Enjoy these last 10 days of 2013 while you can, #nerdland, because once that ball drops… we are back in an election year.
Yes, a mid-term election year–but a crucial one if ever there was one. 2014 could very well be the most important mid-term election of our lives since the last most important mid-term election of our lives. If Democrats plan to come out victorious in November, they are going to need a strong offense and it appears that waging the wage war could be the winning play. The need for a higher minimum wage is not a new political issue, but it is gaining traction as of late and it’s an issue that has been a political mine field for Republicans in the past.
On Sunday’s Melissa Harris-Perry, guest host Joy Reid will be with us to discuss why this is such an important issue for the Democrats to stand behind and why Republicans risk fumbling the ball.
Then, forget Virginia Wolf–who’s afraid of Elizabeth Warren? Even before winning Massachusetts’ junior seat in the U.S. Senate, Warren has been a thorn in the side of Republicans who oppose her position on banking reforms. Now that she’s in D.C., Warren hasn’t let anything stop her from promoting her liberal legislation–like the bill she proposed this week which would bar employers from using a perspective employee’s poor credit history as a disqualifying factor in their hiring practices.
In case you needed another countdown to add to your calendar, we’re now less than 50 days away from the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The Olympics are traditionally a time when all nations come together not for political discussions, but to support their athletes competing at the venerated international contest. Despite the apolitical nature on athletics, the Olympics have become a time for countries to make subtle (or not so subtle) statements on global politics. This year, it’s Russia’s stringent anti-gay laws that are taking center stage. President Obama announced the U.S. delegation to the Olympics this week which among others includes openly gay former Olympians Billie Jean King, Brian Boitano, and Caitlin Cahow. Conspicuously missing from the delegation is President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Intentional snub or not, the US delegation sends a strong signal to the Kremlin.
Sunday’s show will have all this and more, including an interview with a gay couple hoping to get married in Utah (because of this). Also, we’ll be joined by political power couple Aisha and Danielle Moodie-Mills to break down of some of the stories that popped this week–such as last Monday’s much-tweeted-and-discussed Village Voice interview with the journalist who first exposed the litany of sexual predation and assault allegations against R&B superstar R. Kelly. (You can read it here, but trigger warning for survivors, in particular.)
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Sunday at 10 a.m. EST on MSNBC! Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.
Rachel Zuckerman