie McKay has already carved out a name for herself as a singer, songwriter, musician, actress and comedian. Hear McKay perform a concert from WXPN and World Café Live in Philadelphia.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

The New Pornographers

October 27, 2007

With stunning vocals from Neko Case and playfully cerebral narratives from songwriters Dan Bejar and A.C. Newman, the Canadian band is virtually peerless in the world of power-pop and indie-rock. The band gives a full concert, recorded live from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Wallace Roney at the Kennedy Center Jazz Club

November 1, 2007

Near the end of Miles Davis' career, he gave young Wallace Roney the gift of a trumpet. That blue horn — yes, silvery blue — has engaged in a lot of serious music-making, first with Davis and now with Roney as a solo act. Hear a concert performance captured by JazzSet.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Max Roach Memorial Show

November 15, 2007

On May 24, 1987, Max Roach performed solo and with two groups in the performance studio of WBGO. Wearing a silk suit with rolled-up sleeves, he wowed the listening audience with his precise and melodic drumming. Hear the late, great drummer perform on JazzSet.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Jimmy Heath's 80th Birthday Concert

December 6, 2007

A gifted arranger and composer whose originals include "C.T.A." and "Gingerbread Boy," Heath has written charts for Chet Baker and Art Blakey. Heath cut his teeth in big bands with Dizzy Gillespie and Howard McGhee, and in this concert from the Blue Note, he's got his own.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Live Fridays From XPN

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings in Concert

December 14, 2007

The funk/soul band mixes percussion, trumpets, guitars, organs and bass, but its key ingredient is Jones' incredibly soulful voice. The group expertly emulates classic '60s and '70s funk. Hear the band perform a concert from WXPN and the Fillmore at the TLA in Philadelphia.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

McCoy Tyner in Concert from Yoshi's

December 27, 2007

In terms of integrity, Tyner is the same pianist today as he was with John Coltrane in the '60s. Tyner plays with color, like a big abstract painting, and dances with rhythm. Hear a concert recorded at Yoshi's in Oakland, Calif., with special guest Joe Lovano.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Toast of the Nation

Danilo Perez in Concert

January 2, 2008

From Berklee College of Music in Boston, pianist Danilo Perez unveils the radio premiere of "The Panama Suite," a rollicking, percussive work for trio and big band. Perez composed the work in celebration of his native country.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Spotlight on Country

Legendary Folk Artist Doc Watson in Concert

January 27, 2008

Hear legendary flatpicker and singer of traditional folk Doc Watson recorded live in concert from Alexandria, Va.'s Birchmere Music Mall. Originally webcast live on NPR.org Jan. 27, Watson was joined by banjo player David Holt and Doc's grandson, Richard Watson.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Spotlight on Country

The Blind Boys of Alabama in Concert

January 28, 2008

Since forming in Alabama nearly 70 years ago, the Blind Boys of Alabama have built a reputation as the country's preeminent gospel group. The group, which still features original members Jimmy Carter and Clarence Fountain, offers an evening of spirited music, recorded live from WFUV and New York's Cutting Room club.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Concerts

Hugh Masekela at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival

February 14, 2008

Hugh Masekela devoted the prime of his life to the struggle of his lifetime –- ending apartheid in South Africa. Short in stature but great in presence, Masekela has that spark that continues to engage us. Masekela's band performs a concert at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Live Fridays From XPN

Joe Jackson, Recorded Live in Concert

April 4, 2008

For 30 years, the English singer-songwriter has helped define and redefine pop, rock, alternative, and new-wave music, when he's not delving extensively into classical composition. Hear Jackson perform a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Kate Nash, Recorded Live in Concert

April 18, 2008

Though still only 20, English singer-songwriter Kate Nash has already topped numerous European pop charts and attracted massive buzz in the U.S. Her debut album, Made of Bricks, is full of sweetly infectious pop music, propelled by Nash's thick accent and effervescent personality. Hear Nash in concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Lou Reed in Concert

By Bob Boilen

May 6, 2008

Hear the legendary rock artist recorded live, in a full concert from Asbury Park's Paramount Theatre in New Jersey. Lou Reed performed for more than a hour and a half, featuring work from throughout his catalog, including "Sweet Jane" from The Velvet Underground, more recent work like "Guardian Angel" from The Raven and a new song called "Power of the Heart."

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Live at the Village Vanguard

Al Foster Quartet: Live at the Village Vanguard

May 21, 2008

The master drummer, a longtime anchor of Miles Davis' electric experiments, brings his versatile timekeeping and a hard-swinging group to the legendary basement venue. Hear a live performance from New York City.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Concerts

Urban Verbs in Concert

By Bob Boilen

May 23, 2008

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares a remembrance of a band he says changed his life: Urban Verbs. Boilen first heard the group while living in Washington, D.C. in the late '70s, where the band got its start, and helped create a thriving music scene in the nation's capital. Urban Verbs are reuniting for a full concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., a club they first played more than a quarter century ago.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Neko Case from Walt Disney Concert Hall

June 6, 2008

As a singer for The New Pornographers, Case belts artful tunes with one of the most powerful and seductive voices in rock. Her solo work is steeped more in bittersweet country and gospel. Case brings the best of both in a full concert, webcast live on NPR.org from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Friday, June 13, 2008

James Hunter in Concert

June 13, 2008

Three discs into his career, James Hunter released his 2006 album People Gonna Talk to an international audience, earning a Grammy nomination in the process. Hunter has come a long way from his beginnings on a London street corner two decades ago. Hear Hunter perform a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Live at the Village Vanguard

Brian Blade: Live at the Village Vanguard

June 18, 2008

Widely recognized as one of the finest drummers in modern jazz — or in all of popular music, for that matter — Blade leads his celebrated Fellowship Band, fresh off their first new recording in eight years. Hear the band on the famed underground stage.

Friday, June 20, 2008

For Senor Blues: A Horace Silver Tribute

June 20, 2008

Silver's soulful, Latin-tinged hard bop tunes implanted themselves into the heads of jazz fans everywhere. So bassist Christian McBride drew together many of Silver's former colleagues and a handful of all-star musicians to salute the great pianist.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Tiny Desk Concerts

Sam Phillips: Tiny Desk Concert

By Bob Boilen

June 25, 2008

The music of Sam Phillips unfolds like perfect, miniature pop dramas. Her new album, Don't Do Anything, is loaded with great ones. Of all her incarnations as a performer — first as a Christian singer, then as a pop singer — the current Sam Phillips is one of the most alluring. On this Tiny Desk performance, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen, Phillips performs four songs from her latest CD.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Concerts

Joe Lovano and Mike Stern in Concert

June 26, 2008

Two artists in prime musical condition, in terms of both careers and chops, play outdoors and back to back at the J&R Music Festival in New York. This program is dedicated to Lovano's longtime friend and bandmate, Dennis Irwin, who died earlier this year.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Uri Caine Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard

July 1, 2008

A progressive musical polymath famed for his abundant improvisational skills and mutated reinventions of classical repertoire, the pianist and composer kick-starts his acoustic jazz trio. Hear the band perform live from New York.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Jose Gonzalez in Concert with Argentina's Juana Molina and Psapp

July 1, 2008

Intimate, acoustic folk meets experimental electronica in a night of music, featuring Juana Molina, Jose Gonzalez and Psapp, originally webcast live on NPR.org July 1 from WXPN in Philadelphia.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Legends Play 'Jazz in Our Time'

July 3, 2008

Last March, more than 30 lifelong jazz musicians were celebrated at the Kennedy Center for their contributions to a unique art form. JazzSet presents a recording of the concert companion to the awards ceremony, featuring Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, and more.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Mountain Stage

Kelly Willis: The Return Of New Traditions

July 10, 2008

A long-time standard-bearer of contemporary country music, Willis has made herself scarce in recent years while raising her family. But the singer-songwriter returned in 2007 with a new album and a tour stop at Mountain Stage.

Friday, July 11, 2008

McCoy Tyner: A Walking Spirit In Concert

July 11, 2008

He cut his teeth with the John Coltrane classic quartet of the '60s, and spent the following decades securing his own legend. The jazz piano giant, known for his muscular and percussive attack, performs solo and with his own quartet in Los Angeles.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Dar Williams In Concert

July 11, 2008

A Lilith Fair veteran and New England folk-pop mainstay, Dar Williams continues to make achingly personal, liltingly sweet, sardonically smart music a decade and a half into her recording career. Hear Williams perform a set of new material, recorded live in concert from WXPN and Wiggins Park in Philadelphia.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Mountain Stage

Rory Block: Delta Sounds Of Today

July 15, 2008

Raised in the folk community of New York's Greenwich Village, the guitarist has spent her career in music perserving the Southern acoustic blues traditions of predecessors such as Son House and Robert Johnson.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Trumpet Talk: Jon Faddis At Jazz Standard

July 17, 2008

Whether blaring to the stratosphere or holding back to fit a room, Jon Faddis' trumpet is always in conversation. Faddis is a personal hero to many aspiring trumpeters. Here, he performs at Jazz Standard in New York with his quartet and guest percussionists from West Africa.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Glitter And Doom: Tom Waits In Concert

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Music Maven David Dennie's Hand-Picked list: Best of NPR Live Concerts

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:19:00 -0800

BEST OF NPR IN CONCERT:

http://www.npr.org/music/ site. I've also posted this list at my blog-by-email website:

http://artnews.posterous.com/ so you can bookmark it in your "favorites" section in your Web browser for easy access.

If you don't find anyone you like on this list, I'd be surprised:

FAVORITE Concerts from npr, 6/4/04 – 10/28/08

Friday, June 4, 2004

Creators at Carnegie

Emmylou Harris at Carnegie Hall

June 4, 2004

One of country music's most beloved performers, Emmylou Harris performs with her touring band Spyboy. She's also joined on several numbers by singers Julie Miller, Patty Griffin, and Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

Monday, July 19, 2004

Creators at Carnegie

Friends of Emmylou

July 19, 2004

Hear music from a week of Zankel Hall concerts dedicated to friends of Emmylou Harris, including Patty Griffin, husband-and-wife songwriters Buddy and Julie Miller, guitarist Steve Earle and singing siblings Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

Saturday, February 5, 2005

Creators at Carnegie

Sam Phillips, Unplugged

February 5, 2005

Critics call her "alluring" and "utterly enchanting." At Carnegie Hall, Sam Phillips delights her audience with her own songs of love and heartbreak. The Section String Quartet and Phillips' own band join her in an unplugged performance.

Saturday, March 5, 2005

Creators at Carnegie

Bill Frisell and the Intercontinentals

March 5, 2005

Jazz guitarist and band leader Bill Frisell is the focus of our third show. The former "house guitarist" for pioneering German modern jazz label ECM, Frisell has worked with artists as varied as Elvis Costello, John Zorn and classical composer Gavin Bryars.

Sunday, August 7, 2005

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Lucinda Williams Previews New Music in Concert

August 7, 2005

Hear a full concert online by Lucinda Williams from the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. Williams' full performance originally Web cast live on NPR.org as the latest in a series of live concerts from NPR Music's All Songs Considered.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Creators at Carnegie

Brian Wilson's 'Smile'

August 23, 2005

In the late 1960s, Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson began work on an ambitious album called Smile. Almost four decades later, the album has been released. Creators at Carnegie presents a 2 hour live recording of Brian Wilson performing songs from Smile and Beach Boys' favorites.

Monday, September 5, 2005

Studio Sessions

Richard Thompson, Back to the 'Front Parlour'

By David Dye

September 5, 2005

Richard Thompson grew up in post-war Britain, listening to Les Paul and Django Reinhardt. Known for his exceptional guitar work, Thompson's latest release, Front Parlour Ballads, is his first solo acoustic album in more than 20 years.

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Sinead O'Connor Finds New Roots in Jamaica

December 6, 2005

Once one of pop music's most distinctive and controversial stars, Sinead O'Connor returns for a night of Jamaican roots music with reggae legends Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, recorded live at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

Friday, February 3, 2006

Live Fridays From XPN

From XPN: Rosanne Cash in Concert

February 3, 2006

Country singer Rosanne Cash visits the World Cafe Live stage in Philadelphia for a midday concert. Her entire performance originally webcast live on NPR.org Feb. 3. It's the latest in a series of Friday live concerts from member station WXPN.

Friday, April 28, 2006

Live Fridays From XPN

James Hunter in Concert

April 28, 2006

A street corner in London's Camden Town region would seem an unlikely place to find an outpost of American soul music. But that's where James Hunter was discovered, singing 1950s harmonies in a smooth style. Hear him recorded live in concert from Philadelphia.

Friday, June 30, 2006

Live Fridays From XPN

They Might Be Giants in Concert

June 30, 2006

For more than 20 years, the alt-rock duo They Might Be Giants has been playing clever and contagious music for fans of all ages. Winning over college campuses and preschools simultaneously, TMBG has never compromised the quirky lyrics and eclectic sound for which it's loved.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Live Fridays From XPN

Barenaked Ladies in Concert

September 15, 2006

For more than 15 years, the Canadian pop-rock band Barenaked Ladies has spread its wry, playful pop sound across North America and beyond, in the process attracting a devoted fan base, releasing seven studio albums, selling out tours and even launching an independent record label.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Regina Spektor in Concert

October 3, 2006

Regina Spektor makes quirky, artfully orchestrated music with hip-hop rhythms, inspired pop melodies and the passion of punk rock. Hear Spektor recorded live in concert from the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Live Fridays From XPN

John Gorka in Concert

October 13, 2006

Gorka's music demonstrates an easy melodic sensibility: Nothing is contrived or overproduced. His work is built around little more than his unmistakable voice and the simple, clean sounds of his guitar. Gorka performs a solo set from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

The Blue-Eyed Soul of Jenny Lewis

October 16, 2006

Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis has a hauntingly soulful voice. Her latest CD, Rabbit Fur Coat is inspired by her lifelong love for folk, country and Southern gospel, with beautifully crafted story songs. Hear Lewis in a full concert recorded live from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

Friday, November 3, 2006

Live Fridays From XPN

Joan Osborne in Concert

November 3, 2006

Over the course of her nearly two-decade career, singer/songwriter Joan Osborne has gone from relative obscurity to Lilith Fair mainstay to venerated cult act. Combining rootsy, folk-driven Americana with blues, rock, and pop, Osborne's music has a peculiar quality of seeming familiar and original at the same time.

Sunday, November 5, 2006

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

The Black Keys, Black Angels in Concert

November 5, 2006

The Black Angels and The Black Keys make raw, fuzz-filled riff-rock in the spirit of classic '60s and early '70s metal bands. Hear both acts in two full concerts, recorded live from Washington, D.C.

Monday, November 6, 2006

Concerts

Paul Simon in Concert from Philadelphia, WXPN

November 6, 2006

Widely regarded one of America's finest poets and songwriters, Paul Simon continues to make inspired music for a vast audience of fans and critics, in an acclaimed career that began in the 1950s. Now on tour, Simon recently performed at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia. Hear the full show.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Concerts

James Brown in Concert

December 26, 2006

The Godfather of Soul digs into his vast catalog of hit songs for a night of music, recorded live in concert from the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. This program was originally webcast on NPR.org Dec. 28, 2005, as part of NPR Music's live online concert series with All Songs Considered.

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Toast of the Nation

McCoy Tyner in Concert

January 4, 2007

Co-produced by NPR and WBGO, Toast of the Nation presents McCoy Tyner with saxophonist Joe Lovano at Yoshi's in Oakland, California. The quartet includes Christian McBride on bass and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums.

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Bobby Watson in Concert

January 4, 2007

NPR and WBGO's "Toast of the Nation" features a never-aired show from alto saxophonist Bobby Watson's Kansas City Jump Band at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Also on the bill: a tribute to pianist Jay "Hootie" McShann (1916-2006), the last of the great Kansas City players.

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Toast of the Nation

Karrin Allyson in Concert

January 4, 2007

Performing at the Kansas City Repertory Theater, Allyson and her band radiate down-to-earth Midwesternness in this command performance. Allyson's CD, Footprints, topped the jazz radio charts for seven weeks this past summer.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Erin McKeown in Concert

January 26, 2007

A gifted singer/songwriter with a deft touch on the guitar, mandolin, piano and banjo, McKeown calls herself a mix between Django Reinhardt and G. Love. But even that description only scratches the surface of her music's sly lyrics and rip-roaring swing.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Songwriter's Summit With Lyle Lovett

January 26, 2007

Guy Clark, Joe Ely, John Hiatt, and Lyle Lovett are four singer-songwriters who straddle folk and country music. On this program, they share some of their favorite new songs and old standards, slipping in a few tributes to the city of Los Angeles, home to the Disney Concert Hall.

Friday, February 2, 2007

Minimalist Jukebox: Steve Reich

February 2, 2007

The propulsive, rhythmic music of pioneering minimalist composer Steve Reich is represented by two major works: his Three Movements for Orchestra, which showcases the LA Philharmonic's percussion section; and Tehillim, his classic setting of Hebrew psalms, sung by Synergy Vocals.

Friday, February 9, 2007

Patty Griffin in Concert

February 9, 2007

Ever since she began her career as an acoustic singer-songwriter in the early '80s, Patty Griffin has specialized in sweet, smart ballads with shades of blues, pop, folk and country. Griffin performs a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Friday, March 9, 2007

Live Fridays From XPN

Mary Chapin Carpenter in Concert

March 9, 2007

Carpenter's music is often classified as country, for lack of a more accurate term. In reality, the multiple Grammy winner blends folk, rock and country, all intertwined with her own original melodies and lyrics. Carpenter performs a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Live Fridays From XPN

North Mississippi Allstars in Concert

March 23, 2007

The members of the North Mississippi Allstars have crafted a style they call "world boogie" — an energetic blend of Mississippi country-blues, modern rock and even hip-hop. They perform in concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Crazy Cool: Nellie McKay in Concert

March 27, 2007

Nellie McKay is a singer-songwriter known for her distinctive mix of jazz vocals and torch singing with cabaret pop, rock and a rap-inspired rants. Hear McKay in a full concert recorded live from Alexandria, VA.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Iggy Pop and the Stooges in Concert

April 5, 2007

Forty years after the band first formed in Ann Arbor, MI, The Stooges and their inexhaustibly explosive frontman Iggy Pop have returned with a new album. The Weirdness is the group's first new material since 1973's Raw Power. Reunited and back on tour, The Stooges visit Washington, D.C. for a full concert, originally webcast live on NPR.org.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Lily Allen in Concert with The Bird and The Bee

April 8, 2007

Lily Allen is Britain's most addictive pop artist with dizzying melodies and lyrics that are as comical as they are biting. Now on tour for her multi-million selling album Alright, Still, Allen performs at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. in a full concert, originally webcast live on NPR.org.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Live in Concert from All Songs Considered

Low with Loney, Dear in Concert

April 10, 2007

The music of Low is dark and mysteriously haunting with a sonic depth that radiates well beyond its brooding, spare arrangements. The band showcases its new album, Drums and Guns in a full concert, with the opening act Loney, Dear, from Washington, D.C.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Dee Dee Bridgewater's 'Red Earth' in Concert

April 24, 2008

Mali is home to a vibrant music scene that draws fans from all over the world. When jazz vocalist and JazzSet host Dee Dee Bridgewater visited the West African country, she immediately took to its culture and music. Hear a concert that celebrates her mix of jazz with Malian sounds.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Benny Golson All-Stars and Joe Zawinul in Concert

May 10, 2007

From the 2006 North Sea Jazz Festival, saxophonist Benny Golson leads an all-star jam in honor of trumpet legend Clifford Brown. Keyboard synthesist Joe Zawinul, performing with the WDR Big Band, revisits the pioneering 1970s fusion collective Weather Report. Listen to both concerts recorded by JazzSet.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Terence Blanchard in Concert at Jazz Fest

May 17, 2007

Terence Blanchard was born in New Orleans — a place where it means something to take up the trumpet. The trumpeter honors the legacy of jazz legend Louis Armstrong at the 2007 University of Michigan Jazz Festival recorded by JazzSet.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

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today's radio show online/video segment

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:52:38 -0800

Here's the latest on the Obama victory: My show and Maddow's show.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#27564142

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tomandart

Art Levine
202-248-9320

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How Palin's Church Shaped Her Scary World-View

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:19:33 -0700

How much of Palin's views of policy and religion come from her church? Huffington Post offers a round-up of troubling findings here:

Three months before she was thrust into the national political spotlight, Gov. Sarah Palin was asked to handle a much smaller task: addressing the graduating class of commission students at her one-time church, Wasilla Assembly of God.

Her speech in June provides as much insight into her policy leanings as anything uncovered since she was asked to be John McCain's running mate.

Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Religion, however, was not strictly a thread in Palin's foreign policy. It was part of her energy proposals as well. Just prior to discussing Iraq, Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.

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Fact-Checking Palin: Will the Public Buy Her Claims?

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:43:29 -0700

The AP looks at some her biggest whoppers and stretches of the truth in her big speech:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

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Palin's Rev. Wright problem: "Jews for Jesus" preacher blames Jews' "unbelief" for terrorism

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:32:00 -0700

Palin's extremist evangelical church could pose problems with moderates and Jewish voters. Politico reports:

But Democrats hope Palin’s social conservatism, her paper-thin record on Israel, and — perhaps most importantly — her cultural roots in evangelical Christianity may be a major turnoff to Jewish voters, just as Republicans have tried to reach women disappointed that Obama didn’t choose Hillary Clinton,

Democrats have already begun to to capitalize on the choice of Palin — over Jewish Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman — in South Florida and elsewhere. A prominent Obama backer, Florida Rep. Robert Wexler, has attacked Palin for appearing at a 1999 event with Pat Buchanan — who has attacked the influence of the Israeli lobby in America. And the same factors that are rallying the evangelical base to Palin may push away the Jews.

“There is almost always an inverse proportion between a candidate's popularity among conservative Christians and secular Jews,” said Jeff Ballabon, a Republican lobbyist long active in Jewish politics who supports McCain.

An illustration of that gap came just two weeks ago, when Palin’s church, the Wasilla Bible Church, gave its pulpit over to a figure viewed with deep hostility by many Jewish organizations: David Brickner, the executive director of Jews for Jesus.

Palin’s pastor, Larry Kroon, introduced Brickner on Aug. 17, according to a transcript of the sermon on the church’s website.

“He’s a leader of Jews for Jesus, a ministry that is out on the leading edge in a pressing, demanding area of witnessing and evangelism,” Kroon said.

Brickner then explained that Jesus and his disciples were themselves Jewish.

“The Jewish community, in particular, has a difficult time understanding this reality,” he said.
Brickner’s mission has drawn wide criticism from the organized Jewish community, and the Anti-Defamation League accused them in a report of “targeting Jews for conversion with subterfuge and deception.”

Brickner also described terrorist attacks on Israelis as God's "judgment of unbelief" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.

"Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. It's very real. When [Brickner's son] was in Jerusalem he was there to witness some of that judgment, some of that conflict, when a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment — you can't miss it."

Palin was in church that day, Kroon said, though he cautioned against attributing Brickner’s views to her.

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Palin's No Reformer: A Round-Up of Ethical Questions

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:45:38 -0700

Talking Points Memo pulls together the factual record that raises doubts about her "reformist" credentials:

To be sure, Palin's claims to be a reformer aren't toally without merit. Before becoming governor, she went after the state GOP chair, Randy Ruedrich, for doing work for the party on public time and working closely with a company he was supposed to be regulating. She also filed a formal complaint against Attorney General Gregg Renkes for having investments in an energy company that stood to benefit from a state trade deal. Both Ruedrich and Renkes ultimately resigned their posts, and Ruedrich paid a $12,000 fine.

But let's look at the other side of the ledger. Both as mayor of Wasilla and as governor, Palin has aggressively sought federal earmarks, and has a friendlier relationship with indicted GOP senator Ted Stevens than one would expect for a good-government crusader. She has fired employees who she sees as disloyal. And, in a move reminiscent of the Bush-Cheney White House, she has stonewalled legitimate efforts by the legislature to uncover the truth in the Trooper-Gate affair.

Here's a sampling of reports that complicate Palin's reformist credentials:

Last year, Palin requested more earmarks per person than any other state -- including some that were criticized by McCain himself.
Even as mayor of Wasilla, Palin's pursuit of earmarks was aggressive. She oversaw the hiring of a Washington lobbyist -- who, as we reported yesterday, had ties to Jack Abramoff -- to go after federal pork.
And though Palin touted her opposition to the "Bridge to Nowhere" just last week in her debut speech, she initially supported the project during her run for governor. It was only after the bridge became notorious as an example of pork barrel spending that she changed her position.
In her run for governor, Palin was endorsed by now-indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. Video of the endorsement has been removed from her government website, but the two appeared together just two months ago at a press conference on energy. The friendly relationship between the embattled senator, who is accused of lying about gifts he recieved from an oil contractor, and the supposedly maverick governor is at odds with Palin's claim to dismantling the "old boys club" of Alaska government.
As Wasilla mayor, Palin reportedly fired the police chief and attempted to fire the librarian, because she did not feel that she had their "full support in [her] efforts to govern the city of Wasilla." Former city officials allege that the attempts to remove the librarian were a result of her her refusal to censor books at Palin's request.
Palin has been at the center of the Trooper-Gate scandal that alleges misuse of her gubernatorial power. The affair erupted in July when Palin fired the Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Monegan later claimed his firing was a result of his refusal to fire Palin's former brother-in-law and trooper Mike Wooten. Palin denied that she, her husband or her staff ever pressured Monegan, a statement she later had to retract when recorded phone calls revealed one of her aides, Frank Bailey, had called a troopers office pushing for Wooten's removal.
Tonight, the Washington Post published emails from Palin to Monegan in which she appeared to complain that Wooten was still employed, apparently undercutting her claim that she discussed Wooten with Monegan only in the context of the security of her family.
As a result of the Trooper-Gate allegations, an independent investigator has been appointed by the state legislature. In recent days, Palin has appeared to stonewall the probe. Her lawyer argued in a complaint filed last night that she wold not be made available for her deposition unless the probe were handed over to the state personnel board, whose members are appointed by the governor. Bailey, who had been suspended by Palin with pay for his actions, today backed out of his deposition.
In a separate civil suit related to Wooten, Palin has claimed executive privilege on over a thousand emails between her and her staff, including Bailey.

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GOP's Right-Wing Ticket Undercuts McCain's "Maverick" Brand

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:29:51 -0700

Thomas Edsall points to the far-right tack this new ticket takes:

John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin puts his campaign firmly on track toward a hard-edged drive to mobilize the GOP's conservative base, threatening to erase what remains of his centrist maverick image and his appeal to moderate and independent voters.

The McCain of days past who attacked leaders of the Christian right as "agents of intolerance," who voted against "budget busting" Bush tax cuts, who broke ranks with his party on issues from gay rights to campaign finance reform, is now a faded memory.

What remains unclear is the extent to which McCain actively participated in the transformation of his political persona, and the extent to which he has been passive -- pushed and shoved by aides, partisan pressures, and external forces.

McCain and Palin now head a ticket that is emerging as more red-bloodedly conservative than Bush-Cheney in 2004 -- when conservatism would have appeared to have reached its zenith -- with a platform substantially further to the right on issues ranging from education to immigration.

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Palin Launches Attack on Media and Obama's Experience/Live from Alaska

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:37:38 -0700

Sarah Palin will be coming out fighting tonight, scheduled for 10:35 p.m.. Will her line of attack -- on the media and Obama's experience -- work?

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin cast herself as an outsider and took a swipe at Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday in what was the most anticipated speech of the Republican National Convention. She pledged that as John McCain's running mate, she wanted to go to Washington not to seek the media's approval but "to serve the people of this country."

Depicting herself as "just your average hockey mom," Palin described her political career as mayor of her small town before her election as governor.

"Since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves," Palin said in excerpts of her remarks, released in advance of her appearance. "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a `community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

Palin didn't mention Obama by name but her target was obvious: Obama began his political life as a community organizer

Palin also said she was not part of the permanent "Washington elite." She said some in the media think that makes her unqualified.

"Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion — I'm going to Washington to serve the people of the country," Palin said.

But Tom D'Antoni, my co-host, asks, "Suppose Sarah's Name Was Steve"

Think about the things we've learned about Sarah Palin and then consider them again if her name had been Steve Palin when you heard about them.

He fishes.

He watches his son play hockey.

He got elected mayor of a small town in a remote, sparsely populated state.

He ran his city into a $22,000,000 deficit after finding a balance budget when he took office.

He is opposed to abortion under any circumstances...

He has sought earmarks and travelled to Washington, D.C. with a lobbyist who was hooked up with Jack Abramoff in order to get them.

He was almost recalled by his hamlet's constituents.

He says one thing and does another.

Reporters in his home state have no respect for him as an administrator.

He is in the pocket of big oil.

And there you have Steve Palin, just another fanatical, incompetent Republican hack.

See, the fact that Steve is Sarah has nothing to do with it.

Guesting on this week's "D'Antoni and Levine" show is Alaskan author Charles Wohlforth, and another Huffingtonposter, Allison Kilkenny. Listen here live Thursday at 5:30pm ET. All shows are archived.

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McCain camp: Yes, We Did Vet Her......And Best Palin News Sites

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:36:50 -0700

The Washington Post reports on the rush job to vet Palin:

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 2 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate, and she did not disclose the fact that her 17-year-old daughter was pregnant until that meeting, two knowledgeable McCain officials acknowledged Tuesday.

For latest Palin news, see Huffington Post's Big News page on her.

The latest investigative news can often be found here, at TPM Muckraker.

And Salon's War Room breaks the latest political news on Palin and the election.

All-purpose breaking news and commentary on political issues, including Palin, can be found at the memeorandum blog aggregator:

http://www.memeorandum.com/

The DNC puts updated news about her on its web page:

http://www.justmoreofthesame.com/who_is_palin

Salon looks at the McCain media spin on Palin's vetting:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/03/palin/?source=newsletter

So far, the McCain team says they saw all the questions about her coming. In conversations at the convention, McCain aides indicated the end of their months-long vice presidential search came quickly, but not necessarily in haste. By the time McCain had settled on Palin last Tuesday, she had already filled out a 70-question vetting form full of personal, "intrusive" questions. She'd turned over financial documents and (apparently, since the McCain campaign sent around her entire voter registration history on Tuesday) political ones, as well. (A Republican consultant who isn't working for McCain but is familiar with the questions two other V.P. finalists were asked told Salon it seems Palin went through exactly the same process.)

Palin flew down to McCain's Sedona, Ariz., cabin in secret on Wednesday and met for three or four hours with Schmidt and senior advisor Mark Salter, before meeting with McCain in private for an hour Thursday. Before McCain offered her the job, he went through the pros and cons of picking her with top aides.

But it does seem like most of the vetting focused on legal, not political, issues. The campaign called a New York Times story Tuesday that raised questions about the vetting "fiction." That story quoted Alaska Republicans saying the campaign never called around Palin's world to find anything out about her. "I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person that was called," former Alaska House Speaker Gail Phillips told the Times. McCain aides admit that only a very small number of close advisors knew who McCain was considering. They seem to have relied mostly on Palin's own answers to their questions; whether the campaign did much additional due diligence on her isn't entirely clear. (No one searched the archives of the Wasilla newspaper, which are available only on microfilm, because they worried that would tip people off that Palin was being considered.)

It's true that McCain -- or at least some people close to him -- wanted to go with a candidate who was, incidentally, already fully vetted, albeit by Al Gore's team eight years ago. Some of the McCain inner circle was set on Joe Lieberman until conservatives shot that idea down faster than Sarah Palin shooting a moose. But Palin seems to have appealed to McCain for some of the same reasons that he wanted Lieberman in the first place; her image as a combative reformer fits McCain's own self-image, and dodging a safe pick like Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty in favor of a little-known Alaskan is a move right out of the McCain mythology.

But that's the problem. So far, in fact, what's tripping McCain up about Palin isn't what he didn't know about her, it's what he did. Is it a good thing that, as a McCain aide told me, one of the reasons McCain likes her is that she has some of the same enemies he does in Alaska? The impulsive decision to run with Palin because she seemed like a kindred spirit is, indeed, the kind of thing that McCain used to do all the time, both during his 2000 campaign and during the dark days in 2007 when his campaign had imploded and he was running the whole thing on a wing and a prayer from his "Straight Talk Express" bus. It definitely isn't the kind of thing that helped him pull even with Obama in polls last month with a disciplined, focused campaign. And depending on who wins the race to define Palin, it may not be the kind of thing that convinces voters that McCain -- and not Obama -- ought to be the man to lead the country for the next four years.

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Palin: An Extreme Choice on All Fronts

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:15:00 -0700

The Center for American Progress's Think Progress blog pulls together the major problems with Palin:

An Extreme Choice

Last Friday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) as his vice presidential running mate, "catching almost everyone but his inner circle by surprise." Of the very little that is known about Palin is her extreme right-wing policies on a wide range of issues. For example, she supports teaching creationism in school, favors privatization of health insurance, boasts of being a "lifetime member of the NRA," opposes stem-cell research, and declared that "she would support a ballot question that would deny benefits to homosexual couples." On some of the most important issues of this election -- Iraq, energy, abortion -- Palin represents the extreme right wing.

EXTREME ON ABORTION: One of the only policy stances widely known about Palin when her name was first announced is her extreme opposition to abortion. She once said that she would not support an abortion for her then-14 year old daughter, even if she had been raped. Palin has also declared that "explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," favoring abstinence-only programs instead. The right wing has lauded both Palin for choosing to carry her most recent child, who has Down Syndrome, to term, and her 17-year-old daughter for deciding to complete her pregnancy. Yet as the American Prospect's Ann Friedman points out, "John McCain and Sarah Palin don't believe women have a right to choose. It's absolutely absurd for the campaign to emphasize the fact that [Palin's daughter] Bristol 'made this decision,' and then push for policies that take away that choice."

EXTREME CLUELESSNESS ON IRAQ: Like George Bush before he became president, Palin has barely traveled outside the United States. She has never been to Iraq or Afghanistan and admitted last year, "I haven't really focused much on the Iraq war." In an interview with Time magazine last month, she seemed completely unaware of McCain's Iraq plan. She said she did not know "what the plan is to ever end the war." She later said it's "tough" to "talk about the plan for the war" because her son will be deployed to Iraq. "Let's make sure we have a plan here," she said. Palin then added, "respecting McCain's position on that too though." Eschewing any substantitve analysis of the war, she asserted simply that U.S. soldiers are "out on a task that is from God." She also seems to believe the Iraq war was about oil, saying that "in many [ways] the reasons for war are fights over energy sources." In another interview, she argued, "we better have a real clear plan for the war," adding, "And it better not have to do with oil."

EXTREME DENIAL OF GLOBAL WARMING: Though McCain points to his position on global warming as a chief difference between himself and President Bush, Palin shares more of the current president's perspective than McCain's. Though she admits that climate change "will affect Alaska more than any other state," she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made." "During last fall's political campaign, Gov. Sarah Palin said she remained unconvinced about how much human emissions contribute to current global warming trends." She has also opposed listing polar bears as endangered due to climate change. In the New York Times today, Tom Friedman writes, "With his choice of Sarah Palin -- the Alaska governor who has advocated drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and does not believe mankind is playing any role in climate change -- for vice president, John McCain has completed his makeover from the greenest Republican to run for president to just another representative of big oil."

EXTREME PAWN OF BIG OIL: "No one is closer to the the oil industry than Governor Palin," the Sierra Club's Carl Pope said. Palin told Roll Call last week, "When I look every day, the big oil company's building is right out there next to me, and it's quite a reminder that we should have mutually beneficial relationships with the oil industry." As a champion for Big Oil, Palin is a vociferous proponent of domestic drilling. "I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can't drill our way out of our problem," she said. She also dismisses alternative energy solutions as "are far from imminent" focusing instead on opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. During her race for lieutenant governor, she received a full 10 percent of her campaign donations from executives and their families at the disgraced oil services company Veco. In her 2006 race for governor, another 10 percent of her donations came from the oil and natural gas industry. Though she supported a windfall tax on oil profits -- an idea McCain has blasted -- she also signed a bill just last week "suspending Alaska's gasoline, marine fuel and aviation fuel taxes until Aug. 31, 2009," which will only add to Big Oil's coffers.

MEDIA -- INFURIATED ABOUT TOUGH CNN INTERVIEW, MCCAIN CANCELS LARRY KING APPEARANCE: On Monday, Tucker Bounds, a campaign spokesman for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), appeared on CNN for a tough interview with Campbell Brown. Brown repeatedly asked Bounds to name a foreign policy decision made by McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK). Citing the Bounds interview as "over the line," McCain canceled an appearance on CNN's Larry King Live yesterday. According to the Washington Post, the McCain campaign believes that the media is "on a mission to destroy" Palin and feels "under siege." The Post writes, "The McCain camp has been unusually aggressive in pushing back against the media, and it seems to hope to persuade journalists to back off in their scrutiny of Palin." McCain even considered pulling out of a presidential debate set to be moderated by NBC anchor Tom Brokaw because of what campaign manager Steve Schmidt called NBC's "irresponsible journalism." CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer reported that CNN is standing by Brown. "CNN does not believe that Campbell's interview was over the line," he said. "We are committed to fair coverage of both sides of this historic election."

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Here's a scurrilous, funny video about the real reason McCain picked Palin

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:16:00 -0700

Check out this parody:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-QevraCQUc

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Alaska author and Palin observer Charles Wohlforth: guest on D'Antoni and Levine Show

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:46:37 -0700

Author Charles Wohlforth will be sharing his insights about Sarah Palin on The D'Antoni and Levine Show this Thursday, whom he first met when she ran for mayor in 1996, amplifying on his insightful column on her in The New Republic. (Check the Huffington Post for more details on his radio appearance and views Wednesday or Thursday.) He wrote last week:

I first met Sarah Palin just after she'd been elected mayor of the little town of Wasilla, Alaska, in October 1996. My first impression was that she didn't seem up to the job...

I eventually came to see her appeal when she ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2002. She projected an authenticity and freshness that was very appealing in a state saddled with a corrupt oligarchy of pro-oil Republicans. For Alaskans of Palin's generation (she's 44), the last few years have been a political coming of age. Younger candidates have smashed the state's company-town politics. Palin was among the first to take a stand. Having been in the right place at the right time, with that amazing smile, she shot upward in a way no one has ever done before.

The idea of her being a potential president, however, is laughable. That is to say, at our house this morning, we literally were belly-laughing when we heard the news that John McCain had chosen her. I wouldn't be surprised if the audience she spoke to at McCain's announcement was the largest she ever addressed. Alaska politicians don't use teleprompters. There rarely is an opportunity to orate to more than a hundred people.

Running for governor two years ago, Palin didn't have firm stands on issues, and in debates, she displayed discomfiting shallowness. A moderator had to ask her three times to clarify her position on the critical (for us) issue of indigenous hunting rights. Her victory was simply a vote for change.

In Juneau, while she's known for being uninterested in day-to-day governing, she's chosen a good team to run the state. She's also taken good care of her popularity, which has remained high thanks in part to the comparison with her fellow Alaskan politicians--some of whom have been carted off to jail in the FBI investigation of oil industry corruption in Alaska politics.

Now she's facing her own scandal: Troopergate. In July, Palin fired the beloved commissioner of Public Safety, Walt Monegan, without meaningful explanation. Monegan said he had resisted administration pressure to fire a State Trooper who was in a bitter child custody battle with Palin's sister. Palin first denied the pressure, then released evidence, including a recorded phone call, that backed up Monegan's story. The legislature, which isn't exactly Palin-friendly, hired an ex-prosecutor to investigate...

By most objective measures, she isn't ready to be a single heartbeat away from the presidency. The image of McCain and Palin on stage this morning looked a bit like a graduation picture, of father and daughter. It reminded me as well of the elder George Bush and Dan Quayle.

On the other hand, Palin did well in her speech. She always comes across as likeable on camera. Maybe that's all it takes.

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The many sides of Sarah Palin: Opportunist AND Extremist

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:00:12 -0700

She injected extreme abortion views into local politics, then shifted gears when sought higher office as governor:

Ever since John McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate, the central question has been “Who is Sarah Palin?” The fact of that matter is that nobody really seems to know, especially Palin herself.

When the announcement came down, politicos of every stripe began scrambling to examine her thin record in an attempt to figure out just what McCain thought that she could bring to the ticket beyond crass electoral benefits. Everyone, that is, except the Religious Right, which hailed the decision with a staggeringly over-the-top fervor considering that McCain had just named a one-term, relative unknown to fill out his ticket.

But as more becomes known about Palin, it is becoming increasingly clear just why the Right was so overjoyed.

Her militant opposition to abortion, going so far as to even refuse to support her own mother-in-law’s candidacy for Mayor because she was pro-choice; her efforts to oppose equality for gays and lesbians; her apparent affiliation with the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party; her support for teaching Intelligent Design; her reported efforts to censor library books and fire the town librarian – on and on it goes, with new details seemingly emerging by the hour, all suggesting that Palin is indeed the dream candidate the Right has been praying for.

Lost in all of this is Palin’s apparent willingness to utilize right-wing wedge issues when they suit her political needs and then downplay them when they don’t.

As John Stein, whom Palin defeated to become mayor of Wasilla, Alaska in 1996, recently told KCAW, Palin worked to inject the issue of abortion into the traditionally non-partisan mayor’s race and helped her pave the way for her own political aspirations: “The fundamental Christian values were very much a part of her background and the election, interestingly enough, tended to turn around the abortion issue. John Stein: pro-choice. Sarah Palin: anti-abortion. That was heavily promoted by local, state, and I think even national anti-choice groups.”

When she ran for Governor in 2006, Palin was only one of two candidate to respond to the Eagle Forum of Alaska’s Questionnaire – a questionnaire that the organization is now trying to hide by taking it off of their website – in which she explained her opposition to abortion, providing benefits to same-sex couples, to sex-ed and contraception distribution in schools, to hate crimes legislation, and declaring that “Preserving the definition of ‘marriage’ as defined in our constitution” would be among her top priorities if elected.

So while Palin is clearly willing to exploit wedge issues when they serve her needs, she seems to prefer to do so on the down-low and somewhat away from the public eye.

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