Smallscreen News

Presidential Candidate Rocky Anderson - on tonight's 'The Young Turks' (VIDEOS)

By April MacIntyre Dec 23, 2011, 19:13 GMT

The Power Panel discussed whether a third party candidate should get progressives votes and “The Young Turks” own Jayar Jackson reacts to the $335 million Countrywide settlement.

On the December 22nd episode of Current TV’s “The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur” host Cenk Uygur interviewed  Rocky Anderson, the former Mayor of Salt Lake City, and progressive 3rd party presidential candidate.

The Power Panel discussed whether a third party candidate should get progressives votes and “The Young Turks” own Jayar Jackson reacts to the $335 million Countrywide settlement.

Cenk interviews Rocky Anderson, progressive 3rd party candidate for president

Cenk interviews Rocky Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City who is running for president as a candidate with the newly formed Justice Party. "The Republicans and the Democrats are completely in bed with the same folks, these corporate interests who are in control of our government," Anderson says. "The reason I'm doing this and the reason the Justice Party was formed is so that we can take the reins of our government and make sure that those in Washington are doing what's in the public interest." Cenk says, "Rocky, the problem here is I agree with you 100 percent and disagree with you zero percent," though he acknowledges that it would take an actual miracle for Anderson to win the presidency.

Power Panel: Are 3rd party candidates good or bad for progressives?

Cenk asks his Power Panelists -- Arthur Delaney, Cliff Schecter and Dean Obeidallah -- whether a third party candidate such as Rocky Anderson should get progressives' votes. "You have to get more involved personally than just symbolically voting to have an impact on an issue," Obeidallah says. "Do more than tweeting. Get involved in a local campaign." Schecter says, "I think right now Rocky Anderson could play a very constructive role... He can maybe keep Obama to keeping some of his promises to progressives." If Republicans shy from Ron Paul and he runs as an independent, Cenk says, "Ron Paul and Rocky Anderson in the debate? Now we're having fun."

Countrywide settles for $335 million in discriminatory lending suit

Cenk asks Jayar Jackson how he feels about the idea of walking into a bank such as Countrywide, which recently settled a $335 million settlement in a suit about discriminatory lending practices, and being charged more for a mortgage.

"Not surprised," Jayar says. "Things like this happen, and the more we just say, 'No way, no way, no way,' the more it gets covered up and is allowed to happen." Even with President Obama in office, "Obviously that doesn't change anything," Jayar adds. "What, things just dramatically change?"