Peter Collins show w/Cliff Schecter: ALEC's "corporate-led radical Republican legislative onslaught"

[highplainsdem]

http://peterbcollins.com/2011/04/06/radical-repubs-run-rampant-over-ohio-michigan-chew-reviews-born-to-be-wild/

Radical Repubs Run Rampant over Ohio, Michigan; Chew Reviews “Born to be Wild”
by Peter B. Collins on April 6, 2011


Cliff Schecter reports from Columbus, Ohio and Ray Burrsma checks in from Holland, Michigan with updates on the coordinated assault on the middle class by their Republican legislatures and governors; Gary Chew reviews the new IMAX feature, Born to Be Wild. Schecter is a longtime contributor to this program, and is an activist, political media consultant and author of The Real McCain. He describes Ohio’s Senate Bill 5, a more severe union busting law than Wisconsin’s, leading to a rebuke of the “political malpractice” by Obama and Dems in Ohio and DC. While claiming to respond to GOP-created fiscal crises, Republicans are pushing, and often passing, legislation written by ALEC–the American Legislative Exchange Council–a murky group that goes back to the 1970′s and included John Kasich, now Ohio’s governor. In Ohio, the “budget crisis” is also being used to limit abortion rights, expand gun owners’ rights, and require voter ID, which limits the turnout of Democrats.

-snip-

I don't know if he's ever done a show about ALEC before (I've been googling this and haven't found anything), so I'm very glad he and Cliff Schecter talked about it today.

And they mention the ALEC task force summit in Cincinnati April 28-29. Bob Fitrakis (The Free Press) is calling for demonstrations then:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x813107


Much more information on this group can be found in the OP and replies in the long compilation topic on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

[supernova]

1. Here's what I'd like to see

It's all well and good that we shine a light on ALEC, as far as it goes.

But really local state media need to be going after the Zombie Repubs who bring this shit into the state house in the first place. Let's not absolve them of the responsibility of actual governing and instead just importing a McGOPAgenda.

[highplainsdem]

2. I agree. And we are starting to see more local reporters covering which state legislators

have introduced ALEC model legislation or been involved in ALEC events.

But we do need much more of that.