Keeping Relevant With Ronnie Eldridge

In part 2, practitioner of union and government politics, columnist for the Civil Service Chief Leader, Vincent Montalbano outlines events and politics that led to labor unions' loss of power and strength. The Democratic Party should represent labor.

Vincent Montalbano, a long time practitioner of union and government politics and host Ronnie Eldridge, growing up in the Roosevelt era, discuss the "mess" of modern politics, each sadly acknowledging that the citizen plays a very small role in elections.

Per Bill Maher, "Ageism as the last acceptable prejudice in America." Noting that people live longer but not always well, founder of The Radical Age Movement, Alice Fisher and Hunter College professor Steve Burghardt outline challenges facing an older pop.

CUNY Citizenship Now! is celebrating 20 years of service to those on the path to citizenship. Allan Wernick, law professor, columnist, writer, and program director discusses the effect on Dreamers of President Trump's abandonment of the DACA program.

Jo Freeman, activist, scholar, attorney, Berkeley grad, discusses Free Speech-Civil Rights Movements of the 60s; the protest group, Antifa; White Supremacy; Populism, naming the south's Huey Long, Theodore Bilbo, northerners Sanders and Trump as Populists

Award winning television producer, staff member to Commissioner Betty Furness and Congressman Dick Ottinger - now retired, Rita Satz at 92, has her first book of poetry - published. Satz and Eldridge talk aging, the past and the present.

Dorothy Samuels, senior fellow, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law describes the battle over contraception as only one aspect of the campaign over a woman's right to the control of her body and, to a greater extent, to the control of her life.

Justin Davidson, architecture & classical music critic, New York magazine-author of "Magnetic City: A Walking Companion to New York," summarizes New York-the real estate deal between the Dutch and the Lenape Indians- as everyone's story of who comes here.

Alyssa Katz, author "Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us" and "The Influence Machine:The US Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Capture of American Life" discusses her work with the NY Daily News Editorial Board and local and national leadership.

It's amazing that 63 years after Brown v. Board of Education declared separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional-integrating schools still presents challenges. Dr. Amy Stuart Wells discusses segregation in NY's schools.

Outstanding students, of the CUNY's Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program: Claire Lynch, Macaulay Honors College-City College/CUNY, Truman Scholarship winner and Jibreel Jalloh, Baruch College/CUNY, NYC Urban Fellows Program comment on political parties.

Leading election law lawyer, Jerry Goldfeder, a keen observer of democratic politics, discusses the importance of a more welcoming Democratic Party, urging young and old to join, bringing ideas, energy, and enthusiasm to their local Democratic Party.

NYC Council Member Dan Garodnick, representing District 4, discusses issues impacting all New Yorkers: the President's Travel Ban, Immigration, Police Department Transparency, Closing Rikers Island and more.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul is New York State's highest ranked elected woman. Chair of 10 Regional Economic Development Councils, she has visited the State's 62 counties, logging 51,000 miles, building support for the Governor's initiatives.

Dr. Lilliam Barrios Paoli, dedicated to public service, continues to contribute to the public good at Hunter College and their programs in support of NYC's most challenged communities: East Harlem. Dr. Barrios Paoli discusses the complexity of homlessnes

Frances Fox Piven, Distinguished Professor, Graduate Center/CUNY, a leader in the struggle for economic and social justice, believes policy of the administration has brought people together in resistance - that everybody is in it for everybody else.

Mark Green, public servant, elected official, attorney, best selling author reviews the times and events of the 1960s to today's Presidents, Millennial voters and the Progressive movement on "Bright, Infinite Future."

Blanche Wiesen Cook author of 3 works on Eleanor Roosevelt, says that we're still talking about the same issues: race and refugees. In "Eleanor Roosevelt: Vol 3" Cook discusses her core issues: economic security, racial equality, New Deal and refugees.

Commenting that "battles for civil liberties never stay won," Donna Lieberman of the NY Civil Liberties Union, is deeply concerned that progress made over the last 50 years is being shredded-with bullying, lose of women's rights, achieving a safe society.

Liz Abzug, attorney, professor, ex director of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, reminds us of her mother, Bella Abzug, the feminist and civil rights advocate; Bella's career and contributions, to Liz's own work at BALI, inspiring girls.

Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor of Social Psychology, CUNY Graduate Center, studies and reports on social injustice in urban communities, schools and prisons, promoting education to reduce recidivism and aid a return to a productive life.

Dorothy Samuels, of Brennan Center for Justice, 30 year member of the NY Times editorial board, comments "This country is in unprecedented territory and we're in terrible trouble in terms of our democracy and progress on issues that ... many care about."

Gov. Cuomo commuted Judith Clark's sentence from 75 to 35 years, already served, making her eligible for parole in 2017. Clark is among 113 inmates receiving various forms of clemency. Attorney Steve Zeidman called the Governor's actions courageous.

Journalist, award-winning author of books on three American presidents, currently a biography of President Jimmy Carter Jonathan Alter indicated he would not write a book about the president-elect but the Trump time in office might be of interest.

Les Leopold, "Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice" and 3 other publications, executive director of the Labor Institute continues to discuss the "revolt against neo-liberalism" and the enormous inequality that will not just go away.