On MLK day, AirTalk is here to round up the latest in politics, including a preview of what's set to take place at Friday's much anticipated inauguration; we'll also hear from Southern Californians heading to D.C. with tickets for the big day - will they be supporting or protesting President-elect Trump?; and we look back on our debate about outgoing President Barack Obama's legacy.
Monday politics: Previewing Inauguration 2017, plus Trump promises ‘insurance for everybody’
President-elect Donald Trump will be formally sworn in on Friday as the 45th President of the United States.
But the spectacle of the Inauguration extends far beyond the ceremony itself. Also planned for the days leading up to and following Friday’s ceremony are a smattering of parties, protests, and rallies that will draw tens of thousands from all over the country to Washington D.C. Local protests are also being planned in many major cities around the U.S. and a list is forming of Democratic lawmakers who are boycotting the inauguration and won’t be in attendance.
Staying inside the Beltway, Republicans in Congress moved one step closer to repealing the Affordable Care Act, passing a bill on Friday that would end the law. Amid concerns about what would replace the ACA, Donald Trump told the Washington Post in an interview this weekend that there would be ‘insurance for everybody,’ though he didn’t get into much detail about what that meant and how it would work. Here in California, Governor Jerry Brown is warning of the negative impact repealing the ACA would have on Californians, especially the 13.5 million who take advantage of MediCal.
Guests:
Dan Diamond, author of POLITICO Pulse, a daily briefing on health care politics and policy; he also hosts POLITICO’s Pulse Check podcast
Lanhee Chen, research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and former policy director for the Romney-Ryan 2012 presidential campaign; he tweets
John Iadarola, host and creator of ThinkTank, part of The Young Turks Network; he also serves as a weekly co-host for The Young Turks weekly live show; he tweets
Southern Californians prep for inauguration and marches
With over 800,000 people estimated to attend Friday’s inauguration in D.C. and 200,000 expected to go to the Women’s March the next day, the capital is preparing itself for at least a million visitors.
As of Friday, 26 Democratic members of Congress said they will boycott the inauguration, and there’s been controversy surrounding the entertainment, with Jennifer Holliday most recently backing out of the event, while Toby Keith defended his decision to perform.
Meanwhile, the March will be a nationwide event, with 13,000 people planning to attend in Los Angeles, according to the event’s Facebook page.
Ben Clymer Jr. is an executive with the Body Shop & Collision Centers of Southern California. He was a Trump delegate, and he’s planning to attend. Clymer told KPCC’s AirTalk that he feels the boycotters may be making a mistake.
“I firmly believe in freedom of speech, and so those that want to boycott, I understand they have their convictions,” Clymer said. “I don’t know if that’s representing their constituents effectively, and I don’t know if it’s an effective message. Their voices aren’t at the table.”
Johanna Siegmann of Los Feliz will be one of those marching in an anti-Trump protest on Saturday. She says as a woman, it’s important for her to go.
“The president elect often says that no one respects women more than him, and yet on a daily basis, his actions say otherwise. So I’m going to march because I want us to be both seen and heard, and that we’re real people, and that our issues are everyone’s issues,” Siegman said.
You can listen to Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday on KPCC. Our live special coverage from NPR will begin at 7 a.m. You can also follow along on the KPCC app and our live stream.
In the meantime, let’s continue the conversation. What will you be doing on Inauguration Day? If you’re going to the inauguration or any of the protests, whether in D.C. or L.A., we want to hear from you – what are your plans and why are you going? And if not, what will you be doing instead?
Let us know in the comments or talk to us on Facebook or
.
This story has been updated.
Looking back on 44: AirTalk debates President Obama’s legacy
As of January 20, President Barack Obama will no longer call 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue his home.
His second term has all but ended, President-elect Trump is transitioning into power, and now President Obama faces the post-presidency world after holding the most powerful job in it.
So how will history remember President Obama? Being the first black president will no doubt be a major part of his legacy, but how and what role it will play is largely up for debate. There are, of course, his legislative accomplishments and sometimes controversial directives, from the Affordable Care Act to the auto industry bailout to his executive actions on immigration. As commander-in-chief, Obama pioneered military drone use and greenlit a risky operation in Pakistan that ultimately led to the death of Osama bin Laden.
But some will remember him for promises left unkept -- think closing Guantanamo and pulling the U.S. out of Afghanistan. Others may remember how race relations seemed to degrade during his tenure, and point to incidents in places like Ferguson or Charlotte or Baton Rouge or Dallas. And others still will remember him for his captivating speaking abilities and overall good humor, whether it was poking fun at himself while slow-jamming the news with Jimmy Fallon or throwing zingers around the ballroom at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner.
How do you think history will remember President Obama? Will he be seen more or less favorably as time passes? What will you remember about his presidency?
Guests:
Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian & professor of history at Rice University; Fellow, James Baker, III Institute for Public Policy
Christopher Caldwell, senior editor at The Weekly Standard; he is also a regular contributor to The Financial Times and Slate