Charlie Rose's Wednesday, October 20, 2010 conversation with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives

CHARLIE ROSE: Nancy Pelosi is here. She is the speaker of the House
of Representatives. The Democrats face an uphill battle in the upcoming
midterm elections. The struggling economy continues to be one of the more
important issues for voters and has made 2010 a very tough time.

Republicans, increasingly confident that they can take back the House,
which would imperil Speaker Pelosi’s position. Democrats are cautiously
optimistic they can retain control of the Senate but there are very close
races in very interesting places. GOP candidates are also ahead in the
gubernatorial races. Several factors, including the independent vote,
turnout, and money will shape the outcome.

The results could profoundly impact the legislative agenda and
political map of the country. I’m pleased to have Nancy Pelosi back at
this table. Welcome.

Read the full transcript here. View the full interview here. See also: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the New American Politics, Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi Prank Gag Toilet Paper

Gender Politics: Women and the Midterm Elections from WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

Betsy Reed, executive editor of The Nation and co-editor of Going Rouge: Sarah Palin – An American Nightmare, and Rebecca Traister, senior writer for Salon and author of the new book Big Girls Don't Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women, talk about women and the midterm elections.

Listen to the show here, read from the show's web page here. See also: Big Girls Don't Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women

What Happens to 'Washington Outsiders' When They Get Inside Washington? from The Takeaway: Early Edition by feedback@thetakeaway.org (Public Radio International and WNYC Radio)

With mid-term elections only weeks away, many Tea Party candidates are campaigning as self-declared "Washington outsiders." U.S. Senate candidates like Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell and Ron Johnson are relatively new to politics and are using their lack of experience as a way to sell their candidacy to voters. But once these “outsiders” get to the inside, what do they find, and is it possible to really change Washington, like they promise to do? We talk with James Morone, a political science professor at Brown University, about the history of the Washington outsider in modern politics. Morone is author of the book, “The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office.”

Read the full post here. Listen to the podcast here.

In Full: State of the Union from rolodexter's YouTube Activity

Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests — including foreign corporations — to spend without limit in our elections,” Obama said. “Well I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong. - President Obama.

He's right. We're seeing no names in the Midwest throwing together multi million dollar campaigns, without breaking a sweat, raising those funds. How long is it going to take, until we start to get entities like The Death Star and Skywalker America donating millions to other no names?

So, if anything, uncertainties about how foreign-owned U.S. subsidiaries would be treated only further muddies the question. Based on our reading of the court's opinion and interviews with campaign law experts, we find that Obama has overstated the ruling's immediate impact on foreign companies' ability to spend unlimited money in U.S. political campaigns. While such an outcome may be possible, the majority opinion specifically said it wasn't addressing that point, and only further litigation would settle the matter once and for all. So we find Obama's claim to be Barely True. - politifact.com

Really, "barely true?"

Journalist and author Kate Zernike from Bob Edwards Weekend by Sirius XM Radio

Over the past year, the Tea Party has increased in both size and visibility, making it the wildcard in next month's mid term elections. Tea Party candidates have beaten establishment Republicans in a number of recent primaries, but how will those candidates do in November? KATE ZERNIKE is a New York Times reporter who has been covering the Tea Party and has written the first definitive account of what she says is a vastly misunderstood movement. Her book is titled "Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America."

Download the partial podcast of the Bob Edwards Weekend show here. We just finished reading a copy, and apparently, this whole movement's roots can be traced back to Keli Carender, "a half-Mexican math teacher with a nose piercing who enjoys doing improv theater on weekends." It's a matter of perfect timing, because then, "the rant happens." Read the NPR piece about it here, or download the All Things Considered podcast.

Obama to Propose Tax Break for Businesses from The Takeaway: Early Edition by feedback@thetakeaway.org (Public Radio International and WNYC Radio)

Midterm elections are now less than two months away, and this week President Obama’s agenda is all about the economy. In Milwaukee on Monday, the president said, “I am going to keep fighting, every single day, every single hour, every single minute, to turn this economy around, and put our people back to work.” [...] We talk about the president’s new proposals with Andrew Ross Sorkin, chief mergers and acquisitions reporter for our partner, The New York Times. He is also the editor and founder of DealBook, an online daily financial report, and the author of the book “Too Big to Fail,” which is out in paperback this week. Richard Copeland also joins us; he is the founder and owner of THOR Construction, the country’s largest African American owned construction company.

Listen to the show here, read from the show's web site here. Check out the author's Twitter page.