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Playlist: 2012 Election

Compiled By: PRX Editors

 Credit: http://blog.hudsonhorizons.com
Image by: http://blog.hudsonhorizons.com 
Curated Playlist

Donkeys vs. elephants.

Below are picks chosen by PRX editorial staff. You can see all potential pieces for 2012 Election by using our search.

We also have an archive of various pieces about President Obama.

Two-Hour (1:00:00-1:59:00)

American Routes show #12-44 Election Special

From American Routes | Part of the American Routes series | 01:58:59

Swingin’ the Election: Music & Politics 2012 - available to all PRX stations!

Ar_election_web_square_small Program audio is free to all stations, including those that do not take American Routes weekly and those with expired PRX accounts.

Every four years American Routes brings you songs and soundbites from the history and culture of electioneering and politics.   Hear the late West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd and a young Cajun fiddler attest to that instrument’s power of political persuasion.  Andras Simonyi, the guitar-slinging Hungarian ambassador to the US, describes the role of rock in lifting the Iron Curtain.  Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael Nutter talks about spinning the platters--but not platitudes--as a Disco DJ.  Then there’s the Midwestern “Honky-Tonk Councilman” who uses music to battle urban sprawl.  Those voices, plus music charged with politics from Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Randy Newman, Flaco Jimenez, Jimmy Martin, Drive By Truckers, The Beatles and Allen Toussaint among others!

Non-weekly American Routes stations - please report your carriage date and time(s) of this special to Ken Mills at publicradio@hotmail.com.


For more information on American Routes, contact Ken Mills at 763-513-9988 or publicradio@hotmail.com.  Also check out American Routes at www.prx.org/americanroutes and www.americanroutes.org

 


Hour (49:00-59:00)

Groundwork: Democracy Close to Home

From The Center for Documentary Studies | 54:01

A timely one-hour special, hosted by Scott Simon, that tells stories of American democracy at the local level. We listen in as people wrestle with issues alongside -- and in opposition to -- their neighbors. Episodes in Upstate New York, North Carolina, Texas, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Alaska. Ideal for the 4th of July and good through the election and beyond.

Img_5061_small At a time of political gridlick and polarization at the national level, Groundwork explores the tone and flavor of democratic action in towns and cities, where one’s antagonist is not an opposing talking head or a politician from a state of a different “color,” but a neighbor.
 
The one-hour special includes these stories:

Energy: The people of Caroline, New York wrestle over the controversial gas drilling method known as fracking. Producer: Jonathan Miller

Civil Rights / Values: The debate over North Carolina’s Marriage Amendment in an African American church in Hickory, NC. Producer: John Biewen. [A version of this story aired on Weekend Edition on May 6. That segment is expanded in this special.]

Immigration: In San Juan, Texas, the debate over how aggressively to police the border. Producer: Maria Martin

Citizen control of government spending: The “participatory budgeting” experiment in Chicago’s 49th Ward. Producer: John Biewen [This story aired on Weekend Edition Saturday on May 26.]

Young people and democracy: A look at how young people are engaging in politics and social action four years after the Obama Wave. Producer: Karen Michel in Los Angeles.

Environment: Fishermen in Kodiak, Alaska, their livelihoods threatened by ocean acidification, take steps to make their voices heard on carbon emissions. Producer: John Biewen

The Devil You Know

From The Truth | 58:59

Just in time for Halloween and this year's Election, The Truth offers a special hour of horror stories that take place within the world of electoral politics.

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From PRX and The Truth, it's The Devil You Know, a collection of Election Horror stories. 

Just in time for Halloween and this year's Election, The Truth offers a special hour of horror stories that take place within the world of electoral politics. The Truth is a podcast that makes movies for your ears (http://www.thetruthapm.com). The stories are entirely fictional, created with rich sound and professional-level acting, from Peabody-award winning producers Jonathan Michell (Radiolab, Studio 360) and Kerrie Hillman (Fair Game, Studio 360).

The stories...

Do You Have a Minute for Equality?
A canvasser gets the donation she needs, but it will cost her.
written by Chet Siegel
produced & directed by Jonathan Mitchell
performed by Chet Siegel and Tom Ligon, with Matt J. Weir, Quentin Loder, and Melanie Hoopes
with sound design help from Brendan Baker (of Love & Radio)

Third Party
Mike Coleman is an independent candidate running for Congress, and he's finally getting some attention... from a serial killer. 
written by Ed Herbstman
produced & directed by Jonathan Mitchell 
performed by Ed Herbstman, Chet Siegel, Rick Andrews, Nick Kanellis, Louis Kornfeld, Amy Warren, and Bryn Magnus.

The Death of Poe
The last days of Edgar Allen Poe have always been shrouded in mystery. This story imagines how he may have died.
based on a true listener-submitted story from Matthew Mercier
produced & directed by Jonathan Mitchell 
performed by Christian Paluck, Ed Herbstman, Chet Siegel, and Louis Kornfeld.

Seeking Civility in Political Discourse (59:00 / 54:00)

From Good Radio Shows, Inc. | Part of the Peace Talks Radio: Weekly Hour Long Episodes series | 58:55

On this all-new special election season edition of Peace Talks Radio, an assessment of the problem of incivility in political discourse - and some ideas on how to address it from a number people including a present member and a former member of Congress, two media analysts, and a woman who's taking her kitchen table out to invite people to sit at it and talk calmly about politics.

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80 percent of Americans find political campaigns uncivil and 85 percent say that politics in general is becoming more uncivil.  

On this special election season edition of Peace Talks Radio, an assessment of the degree of the problem, and some ideas on how to address it, from a number people.  We’ll hear from current Democratic congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, former long-term Republican congresswoman Connie Morella from Maryland – both of whom actually agree on several things they think will help.  We’ll also talk with two media analysts - Western Washington University's Michael Karlberg and Hakim Bellamy of the Media Literacy Project, who’ll comment on the media’s role in heightening incivility in political discourse.  And we’ll hear from a woman who’s launched an online project she thinks may help things a bit, by taking a kitchen table around the country.  Paul Ingles hosts.

Program also available in half-hour long version on PRX: http://www.prx.org/pieces/84061

HV033- Political People

From Hearing Voices | Part of the Hearing Voices series | 54:00

Producer Barrett Golding found remnants of Jefferson's theories and Toqueville's writings still very much in play, as he followed Montana's two incumbents US Representatives, one Democrat, one Republican, in 1992. Due to re-apportionment, they were vying for the state's one remaining Congressional seat, on a yearlong statewide game of political musical chairs. We also hear college students in Chicago discuss Democracy.

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In 1992 producer Barrett Golding found remnants of Jefferson’s theories and Toqueville’s writings still very much in play, as he followed Montana’s two incumbents US Representatives, one Democrat, one Republican. Due to re-apportionment, they were vying for the state’s one remaining Congressional seat, on a yearlong statewide game of political musical chairs.

And Jonathan Menjivar documents Harold Washington College and University of Chicago students discussing “Dreams of Democracy” (audible | PRX) part of the WBEZ series Chicago Matters: Our Next Generation.

Original songs by Greg Keeler and instrumental music by Jeff Arntsen of Racket Ship.

Moyers & Company (Series)

Produced by Moyers & Company

Moyers & Company is an hour-long weekly series offering smart insight into issues that matter to America.

Most recent piece in this series:

Moyers & Company Show 352: The Children’s Climate Crusade

From Moyers & Company | Part of the Moyers & Company series | 23:59

Mary-christina-wood-4636_small

With so many in Congress and state legislatures in denial or simply missing in action, and with the very agencies created to protect our environment hijacked by the polluting industries they were meant to regulate, it may turn out that the judicial system, our children and their children will save us from ourselves.

The new legal framework for this crusade against global warming is called atmospheric trust litigation. It takes the fate of the Earth into the courts, arguing that the planet’s atmosphere – its air, water, land, plants and animals -- are the responsibility of government, held in its trust to insure the survival of all generations to come.

It’s the brainchild of Bill Moyers’ guest this week on the final broadcast of the series Moyers & Company (Note that the BillMoyers.com website will continue). Mary Christina Wood is a legal scholar who wrote the book, “Nature’s Trust,” tracing this public trust doctrine all the way back to ancient Rome. It is, she writes, “a robust set of legal footholds by which citizens can hold their government officials accountable.”

Wood tells Bill Moyers, “If this nation relies on a stable climate system, and the very habitability of this nation and all of the liberties of young people and their survival interests are at stake, the courts need to force the agencies and the legislatures to simply do their job.”

“Climate is not just an environmental issue,” she continues.  “This is a civilization issue.  This is the biggest case that courts will get in terms of the potential harm and in terms of the urgency.” 

Mary Christina Wood teaches law at the University of Oregon and is founding director of that school’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program. Her theories are being used in several legal suits filed by the advocacy group Our Children’s Trust.

Travels with Mike: In Search of America 50 Years After Steinbeck

From The Center for Documentary Studies | 54:00

A journey across America in a special revisiting Steinbeck's iconic book, Travels with Charley -- published 50 years ago, in 1962 -- and journeying into today's America through the eyes of contemporary artists. Episodes in Sag Harbor, N.Y.; New Orleans; North Dakota; Spokane, Wash.; Humboldt County, Cal., and Monterey, Cal. Produced by John Biewen of CDS and hosted by Al Letson of State of the Re:Union.

P1130283_copy_-_version_2_small The writer John Steinbeck climbed into a pickup-camper that he’d named Rocinante, after Don Quixote’s horse, and started driving. He left his home on Long Island with a set of questions that could, he wrote, be lumped into a single one: “What are Americans like today?” With his poodle Charley by his side, the novelist traveled 10,000 miles in three months, making a loop from one coast to the other and back again. His account of the journey, Travels with Charley In Search of America, was published in 1962, the same year Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Perhaps even more than Steinbeck could grasp at the time, the United States was at a turning point. He drove along an historical seam between one era and another, one kind of country and another. Half a century later, it seems fair to say that America finds itself at another crossroads.
Travels with Mike retraces Steinbeck’s steps, not with a poodle but with a stereo microphone (i.e., Mike). Producer John Biewen went to key locations on Steinbeck’s itinerary and in each place collaborated with an artist who’s deeply grounded in that place. Travels with Mike comprises a series of conversations, across time, between a great American writer of the last century and a diverse array of contemporary artists — conversations about issues, place, and the spirit of the country.

This special program is hosted by Al Letson, host of the NPR/PRX show, State of the Re:Union. Travels with Mike is a production of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

APM Reports: Focus on Education (Series)

Produced by American Public Media

From preschool to the post-secondary years, this series of documentaries explores the question, "What kinds of education are needed for people and communities to thrive in the 21st century?"

Most recent piece in this series:

At a Loss for Words: What's wrong with how schools teach reading

From American Public Media | Part of the APM Reports: Focus on Education series | 58:59

Reading-def_copy_small For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't know there's anything wrong with it.

Left Behind, Dropping Out

From Connecticut Public (WNPR) | 52:00

Every year, more than a million kids drop out of school. Without a diploma, they will have a tough time succeeding. But the problem starts much earlier than high school. This hour, we'll ask the big question: What works? Stations: Perfect for American Graduate Day Sept. 22.

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Every year, more than a million kids drop out of school. Without a diploma, they will have a tough time succeeding. But the problem starts much earlier than high school. This hour, we'll ask the big questions: Why are students dropping out? What's the cost? And, what works to keep them in school and graduate? We’ll talk to Arne Duncan, the education secretary in charge of turning around the problem. And we'll look at the dropout crisis through the eyes of the kids themselves. You'll hear stories from:
  • Chicago, Duncan's hometown, where we try to find out why students leave school in the first place.
  • San Diego, where a mentoring program has helped cut dropout rates substantially.
  • Washington, DC, where we examine the cost of dropouts to families.
  • Boston, where we look at whether the President's call for a "dropout age" of 18 could really work.
  • And New Haven, Connecticut, where students are given the "promise" of college if they work hard and stay in school.
This special is hosted by former NPR correspondent Andrea Seabrook, now host of her own blog DecodeDC.

It's part of American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, a public media initiative, supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), to help students stay on the path to graduation and future success. 

Listen to the full interview with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.  
Listen to the full interview with Russell Rumberger, author of Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of School and What Can be Done About It.   


VoiceBox: Singing All The Way To The Polls

From VoiceBox | 58:00

VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman and composer & arts blogger Brian Rosen explore election season songs and the history of presidential candidates’ singing skills.

Obama_and_romney_sing__small VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman and composer & arts blogger Brian Rosen explore election season songs and the history of presidential candidates’ singing skills.


Half-Hour (24:00-30:00)

Presidential Shortcuts

From Peter Bochan | Part of the Shortcuts series | 27:36

A mashup of songs and presidential politics from Teddy Roosevelt through Teddy Kennedy, with special emphasis on the 1992 election of Bill Clinton and the 2008 contest between Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain.

Finsterjp60_small A look at Presidential politics from Teddy Roosevelt through Teddy Kennedy, with special emphasis on the 1992 election of Bill Clinton and the upcoming contest between Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain. Featuring separate mixes on Super Tuesday 2008 including winning and losing candidates Ruduph Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, and others with music from Bruce Springsteen and Robert Wyatt. "Politik Kills" featuring the current resident of the White House, George W. Bush defending his foreign policy over music from Manu Chao. "For What It's Worth" is the debate over Iraq between George W. Bush and John Kerry in 2004. The "Presidential Shortcut" takes a historical look at elections starting with Teddy Roosevelt and including archival audio from FDR, Thomas Dewey, Harry S. Truman, Dwight David Eisenhower, JFK, Richard Nixon, Dan Quayle, Ross Perot, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Mario Cuomo, Jerry Brown, Jesse Jackson, Richard Belzer, Lloyd Bentsen, Al Gore and many more. (2 versions available) I've also added some "Primary Elements" for "Super Tuesday 2", including 2 different mixes and the vox and music edits.


Segments (9:00-23:59)

The 47% Mixdown-Mitt's Mess

From Peter Bochan | Part of the All Mixed Up series | 19:31

"The 47% Mix" with Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Ethel Waters, Ry Cooder, Menomena, The Mills Brothers, Bing Crosby, Alan Price, and Randy Newman.

Mitt-romney-nope-shirt_design_small "The 47% Mix" with Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Ethel Waters, Ry Cooder, Menomena, The Mills Brothers, Bing Crosby, Alan Price, and Randy Newman. This is edited down from All Mixed Up: Autumn Part One


Cutaways (5:00-8:59)

Contenders (Series)

Produced by Radio Diaries

Portraits of some of America’s most original presidential candidates.

Most recent piece in this series:

Contenders (Hour Special)

From Radio Diaries | Part of the Contenders series | 53:25

Bryan_t_small Portraits of some of America’s most groundbreaking and unusual presidential candidates, who never won the white house. From Margaret Chase Smith to Shirley Chisholm… from William Jennings Bryan to Adlai Stevenson… some candidates make history, even when they lose. 

This one-hour special spans 150 years and features the stories of six losing presidential candidates:
Victoria Woodhull: The First Woman to Run for President
William Jennings Bryan: The Speech That Changed American Politics
Adlai Stevenson: Believing in Words in the Age of Television
Alben Barkley: The Veep
Margaret Chase Smith: Cold War Hawk in Pearls
Shirley Chisholm: The Politics of Principle
 
Contenders is presented by Radio Diaries and PRX. For more information visit www.radiodiaries.org. 
*News hole and 2 floating breaks 

Jonathan Alter on How to Interview Presidents Obama, Clinton, & Nixon

From Blank on Blank | Part of the Blank on Blank series | 07:16

We hear from journalist Jonathan Alter on how you interview a President--with rare outtakes from his Oval Office interview with President Obama in November 2009 including his take on "Teabaggers" and the GOP.

Obama_sqaure_small We hear from journalist Jonathan Alter on how you interview a President--with rare outtakes from his Oval Office interview with President Obama in November 2009 including his take on "Teabaggers" and the GOP. Jonathan Alter writes for Bloomberg now after spending nearly three decades at Newsweek magazine. He’s interviewed every president since Nixon, except for Ronald Reagan, and we get to hear what really comes out behind closed doors while on the record.

OBAMA INTERVIEW NOTES
- Date: November 30, 2009
- The Scene: The Oval Office
- The Source: Digital Recorder
- The Book: Obama Interview became a central part of Alter’s book called “The Promise: President Obama, Year One.”

Al "Dick" Perry for President

From Sarah Bromer | 07:46

Al Perry, Tucson country singer, is running for president. His middle name is Richard, so he registered himself as Al "Dick" Perry on the Arizona Republican primary ballot. The more famous Rick Perry has dropped out, but Al's still going. While his campaign might be what you'd call a joke, Al has some serious ideas about the American political system. And though he probably won't win, there's something about seeing "joke candidates" like Al on the ballot that feels like a small victory for all of us.

390321_2367561110614_1298033506_32005995_1262052817_n_small Al Perry, Tucson country singer, is running for president. His middle name is Richard, so he registered himself as Al "Dick" Perry on the Arizona Republican primary ballot. The more famous Rick Perry has dropped out, but Al's still going. While his campaign might be what you'd call a joke, Al has some serious ideas about the American  political system.  And though he probably won't win, there's something about seeing "joke candidates" like Al on the ballot that feels like a small victory for all of us.

This story aired on Arizona Spotlight, on Tucson's NPR station, KUAZ/KUAT, on the weekend of Feb 25th-26th, 2012.

To learn more about Al "Dick" Perry's platform, visit http://alperryforpresident.com



Drop-Ins (2:00-4:59)

This I Believe - Harry Truman

From This I Believe | Part of the Edward R. Murrow's This I Believe series | 04:22

Harry Truman speaks about democracy and faith.

479pxharrytruman_small Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. Born and raised in Missouri, Truman was a farmer, businessman, World War I veteran and U. S. Senator. As President, his order to drop atomic bombs on Japan helped end World War II. TRANSCRIPT: I believe in a moral code based on the Ten Commandments found in the 20th chapter of Exodus, and in the fifth, sixth and seventh chapters of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, which is the Sermon on the Mount. I believe a man ought to live by those precepts, which, if followed, will enable a man to do right. I don?t know whether I have or not, but I have tried. I believe that the fundamental basis for a happy life with family and friends is to treat others as you would like to be treated, speak truthfully, act honorably and keep commitments to the letter. In public life I have always believed that right will prevail. It has been my policy to obtain the facts ? all the facts possible ? then to make the decision in the public interest and to carry it out. If the facts justify the decision at the time it is made, it will always be right. A public man should not worry constantly about the verdict of history or what future generations will say about him. He must live in the present; make his decisions for the right on the facts as he sees them and history will take care of itself. I believe a public man must know the history and background of his state and his nation to enable him to come more nearly to a proper decision in the public interest. In my opinion, a man in public life must think always of the public welfare. He must be careful not to mix his private and personal interests with his public actions. The ethics of a public man must be unimpeachable. He must learn to reject unwise or imprudent requests from friends and associates without losing their friendship or loyalty. I believe that our Bill of Rights must be implemented in fact; that it is the duty of every government ? state, local or federal ? to preserve the rights of the individual. I believe that a civil rights program, as we must practice it today, involves not so much the protection of the people against the government, but the protection of the people by the government. And for this reason we must make the federal government a friendly, vigilant defender of the rights and equalities of all Americans; and that every man should be free to live his life as he wishes. He should be limited only by his responsibility to his fellow man. I believe that we should remove the last barriers which stand between millions of our people and their birthright. There can be no justifiable reason for discrimination because of ancestry, or religion, or race, or color. I believe that to inspire the people of the world whose freedom is in jeopardy, and to restore hope to those who have already lost their civil liberties, we must correct the remaining imperfections in our own democracy. We know the way ? we only need the will.

Paula: Chicago Field Office Volunteer

From Obama for America | 02:43

From persistence to flexibility, neighborhood team leader Paula offers an inside look at what it takes to be a volunteer with President Obama's re-election campaign.

Paula_il_small From persistence to flexibility, neighborhood team leader Paula offers an inside look at what it takes to be a volunteer with President Obama's re-election campaign.

Global Ethics Corner (Series)

Produced by Carnegie Council

Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 2-minute interstitial examination of newsworthy ethical issues, hosted and produced by Carnegie Council Senior Fellow William Vocke.

Most recent piece in this series:

Global Ethics Corner: Who Should Control Egypt's Water?

From Carnegie Council | Part of the Global Ethics Corner series | 02:05

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Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 2 minute segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues. It presents both sides of an issue, asking viewers to weigh the information and make up their own minds.