Arianna Discusses Obama's First 100 Days On Larry King Live (VIDEO)

Arianna appeared on a special edition of "Larry King Live," along with radio host Lars Larson, libertarian author Larry Elder, and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, to discuss the first 100 days of the Obama Presidency.

Watch Arianna's full appearance below.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Comments

[Glenn1441]

Elder is extremely rude to his fellow panelists and strikes me as a very angry man.

[Woodley56]

I think it's humorous that these clowns continue to extol CEOs and corporate boards while denigrating "government bureaucrats" as if it weren't the hedge fund managers and Wall Street execs that showed such poor judgment, made unsound business decisions, ran their companies into the ground, and then came running to the government for a handout.

I also agree that it was completely slimy to use Natasha Richardson's death to malign universal healthcare. These right-wingers are completely shameless as well as clueless.

I think the Republican Party should adopt the ostrich as their mascot since they have their heads buried so far in the sand.

[Dilz]

Right on. Great points.

[Blufftonian]

AP Fact Check:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090429/D97SCPI00.html

[slithers]

Elder is correct.

There's very little difference between the democrats or the republicans.

It's Coke and Pepsi.

[Nonpartay]

Sorry, but I don't think you're really paying attention if you think that. If nothing else, Republicans are WAY more negative than Democrats. You could see that in the conventions. And Republicans talk about small government but deliver big government yet government that is essentially broken, since they think government is the problem not the solution so they tend to operate on that assumption, thus making the government the problem. Democrats see what government can do and use it to try to help the American people. They may not always be successful, but the aim is not so much big government, as Republicans always paint it, as good government that actually provides the services we pay for with our taxes. And when Dems are out of office, they don't spend their ENTIRE lives bashing the President! There was a lot of criticism of Bush, of course, but for good reason, not just to find something to bash him about like Repubs are doing with Obama. The straws they grasp are truly amazing, everything from shaking hands with the elected leader of Venezuela to not wearing a jacket in the oval office--I could go on and on. What are their IDEAS?

[lisabob2]

That guy who is right on the left coast needs to read the papers, there are confirmed cases of the swine flu already, it has been confirmed in the USA for at least a week. As for the other guy giving Obama a f, I am pretty sure if President Obama had done what he suggested and let the banks and Auto industry fail he would still be giving Obama f. By the way all car companies are doing poorly, except for perhaps Hyundai. Ford GMC and Chystler all have great cars that are as good as any in their price ranges(especially Ford) But having to pay so much for healthcare puts them at a huge disadvantage, having single payer universal healthcare will help even the playing field, and maybe cutting the executive salaries and numbers wouldn't hurt either

[Glenn1441]

Yes, I was surprised by that comment, and by his feigned ignorance that it is American tourists bringing the virus into the U.S.

[lafrance]

watching the clips it strikes me how Arianna debating Lars Larson is almost the same as a parent arguing with a Jr. High schooler.
The basic problem with today's republican party is that they are so immature and they remind me of something Paul Krugman wrote. I am not a big fan of his but, I do remember him writing that the republicans are like watching Beevis and Butthead snickering.
It's true.
I saw a clip of Rick Santorum talking about Specter's switch and he described as Specter pull down his pants and wiggling his butt at the gop.
Come on! That is just so Jr. High. these are suppose to be serious, adult people and they act and talk like they are 12.

[Nonpartay]

I think you're right. I just read a letter to the editor in the paper from someone who obviously hates our new President, and that's exactly how the woman came off.

[jgzeger]

I watched that segment of Larry King with Arianna and others such as Lars Larson. Larson made some sort of stupid remark aimed at discrediting universal health care proposals in the U.S. where he said that Natasha Richardson died because of Canada's "socialized medicine" scheme. What absolute nonsense and trash! Natasha Richardson died because she sent away the first ambulance that was called to help her as she thought she was fine. And if Canada's public health care system is so bad, why do Canadians on average have a longer life expectancy than Americans? That is that kind of garbage that the far right in the U.S. spews. Larson made me so ill, I had to switch channels. I'm happy that we don't have morons like him in Canada.

[GrainOSand]

I knew that guy had issues when he tried to suggest that the Obama administration is somehow soft on illegal immigration vis-à-vis the current swine flu outbreak. Lars is missing a letter.

[Leye Deji]

I was also alarmed by that statement by Lars Larson...I­t seems the conservatives will use anything to discredit universal health care. Even politicize N. Richardson's death. I've heard this before but, I was still taken aback a little by it.
I live in London and believe me I know why Conservative's are scared of comprehensive societal health Care. It's because people will love it, and as such will never let it go. Furthermore, reforms to it will be resisted, that's the down side. Yet, Imagine my disgust when the Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan disparaged the National Health Service (NHS) to FOX NEWS' Sean Hannity, after his famous youtube outburst. I was hopping mad. The NHS has the status of a secular religion in the UK, and like any religion, it's loved and taken for granted by the masses. Hence, the NHS has it's problems, in fact they are legion, and somewhat unrelentin­g...but it's also one of the greatest things about Britain, and a source of genuine pride for UK citizens.

[ddDinah]

I agree with Arianna completely.

[GrainOSand]

Completely? Absolutely? No wiggle room?

(-:

She does present a compelling argument. We gave the banks the money where is the flow of credit? Why are we rewarding bad behavior and getting nothing in return?

[GrainOSand]

Mr. Elder seems to think that letting the little manufacturing America still does evaporate, and letting states erode to the point of lawlessness (which is what will happen if states run out of money), and allowing a house of cards economy to fix itself are (1. Easy decisions.­..and (2. The prescription for a new (leaner -- because people suffered/died in mass, and meaner -- because people miss or they are the people who died/suffered and they remember the horror of how they died/suffered) America.

Personal responsibility, I keep hearing that from those who are not personally responsible for mass outcome. An F is what Elder gives, but what would he do if he were president and how would things be 100 days into his leadership model?

[GrainOSand]

If there is one place the president "may" be having trouble, it is in the area of radical change (what is called for in my opinion) concerning how to deal with the good old boy network of lobbyists and the corporate interests behind them paying for their pricey parroting of corporate sweet talk and veiled threats. The banks, what is that anyway. It sounds like a 50s horror movie. The Banks will get you. The Banks are evil. The Banks are coming. The banks may be a monster but my reading tells me it is the system (laws, rules, and regulations) that fuels the monster. The president either does not see it as prudent to drastically remake the financial system through either taking over the banks or withholding funds and letting them fail, or that is courage he needs to build, for the repercussions of such a decision seem very weighty from this distance.

I am a proponent of radical change. Let the banks fail. Help foster an environment where surviving banks do want to lend. Rethink how money flows to the common person from the top down. Determine the bottlenecks to flow. Get rid of waste and unnecessary redundancy. Oil that which squeaks. Replace that which leaks. Community by community America should rebuild itself. Each community should look around, identify its' problems, galvanize the people in creating a plan of sustainability and revitalization, and set to work on the shovel ready projects that come out of that deliberation.

[GrainOSand]

New methods of lending and borrowing money will come out of that deliberation. New ideas about methods of travel and living within the community will emanate from community examination which will foster projects to reshape communities to be more efficient, financially sustainable, and environmentally hospitable to current and future residents. There is much that can be done and none of it involves the president for what is said about politics is true for most everything else. Recovery and reinvestment are local, like sex and fine dining. Let us all be good thinking innovative heads of the state of our local community. When we link up with the president, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome, no challenge that will go unmet, no mountain too high and no valley too low or dry. Now is the time. The times are fiercely urgent. A president cannot be the only one providing answers for questions that everyone is asking. Be the change -- remember? I wonder if all critics have planted a community garden, taken on mentoring duties for a struggling child, offered free financial planning services, given of themselves to the idea of a better America...­or do they only have criticisms?

The president ain’t me, he is bound to disappoint if I were to judge through such a limited filter. My expectations for myself are higher than those I harbor for any president. This is an outgrowth of the serenity prayer. I do not control the president, I control me.

[Fritziscool]

Remember thye United States invaded Iraq when it converted its currency to the Euro. I am sure that many countryies like the Saudis would prefer to do that only the thought of military intervention prevents them from doing it. The Chinese could eventually force America to except the Yuan. The whole world economy is way above most of our heads. What would happend if America totally stopped military spending ? or if we did switch to alternative fuels? Our whole militaristic foreign policy supports the oil companies. I do not like these struting preening "Alpha male" bankers either. I think that we have to insist that our elected officials do what we want and regulate these financial institutions and give us full disclosure.

[GrainOSand]

"Full disclosure"

As it is with "The whole world economy', the truth may be over the head of most of us, we simply may not be able to handle how candy is made in this American chocolate factory. If you simply look at the clues it is troubling. The truth might stop hearts and cause widespread uncontrollable gasping, wheezing, and coughing..­.and then there would be the tears, the wailing, the moaning and groaning. We know we are being gangstered. If most can escape life without knowing the details of how comfort is provided, that is good enough for them. After all we were born to work and consume. All the rest if for our entertainment and distraction as we burn in the hot flames of someone else's hellacious vision of heaven on earth.

Does the name April Glaspie ring any bells?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11376.htm

[UnknownSoldier]

Arianna I love you but I wont watch you on CNN (Covers Nothing but Nonsense)

[dillydawg]

Spot on! CNN is not worth the time of day.

[armstp]

Arianna,

I think you are wrong. All the critics of the TARP miss the point. The reason the initial help was given was keep the banks from failing. At the time there was a real threat of a domino effect. TARP was successful. It did what it was suppose to do, which was to stop the financial meltdown and keep banks like Citi and BoA from going down. It these two would have gone down we would been in a much more difficult place now and a place that would have likely cost the government and the economy a lot more.

You are also largely wrong on bank lending. You cannot expect the banks to be at high levels of lending at this point in the economic cycle. With or without the credit/mortgage crisis the banks would have cut lending as they always do during a economic downturn.

[theone718]

I agree. However...­.......wha­t the banks are doing is just wrong. To the American people, the banks are using OUR money in a way that is not helping US. THat's WRONG and we are right to be mad about that.

[slithers]

It wouldn't help the US in the long run if the banks started lending money to people who can't pay their credit card bills, loans and mortgages.

[Witchitalineman]

It's so refreshing to watch intelligent women talk. Keep up the good work Arianna.

[global commoner]

Our president says he's not yet "content"

How can anyone truly be close to "content" with anything going on politicall­y/economic­ally/socia­lly when every single day after day, around the world, some 30,000 human beings are starving to death or dying in misery because they are too poor to stay alive?

I'm not expecting our president to solve all this. But we, citizens with conscience, are expected to act if we have any morality left in us. TIME TO STOP BEING COMPLACENT.

Fortunately , there is an extraordnary teacher for humanity who will appear publicly on TV very soon, to inspire us to do just that - take action and solve the most pressing problems around us.

His solution?
Instead of a system centered around the principles of greed, division and fierce competition, how about working together as nations, seeing humanity as one family with superficial differences but who ultimately have the same basic needs to survive. He will address this insane picture at the moment where the "rich parade parade their wealth before the poor". The answer is through nations sharing the excess they don't need so others may simply live. Maitreya says: "Sharing is divine. When you share, you recognize God in your brother."

www.WakeUpMankind.org

[vippy]

I never understand why people, who can least afford it, would produce more children.
By not having children the government would have to find a way to make sure they continue to
exist. Easy fix!

[NyPrincess]

The Kevin Johnson smack-down of Larry Elder was beautiful!

[CRA1]

Agree. To smack down elder is not to difficult, he loved (s) Bush!

[AmericanSon]

Kevin Johnson slam dunked Elder.

[pbennett13]

Great line by KJ "I was NEVER a fan of yours!!!" Awesome!!