Killer Politics (22 page)

Nixon, Richard, 42, 80, 116, 125

North Dakota, 9–10, 49, 52, 94, 96

North Korea, 62, 136

nuclear weapons, 126, 136, 137, 138

 

Obama, Barack, 2, 4–5, 18, 19, 25, 29, 42, 46, 59, 60, 62, 65, 68, 69, 87, 101, 104, 105, 111, 112, 117, 124, 125, 126, 137, 146, 147, 153–54, 157, 175, 178, 183, 194–95, 196

al-Qaeda and, 133–34

Chinese tires and, 140, 146

Clinton and, 179

election of, 187, 188, 194

Fox News and, 176, 177

health care and, 64–65, 69, 70, 73

Iraq and Afghanistan and, 31–32, 128, 130, 132–33, 135

Nobel Peace Prize won by, 124–25

political appointments by, 190

Russia and, 138

stimulus package of, 25–27, 40–41, 62–63, 145, 163

O'Donnell, Lawrence, 177–78

oil, 33–35, 90–92, 95, 116, 121–22, 127, 145, 164, 166

Olbermann, Keith, 64

OPEC, 6, 34, 90, 91, 92

OpenSecrets.org, 85, 86

O'Reilly, Bill, 178

outsourcing, 45–46, 107–8, 141, 142, 147, 152, 157, 161

 

Packers and Stockyards Act, 53–54

Pakistan, 111, 129, 132, 133–34, 137, 147

Palestinians, 137

Palin, Sarah, 117

Patriot Act, 35–36, 37–38

Patton,
28–29

Paul, Ron, 30, 37–38

PBS NewsHour,
156

Pell Grants, 61

Perot, Ross, 110, 191

Petraeus, David, 135

Pew Research Center, 104, 106, 108

pharmaceutical industry, 75–76, 79–80, 86

Philadelphia Inquirer,
87

physical fitness, 77–78

Physicians for a National Health Program, 82

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, 51

Ping, Lueo, 120

political action committees (PACs), 185

political parties, 190–91

Politico.com, 186

PolitiFact.org, 163

Portfolio,
40

poultry industry, 51–52

poverty, 45, 50, 56, 118

Progressive Foundation, 167

Progressive Policy Institute, 168–69

Project for the New American Century, 127

Project on Managing the Atom/Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, 36

Public Campaign Action Fund, 86

 

Ravitch, Diane, 58

R-CALF, 53

Reagan, Ronald, 3, 42, 47, 110, 159, 164, 179, 184

Medicare and, 71

taxes and, 170

ReclaimDemocracy.org, 185

Rector, Robert, 108

Reid, Harry, 16

retirement, 66, 152, 168–69

Ridge, Tom, 188

Rogers, Jim, 97

Rolling Stone,
69

Roosevelt, Franklin, 25, 26–27, 29, 40

Roosevelt, Theodore, 166, 185

Rosenweig, Cynthia, 99

Rove, Karl, 125

Rubin, Avi, 188

Rumsfeld, Donald, 127, 129, 174

Russia, 62, 126, 136, 138–39

Rutherford Institute, 176

 

Saddam Hussein, 30, 135

Salk, Jonas, 79

Sanders, Bernie, 142, 147

San Francisco Chronicle,
36

Saturday Night Live,
125

Scarborough, Joe, 64

Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags,
143

Schultz, Wendy, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20–21, 23, 92

Schumacher, Herman, 53

Scott, George C., 28–29

Scripps Research Institute, 54

Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 129

Seneda, Joseph, 152

September 11, 15, 31, 32, 36–37, 59, 126, 130, 134

Service Employees International Union, 41

Sevareid, Eric, 9

Shapiro, Robert, 167–68

Sheikh, Imran, 98

Shierholz, Heidi, 111

Shuster, David, 22–23

Sierra Club, 96, 99

Singapore, 57, 67, 68, 81

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
20

60 Minutes,
97

small businesses, 153–55

Smith, Stephen A., 87

socialism, 14, 39, 42

health care and, 72, 73

social programs, 41, 43–44, 143, 196

Social Security, 27, 44, 48, 80, 108, 170, 196

South Korea, 143

Soviet Union, 31, 129, 131, 132, 138

Specter, Arlen, 46

Stabenow, Debbie, 16

Steele, Michael, 125

stem cell research, 79

Stewart, Jon, 180

Stiglitz, James, 163

Stiglitz, Joseph E., 33, 90

stock market, 159–61, 164, 165

Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 61

student loans, 60–61

Sudan, 121

Summers, Lawrence, 95, 154

Supreme Court, 185, 191

Switzerland, 68

Syngenta, 77–78

 

Taiwan, 57, 116

Take This Job and Ship It
(Dorgan), 141

Taliban, 128, 131–32, 134–35

TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program), 25, 38–39, 62–63

Task Force on Middle Class Working Families, 153, 157

Tax Equality and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 170

taxes, 3, 6, 28, 32, 47, 48, 142, 143, 146, 158, 162–72

estate, 48–49, 169

flat, 167, 168

Internet and, 171

paid by corporations, 166–67

progressive, 167–68

Tax Reform Act, 167

term limits, 186, 189–90

terrorism, 62, 126, 127, 129, 131, 174

London bombings, 37–38

9/11, 15, 31, 32, 59, 126, 130, 134

1993 World Trade Center bombing, 36, 37

Tesla Motors, 34

textbooks, 57–58

Thoma, Mark, 41

Thornton, Joe, 11

Time,
132, 137, 170

tobacco industry, 78–79

Tofani, Loretta, 155–56

Toyota, 98

trade, 42–43, 54–55, 63, 115, 117–18, 119–20, 140–49, 152, 157

NAFTA and, 107, 110, 141, 146

trades, working in, 154–55

Turner, Ted, 181

Tyson Foods, 51, 53

 

unemployment, 43, 45, 109, 110–11, 118, 140–41, 142, 143, 149, 152, 163

unions, 27, 42, 44–47, 85, 106, 142, 147, 151–52, 155–59

campaign contributions by, 185, 186

teachers, 57

United Auto Workers (UAW), 46

United for a Fair Economy, 158

United Kingdom, 117, 120

USA Today,
57

Uzbekistan, 148

 

Vanden Heuvel, Katrina, 181

Ventura, Jesse, 189

veterans, 11, 13, 60

Vietnam, 143

Vietnam War, 11, 13, 30, 128, 131, 132, 177, 185

Voice of America,
110

Volcker, Paul, 42

voting, 187–89, 191, 195

 

WABC, 1

wages, 43, 45, 46, 50, 107, 109, 110, 142, 149, 155

freezing of, 42

minimum, 45

Wall Street bailout, 4, 38–42

Wall Street Journal,
77–78, 93, 110, 140

Walmart, 42–43, 45, 85, 115, 142, 143, 144, 171

Walsh, James, 36

war and national defense, 24, 29–38, 62, 115, 121, 125–26

Washington, University of, 54

Washington Post,
32, 61, 84, 100, 102, 137, 162

Washington Times,
138

wealth, 3, 47, 164–65, 166, 168, 169, 170, 184

Weinberg, Micah, 72

Whitehead, John, 176

WHO (World Health Organization), 52

Wolfowitz, Paul, 127

Woolhandler, Steffie, 74

workers, 147

children as, 147–48, 156, 161

outsourcing and, 45–46, 107–8, 141, 142, 147, 152, 157, 161

stock prices and, 160

unemployment and, 43, 45, 109, 110–11, 118, 140–41, 142, 143, 149, 152, 163

unions and,
see
unions

wages of,
see
wages

World Trade Center bombings:

of 1993, 36, 37

of 2001, 15, 31, 32, 36–37, 59, 126, 130, 134

World War II, 27, 29, 114, 145, 164

Wyden, Ron, 168

 

Zakaria, Fareed, 122, 136

Zandi, Mark, 111

Zazi, Najibullah, 37

Although the name on the cover of this book is mine, any project of this scope requires a team effort. It started with Will Balliett, who brought this project to Hyperion and placed it in the capable hands of my editor, Barbara Jones. Barbara, a woman of tremendous energy and vision, did a fantastic job of helping us improve the manuscript. I truly appreciated the enthusiasm for this project that I found at Hyperion. These aren't people just looking to churn out another book—these are people who want their work to make a difference. They embraced my message and have worked hard to help me share it.

Special thanks goes to my agent Connie West, the consummate pro, for helping me navigate the literary world, and to my friend and collaborator, Tony Bender, the best writer I know, who did such a great job of helping me organize my thoughts into chapters.

An awful lot of this book originated in conversations with my producer James “Holmie” Holmes and my manager, Vern Thompson, whose research and political instincts are driving factors behind
The Ed Schultz Show
. I don't know what I'd do without Vern and Holmie. They're like loyal black Labs that never get tired of hunting, and if you know anything about me, you know that is high praise.

Vern is the former chairman of the Democratic Party in North Dakota and a former state legislator, and he brings with him remarkable political insight and an unreal work ethic. And Holmie? The man has a
black belt in liberalism and has been so loyal he moved his family to New York to make sure somebody had my back. Holmie brings an idealist spirit and a brash energy to the operation.

We might be broadcasting our radio show in every major market in America, and we might have a national television show on MSNBC, but when it comes down to it, this is a mom-and-pop operation. My partner, producer, confidante, wife, and best friend is the amazing Wendy Schultz. She picks me up in the bad times, and she keeps me grounded in the good times. Wendy's influence brings heart to the show. I wouldn't be here without her.