Politics and the Economy in the Mid-Term Elections
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The gap between the rich and the middle class is growing fast, but President Bush says the economy will help Republicans in next month's elections. Will healthcare costs and gasoline prices make a difference? Do voters resent the wealthy--or want to be like them? Plus, the US grows impatient over the UN debate over sanctions against North Korea, and an American citizen from Orange County, California-turned-spokesman for al-Qaeda is indicted for treason.
Making News
US Circulates Proposal at UN to Sanction North Korea ()
The UN Security Council is debating possible sanctions against North Korea after its apparent nuclear test on Sunday. US Ambassador John Bolton is impatient with the pace of the action, saying that while he wants to keep diplomatic channels open, he is urging "swift action."
Guests:
- Mark Turner: UN Correspondent for Financial Times
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Main Topic
Politics and the Economy in the Mid-Term Elections ()
President Bush's upper-income tax cuts have helped grow the economy, but even Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson concedes that "many Americans simply are not feeling the benefits" of that economic expansion. Nevertheless, President Bush says the economy is a Republican issue in next month's elections--more important than the war in Iraq. Some Democrats want to exploit the growing gap between rich Americans and everyone else, but "class warfare" has not been a winner in past campaigns. Is there a "war against the middle class?" Are President Bush's tax cuts a part of the problem or the solution? What about the cost of healthcare and the price of gasoline?
Guests:
- Norton Garfinkle: Chair of the Future of American Democracy Foundation
- Tom Donlan: Editorial Page Editor, Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly, @barronsonline
- Grover Norquist: President of Americans for Tax Reform
- William Galston: Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution
Links:
Reporter's Notebook
American al Qaeda Member Indicted for Treason ()
America's first charge of treason since World War II makes an unlikely connection between al Qaeda and a Republican stronghold in California. Adam Gadahn of Orange County is thought to be overseas. He now calls himself Azzam al-Amriki -- "Azzam the American" -- and he's appeared on five the terrorist group's tapes, four of them with Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who's number two to Osama bin Laden. Yesterday, a federal grand jury in Orange County charged him with treason.
Guests:
- Greg Krikorian: Reporter for the Los Angeles Times
Links:
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