Keith Olbermann's suspension from MSNBC for campaign contributions. Nancy Pelosi announces she's running for Senate Minority Leader. Growing up in the entertainment business - child actors. The Puritans' effect on our modern society.
Keith Olbermann's suspension ends
He’s a title contender for the most partisan man in broadcasting and yet somehow, giving $2,400 to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords got him a suspension from NBC. Technically, it seems, Olbermann violated his employer’s policies by not getting advance permission to give these donations. Did his two-day suspension make any sense, considering he’s unabashedly partisan on his “Countdown” show? And if broadcasters have political leanings, how does acting on them financially make them more biased?
Nancy Pelosi aims to go from majors to minors
Following the Democrats’ crushing election day losses and the subsequent Republican takeover of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be stepping down – but not aside. Instead, Pelosi has announced she’ll be running for minority leader. The outspoken Pelosi was seen as a figurehead for the Obama administration, making her an instrument for conservative voter backlash; as a result, many Democrats had hoped for new – more moderate - leadership. The secret ballot will be held next week, and with no clear challenger at the moment, Pelosi has a good chance of taking the post. But will she have the full support of her fellow representatives? Or is there a more conservative candidate waiting in the wings?
Guest:
Doyle McManus, Washington Columnist covering national and international politics, Los Angeles Times
Child fame: a formula for disaster?
Demi Lovato, the 18-year-old star of Disney’s “Camp Rock” and “Sonny with a Chance,” has checked herself into a psychological treatment center to deal with “emotional and physical issues.” People close to Lovato say she has struggled with eating disorders and cutting herself. This is just the latest example of a young actor cracking under the pressure of public life--think Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. Some say the trappings of fame are just too much for a child’s fragile psyche. But is it really fame itself? Or do studios -- and parents -- push these kids too hard? What can and should be done to help them more? Have the possible ill effects of show biz deterred you from taking your children to auditions?
Guest
Dr. Jenn Berman, licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Beverly Hills who counsels troubled young performers; author of SuperBaby: 12 Ways to Give Your Child a Head Start in the First 3 Years
From Plymouth Rock to Rockefeller Plaza
Was it the Puritan value system that shaped America’s managerial culture, turning a few tiny colonies into the greatest economic and political power on earth? The authors of The Puritan Gift contend that the Protestant ethic – thriftiness, individualism tempered with cooperative spirit, the equation of success with divine approval – makes up the core values that led to America’s corporate success. They also argue that distancing ourselves from these values endangers our future prosperity and security. But could those values also be our downfall leading us to uncompromising self-centeredness and a lack of empathy for less fortunate members of our society?
Guest:
Kenneth Hopper and William Hopper, co-authors of The Puritan Gift: Reclaiming the American Dream Amidst Global Financial Chaos and writers-in-residence at the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University.