This morning on radio, Glenn played new audio of Francis Fox Piven making some pretty ridiculous claims about what is causing America’s economic problems. Trying to justify her desire for “another surge from the bottom,” Piven said, “This isn’t the first period in American history when inequality has soared. A very narrow stratum of people at the top have grown richer and richer and richer, while the mass of people find higher unemployment, reduced wages in this period, and a slashed safety net. That’s what’s going on.”
Unfortunately for Ms. Piven “a slashed safety net,” isn’t exactly what “the mass of people” are finding according to a very unlikely source …the daughter of Nancy Pelosi.
This weekend on Bill Maher’s show, Emmy nominated documentarian Alexandria Pelosi played a video she took right across the street from her New York City apartment at the welfare office. After playing a clip of rural conservative voters in Mississippi on a prior show, Alexandria made this video to “expose” the other side of the aisle. Her goal was to tell both Republicans and Democrats to “own their party,” or basically take responsibility for those on their side of the aisle while pointing a finger at the other side.
Pelosi asked the people, who she described as able-bodied individuals, waiting in line for handouts why they were voting for Barack Obama, why they were at the welfare office, and what it was that they liked about President Obama. What she found wasn’t exactly in line with Francis Fox Piven’s most recent claim of a “slashed safety new.”
“Tell me what you like about Obama?” Pelosi asked of one woman waiting in line.
“He gives me stuff,” she replied.
In another exchange Alexandria Pelosi asked one man, “Who are you going to vote for in this election?”
“Obama,” he replied
“Why?” Pelosi questioned
“Because he’s black,” he answered
Pelosi next asked one group to tell her everything that they get from the government. They’re answers are pretty revealing…
“All I get… stamps, public assistance, Medicare—we call it money in the bong.”
Another recipient replied, “Whatever the hell they got to offer.”
So, when was the last time some of the people Ms. Pelosi spoke with actually worked?
“Oh, say …half a decade,” was one man’s answer, which he blamed on his background and jail time.
“Wow,” Glenn said reacting to the audio, “But anyway, back to Frances Fox Piven, who's talking about how everything's just being slashed down at the bottom.”
Watch the clip below to see the full video of Alexandria’s appearance on Bill Maher and the video she made at the welfare office in New York City.