How will the Democrats handle President Obama's jobs bill? Food fight – Capitol Hill vs. Madison Avenue. What’s your worldview?
President Obama’s jobs bill likely to fail critical test in the Senate
In spite of President Barack Obama’s exhortations that Congress should “Pass this bill!” it looks very unlikely that the Senate actually will. They’re holding a procedural vote today on whether or not to allow a vote on his jobs plan. They need 60 votes to send the bill to the floor and Democrats only hold 53 seats.
Republicans have doubled down against the bill ever since the Democratic Senate leadership decided to pay for the bill with a nearly 6 percent surtax on anyone earning over a million dollars a year. Some Democrats aren’t even a sure bet. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska are all conservative Democrats who may end up in the nay column. The Republican-led house isn’t even considering Obama’s bill. They’re working on a GOP plan that has little to no Democratic support.
WEIGH IN:
So what happens after Obama’s bill goes down in the Senate? Everyone agrees that the country needs jobs; are the Republicans really willing to be the ones to kill a bill that some economists say might help the job issue? Who will bear the brunt of the nation’s ire when joblessness remains at 9.1 percent? And, can Obama spin this to his advantage?
Guests:
Brian Brokaw, Democratic strategist who handled Kamala Harris’ successful campaign for attorney general, who now runs a public affairs and campaign consulting firm in Sacramento
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist; former senior Obama adviser in 2008, who now runs the Los Angeles office for the Dewey Square Group
Food fight – Capitol Hill vs. Madison Avenue
Ronald McDonald and Toucan Sam are just as popular, if not more so, than SpongeBob Squarepants and Hannah Montana. Television ads for fast foods and sweet treats jam the cartoon schedule, but now a federal government agency wants kids to be sold on healthier choices.
The Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children (IWG) is asking food marketers to pitch foods with lower fat, lower sodium, lower sugar, and more grains, fruits and veggies. They say it would prevent obesity in children. Key players in the food industry are dismayed by the proposals. The Association of National Advertisers states, "Report after report has shown that advertising is not a primary causal factor in childhood obesity – in fact, advertising on children’s programming has been declining while obesity rates have gone up." They go on to claim that wheat bread, most yogurts, peanut butter and even 2 percent milk would violate the proposed standards.
The IWG concedes their nutritional targets "are ambitious and, in certain respects, may differ from specific federal regulations and guidelines, but that doesn’t mean they’re in conflict." Lawmakers are getting in on the fight. Some Republican legislators have written a letter asking that the first draft of proposals be withdrawn – even though the standards are voluntary. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will be hearing testimony from all the heavy hitters tomorrow, but first AirTalk wants to hear from you.
WEIGH IN:
Could restrictions on ads improve the health of children? What ads do you want your kids to see? What foods do you want them to eat? If standards carry the weight of the IWG – which is made up of the Federal Trade Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture – are they truly voluntary? Do the proposals violate free speech principles?
Guests:
Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Beth Johnson, spokesperson for the Sensible Food Policy Coalition; dietitian and owner of Food Directions; and a former acting undersecretary of food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture
What’s your worldview?
One of the longest standing debates throughout the entire course of history is whether spirituality or science should be used as the ultimate means to experience and analyze reality. While the issue is deeply contentious and the opposing sides are incredibly passionate in regards to their beliefs, it is not impossible for parties in both camps to exchange in civilized discourse and learn from one another. That is exactly what authors Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow prove to their readers in their new book, "War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality" (Harmony Books).
Chopra, an esteemed spiritual advocate, and Mlodinow, a physicist who teaches at Caltech, respectfully engage each other and explore such fundamental topics as the creation of the universe, the origin of life, the nature of time, the power of genetics and the existence of God.
WEIGH IN:
Do you depend on science or spirituality to understand the world around you? Are you a hard-lined supporter of one or the other? Do you combine ideas from both fields for a composite approach? Is it possible for one side to even be completely right or wrong? What works for you?
Guests:
Deepak Chopra, co-author of War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality; fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, adjunct professor at the Kellogg School of Management and a senior scientist with the Gallup Organization; founder and president of the Alliance for a New Humanity
Leonard Mlodinow, co-author of War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality (Harmony Books); physicist who teaches at Caltech; bestselling author of The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives; former writer for Star Trek: The Next Generation
Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow will be in conversation with KPCC’s Patt Morrison tonight at 7:30pm at All Saints Church in Pasadena. Tickets to this “Live Talks Los Angeles” event are $20 and can be found here.