The Final Countdown – 8/15/24 – Trump Blasts Kamala Over State of U.S. Economy 

On this episode of The Final Countdown hosts Ted Rall and Steve Gill discuss a variety of topics, including Trump’s economic policy speech.
 
The show begins with commentator and economist Mitch Roschelle discussing the latest inflation and unemployment numbers in the U.S. He also discusses Trump’s economic policy speech. 
 
Then, army infantry veteran and counselor-at-law Tyler Nixon shares his legal expertise on Hunter Biden’s latest legal troubles. 
 
Later,  RT journalist Nebojsa Malic joins the show to discuss the latest out of Ukraine and Germany’s arrest warrant for the Nord Stream explosion suspects.  
 

The Final Countdown – 8/14/24 – Federal Reserve Gives Positive Economic Outlook Despite Little Change for Americans 

On this episode of The Final Countdown hosts Ted Rall and Steve Gill discuss various topics including the latest inflation and unemployment numbers in the U.S. economy. 
 
The show begins with Bronx-based political activist and congressional candidate Jose Vega discussing Ilhan Omar’s re-election amid the Congressional primaries. 
 
Then, former senior security policy analyst Michael Maloof weighs in on the FBI’s probe into the alleged hack of the Trump campaign. 
 
The second hour starts with CEO of Larrea Wealth Management Aquiles Larrea sharing his expertise on the latest economic outlook. 
 
The show closes with international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda talking about Germany’s request to Poland to arrest a Nord Stream suspect. He also shares the latest developments out of Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk. 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 8/13/24 – Trump’s Interview with Musk Nets Tens of Millions of Views

On this episode of The Final Countdown hosts Ted Rall and Steve Gill discuss a plethora of current events, including Elon Musk’s interview with Trump. 
 
The show begins with journalist and YouTuber Peter Coffin discussing Elon Musk’s interview with Donald Trump on X.
 
Then, counselor-at-law Tyler Nixon weighs in on Trump suing the DOJ for over $100 million over the Mar-a-Lago raid, claiming political persecution. 
The second hour starts with international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda sharing his expertise on Ukraine’s incursion into Russia. 
The show closes with the managing editor of Covert Action Magazine Jeremy Kuzmarov weighing in on the latest out of Gaza and Iran amid increasing tensions in the Middle East. 
 

The Final Countdown – 8/12/14 – Kamala Harris Leads in Polls as Biden Gives First Interview Post Dropout 

 
On this episode of The Final Countdown hosts Ted Rall and Steve Gill discuss the latest political developments around the globe, including Kamala Harris’s polling numbers. 
 
The show begins with former City Council Candidate and foreign and domestic policy expert Armen Kurdian sharing his perspective on Kamala Harris’s and Donald Trump’s performance in the polls. 
 
Then, former Barack Obama campaign director, army veteran, and podcast host Robin Biro joins the show to weigh in on the latest out of the 2024 presidential elections, delving deep into Kamala Harris’s policies and also President Biden’s first interview since dropping out. 
 
The second hour starts with international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda sharing his analysis of Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region. 
 
The show closes with author, journalist, and activist Robert Fantina joining to discuss the latest out of Gaza. 
 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 8/9/24 – U.S., Qatar, Egypt Push for Ceasefire Summit 

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Ted Rall and Steve Gill discuss the latest news from around the globe, including rising tensions out of the Middle East. 
 
The show begins with cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune Scott Stantis discussing the latest out of the presidential campaign, including Trump’s upcoming Montana rally, Kamala Harris’s response to protesters, and the two candidates agreeing to debate. 
 
Then, human rights lawyer, activist, and author Dan Kovalik shares his perspective on the latest tensions out of the Middle East, including an anticipated attack on Israel. 
 
The second hour starts with international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda sharing his perspective on Ukraine’s attempted incursion into Russia. 
 
The show closes with former CIA officer host of Political Misfits John Kiriakou joining the show to discuss the government hiding its report on CIA torture. 
 
 
 
 

Don’t Get Obama-ed Again

           Barack Obama’s 2008 run, a classic identity play, emphasized the history-making potential of electing the nation’s first Black president. No one knew or cared much about Obama’s policy positions, and he didn’t bother to share them. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 bids were policy arguments focused around a succinct set of issues: student loan debt, the minimum wage and healthcare. The fact that he would have been the first Jewish president was scarcely noticed.

If I were one of the Democratic strategists advising Kamala Harris’ rump 2024 campaign for president, I would focus on an identity play emphasizing her race and gender over a run about a set of policies. Which is exactly what she’s doing. “The longer the Harris campaign can portray her as a cultural phenomenon,” The New York Times reported on July 31st, “the longer she can avoid articulating details of her policy agenda that could divide her support…For now, the Harris team intends to skip some of the traditional markers of a presidential bid. While Ms. Harris released a host of policy papers during her 2020 campaign—some of which she has since disavowed—this time she plans to cast herself as a policy extension of Mr. Biden’s administration.”

“I think we are three weeks from knowing whether she can ascend the Obama ladder to where it’s about her and not any specific policies she has,” Rick Davis, campaign manager for McCain in 2008, told the Times.

If Kamala Harris can get elected without making policy promises, good for her. But we, as individual voters, have different interests than she does.

“I’m with her,” a Hillary Clinton campaign slogan quickly adopted by Kamala Harris supporters, is exactly the opposite of what representative democracy is supposed to be about. She should be watching our backs. A politician ought to be there for us, fighting like hell to improve our lives.

Just as Harris is attempting to do now, Obama ran as a rock star, long on charisma and short on specifics. Progressives and other leftists who gave him their votes quickly learned that being young, Black and cool enough to enjoy weed is no guarantee that a candidate will govern any better or differently than a boring old white guy. As president, Obama did exactly what a Republican would have done. He refused to codify Roe v. Wade (he called abortion rights “not the highest legislative priority”), granted full immunity to Guantánamo torturers, sent tens of thousands of more troops to the losing wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, used assassination drones 10 times more than Bush and supported the military coup against the democratically-elected, left-leaning president of Honduras.

            Obama’s decision to bail out Wall Street but not Main Street after the 2008-09 subprime mortgage crisis prompted pissed-off progressives to form the Occupy Wall Street movement in late 2011. True to right-wing form, Obama had his Homeland Security department partner with Wall Street banks, real estate companies, local police and the FBI to ruthlessly crush hundreds of Occupy encampments in violent coordinated raids.

Obama is still a rock star. But he gravely wounded the Democratic Party. Obamaism led directly to the surprise success of Bernie Sanders’ insurgent 2016 campaign—and the intraparty schism that allowed Donald Trump’s surprise win.

            Let’s not get fooled again. If the left-leaning Democrats who comprise the majority of the party’s voters want to avoid getting conned into supporting another DINO like Obama, they must insist upon a clear and coherent policy agenda for a first Harris Administration. “She is not Trump” is not enough. Nor is “we need a Black woman president.” By those standards, we could have elected Condoleezza Rice.

            We don’t know nearly enough about Harris’s stances on the issues. The little we have learned so far on matters like Gaza (she supports Israel), universal healthcare (she’s against it) and the long-frozen minimum wage (she doesn’t talk about it) doesn’t give much reason for optimism from a leftist point of view.

            It’s been more than two weeks since she became the Democratic standardbearer. Yet she still refuses to give any press conferences—something every candidate and every president ought to do daily, 365 days a year—or interviews with reporters. Like the senile Biden, every word she utters in public is read off a Teleprompter.

If she won’t tell us what she thinks, and we don’t like what she says, she shouldn’t get our votes.

(Ted Rall (Twitter: @tedrall), the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, co-hosts the left-vs-right DMZ America podcast with fellow cartoonist Scott Stantis. His latest book, brand-new right now, is the graphic novel 2024: Revisited.)

 

DMZ America Podcast Ep 159: Now It’s Harris-Walz. What’s Next?

Political cartoonists and analysts Ted Rall (on the Left) and Scott Stantis (on the Right) take on the week in politics.

Kamala Harris’ pick of Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate has been greeted with praise from Democratic-aligned media as well as the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. As Harris pulles even or slightly ahead of Trump, Scott asks whether Harris’ honeymoon can last and, if so, for how long. The ins and outs of a reshaped presidential campaign and how the immediate race looks is the focus of this week’s discussion.

Watch the Video Version: here.

The Final Countdown – 8/8/24 – J.D. Vance Calls Walz’s Military Service into Question

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Ted Rall and Steve Gill discuss current events nationwide, including J.D. Vance’s accusations against Tim Walz. 
 
The show begins with political consultant John Davis joining to discuss Kamala Harris’s new running mate Tim Walz, and J.D. Vance’s press conference. He also gives a deep-dive analysis of how Trump and Harris are polling. 
Then, citizen journalist and Revolutionary Blackout Network founder Nick Cruse shares his perspective on former Missouri Representative Cori Bush’s loss in the Congressional primary.
 
The second hour starts with political analyst, host of ‘Pasta-2-Go’, and ‘The Convo Couch’ Craig ‘Pasta’ Jardula weighing in on X owner Elon Musk suing his former advertisers. 
 
The show closes with international relations and security analyst Jeremy Kuzmarov sharing his analysis on the latest out of Gaza, including updates on the ceasefire deal, and Iran’s anticipated retaliation against Israel. 
 

The Final Countdown – 8/7/24 – Israel Awaits Iran’s Response, Ceasefire Talks in Final Stage

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Ted Rall and Steve Gill discuss top news around the world, including Israel awaiting Iran’s response.
 
The show begins with former Barack Obama campaign director Robin Biro joining to discuss Kamala Harris’s choice of Tim Walz as a VP. 
 
Then, former director at the National Transportation Safety Board Jamie Finch shares his expertise on Boeing officials testifying about the 737 Max dysfunction. 
 
The second hour starts with RT journalist Nebojsa Malic weighing in on the latest out of the U.K., including the Prime Minister’s response to the riots. 


The show closes with Independent journalist, U.S. Navy veteran, and Host of DD Geopolitics Sarah Bils joining the show to discuss Hamas naming a new leader following Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Iran. 

 
 

The Final Countdown – 8/6/24 – Kamala Harris Picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Running Mate 

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Ted Rall and Steve Gill discuss various current events around the world, including Kamala Harris announcing her VP pick. 
 
The show begins with human rights lawyer and author Dan Kovalik sharing his perspective on Kamala Harris’s new running mate Tim Walz.
 
Then, CEO of Larrea Wealth Management and financial expert Aquiles Larrea joins the show to discuss the state of the U.S. stock market as the futures bounce back.
 
The second hour starts with the Managing Editor of Covert Action Magazine Jeremy Kuzmarov discussing the latest out of the escalating situation in the Middle East, including Iran’s awaited retaliation against Israel. 
The show closes with International relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda to discuss F-16s entering Ukraine’s battleground and Russia’s advances in the Donbas region. 
 
 
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