Democrats Videos

Author: AssociatedPress Keywords: barbour response gop democrats scrap health care bill Added: November 7, 2009

Economist Brad DeLong noted on his blog that part of the productivity gain in the U.S. economy comes not from job production, but from squeezing more work out of employees scared to lose their jobs.

The Dow might be up and the economy might be growing, but where are all the jobs? With a multibilliondollar stimulus package facing criticism from Republicans for growing the deficit and from some on the left for being too small, we wonder just where the money did go. Beyond just creating jobs, our panelists say, any real economic stimulus needs to make sure that the jobs created are good, with good benefits, living wages, and targeted to the people who need them the most. Max Fraad Wolff, professor of economics at The New School, Myles Lennon of the Laborers' Union, Local #10, Bettina Damiani of Good Jobs First and Nathan Newman of the Progressive States Network debate whether the stimulus has stopped the bleeding or whether it's more like a band-aid on a bullet wound.

West Hartford Democrats had a big night Tuesday, winning the maximum number of Town Council and Board of Education seats allowed by Connecticut state statutes. Democrats now control six of nine Town Council seats, and five of seven seats on the Board of Education. Distributed by Tubemogul.

The 2009 election saw many GOP victories, what does this mean for the president?

Hope. It was the word for the Obama campaign, epitomized by the famous Shepard Fairey poster, with eyes uplifted, bright primary colors declaring that Americans believed in something good again. Last year on election day, we discussed the election and the future of America; hoping for an Obama victory and with it some restoration of the things we'd lost under Bush. This year, we look back with some of our guests from that day on what they said then and what they think now. Chris Hayes of The Nation remembers the feeling of social solidarity from the Obama campaign, hundreds of thousands of people coming together to work for a common cause, while Danny Schechter of MediaChannel and NewsDissector points out that Obama had plenty of support from Wall Street as well as Main Street. Air America's Ron Reagan wonders why Maine managed to expand its rights to medical marijuana while closing off rights to same-sex couples, and Esther Armah of WBAI notes that Obama's election maintains its symbolic importance, even if dealing with the reality is somewhat more complicated.

"I'd like to celebrate the accomplishments and not the occasion," says one New Yorker interviewed by GRITtv of the anniversary of Barack Obama's historic election. One year ago today, November 4, Obama defeated John McCain with the support of new voters, young voters, and thousands upon thousands of small donors and volunteers who gave time and money that were in short supply. He's already been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but health care and other promised changes have been slower to come about, and the economy is still battered and struggling.Election day 2009 was called a referendum on Obama's presidency by many mainstream pundits, but things are a bit more complicated than that. Still, what has been achieved? What have we changed, and what do we still need to change? And most importantly, we saw so much talk of hope on the campaign trail. Do we still feel that hope, or did Republican victories in New Jersey and Virginia, coupled with a defeat for marriage equality in Maine, have us feeling more like our old cynical selves?In a special one-hour show, we convene two panels of GRITtv regular guests to talk about these questions, the election results, and what progressives need to do better going forward into 2010. Joining us are Katrina vanden Heuvel and Chris Hayes of The Nation, Jehmu Greene of the Women's Media Center and formerly of Rock the Vote, James Rucker of Color Of Change, Danny Schechter of News Dissector, Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake, Ron Reagan and Mark Green of Air America, and Esther Armah of WBAI.We also took to the streets of New York City to find out what the word on the street is about Obama and the changes that have--and haven't--happened in the past year.

Election 2009 was a mixed bag for all sides. Democrats lost the governorship in New Jersey, a "blue" state, and Virginia, a "red" state that had seen two successive Democratic governors. Maine voters overturned a law passed by the state legislature that allowed same-sex marriage, joining Californians in taking away marriage equality after it had been granted. Yet New York's 23rd Congressional District defeated a Palin- and Beck-backed Conservative Party candidate and sent its first Democrat to Congress since the Ulysses S. Grant administration, and openly gay public officials were elected all over the country. But what did these results have to do with Obama? Our panel agrees on one thing: Democrats neglected the base that Obama worked so hard to build up. Jehmu Greene, of the Women's Media Center and formerly Rock the Vote, notes that Democrats reverted back to the old way of doing things, and Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake points out that the candidate who supported the public option, Bill Owens in NY-23, won, while Creigh Deeds in Virginia, who said he might opt the state out if he was governor, lost. Mark Green of Air America, who once ran against Michael Bloomberg, noted that despite the massive outlay of cash, Bloomberg ran a tight race and could've been defeated if the Democrats put more effort into supporting his opponent. Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation notes that the youth vote was critical in 2008, and warns Democrats of what they risk losing if they ignore the young voters now.

GRITtv's Natalia Ospina and Sophie Gore-Browne hit the streets to talk to New Yorkers about the anniversary of Obama's election and what it means for them, one year later. Are they disappointed, pleased, still hopeful?