Category Archives: Campaign Finance

Oligarchy: A Greek Name for an American Tragedy in the Making — Podcast August 10, 2015

If Government By the People Is For Sale, Shouldn’t the People Be Getting a Higher Price? President Jimmy Carter said recently that the United States has become “an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president … Continue reading

Posted in Campaign Finance, Capital Accumulation, Citizens United, Constitutional Issues, Corruption, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Elections, Ethics, Front Organizations, Government, Income Inequality, Media Campaigns, National Politics, Podcasts, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Taxation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Oligarchy: A Greek Name for an American Tragedy in the Making — Podcast August 10, 2015

The Republican Presidential Candidates, All 17 of Them: Podcast August 3, 2015

The Greatest Clown Show On Earth: The Republican Presidential Lineup for 2016. Democratic Perspective takes a long, flabbergasted look at the list of seventeen Republican presidential hopefuls for 2016. Should we laugh, cry, or, like Madame Defarge, go quietly back to our knitting? We … Continue reading

Posted in Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Elections, Foreign Policy, International Relations, Mass Media, Movement Conservatism, National Politics, Podcasts, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Political Theory, Polling, Propaganda, Racism | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Republican Presidential Candidates, All 17 of Them: Podcast August 3, 2015

The Arizona Legislative Lunacy Report: Spring 2015 Edition — Podcast April 30, 2015

The March of Ideology and Incompetence Continues in Phoenix: Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino and Gary LaMaster take a detailed look at the Arizona Republic’s recently published docket of bills pending in the Legislature. Listen as our intrepid analysts subject the moderately acceptable, the irredeemably awful, and the crazy ugly to the test … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Federalism, Arizona Budget, Arizona Economy, Arizona Politics, Budget Negotiations, Campaign Finance, Child Protection, Citizens United, Constitutional Issues, Corporate Welfare, Corruption, Dark Money, Education, Education Policy, Elections, Federal Lands, Firearms Legislation, Fiscal Policy, Gun Control, Immigration, Industrial Policy, Nullification, Podcasts, Political Contributions, Public Education, Regulatory Agencies, Special Interest Legislation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Arizona Legislative Lunacy Report: Spring 2015 Edition — Podcast April 30, 2015

Terry Goddard Interview — Podcast September 22, 2014

Making Democracy Work In Arizona: Terry Goddard for Secretary of State.  Having served as Mayor of Phoenix from 1983-1990, and as the state’s Attorney General from 2002-2010, Terry Goddard is well-known to the citizens of Arizona as an effective executive, a courageous … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Economy, Arizona Politics, Campaign Finance, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Elections, Government, Interviews, Podcasts, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Terry Goddard Interview — Podcast September 22, 2014

The Influence of Wealth on Public Policy — Podcast April 28, 2014

Yes, the Rich Really Do Run the United States: Are You Surprised? Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster, and Steve Williamson discuss the implications of several recent studies on the influence of concentrated wealth on public policy making, including the very influential … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Economy, Campaign Finance, Capitalism, Class Conflict, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Elections, Government, Income Inequality, Minimum Wage, National Politics, Podcasts, Political Contributions, Political Theory, Special Interest Legislation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Influence of Wealth on Public Policy — Podcast April 28, 2014

Jim Pullaro Interview — Podcast April 14, 2014

Clean by 19: Is Public Funding of Elections a Real Possibility? Jim Pullaro, Prescott businessman and advocate for the public funding of elections, talks to Democratic Perspective’s co-hosts Mike Cosentino and Steve Williamson about the Clean by 19 campaign, and the prospect for a constitutional amendment … Continue reading

Posted in Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Constitutional Issues, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Elections, Government, Interviews, National Politics, Podcasts, Political Lies, Supreme Court | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jim Pullaro Interview — Podcast April 14, 2014

The Gigantic Kochtopus.

In a series of 5-4 rulings, with conservatives in the majority, the US Supreme Court has opened the floodgates of political spending by corporations and billionaires. In Valeo v. Buckley, the Court essentially ruled that political spending is the equivalent … Continue reading

Posted in Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Class Conflict, Dark Money, Disinformation, Elections, Front Organizations, Media Campaigns, National Politics, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Supreme Court | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Gigantic Kochtopus.

The Kochtopus and Its Tentacles — Podcast April 7, 2014

The Kochtopus: Buying Our Democracy With Dark Money. Democratic Perspective’s co-hosts Mike Cosentino and Steve Williamson are joined by producer Gary LaMaster for an analysis of the shell organizations Charles and David Koch, Koch Industries, and other wealthy individual and corporate players use … Continue reading

Posted in Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Constitutional Issues, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Disinformation, Elections, National Politics, Podcasts, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Political Lies, Propaganda | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Kochtopus and Its Tentacles — Podcast April 7, 2014

Carolyn Warner Interview — Podcast January 27, 2014

Carolyn Warner: Politics and the Future. Carolyn Warner has had a long and distinguished career in Arizona Democratic Party politics. She served three terms as Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, ran for the U.S. Senate 1976,  was the Democratic nominee for … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Economy, Arizona History, Arizona Politics, Campaign Finance, Education Policy, Interviews, National Politics, Podcasts, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Political Polarization, Special Interest Legislation, Women's Issues, Women's Rights | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Carolyn Warner Interview — Podcast January 27, 2014

Elections 2012: The Good, The Bad, and The Inevitable — Podcast November 12, 2012

The Vote in 2012: Reviewing the Outcome. Democratic Perspective looks at the results of the 2012 elections. What did they tell us about the current and future state of the electorate in the United States? Whose polls most accurately predicted the outcome? … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Politics, Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Elections, Government, Media Campaigns, National Politics, Podcasts, Polling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Elections 2012: The Good, The Bad, and The Inevitable — Podcast November 12, 2012