Live Broadcast: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 8:00 PM ET
Join TVNL Radio as our guest, David Swanson, co-founder of the After Downing Street Coalition, and author of "DAYBREAK", Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union, explains how the Bush years fundamentally changed US government, and what America must do to reconstitute democracy.
Throughout the ferment of the Bush-Cheney years, the calls for change that followed, and the new moment we are all hoping to seize, David Swanson has stood at the forefront of citizens movements for a more just America. Popular blogger, a leader of the antiwar and pro-impeachment movements, and a star progressive, Swanson is, as the Nation’s John Nichols calls him, “the true heir of the most radical—and thus the most American—of our Founders.”
His first book Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union (Seven Stories Press; September 15, 2009) is an assessment of how Bush/Cheney fundamentally altered the way our government works, inflated the powers of the executive, and deteriorated the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Only through the active efforts of citizens, Swanson argues, can we restore our rights, and expand our conception of political rights to meet new challenges. Daybreak offers a shocking and inspirational breakdown of all that we have lost, and all that we have to gain.
What powers were stripped from Congress and handed to the White House, and what will it take to permanently move them back? Which of these powers is Barack Obama making use of or even expanding upon? And in the future, how can we embellish our rights, create democratic representation in Congress, and make presidents into executives rather than emperors?
Daybreak is a citizen’s guide to the long-term task of putting an end to the all-powerful executive, and reasserting our democracy. Major structural changes are needed. Here we have clear plans for how we may declare our rights, and truly set out for a new America.
Join us for a lively discussion and as usual, your calls are welcome.
About our guest:
DAVID SWANSON is co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, creator of ProsecuteBushCheney.org, the Washington Director of Democrats.com, and a board member of Progressive Democrats for America. He served as press secretary for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign and has been a leading voice for the prosecution of Bush and Cheney for war crimes. www.davidswanson.org
