Eric Alterman - "Liberal" Is Not a Bad Word

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/03/26/Eric... Eric Alterman discusses negative perceptions of the term "liberal" as it is used in American politics, in a conversation with FORA.tv founder and CEO Brian Gruber.-----Liberal columinst, blogger and author Eric Alterman sits down for an interview with FORA.tv Founder and CEO Brian Gruber to discuss his most recent book Why We're Liberals, the meaning of liberalism, and the state of politics in the United States.Eric Alterman is distinguished professor of English at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and professor of journalism at the Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, as well as the liberal columnist for The Nation and Altercation blogger for Media Matters for America(formerly at MSNBC.com) in Washington, DC, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC, where he writes and edits the "Think Again" column, a senior fellow (since 1985) at the World Policy Institute at The New School in New York, and a history consultant to HBO Films. Alterman is the author of seven books, including the national bestsellers, What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News (2003, 2004), and The Book on Bush: How George W. (Mis)leads America (with Mark Green, 2004). The others include: When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and its Consequences, (2004, 2005). His Sound & Fury: The Making of the Punditocracy (1992, 2000), won the 1992 George Orwell Award and his It Ain't No Sin to be Glad You're Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen (1999, 2001), won the 1999 Stephen Crane Literary Award, and Who Speaks for America? Why Democracy Matters in Foreign Policy, (1998).His newest book is Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook to Post-Bush America, (2008).Brian Gruber is Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of FORA.tv.Gruber has twenty years experience successfully building and marketing media enterprises. As the senior marketing officer for a range of respected media institutions, he has managed billion dollar revenue budgets and large and small marketing teams. As the first marketing director for C-SPAN, he built its affiliate sales and marketing organization, launching C-SPAN II with the largest subscriber base ever for a cable network at launch. As director of marketing for News Corp's FOXTEL, he helped build the most successful cable television brand in Australia, going from number three to number one in cable subscriptions, brand equity and consumer awareness. As the head of marketing of the largest urban divisions of 3 top ten cable companies (MSO's), he turned flat or negative subscriber growth into substantial gains. And as president of g/media and Principals.com, he has helped more than twenty new media companies develop brands, marketing strategies, and consumer products. He also acted as the media advisor and new media producer for the World Affairs Council of Northern California, the nation's most prolific presenter of quality world affairs events.

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm
Author: ForaTv

Length: 04:58
Rating: 4.67
Views: 670

Tags: democratic democrats foratv left liberal liberals party political politics progressive progressives right values wing

Video Comments

DANxCHORIN (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Alterman is living in fantasy-land. He thinks he can call himself a 'progressive' or a 'leftist' but still supports the tyrannical two-party system? What a joke.Alterman spews pseudo-intellectual garbage to marginalize the man who has done more for the progressive movement than anyone in history: Ralph Nader. Alterman is ridiculous.

ferrozm (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Fuck the american people if they think they have the right to steal from those who have earned it the most. And they wonder why jobs go over seas?

amharris09 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Eric Alterman is a major D-bag he is a whiny bitch. Go Nader

FoxmanPhD (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

US Opinion on Abortion:1st Trimester: 54% think it should be legal: a majority but not a very large one.2nd Trimester: 66% think it should be illegal: a fairly substantial majority think it should be illegal.3rd Trimester: 84% think it should be illegal, almost unanomouse that it should be illegal.The Liberals position on Abortion is very out of touch with America.

tikitak (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Wow he lies a lot. I dont want UHC, I dont support abortion, I don't want higher taxes on the rich. The rich employ the middle class, why kill the golden Goose? Britains largest drug company is moving to Ireland for one reason; They get 28% tax in UK, and 12.5% in Ireland. DUH?? Guess what, the rich dont have to stay in America if they dont want. He wants communism and thats sick, we all know it doesnt work, why be for it?

NGS712 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Hell, I'm surprised that open warfare wasn't broken out on this video. Maybe there's hope afterall. ;)

Whoo69 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Americans are still, at least a small majority (about 55-60%), in favor of keeping Roe. Only the pro-life extremists in the special interest groups and political circles dare advocate repealing it and then completely banning abortion. Most Americans are AGAINST Bush nowadays. They also want out of Iraq. Almost half are for gay marriage. All this anti-tax crap is a ruse. Most Americans don't really make such a big deal out of taxes; they just pay them and get on with their lives.

Whoo69 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Even Abraham Lincoln, the guy the Republicans LOVE to talk about with that old moniker "the party of lincoln", was quite liberal, at least with today's standards. He would never have supported Bush. Jefferson, a leading founder, was staunchly against elitism and aristocracy. His Democratic-Republican Party, which eventually became just the Democrats and then Jacksonian Democrats, was quite liberal. The Whigs and Republicans represented big business even then, like they still do today mostly

Whoo69 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

We elected LBJ officially over Barry Goldwater, the first officially conservative candidate. If Americans are really as 'constitutionalist' and anti-big gov't as the GOP loudly proclaims, why did they reject barry in a landslide? Of course, some claim that "america just wasn't ready". Ok, but then why did it take 16 years to elect Reagan, unless we were inherently liberal on many areas and had to 'change'? And Reagan's presidency really wasn't very right-wing in terms of action taken.

Whoo69 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Eisenhower may well have been a moderate or liberal on quite a few social issues as well. Adlai Stevenson was not made out to be a 'communist' when he ran against Ike. Eisenhower even called himself a "right liberal" (right meaning "correct", I guess). Americans were more Democrats in that age than Republicans. Wilson, a man who represented liberal promotion of peace and freedom abroad (NOT neoconservatism, which calls for military action), was reelected. FDR and Teddy served many terms.