Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Seals and Oberweis "wuss out," but Obama, McCain, Jones, Jackson, Edgar, Scully, Alexi, Kucinich, Julie and Pat Brady, et al show up

This week’s suburban edition of "Public Affairs," includes primarily clips and interviews from the Democratic and Republican Party National Conventions, but also a few clips from prior “Public Affairs,” show, featuring Barack Obama and Senator John McCain being interviewed by show host Jeff Berkowitz. This episode is the second part of a two part series on the Democratic and Republican Party national conventions.
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You can also watch this show on your computer.

Additionally, you can watch the first part of our two part series on your computer.
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This week’s suburban edition of "Public Affairs," consists of the following segments: a clip of a prior show with Obama,; a clip of a prior show with McCain, a clip from an Illinois Delegation meeting at the Democratic Convention featuring Cong. Jackson hugging Mayor Daley and Gov. Blagojevich hugging Speaker Madigan, with Jackson discussing the importance of the hugs, an interview of Senate President and Obama mentor Emil Jones by Jeff Berkowitz, an interview with Cong. Kucinich (D-Cleveland, OH) by Jeff Berkowitz, an interview with State Treasurer and Obama surrogate Alexi Giannoulias by Jeff Berkowitz, a cameo by Fox's Megyn Kelly, interviews from the Convention floor in St. Paul by Berkowitz with Illinois' Deputy Co-Chair of McCain for President Julie Brady and with Illinois Republican National Committeeman Pat Brady, an interview w/ former Gov. Edgar and an interview w/ C-Span’s Steve Scully.
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A partial transcript of this week's suburban edition of Public Affairs is included directly, below.

Jeff Berkowitz: So…what do [Seals and Oberweis] have in common? They both seem to be “wussing out.”
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Jeff Berkowitz: … that’s congressional cowardice in action…in the 8th Cong. District; you have the Republican challenger, Steve Greenberg, showing up. Where’s the 8th CD Democrat incumbent Melissa Bean, she used to be critical, when she was the challenger, of Phil Crane, for not showing up…in the 6th Cong. Dist., we’ve had Jill Morgenthaler show up, she’s got the courage to do so, face tough questioning, she’s the Democratic challenger; Peter Roskam [the 6th CD Republican incumbent] won’t even talk to us for a minute or two when we saw him at the Republican Convention in St. Paul, what is Peter afraid of?
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Jeff Berkowitz: …as of July 22, 2006, is it still the case that you think it’s important that we succeed in Iraq?

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL): …it is important for us to stabilize Iraq. I think the measure of success should be that there is not an all out civil war, that there is not terrorist bases inside Iraq, that there has not been a melt down of Iraq that…draws it neighbors into escalating conflict. That should be our criteria and I think that can still be accomplished although…

Senator Obama, Interviewed after an Austin, IL town hall meeting, July 22, 2006
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Cong. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Chicago, IL): …Who else been mad at me-- I ain’t figured out yet [at which point Mayor Daley leaps to his feet and embraces Jackson in the famous hug…. followed by the famous Madigan-Blagojevich hug]…The Democratic Party, nationally, is too small. We can’t win a national election. This is the truth of the Democratic Party, so we have to …

Cong. Jesse Jackson, Jr., speaking at an Illinois Delegation breakfast meeting, Denver, CO., August 27, 2008.
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Alexi Giannoulias, State Treasurer and Obama surrogate: …I just think that people need to understand if they start drilling tomorrow, the cost of gas will not go down anytime soon.

Jeff Berkowitz: …McCain says you’ve got to do all these things: you’ve got to do nuclear power, you’ve got to do wind, solar, but also [expanded] off shore drilling because they all take a while, so it’s not an answer, is it, to say [off shore drilling] takes a while because the other things I mentioned take a while, too.

Giannoulias: …Listen, this thing’s not going to be fixed in one day. But, if you start looking at alternative fuel sources, and if you let people know that this is not going to happen in a day—my concern is that people aren’t misled into thinking—we’ve got to drill tomorrow because our gas [prices] are too high and in the wintertime I want to make sure it doesn’t cost as much to fill up my tank-- and that’s just inaccurate.
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Jeff Berkowitz: But, [running for governor] is something you’d take a look at?

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias: Yeah, …and especially now more than ever—seeing a total lack of leadership with Governor Blagojevich. I think the state is ready for some fresh leadership…

Alexi, speaking after an Alexi Giannoulias sponsored party in Denver, Colorado, August 27, 2008
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Jeff Berkowitz: Does Rod Blagojevich…survive this?

Senate President Emil Jones: I don’t know!

Jeff Berkowitz: He could be indicted. You don’t know? He might be?

Senate President Emil Jones: I don’t know.

Jeff Berkowitz: Would you agree he might be indicted?

Senate President Emil Jones: No, I don’t agree.

Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t think he will be indicted.

Senate President Emil Jones: Because I don’t know all the facts. And, neither do you.

Jeff Berkowitz: …If in 2010, he runs for re-election and he runs against Lisa Madigan [in the Democratic gubernatorial primary], who wins?

Senate President Emil Jones: Rod Blagojevich.

Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago); Marriott Hotel, Denver, Colorado; August 23, 2008.
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Jeff Berkowitz…[Bill Kristol] also quoted Don Rumsfeld as saying, “weakness is provocative,” suggesting the United States has been too weak with respect to Iran. Do you agree?

Senator McCain: I think that this administration has handled a very difficult situation regards to Iran as well as we could. …but I am not sure what else we could have done. Now, we have reason to get tougher with Iran. I have said on several occasions, it would be a terrible thing for us to have to intervene militarily because of Iranians acquiring nuclear weapons. There would be only one thing worse and that would be Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

Jeff Berkowitz: …should the United States consider that in the next year? Taking military action to avoid facing a nuclear-armed Iran?

Senator McCain: I think I can only repeat my previous statement but I think the President has made it very clear our position on this issue including his statement that we cannot stand by and watch Israel be destroyed by Iran and obviously if they develop

Senator McCain’s press conference, held prior to a fundraiser for David McSweeney, 2006 8th CD Republican Nominee, July 15, 2006, Schaumburg, IL
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Jeff Berkowitz:...Pat, everybody is asking about Sarah Palin, she's got a lot of executive experience-- not a lot, but two years as Governor of Alaska, some say more than McCain, more than Obama, more than Joe Biden...the problem is-- is she ready to step in on day 1, should something happen to John McCain, because people say she doesn't have any national foreign policy experience. What do you say to that?

Pat Brady [Illinois' National Republican Committeeman]: that our candidate, the No. 2on our ticket, has more experience than the No. 1 on their ticket. She's been an executive, she's been the Commander of the National Guard in Alaska; She's been to Kuwait, she understands these issues; she is certainly more qualified than the Democrat candidate.

Pat Brady, Illinois NRC, interviewed on the Convention Floor, Denver, Colorado, September 2, 2008.
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Public Affairs Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule.

The second show of a two part series with footage from the Democratic and Republican Party conventions is airing this week in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot:

Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.

and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm airing on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
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The second "Public Affairs," show featuring clips and interviews from the Democratic and Republican Party conventions will also air throughout the City of Chicago this coming Monday night, Sep. 29, at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 (CANTV) and that same night on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
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"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area and in Aurora on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here. You can often read Berkowitz's political interviews, analysis and commentary at the Chicago Daily Observer ].

You can contact Berkowitz by sending an email to JBCG@aol.com
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Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page now include two shows featuring clips and interviews, primarily from the Democratic and Republican National Party conventions, and shows with Cook County Cmsr. and Obama Media Team Member Forrest Claypool, State Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) and State Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago), 8th CD Republican Nominee Steve Greenberg, our show with Senator Obama (D-IL), Gov. Sebelius (D-KS), DLC Chairman Harold Ford, Cong. Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago), Attorney General Madigan, WTTW's Carol Marin, Real Clear Politics' Tom Bevan, Sun-Times Abdon Pallasch and much more.
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