Podcasts about dinner table politics

Dinner Table Politics returns! Impeachment takes center stage as Jim and Eliza discuss President Trump's fate, which Jim points out has a greater-than-zero percent chance of resulting in removal from office. Will Mitt Romney save the nation and unwittingly fulfill a dubious prophecy? Are there really 35 Republicans who, behind closed doors, want Trump removed? Should the House of Representatives arrest Rudy Giuliani? And does anyone listening want to buy Eliza a Tesla? 

Today's guest hosts are Scott Howell and Jim Bennett, both big names in local news. Bennett was the first-ever candidate for congress from the United Utah Party and hosts the Dinner Table Politics podcast on KSL NewsRadio. (He's also the son of the late Senator Bob Bennett, a well-known Republican.) Howell ran for Senate as a Democrat in 2000 and 2012 has strong opinions about gerrymandering in Utah. 

Sam Bennett, age 18, joins Dinner Table Politics for the first time, despite the fact that he hates politics. (His friend Chandler Glauser whispers the right answers in his ear.) Where does Sam stand on issues like gender equality, international relations, and whether America is the greatest country in the world? We go through the Pew Research on Gen Z politics and discover where the generations differ. Also, does Sam know who the Vice President of the United States is? (Spoiler alert: he does now.) Also, why does Sam have Joe Biden's personal phone number? 

What does it take to run for president? Abby and Jim review the history of the campaign for the Oval Office, beginning with George Washington's (non) campaigns, Abraham Lincoln's debates with Stephen Douglas, and the history of campaigns that Jim and Abby can remember personally. (Jim remembers celebrating Nixon's win in '72 riding Big Wheels in preschool, while Abby remembers playing with Polly Pockets when W. won in 2000.) Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton, Obama, and Trump all come under the Dinner Table Politics microscope, and Abby comes out in full force against bumper stickers. 

COMPLETE EXONERATION! That's what Donald Trump is saying about Robert Mueller's nothingburger of a report. Abby and Jim break it down and figure out what we got out of those two years and $30 million that produced this, and whether there are time bombs in it we just don't know about yet. (Spoiler alert: There aren't.) The discussion includes analysis of Internet bots on Facebook, Doonesbury, Joe Biden, the Electoral College, and Jim's longing for "politics as usual," as well as the impartiality of alien lawyers. 

Eliza returns to Dinner Table Politics to discuss her experience as an intern for Senate President Stuart Adams in Utah's latest legislative session. She gives a behind-the-scenes look at Medicaid expansion, the failed conversion therapy and tax overhaul bills, criminal justice reform, and education funding. She also explains, much to Jim's chagrin, why Kim Kardashian is the greatest American hero in the world today. 

Happy Thanksgiving from Dinner Table Politics! Abby and Jim discuss the history of Thanksgiving in America, notably the first pardoned turkey inspired by Abraham Lincoln's youngest and "dumpiest" son. (We didn't make that up.) We also explore the fate of 21st Century turkeys that don't live long after their moment of glory on the White House lawn. Discussions of what we're thankful for lead to a conversation about whether or not Jim Acosta and CNN have a constitutional right to a White House press pass, and we conclude with a really strange joke about a giant orange head to kick off your Thanksgiving celebration. 

For a special Halloween podcast, Abby and Eliza take over Dinner Table Politics and tell ghost stories from the White House. Did the spirit of Abigail Adams truly return to the mortal world to hang laundry from a clothesline? Did Harry Truman really get ding-dong-ditched by the ghost of Andrew Jackson? Did the Great Emancipator startle Winston Churchill on the privy? And when Jim returns to share in the spooky tales, do we discover that real life politics before the 2018 midterms are even scarier than anything Halloween can offer?

Fresh from her internship in Malawi, Eliza returns to Dinner Table Politics to discuss how gender roles affect income and education, as well as other things she learned on the other side of the world. (Spoiler alert: It seems Trump has fans in Africa, too!) Jim and Eliza then discuss the events she missed here in the United States, including the Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination and whether or not he views Roe vs. Wade as "settled law." Paul Manafort's convictions on eight counts prompts an impeachment discussion, and, in the midst of the podcast recording, Michael Cohen plead guilty to eight more felonies! Could it be that Robert Mueller's "witch hunt" is coming up with more than a few real witches? Also, which member of the Royal Family would Eliza be willing to die for? 

Abby and Jim, fresh from a visit to London and France, discuss the history of the British crown and the differences between the governments of the USA and the UK.  Learn why Oliver Cromwell was the LeBron James of his day and whether or not Winnie the Pooh was named after Winston Churchill. Many questions: would America be better if Donald Trump were only the head of state, not head of government? (Or vice versa?) Why does D-Day still matter over seven decades after the fact? And is Disney's animated Robin Hood movie historically accurate?

This "very special" episode of Dinner Table Politics was actually recorded after the Parkland school shooting and never released, but the Texas school shooting has made it all too relevant again. Abby and Jim share their thoughts and prayers about thoughts and prayers and discuss what kind of concrete actions are possible to stop gun violence. If the Second Amendment allows militias to be well-regulated, then what regulations are appropriate?    Also, is the NRA buying politicians? If so, why doesn't it start buying Democrats instead of Republicans? 

Award-winning director and writer Jonathan Lynn made his name as one of the great British political satirists of the Margaret Thatcher-era. In his television series, “Yes, Minister” and “Yes, Prime Minister”, Lynn used the power of the pen to educate Britain on the inner workings of the parliamentary bureaucracy. Lynn talked to Rick Ungar and guest co-host Rick Tyler about his new book, "Samaritans", a satirical take on the American healthcare system, and the power of educating through comedy. The Ricks discuss how and whether we should talk about politics around the Thanksgiving dinner table.