Between The Lines Archive
For The Week Ending Nov. 17, 2000

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THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking here or any of the individual interview segments below (All in RealAudio, needs RealPlayer 7 or 8.) This week we present Between The Lines' summary of under-reported news stories and: Record $3B Buys Corporate America Unprecedented Influence in 2000 Election Interview by Scott Harris. The year 2000 election campaign will go down in history as the most expensive in U.S. history. As of mid-October, the two major parties raised over $393 million in soft money contributions, with the Republicans outraising Democrats by more than $35 million in reports filed by the Federal Election Commission. Senate candidates raised a record $330 million dollars while candidates vying for seats in the House of Representatives have raised more than $525 million dollars according to recent financial reports. Nearly two-thirds of all House races and 40 percent of Senate races this year involved a candidate who has raised at least 10 times as much as his or her opponent. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Stephen Weiss, communications director with the Center for Responsive Politics, who describes the record amounts of money which have flooded the U.S. electoral system and what large campaign donors expect in return for their contributions. Contact the Center for Responsive Politics by calling (202) 857-0044 or visit their Web site at www.opensecrets.org Corporate Media Devotes Less Coverage to Election Campaign While Raking in Record Profits Interview by Scott Harris. The major broadcast and cable television networks look forward every election cycle to raking in enormous profits from political TV advertising. After the ballots are counted this year, these media companies are expected to make between $600 million to $1 billion from the sale of air time to presidential and congressional candidates and their allies. Most Americans rely on television broadcast news for information related to candidates and issues in the months leading up to election day. According to recent studies, almost 50 percent of U.S. citizens depend on television as their primary source for election news upon which they'll make choices in the voting booth. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Paul Taylor, founder and director of the Alliance for Better Campaigns, who assesses the performance of corporate media's coverage of the 2000 election. Contact the Alliance for Better Campaigns at (202) 879-6761 or visit their Web site at www.bettercampaigns.org Former Independent Presidential Candidate John Anderson Advocates Overhaul of Political System to Level Playing Field for 3rd Parties Interview by Scott Harris During the 2000 presidential campaign, Green Party nominee Ralph Nader was accused of being a spoiler, a man leading a self-indulgent crusade who would rob the American people of a clear choice between the Democratic and Republican candidates. But throughout recent U.S. political history, third parties have had a difficult time in overcoming the institutional obstacles placed in their path. Obstacles which include arbitrary rules making it difficult for a third party to qualify and appear on state ballots, and often excludes them from candidate debates. But perhaps the biggest barriers for office seekers who have not signed on with the Democrats or Republicans is the "winner-take-all" system that an increasing number of observers contend robs a near majority of voters from representation in the halls of power. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with John B. Anderson, former 10-term Republican Congressman and independent candidate for president in 1980, who now serves as the chair of the Center for Voting and Democracy. Anderson, who received seven percent of the vote when he ran for the White House, discusses the institutional obstacles frustrating third parties and reforms that could level the playing field. Contact the Center by calling (301) 270-4616 or visit their Web site at www.fairvote.org This week's summary of under-reported news Compiled by Bob Nixon Millions of poor people have "disappeared" since welfare reform act of 1996, which did not mandate that states track families after leaving the rolls. (In These Times: Oct. 30, 2000) Over 100 child abuse complaints filed against Arizona Boys Home.(The Progressive: October , 2000) Gold hoarding by national governments can be very risky. (Washington Monthly: July/August, 2000)

... MORE ... Between The Lines/WPKN Radio Pre-Election Issue Forums: Growing Economic Inequality, The Failed Drug War & Prison Industrial Complex Progressives Debate: Will Nader's Candidacy Shock the System Leftward or Revive Reagan-Era Politics? Issues the Major Parties Agree on and Therefore Refuse to Debate Resources "CEO/Worker Pay Gap: The Neglected Campaign Issue" "Divided Decade: Economic Disparity at the Century's Turn"

 

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