PBS has two distinguished and uniquely great news sources that the major networks simply cannot equal . First, there is Newsline which takes on topics and in a bold fashion that major networks have failed to match for the past 10-15 years. And Bill Moyers Journal is a source contemporary, distinguished and varied American expertise that one will have to look hard to find among the spate of doctrinaire infotainment talks shows that permeate the major networks. It is that latter that I would like to showcase today.
Bill Moyer’s July 3 2009 Journal featured three theologan’s who were commenting about the US political and social scene. They were tracking the successes and failures of the Obama administration. The experts – Professor Cornel West of the Religion faculty at Princeton, Dr. Serene Jones Head of the Union Theological Seminary, and Dr Gary Dorrien Professor of Religion at Columbia University were both upbeat and yet pointedly critical of recent developments among Obama policies. On one hand they all praised the end of Trickle Down and the perverse readings of Reagan policy as Greed is Good. But each also had critical and well considered opposition to some major tenets of the evolving Obama policies.
Even better these viewpoints were not the doctrinaire positions of the Christian Right which lament that Freedom of Christian Religion is not being supported adequately by States and the Federal Government. But rather these eloquent thinkers’ arguments were based on the active and historical contention from founding Faters to the contemporary political scene betweens social justice and the democratic capitalism. The clarity of the positions and arguments are breathtaking. Go here to see the video of the complete show. Just for the viewpoints the show is worth the while.