Good Program Coming Up at 8 a.m. On C-SPAN

[DemBones DemBones]

Sounds like it will be very informative about how welfare reform has impacted the poor in this country. As members of the party that has traditionally cared about minorities and the poor, we need to get back to our roots and find out how the poor are faring now.

:kick:

On Saturday, October 23 at 8:00 am

American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare

Jason DeParle

Description: Jason DeParle talks about his new book, "American Dream," at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, DC. The New York Times reporter spent seven years following welform reform in Washington and the impact of welfare reform on on the lives of three women in Milwaukee. After the discussion, Mr. DeParle answers questions from the audience.

Author Bio: Jason DeParle is a senior writer for the New York Times and a contributor to the New York Times Magazine. He was a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the welfare system.

Publisher: Viking 375 Hudson Street New York, NY 10014



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[DemBones DemBones]

1. Hope some others watched it, maybe we can discuss later? nt

[Kanary]

2. Thanks, DemBones!

I got it recorded, but haven't been able to watch it yet, as I'm doing some programs for a Vet right now.

I really appreciate you posting this, and wish it was of more interest to DUers! :(

Kanary

[DerekG]

3. Not quite what I was expecting

DeParle's overview was disappointingly shallow: he claimed that there was hope to be found, all but ignoring the egregious effects Welfare Reform has had on single mothers and their children. Apparently, DeParle thinks that the tactics of Clinton/Morris/Gore to co-opt Gingrich's war against the poor are to be lauded. A rather tepid hour; look elsewhere, like Hitchens' "No One Left to Lie To," to see the dark side of triangulation.

[Kanary]

6. I'm very discouraged to hear this, Derek. :(

There is so little reporting about poverty issues, and, silly me, it didn't occur to me that it could be a whitewash of reality.

I'm very discouraged. There doesn't seem to be any hope that *anyone* is going to make this a serious issue.

I looked at reviews for the book you mentioned, and it seems to be a double-edged sword.

I guess the best resource is still "A Day's Work, A Day's Pay", the video about what some New Yorkers faced with the welfare deform.

Thanks for reporting on this, Derek. Please be sure to let me know if a really good report surfaces anywhere!

Kanary

[wildflower]

4. Wish I'd seen it. n/t

[taxismom]

5. Jon Stewart on C-SPAN tonight

Hi
I haven't posted enough to start my own thread.
C-SPAN will be showing a conversation with Jon Stewart and Ken
Auletta at 9pm Eastern time.
Sorry if I broke any rules.

[Kanary]

7. You didn't break any rules.... this just doesn't have to do with the topic

I sympathize that you can't post the notice on your own.

The problem I have with your post is that there is precious little attention given to poverty issues on DU, and to post off topic on a rare thread about poverty is frustrating to me.

So, I'll do you the favor of posting the notice about the program, and then you can post to that thread.

I hope you understand my frustration. What is happening to poor people is very important, but ignored by Dems.

Thank you.

Kanary

[DemBones DemBones]

8. As Derek said, it was disappointing, and, as Kanary said, it's very

disappointing that the media pays so little attention to the poor in our society. I remember when there were journalists on television, making serious programs like "Harvest of Shame" (about migrant workers.) Poverty is still with us, though it looks different. You sometimes hear right wingers joke about this being the only country in the world where you can have a color tv and call yourself poor. They don't get it that a color tv is relatively cheap today (those of us who are older remember when only the rich had color tv and everyone else had black and white) nor do they understand that a color tv can help a family feel less poor, even if they go without other things to pay for it. Having color tv is a bit like the Little Match Girl in Hans Christian Andersen's tale. Instead of keeping her matches to sell in the street the next day, the little match girl starts lighting the matches one by one to warm herself a bit. She dreams of a warm room, good food, loving family, all the things that the "haves" have for Christmas while she's lighting matches in the street, huddled against a building. The next day her frozen body is found there