News & Public Affairs

Critics picket single payer health care rally in Tampa listen

05/28/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Rallies on behalf of having the government sponsor a single payer form of health care are being held throughout the week across the country.

In Tampa this afternoon, approximately two dozen supporters of such a health care system stood outside the federal building on Florida Avenue.

Chris Clement lives in Ozona. He said he wants a health care plan that shouldn’t be linked to an employer.

Although there is a bill in the House sponsored by Ohio’s Dennis Kucinich and Michigan’s John Co...

Be the first to comment

Adam Putnam speaks in Tampa listen

05/27/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Politics, Adam Putnam, Agricultural Commissioner

Polk County Republican Adam Putnam is in his ninth year representing Florida’s 12th Congressional District in Washington. But the hard charging lawmaker, who in 2006 became the third highest-ranking Republican in the House, is now going through a career change. He’s still a politician, but after the 2008 elections, he resigned his post as Conference Chairman, and announced shortly afterward he would not run for re-election in 2010, but instead would become a candidate for Agriculture Commis...

Be the first to comment

New report says America is a center-left nation listen

05/27/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Politics, polls

A new report released today by two liberal groups says a majority of Americans hold progressive positions on a broad range of controversial issues and key constituencies that favor progressives are growing larger.

Media Matters and the Campaign For America’s Future says it has come up with the conclusions based on looking closely at polls conducted by respected organizations from CNN/Opinion Research, Gallup, the Los Angeles Times as well population demographics.

Media Matters Eric ...

Be the first to comment

McManus on Dockery's possible entry into the governor's race listen

05/26/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Politics, Legislature, governor's race, Paula Dockery, Charllie Crist, Jim Greer, Charles Bronson

The St. Petersburg Times reported today that Lakeland Rep. Paula Dockery is considering a run for the Republican nomination for governor next year.

In a press release, Dockery says that her future intentions have been on running for the District 12 Congressional seat that is open with Adam Putnam stepping down to run for Agriculture Commissioner.

But she writes, “I have been surprised and flattered by numerous e-mails, phone calls and letters encouraging me to run. It's become very ap...

Be the first to comment

Why is single payer being left out of health reform debate?

05/26/09 Robert Lorei
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Health care, politics, reform

For the next two months politicians in Washington will be debating whether and how to reform the nation’s health care system. The United States is the only leading industrialized nation without a national health care system.

In this country, some 45 million Americans are without health insurance on any given day. And without health insurance, people are forced to get treatment in emergency rooms at a much higher cost to themselves and society. The U.S. has a lower life expectancy rate and...

Be the first to comment

Reaction to Sotomayor selection for high court listen

05/26/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Politics, Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, Barack Obama

Although President Barack Obama’s choice of Sonia Sotomayor seems to be energizing his base and antagonizing his opponents, some liberals have mixed reactions to the selection.

Marjorie Cohn is a professor at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law and president of the National Lawyers Guild, and the author of the new book, The Rules of Disengagement: The Politics and Honor of Military Dissent.

Many liberals have grown increasingly concerned about Obama’s talk of "indefinite detention" in...

Be the first to comment

Ex-CIA counsel discusses interrogation techniques listen

05/19/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Politics, torture, CIA, interrogation techniques

A new poll says embattled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has approval ratings nearly as low as Newt Gingrich when he was the primary lightning rod in Congress.

The CNN/Opinion Research survey last night found that the approval of how Pelosi is doing her job as speaker has dropped from 51 percent in January to 46 percent in March to 39 percent now, with 48 percent saying they disapprove of her performance.

The San Francisco-based congresswoman has been blasted by Republicans like Gingrich a...

Be the first to comment

Rubio discusses Sansom, reflects on political goals listen

05/19/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Politics, Marco Rubio

Despite Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer’s public backing of Charlie Crist in his Senate primary against Marco Rubio, local GOP organizations continue to rebel.

Yesterday the Palm Beach County Republican Party passed a resolution urging the state party to “publicly guarantee a level a playing field among all credible Republican U.S. Senate candidates."

The Pasco County Republican Party agreed.

That same feeling could be spreading to the governor’s race, where Agriculture ...

Be the first to comment

McCollum throws hat into ring for governor's race listen

05/18/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Politics, governor, Bill McCollum

To the surprise of no one, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum announced this morning that he will run for the Republican nomination for governor next year.

The 64-year-old referenced his extensive experience in Washington and Tallahassee in saying why he should be the next Governor of Florida.

McCollum has been in public life for nearly 30 years, 20 of them spent in Congress representing a district that includes Disney World and most of Orlando.

He’s probably most known for his r...

Be the first to comment

Marco Rubio on tax reform and the stimulus bill listen

05/18/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Politics, Marco Rubio

Former Florida Speaker of the House Marco Rubio announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate earlier this month.

Rubio was in Tampa Friday night at a Hispanic Republican fundraiser. In the video announcing his candidacy, Rubio said he looked forward to talking about tax reform, and not just tax cuts in his campaign. WMNF asked him if he is acknowledging that there’s been too much emphasis on tax cuts by Republicans nationally in recent years.

Stay tuned to hea...

Be the first to comment