FRESH AIR
Lee Atwater, the political operative who ran George H.W. Bush’s 1988 campaign — and introduced the nation to Willie Horton — was a man with a knack for bare-knuckle campaigning and a voracious appetite for life. A “guitar-picking rascal from South Carolina,” in the words of documentary filmmaker Stefan Forbes, Atwater could seem like a conundrum: He could share a nightclub stage with legendary bluesman B.B. King on the one hand while masterminding “vile and racist” political dirty tricks on the other. But these are the well-known things about Atwater: For his film Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Forbes went looking for the stories people don’t know. John Powers has a review.
ALSO, In a open letter to the next president, author Michael Pollan writes about the waning health of America’s food systems — and warns that “the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close.” The future president’s food policies, says Pollan, will have a large impact on a wide range of issues, including national security, climate change, energy independence and health care. Pollan is the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History Of Four Meals and In Defense OF Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.
RADIO TIMES
Hour One
Recent headlines about voter fraud, registration problems, and voting machine errors are raising concerns about voter integrity in the coming election. This hour, we will look at the voting system and some of its problems and what they mean for the coming election. Our guests are DOUG CHAPIN from the Pew Center on the States and Columbia University law professor NATE PERSILY. Listen to this show via Real Audio
Hour Two
Campaign Money. How much has been spent? Where is the money coming from? What is it buying? We talk with SHEILA KRUMHOLZ, Executive Director of the Center for Responsive Politics and WILL EVANS, Reporter at the Center for Investigative Reporting and for The Secret Money Project. Listen to this show via Real Audio
SOUND OPINIONS
Show #151: 10.17.08
Jim and Greg welcome eclectic indie rockers Calexico. Tune in to hear the band’s cinematic mix of rock, folk, blues and even mariachi. And stay tuned for the latest music news and reviews.
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CALEXICO: Black Heart