Podcast appearances and mentions of reagan republicans

Today we'll be rebroadcasting our conversation with David Horowitz, the influential author, speaker, and conservative activist who passed away 4/29/25 at the age of 86 after a long battle with cancer. Best known for his memoir Radical Son and for boldly confronting radical ideologies on college campuses, Horowitz spent a lifetime navigating—and ultimately rejecting—the political extremes of the American Left. From his early days among Marxists and Black Panthers to his fierce advocacy for free speech and Western values through the David Horowitz Freedom Center, his voice remained unapologetically clear. His journey from revolutionary to Reagan Republican left a permanent mark on America's culture wars. [Original airdate: 2/16/23] TODAY'S GUEST: David Horowitz is founder of the David Horowitz Freedom Center and the bestselling author of several books, including Radical Son, The Black Book Of The American Left, Dark Agenda: The War To Destroy Christian America, and his brand new book, FINAL BATTLE: THE NEXT ELECTION COULD BE THE LAST. Final Battle, by David Horowitz, exposes the real threat that Democrats pose to freedom. The rise of socialism and critical race theory, coupled with threats to the Electoral College and Senate, an independent judiciary, and the integrity of the electoral system, now threaten to destroy the traditions that bring Americans together — the heart of our democracy. ...Americans now speak in different and antagonistic political languages, and the two parties are so polarized that the American way of life itself is at risk.

Moral clarity in foreign policy is increasingly rare in today's political landscape, which makes my conversation with Congressman Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) so refreshing. A self-described "Reagan Republican" and retired Air Force brigadier general, Bacon stands firmly in support of Ukraine against Russian aggression, even when this position puts him at odds with many in his own party.Congressman Bacon brings unique credentials to foreign policy debates, with nearly 30 years of military service that included postings throughout the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. He argues passionately that Ukraine represents a clear case of "right versus wrong, an invader versus a victim," and warns that abandoning Ukraine would have catastrophic consequences for global stability.We dive deep into why some politicians remain silent on these issues, with Bacon suggesting we've entered a "post-truth America" where winning political battles takes precedence over doing what's right. The toxic social media environment creates an atmosphere of intimidation that silences many who might otherwise speak out. He shares candid stories of facing attack ads and organized resistance at town halls simply for trying to have honest conversations about complex issues.The stakes couldn't be higher, according to Bacon. If Russia prevails, the entire rules-based international order could collapse, with China watching closely as it considers its own plans for Taiwan. "I'd rather prevent a war than have to get into one," he explains, advocating for immediate defensive support to deter future aggression from authoritarian regimes.Whether you agree with his politics or not, Congressman Bacon's willingness to stand on principle rather than partisan loyalty provides a powerful reminder that moral courage still exists in American politics. Listen now to hear from a representative who believes character and truth still matter in public service.Support the showThe Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter https://wwwJackHopkinsNow.com

In this episode, host Corey Nathan sits down with Charlie Sykes, a prominent conservative commentator, former talk radio host, and founder of The Bulwark, who's currently writing and podcast on his excellent Substack To the Contrary. Known for his sharp political insights and willingness to challenge the current trajectory of the Republican Party, Charlie discusses the erosion of democratic norms, the transformation of conservatism, and what the future holds for both parties.

In this episode, host Corey Nathan sits down with Charlie Sykes, a prominent conservative commentator, former talk radio host, and founder of The Bulwark, who's currently writing and podcasting on his excellent Substack To the Contrary. Known for his sharp political insights and willingness to challenge the current trajectory of the Republican Party, Charlie discusses the erosion of democratic norms, the transformation of conservatism, and what the future holds for both parties.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comDamon is a political writer with a must-read substack, Notes from the Middleground. He's been the editor of First Things and a senior correspondent at The Week, and he's the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test. Back when we were both at Newsweek / Daily Beast, he edited my essays, so we've been friends for a while. We also both belong to the camp of conflicted moderates — and look like doppelgängers. The poor guy gets mistaken for me sometimes.Damon was on the Dishcast right after the 2022 midterms, so he's back to discuss the results of this election. For two clips of our convo — if we should be more afraid of Trump this time around, and the effect of woke culture on men — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: Trump going from an “absolute joke” to a world historical figure; his uncanny instincts; how he activated an ignored demographic in 2016; telling Jeb Bush that his brother didn't keep us safe; W's wars; neocons like John Podhoretz; Trump's gains with Hispanic and black voters; the backlash against elites; South Park Conservatives; the end of Reagan Republicans; how Trump's first win felt like a fluke; his smart team this time; Covid lockdowns and BLM; MeToo excesses and DEI; the immigration surge under Biden as a gift to Trump; liberals who see borders as immoral; the hideous talk about Springfield and migrant crime; the left's “racism” slur; the Hispanic backlash over “Latinx”; legal immigrants opposed to illegals; the 1924 and 1965 laws; how asylum law takes sovereignty from citizens; the threat of Stephen Miller; deportation camps, violent protests, and martial law; how Dems could flatter Trump to tame him; Obama's progressivism restrained by realism; Niebuhr; how skepticism over Ukraine is deemed “pro Putin”; how Ukraine didn't move the electorate; the “fascism” debate; Harris and Trump both running ads on both sides of Israel/Gaza; the gaslighting over Biden's decline; inflation and fuzzy memories of Trump's economy; Harris courting Haley voters with Liz Cheney; her not-terrible but tepid run; “opportunity economy” and other blather; how her abortion strategy didn't work; her cowardice with the press and new media; Trump's success with podcasts; how he became a funny grandpa figure; barstool conservatives; his trans ads in the final stretch; and Vance as the future heir.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Anderson Cooper on grief, Reihan Salam on the evolution of the GOP, David Greenberg on his new bio of John Lewis, Christine Rosen on humanness in a digital world, and Mary Matalin on anything but politics. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Trump is corrosive to the soul of our democracy. He's a bigot, an ogre, and an isolationist. And for all the Reagan Republicans on the fence: If Trump gets back in, America won't have a healthy conservative movement again for generations. Plus, Kamala on Israel, and Elon's private foreign policy with Putin—he's working against our national security while helping himself to the treasury of the United States. Bret Stephens joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes: Tim's playlist Bret's 2018 piece on Musk being the Trump of Silicon Valley

Get ready to rethink everything you know about the Democratic Party! In this explosive episode of Connecting the Dots, I sit down with historian and author Jeremy Kuzmarov to reveal how the party's messaging has quietly embraced militarism—and what it means for America's future. This isn't just another political chat; we're diving deep into the hidden history behind today's headlines, exposing the bipartisan grip of the military-industrial complex on both parties. Jeremy and I break down how Democrats have shaped U.S. foreign policy, fueling wars and global interventions that have real-world impacts on immigration and international relations. If you're ready for a raw, eye-opening conversation on how our political system prioritizes power over peace, you won't want to miss this! Tune in for insights that challenge the status quo and uncover the urgent need for a more balanced, humane approach to politics, both at home and abroad. Watch or Listen now to join the conversation! Find me and the show on social media. Click the following links or search @DrWilmerLeon on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon and YouTube!   Hey everyone, Dr. Wilmer here! If you've been enjoying my deep dives into the real stories behind the headlines and appreciate the balanced perspective I bring, I'd love your support on my Patreon channel. Your contribution helps me keep "Connecting the Dots" alive, revealing the truth behind the news. Join our community, and together, let's keep uncovering the hidden truths and making sense of the world. Thank you for being a part of this journey! Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:00:00): Hey, here are a couple questions. Has the messaging from the Democrats changed over the past few years? Is the messaging more jingoistic, more saber rattling, have they become the party of militarism? Let's find out Announcer (00:00:22): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:00:30): Welcome to the Connecting the Dots podcast with Dr. Wilmer Leon. I am Wilmer Leon. Here's the point. We have a tendency to view current events as though they happen in a vacuum, failing to understand the broader historical context in which they take place. During each episode, my guests and I have probing, provocative, and in-depth discussions that connect the dots between these events and the broader historic context in which they occur, thus enabling you to better understand and analyze the events that impact the global village in which we live. On today's episode. The issue before is militarism and messaging. My guest is a man who holds a PhD in American history from Brandeis University. He's the managing editor of Covert Action Magazine. He's the author of five books on US Foreign Policy. He's the author of a piece at Covert Action entitled DNC Convention Features former CIA director who was in charge of drone programs that killed thousands. He is Dr. Jeremy Komaroff. Jeremy, welcome to the show. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:01:39): Thanks so much for having me. Great to be with you. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:01:41): You open your peace in covert action as follows, Leon Panetta was drowned out by anti-war activists when he spoke at the 2016 convention, but not this time. Former CIA director, Leon Panetta, who was the director from 2009 to 2011, was among the featured speakers on the final day of the DNC in Chicago on August 22nd when Kamala Harris accepted the party's nomination as its presidential candidate. Jeremy, does this represent just a shift in rhetoric, or is this a shift in policy and a shift in direction? Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:02:25): Well, I think we see a lot of continuity. I mean, Panetta was there in 2016. He's giving the same kind of speech eight years later. In 2016, he was really promoting these anti-Russia themes, anti Putin. This was the forerunner of the Russia gate. They were already attacking Donald Trump as a Russian agents. And his speech in 2024 was the same kind of thing. It was really very jingoistic militaristic in that speech. He was invoking the glory of the Obama administration assassination of Osama Bin Laden or alleged assassination because there are a lot of different theories about what really might've gone on there. And the official story was shown to be a lie. Seymour Hirsch had a piece that was very good, and he compared it to Alice Wonderland, and their rhetoric was so far out there as to what really is known to have happened. And yeah, there are a lot of question mark or they dumped the body at sea, so there are no autopsy and some question if that was even Bin Laden. (00:03:31): Some people believe he died years earlier from renal failure. But in any event, that's the kind of thing they were doing just touting the War on terror. The US military Panetta said something that America made mistake of trying to be isolationist in the 1930s. And there's this kind of insinuation, you can't appease Putin as if he the new Hitler and America was not really isolationist. It was a global empire starting the late 19th century when it acquired the Philippines and Puerto Rico and Cuba and function as a global empire from that time period. So it never really isolationist. And FDR had this major naval buildup in the Asia Pacific that essentially provoked the Pacific War. It was a horrific war. So I mean, he obviously doesn't know his history that well, but this is just theater. Yeah, it's a very hawkish theme. He's a dancing and his speech echoed Kamala Harris' speech, anti-Russia themes, pro-military themes. (00:04:36): So that's what you get nowadays out of the Democratic party. And yeah, I mean there were booze of Panetta in 2016, but it was quiet this time around. It seems that people are just trying to mobilize around Harris and the EM of the anti-war movement. I mean, there were protestors outside of the convention. A lot of that centered exclusively on Israel Palestine. So I don't know. I mean, I think the protestors in 2016 were part of the Bernie Sanders faction. Maybe they had some hope in the party then, but now I think anti-war people have no hope in the Democratic Party. So they left or somewhere outside protesting. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:05:21): Well, in fact, that was really the crux of my question, Panda's rhetoric versus the convention's response. And does the convention's response, or some might say lack of response, indicate that there's a serious shift in the party, particularly as we look at how easily war mongering legislation gets passed through Congress, through the democratic elements of Congress as it relates to funding for Ukraine and funding for Gaza and more jingoistic rhetoric as it relates towards China? Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:06:01): Absolutely, and I think it's telling that Robert Kennedy and Tulsa Gabbard are considered more peace candidates and they've made a lot of statements critical of US foreign policy, especially regarding Ukraine. Less so for Kennedy, and I think also Gabbard, Israel, Gaza, but definitely Ukraine. They've both been very critical and called for easing of relation with Russia. And they've warned about the threat of nuclear war and that we're in an era and new Cuban missile crisis, they've compared it to, and they were booted out of the party. I mean, Tulsa, they were treated horribly beyond just debate. I mean, Gabbard, she was in one of the CNN debates or televised debates in 2020 as she was running in the primary. And she was viciously attacked by Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris and others who dominate the party in kind of Neo McCarthy I term, and they called her a Putin stooge. (00:07:01): And a Bashir saw theologist because she wanted to, she was against the covert operations in Syria and the escalation of conflict. And somehow they called her all these kind of names and really treated her in the way that Joseph McCarthy would recognize or victim of McCarthyism with reminiscence of that. So she was totally driven out of the party. Now you find they're more on Fox News. I mean, I think the Republican, they're trying to capitalize on the disinfection of many pacifists and peace oriented people with the Democrats, and they're trying to recruit them and draw them into the fold. And that's why they brought in Kennedy and gather. But personally, I think that they're just, they're very cynical operative and their Republican party are just trying to get that vote. But they're not really peace oriented party either. And Trump's foreign policy was very bellicose and aggressive in many ways, certainly toward Latin America. (00:08:00): The drone war, Trump escalated the drone war, escalated war in Somalia, and he's very aggressive and very xenophobic and threatens a major escalation, I think with China. So I think it's just a cynical ploy by the GOP to try and get these disaffected people are disaffected with the Democrats and by recruiting Kennedy and Gabbard to create this persona as a new peace party. But I don't think they really are a peace party. And so those of us who are really committed to pacifism, anti imperialistic politics really have nowhere in the mainstream American politics, and I think we should work on developing our own independent parties. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:08:47): Before I get back to your piece, you mentioned in your earlier answer a reference to people trying to compare former President Trump to Hitler. And I was at the RNC when JD Vance was, his name was placed in nomination and he accepted the nomination. And I was doing my standup after the nomination. And I was saying as I was closing my analysis, I said, I find it very interesting, if not ironic, that a guy who just a couple of years ago was comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler is now his vice presidential nominee, and we'll be standing next to him on stage. I said, how does that happen? And when I said that, there was a guy standing next to me who turned to my cameraman and said, you guys have to leave. You have to leave right now. He was allowing us to use his space, so he was able to tell us that. But my point is, as soon as I said that, you guys got to go, you got to go right now. Explain that because I find it amazing. And only now would something like that happen in our politics. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:10:11): Yeah, well, I think it is increasingly out of the Twilight Zone. I mean, well, firstly, I think a lot of the rather is a bit overblown. I mean, I think Trump, there are a certain fascist theme in the GOP and there are concern about ascendant fascism and authoritarianism both among both parties. I mean the scapegoating of immigrants in the GOP, the extreme nationalism, ultra militarism like veneration of the military, that bears fear that the GOP leaning the fascist direction. I mean, I think some of the rhetoric about Hitler may be overblown, but yeah, it's totally ironic that he was calling him Hitler, as you say, and then he's the nominee. So that's just insane. But why did they kick you out? I mean, you were just repeating a fact that is known to be a fact, and that goes to the growing authoritarianism we see that can't, the kind of conversations we're having are not tolerated in the mainstream. And just a journalist doing his job and just reporting on something is being removed that Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:11:22): And can get you arrested and detained in airports and have your home raided by the FBI, as with Scott Ritter and O'Malley Yella and the three, Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:11:37): Yes, this is, yeah, I think what we're seeing is, yeah, more overt form of authoritarianism. And I think it's showing the flaw of American democracy. I mean, on paper there has been a democracy, but in reality for years and generation dissidents have been ostracized and marginalized and faced a lot of persecution, maybe not physical violence, although I mean under FBI Cual Pro, there were a lot of victims of state repression, people who were unjustly incarcerated sometime for decades, there were people killed. I mean the FBI infiltrated leftists in radical groups with the goal of destroying them and creating divisions. And in the Black Panther, they orchestrated murders. So I mean, there very violent, undersized underbelly of American politics. And that's coming more to the surface more and more. And I mean, you see, look, mark Zuckerberg said that Biden administration told him to censor Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:12:45): The Hunter Biden laptop story. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:12:47): Yeah, well, the hunter bought laptop and relate to COVID-19. And without your view on that, people should have a right to express it, but Zuckerman was told to censor viewed that criticized the government position. And then yeah, you have these raids going on Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:13:04): A minute, a minute, a minute because it's important. I think that people really clearly understand that the point that you just made about Zuckerberg, that's not your opinion. He stated that in a letter that he wrote to Congressman Jim Jordan. And so those who want to wait a minute, what is Jeremy talking about? Right? Google it. You can read the letter for yourselves. It was sent last week and Zuckerberg made those very clear statements and was apologetic for having done what he did in censoring those stories on Facebook because he has since come to understand that contrary to, as he was told, those were not Russian propagandist talking points. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:13:56): Exactly. Yeah, you're absolutely right about that. And another fact is that Tim Waltz made statements supporting censorship if it was related to misinformation, and that seems to be the line in the Democratic Party, but they use misinformation. Could be anybody who's simply critical of the government. They call it somebody who criticizes government policy in Ukraine or vis-a-vis Russia. They say he's promoting misinformation or Russian propaganda, or the same for the Covid narrative. They question the dominant narrative. And I found the review of waltz's statements. He promoted misinformation. So for instance, he claimed that carried out chemical attacks on his own people, and that was refuted by scientists like Theor Postal did a very detailed scientific study, and I did an article and I interviewed postal and he showed me his data and this guy, the top flight MIT scientist, and he repu these claims, his analysis, and he was very neutral. (00:15:02): He wasn't really on any side of the war, and he wasn't even particularly political. It was a very objective scientific study that based on the angles, those attacks had to have occurred from certain areas that were controlled by the rebels, not the Assad government. And that other attacks didn't think that there were chemical attacks, one of those bombing of a fertilizer plant. In other case, some stuff may have been planted like dead animals to make it look like an attack because people would've been dead. He said, he showed me photos and he had images of photos where people who were on the scene would've immediately been killed if there was actually a chemical weapon attack the way they described it, and they weren't affected or sick in any way. So in any event, that's just an example of waltz can be seen to have promoted misinformation. (00:15:57): So based on his own statements, he should censor himself. But the broader point is the American constitution and the American Republic was founded on the deal to free speech, and that's what we should have. And this cancel culture. I think too often on the left, people support censorship under the GU of a cancel culture. And I think that's very dangerous, and I think people are smart enough to see which ideas are good or bad for themselves. They don't need to have this censorship. It serves no purpose, even for somebody who is promoting bad things or false information, you don't have to censor because people are smart enough to see there's no evidence behind what he's saying, which is often true, sadly, of the US government, and that's why they lose credibility. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:16:45): I've asked this question of a number of guests, Caleb Moin and I think Dr. Gerald Horn and a few others that talking about censorship in the United States, engagement in censorship, that if you look over history, particularly since World War I, this whole idea of censorship really comes to a height when the United States feels threatened. And then once the perceived enemy is vanquished, then the whole focus on censorship tends to wane if not go away. And so I'm wondering if now because we're seeing heightened censorship, if that's an indication to you how threatened the United States empire feels? Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:17:34): I think so. Yeah. Censorship goes hand in hand with war. War is the enemy really of democracy. And we've been in a state of permanent war since nine 11, and I think they've manufactured this new Cold War for sustaining the military complex police state, which has to go hand in hand with censorship. And we've seen more authoritarian forms of government, even toward the domestic population, heightened militarized policing in inner cities. We've seen the government stripping funding from vital social programs, and that's automatically going to generate more and more dissent and dissatisfaction with the government and living conditions. So they have to ratchet up censorship and more authoritarian, greater authoritarianism, and that's the only way they could sustain their power, and they've really lost their governing legitimacy. People, if you talk to people from all walks of life, whether in liberal areas, conservative, you find almost universally people distrust the government and they're not happy with the direction of the country, and more and more are speaking out. So they have to censor them and try and control the media and channel any descent they want to channel it and co-opt it. And that's why a lot of the media has been co-opted their CIA or FBI, infiltrators and media, even alternative media. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:19:06): In fact, to your point about people being dissatisfied with the direction of the country, if you go to real clear politics, those polled 26.9% believe the country's heading in the right direction. 63.4 believe that the country's on the wrong track. So again, I try my best to give as much data as I can to support the positions that are being stated so the people can understand that this is substantive analysis that we're providing because talk without analysis is just chatter, and we don't chatter here. Let's go back to your piece you write, Panetta said that Harris would fit the bill as a tough commander in chief to defend the USA against tyrants and terrorists, according to Panetta. Harris knows a tyrant when she sees one and will stand up to them, unlike Donald Trump, who Panetta suggested had coddled dictators such as Putin and effectively told them they could do whatever they want. Why is that exchange or that recounting by Panetta troublesome to you? Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:20:18): Well, firstly, yeah, and the statistics you're citing indicate that many Americans are increasingly seeing their own government as tyrannical. And this is the kind of tired rhetoric we've seen over and over to justify these foreign adventures and unjust and unnecessary wars that further divert our treasury away from actually solving the problem in our society. And yeah, we see, Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:20:45): Wait a minute, and many will tell you, because I've been having this conversation for at least eight years, that that's the intent, that the objective has always been to heighten the sense of insecurity within the country so that social program funding social safety net funding could be shifted away from the public to the private military industrial complex. And they talked about this when Obama came into office, they talked about this, I know I have it backwards. When Clinton came into office, they talked about this when Biden came into office, they said the narrative is more subtle with the Democrats, but the objective is still the same. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:21:32): And the rhetoric, as you see, they're really attacking Trump from the right and they're positioning themselves as more hawkish. And that's why a lot of the neoconservatives have moved into the Democratic party. And William Christol, who this neo-conservative, intellectual, and a great cheerleader for the Iraq war, he sent out a tweet, Leon Panetta quoting Ronald Reagan at the Democratic Convention. This is my Democratic convention or a CIA director quoting Ronald Reagan. And yeah, you see from that statement you read, Trump is somehow soft on the Russian, but if you actually look at Trump's policy toward Russia, he pulled out of the INF treaty, which is a very good arms limitation treaty. He ratcheted up these sanctions from hell on Russia. He ratcheted up arm sales to Ukraine, for instance. He sold javelin anti-tank missiles, which Obama had up to that point hadn't sold. So he would not soft at all. (00:22:31): And he was plotting regime change. I mean, there's a lot of continuity in foreign policy. You see a lot of continuity among administration. So Trump's approach really was not very different from Obama. He's just kind of expanding on things Obama was doing. And then Biden takes it to a further level of provoking all out war and attacking Russia directly. So the rhetoric is meaningless, but yeah, it's designed to inculcate fear. I agree with your analysis that they just try and make us fearful and on edge whether it's of the next disease pandemic or the next threat. I mean, they're always playing up the threat of North Korea or Iran. I mean, look at North Korea. I mean North Korea was bombed back to the Stone Aid by the United States during the Korean War and the US pumps South Korea with weaponry and stores nuclear weapons there. I mean, obviously North Korea is going to respond. (00:23:27): I mean, developing a nuclear weapon is their only way to save their country and survive as a nation. I mean, they see what happened to Libya, but our media doesn't present it in that way, or our political elites, they present it like North Korea as some major threat to us led by this crazy dictator. But they give no context for why North Korea would invest in nuclear weapons or missiles and how a lot of their weapon development is just designed to protect themselves from the threat of renewed invasion and being destroyed again, that they were in the Korean War, but they never give the history of the context. So the public who believes that rhetoric as in fear of North Korea one day, Iran, another day, Putin is presented in the most demonized way, conceivable a totally kind of cartoonish way as this evil Hitler type figure. So we're supposed to fear him one day, and that's how they do it, and that's how they justify this huge military budget that's approaching a trillion dollars now. And yeah, I mean the government spends a pittance on social welfare programs and education and healthcare infrastructure. I mean, that's what the government should be doing, should be helping to create a better society, better living conditions here at home. But instead, they spend a trillion on weapons. And that comes back. And now you have the law like the USA Patriot Act and 1290 D program where all that Pentagon weaponry gets put into our police forces who become more like occupying armies in inner cities and their mistreatment minority groups. So it's an ugly picture. Yeah. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:25:13): You mentioned Libya, and I think we can tie this to your piece. You mentioned Libya, and people need to remember that the execution of Libby and leader Muammar Kadafi took place under the Obama administration. Hillary Clinton was his Secretary of state, and it was Hillary Clinton, and I believe Samantha Power that convinced then President Obama to execute Kadafi. And so if we understand a lineage of thought from Hillary Clinton, her predecessor Madeline Albright, she was a student of Brzezinski who was a Russia phobe. And so there's a lineage of thought within the State Department, and now we have to understand that Vice President Harris is an acolyte of Hillary Clinton. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:26:18): And Hillary Clinton is a very dangerous figure. And I wrote a book on Bill Clinton and I did a lot of research on their career bill's career as the governor of Arkansas. So I learned a lot about Hillary, and even from that time, she's very corrupt individual. Clinton was tied with the national security establishment. He oversaw a major covert operation in Arkansas to the Nicaragua and Counter-revolutionaries, and they laundered a lot of money through illicit Proceed, and they were bringing back drugs as part of these arm smuggling operations. And Hillary worked for the Rose law firm and was representing clients who were involved in money laundering in Arkansas banks. And she was always known as a hawk. So she very unprincipled corrupt person who was involved in also all kinds of shems to raise money for Clinton's campaigns that should have put her in prison. (00:27:16): And then she was always known as a warhawk. She evolved into a major warhawk. There was a very good article in the New York Times, the Rare Good article, New York Times magazine called Hillary the Hawk, and it surveyed her career going back to the Kosovo War. She was a big proponent of the bombing there. She supported the Iraq war, every war she supported, and her hawkishness came out on Libya where she was gloating after Kadafi was lynched. She gloated, we saw he died and she was so happy about it and giggling. And I mean that was a disgrace comparable to Iraq. I mean, Libya was a well-functioning country under CA's rule. I mean, he may have had certain authoritarian features, but he used Libya's oil resources to develop their economy to invest in education. I met a number of Libyans who were able to get free education abroad that Libyan government paid for their education abroad, and they came back to work to develop their country. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:28:20): Wait a minute, wait a minute. To that point, I was teaching at Howard University at the time, and I came across some Libyan students and I asked them who was paying their tuition and they didn't understand the concept of tuition. They were saying, well, wait a minute. Why would you pay to go to college? Help us understand. They could not put their head around Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:28:50): Paying Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:28:51): For tuition. And I believe, I don't think it's a stretch for me to say that at the time that Kadafi was the leader of Libya, that Libya was the most one of, if not the most stable country on the continent. It had one of the strongest economies on the continent. And Kadafi was developing his country, developing his agriculture. He was, as they called it, greening the desert. Libya had some of the purest water in the world, some of the deepest water, the water table. And one of the big issues was he saw himself as an African, not an Arab. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:29:36): And I visited Zambia, my ex-wife was from Zambia, and I visited there in 2007 and Kadafi came during my visit and he was greeted as a hero because he was using Libby as well, resources to promote development projects across the African continent. And he was seen as somebody who stood up for African and was carrying on the tradition of Pan-Africanism figures who revered in Africa like Kwame Nama and Nelson Mandela. And he was seen an heir to that tradition. And then he was overthrown and treated worse than a dog. And Libya has now seen the return of slavery, violent extremism has come into the country, just pure chaos. And a lot of Libyan have had to flee to Europe and then the European under perilous conditions in these boats. And then Europeans complain about immigration. I mean, they turn Libyan to a hellhole and the cost in lives, and it's just sickening. (00:30:38): And Clinton was just laughing all about it and thought it was funny. And I think Kamala Harris seems to be on that intellectual level. She laughs at inappropriate moments. I've seen her. She doesn't seem to have a good grasp of world affairs, and she's close with some terrible leaders around the world, like the Washington Post report that she has developed as vice president, an unusually close relationship with Ferdinand Marcos Jr. And he's the son of one of the worst dictator of the US support in the Cold War Fernan Marco Sr. Who looted the Filipino treasury and killed who knows how many dissidents. And his son seems to be picking up where the father left off. He jailed Walden Bellow, who's a great intellectual in the Philippines, who is running for an opposition party, and they're building up US military bases in Philippines to confront China. And Harris went to ink some base deal a couple of years ago, and there were a lot of protesters for her visit. But yeah, this is one of the dictators she's very close with. So she's following this imperialistic tradition, and yeah, there should be, well, again, a lot of people have left the Democratic party. They see no hope in it, but it's troubling when this is supposedly the more liberal and humane party and this is what they're doing. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:32:07): And folks, we're connecting the dots here. That's the purpose of this podcast, is connecting, linking dots, linking historic events so that you can see the trend, you can see the pattern, you can understand what's really going on behind the scenes. Let's go to Vice President Harris's speech at the convention. She says, as commander in chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world, and I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families. She'll always honor their sacrifice as she should, but the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world that now Jeremy seems to be really throwing good money after bad because the issue now, at least in terms of the geopolitical landscape, is economic. It's not militarism. It's the United States that seems to be using militarism as its only weapon. And I use that euphemistically against this unipolar to multipolar shift with the rise of bricks and the Chinese cooperation organization, their fighting an economic war with militarism. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:33:40): Yeah, and actually it was ironic that she made those statements and that week the New Yorker published these photos from 2006 Haditha Massacre where the US military massacre, all these Iraqi civilian, and there were these horrible photos you may have seen of children who had been shot by us Marines or soldiers. So having the most lethal military force in the world, what does that mean? You go into a country like Iraq and shoot up women and children. I mean, is this something to strive for? And then as you say, this military force is getting us nowhere. I mean, it's just causing backlash against the United States. I mean, yeah, look, in Africa, all these new governments have come in and they're kicking out the US military. They don't want the bases in their country. Like in Niger, for example, a huge drone base that was removed. And I mean Ukraine Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:34:40): Just recently, a couple of soldiers within the last couple of days were harassed Incaa. And Dr. Horn was saying that this is not an isolated incident, that when you see something like this happening on the streets of tur or as many still know it as Turkey, that this is an indication that the people are rising up, not the leadership, the people. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:35:08): Absolutely. And we see, yeah, the United States is a paper tiger. I mean, look at Ukraine, billion and billion, the weaponry and Russians are gaining more and more territory every day. It's reported that even as Ukraine is taking the war into Russia, Russia's taking more territory in Eastern Ukraine every day than they were before. Israel is doing nothing in Gaza. They just leveled the place killed. According to the Lancet report, now it's about a month ago, 186,000 civilians. Now they're attacking people in the West Bank, but they've achieved nothing militarily and the United States wars were all failure in the last generation. You have Libya. I mean, they turn countries into chaos, but it's ultimately they don't achieve the broader goal they set out. I mean, look at Afghanistan 20 years and they achieved nothing, and the Taliban came back in and it's just Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:36:04): Money. Well, Lockheed Martin and McDonald Douglas made a hell of a lot of money in Afghanistan. They achieved something. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:36:10): Yeah, that's all they Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:36:11): Achieved. Stock value went pretty high. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:36:15): And I think the public needs to channel their revolt against those company in the military industrial complex. Their hard-earned taxpayer dollar. They're getting absolutely nothing for it. People are getting killed around the world that weaponry has coming, being sent to us police forces after the military used equipment. It's creating a more authoritarian environment here. And a few fat cats, what they used to call merchants of death are getting rich. And there should be a revolt against those people because they've grown rich off the misery and death of other humans. And it's not a way to run an economy or society rooted in violence and just the wealth of tiny number off the misery of everybody else. And horrific weapon we've never seen in human history, the kind of horrific weapon they're developing now. It's unfit for humanity, and there is movements to try and get universal bans on certain kinds of weapons, and that should certainly be supported as well Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:37:17): In her speech. She also said, let me say, I know there are people of various political views watching tonight, and I know you know, I promise. Oh no. And I want you to know, I promise to be president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self to hold sacred America's fundamental principles from the rule of law to free and fair elections to the peaceful of power. Well, when you look at the data and you look at the polling, an overwhelming majority of Americans, even Jewish Americans, want an end to the United States involvement in the genocide in Gaza. Now, she's saying that she promises to be the president of all Americans, but she and I put this on her because this was her convention, would not allow a Palestinian spokesperson, a representative of that position on the stage. Is that tone deaf or is it evidence that she's a Zionist and she's down with the, Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:38:37): Or both? Well, I think it's an illusion. They were trying to claim at the convention that she was working tirelessly for a ceasefire and for peace in the Middle East. And that's simply a lie the Biden administration has. It's been a joint US Israeli operation in Gaza. And we should recognize that Israel is basically a proxy of the United States empire in the Middle East that the US has used Israel. The reason they've given all those weapons to the Israelis over years now is that Israel has served the key function for the US Empire in the Middle East and accessing Middle East oil. Israel provides US military bases, and it does a lot of the dirty work for the US Empire going back years. For instance, in the six day war, the Israelis humiliated the US nemesis, Kamala del Nassar, who was like Kadafi, started as a pan arabist, and he was in the mold of Nassar who had moved to nationalize the Suez Canal and nationalize the oil resources and was forged alliances with Syria and forged the United Arab Republic with Syria and was promoting Arab unity so the Arab states could go strong in the face of Western imperialism and reclaim control of their chief natural resource oil. (00:39:58): And obviously the CIA tried to overthrow Nassar. They even sent in Kermit Roosevelt, a coup master who had been in Iran, but he failed. But Israel did the job in the sixth day war. They humiliated Nassar. And by that point, Israel was getting a lot of the US weapons already starred in the Kennedy administration where he basically opened the spigots. And Johnson was a huge supporter militarily of Israel. And Israel also carried a lot of covert operations in Africa that have served US interests, including countries like in Congo where they help access the mineral wealth of the Congo. So Israel has gone after the Assad dynasty was an enemy of the United States and West because they were more alive with Nassar in whose day and the Soviet Union, and they're more nationalistic so that the regime the US doesn't like and they've used Israel to Israel has been bombing Syria for a long time now and has tried to gone after Asad. (00:40:57): So these are just examples of how Israel does some of the dirty work of the United States and functions as a proxy of the United States. So the country basically are arm in arm together, and they may pay for public relations purposes. If Netanya has seen a bit extreme among some of their base or among some of the electorate, they may try and take a public distance or say they're trying to moderate his behavior, but I think that's more for public relations. They continue to provide him the weapons he needs, and they're not going to do anything. The last president who had a kind of even handed approach in the Middle East was to some extent with Dwight Eisenhower, who when Israel and Britain and France invaded Egypt, and after Nassar nationalized the Suez Canal, Eisenhower imposed sanctions on Israel and threatened why their embargo and even to punish Israel and the United Nations, but they would never do that today. (00:41:55): They're just giving cover and the weapons and diplomatic support in the UN for Israel's conduct and ethnic cleansing or genocide, whatever you want to call it. And I think they support the US imperialists support the project of a greater Israel, the Israeli far right that their goal is to expand the Israeli polity to basically remove the Palestinian and to use their land for broader projects, canal building to increase the water resource in Israel, access offshore oil. And the US supports that. Could they want a stronger Israel because that's their proxy in the Middle East and the US wants to dominate the Middle East and its oil resources for the next several generations, and they need Israel for that. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:42:46): We could spend a whole nother hour on this next question, but if you could just clarify a point that you made that you just made. You mentioned Kermit Roosevelt, you mentioned the United States going in and overthrowing Nassar, and you said they failed in, oh, you said they failed in Iran. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:43:09): Sorry. They failed in Egypt. They succeeded in Iran. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:43:12): See, okay, see that. Okay. Kermit Roosevelt and Norman Schwartzkoff Sr went in and overthrew Muhammad Ek and installed the S Shah. That's why I wanted clarification. I thought you said, and I could have misunderstood you. I thought you said they failed in Iran. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:43:32): No, and my point was they succeed in Iran, Kermit Roosevelt with a coup master. Then they sent him to Egypt to get rid of that thorn in their side, Albu master, because his pan-Arabism. But there he failed. Nassar was very popular, and he couldn't work the same magic, or they didn't have the right people to get rid of him. So that's when Israel stepped in and it was beefed up by us armed supplies. And in six days, they humiliated him and they provoked that war. It's been admitted by top Israeli leader than generals that they provoked that war. They humiliated Nassar, and three years later he died. And he was replaced by Anmar Sadat, who was much more west and abandoned his Pan Arab ideology. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:44:16): And also, again, this could be a whole nother show, but just quickly, you were talking about Israel being a US proxy, and you've mentioned this before, but I think it's folks, we're connecting the dots here, pay attention. We're connecting the dots. Ukraine is operating in a similar fashion as a US proxy in that part of the world as Israel is acting in the Middle East. And so because look, folks, the Ukraine war is lost. It's lost. And people say to me, Wilmer, you said that the war would be over in two years. And I was right as Putin wound up negotiating with, I'm drawing a blank on the Ukrainian president's name, Zelensky, vmi Zelensky. And he holds up the paper and says, we negotiated a settlement. The US sends in Boris Johnson to say, we're not going to accept this. The West will not. Hence the war is ongoing. Ukraine has no tanks of its own. They're now having to go into their prisons and empty their prisons to send convicted murderers to the frontline. They don't have an army of their own anymore. They don't have artillery of their own anymore. They don't have jets of their own anymore. Everything they're using comes from NATO and comes from the West. And it's a very same situation in Israel. Again, that could be a whole show of itself, but I just wanted to quickly connect the dots between the proxies in Israel and the proxies in Ukraine. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:46:05): And I would add the point that the United States and the people of those countries should understand, and I think this is American Jews should understand that the United States doesn't care about the people. They're using them for their own agenda. And look, Ukrainian has suffered terribly through their lines with the United States. They never would've gone to war with Russia, Ukraine and Russia got along. They had some issues, but they resolved it. And maybe the Ukrainian felt slight in some way toward the Russians, but they weren't stupid enough to take up arms against the Russians and annihilate themselves. But they thought because they had the United States and all these weapons that they could take on the Russians, and they made the same mistake as Napoleon or Hitler. I mean, the Russians are, I spent time in Russia. They're very patriotic people, and they will defend their country. (00:46:58): And this was a war provoked by the United States that basically used, and the Russians know this, that the US was using Ukraine, a battering ram against Russia, and they're going to defend themselves. And the Israeli case, look, the Israelis Israeli security has suffered tremendously. Now they're inviting attacks from all their enemies and they've shed so much blood, they're going to invite vengeance and retaliation against them, the security situation, very poor in Israel. I would not want to live in Israel, and they could invite one day their own destruction. Already, they've compromised the moral of their society. Israel was founded as a haven for Jewish people, and a lot of the very idealistic people were part of the original Zionist movement. I mean, the kibbutz was a concept of a cooperative model of an economy. But look at Israel today. It's this armed military state that is pariah around the world because of the atrocity that's carried out with support by the United States doing the United States dirty work. (00:48:05): And it's eviscerated its own democracy. I mean, it's become very repressive there. Journalists who are trying to report on what's going on in Gaza have been, I don't know. I think they've been certainly blacklist, if not jailed or shot. I mean, it's just a evolved, a violent authoritarian state. That's king of assassination. Mossad carries out assassinations around the world. It's hate and fear. It has an extreme right-wing government, this is not the ideal of a lot of the original Zionists. And a lot of American Jews are very uncomfortable the direction of that society they should be, and it could invite their own destruction one day. So I mean, that's a lesson you can take. If you lie with the empire, they'll use you for their own purpose and ultimately they'll spit you out. I mean, ask the Kurds, ask the Hmong and Lao, they've used proxies in other countries, and those proxies got totally destroyed like the Hmong and Laos or the Kurd, and they'll abandon them when it doesn't suit their agenda. They may find somebody else. And Ukrainian society has been destroyed. 500,000 youth have been killed. They don't even have enough people. How are they going to run their economy when all the youth of the country have been killed? Others had to flee. They don't want to fight the front lines. Yeah, they've sacrificed them as ponds in this war. It's sad. And Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:49:29): Lindsey Graham, Senator Lindsey Graham goes to Ukraine and encourages the Ukrainians to fight and to continue to fight. And let me just give you a quick analogy. Imagine a boxing match, and one of the cornermen is getting paid not for the win, but for the number of rounds his fighter engages in. And so that's Lindsey Graham, he's the corner man, his guy. Both of his eyes are damn near shut. He can't breathe. His lips are swollen. His head has all kinds of knots on it, and he keeps sending his guy out there to get slaughtered because he gets paid by the round instead of the knockout. Is that a fair analogy? Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:50:20): Absolutely. Yeah. And I studied the history of the Vietnam War, and one thing I remember and I used to show students the TV history of the Vietnam War, and they had one, it was made in the eighties. They had one segment on the Secret War in Laos, like what I was saying with the Hmong who they used to fight the left-wing, Beth Lao and William Colby came on, was interviewed some years later. He was the CIA director. And he said, oh, well, that was a great project for us. The Hmong lasted 10 years is exactly what you're saying. Yeah, they lasted 10 round, but then they got killed. All of them. The Hmong were decimated, and they had to send, that's what the Ukrainians are doing, the hm. Had to send 14 year olds to the front lines. And a sea operative said, started to feel bad. (00:51:06): He is like, we're sending these 14 year olds on these planes to be killed, and I know they'll be killed. And I'm telling their parents, I'm patting them on the back and they'll be killed next week. And that's what's happening with Ukraine. And Graham won't send his own kids. I mean, if they're the real reading the fight, fight a war, you have to fight. If you're a real man, you'll fight it because there's a real reason your community's under attack or there's a real threat of Hitler. But instead they manufacture these wars and cowardly send and manipulate other people to fight and die. And that's the worst form of cowardice and manipulation I could think of in human society Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:51:45): As we wrap this up and folks we're connecting dots. And if you don't like what we're saying, if what we're saying makes you angry, as Malcolm said, if my telling you the truth makes you angry, don't get angry at me. Get angry at the truth. And you can look all of this up. I want to get back to your piece you quoted, and you mentioned this earlier, but Panetta quotes Ronald Reagan at a speech at the DNC, and he emphasized the isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to government. You write, Panetta ended his speech by highlighting that Harris was a good choice to reinvigorate American world leadership as she worked with 150 foreign leaders as vice president served on the Senate Intelligence Committee, worked closely with VMI Zelensky of Ukraine to fight against Russia. And you go on a number of things. You say that Panetta provided a litany, my word, not yours, of misinformation and disinformation in that part of his speech. How so? Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:53:00): Well, I mean, the whole speech is disinformation because he has this mythical, romantic view of the killing of bin Laden that's not rooted in the reality. And then, yeah, he's claiming the US was an isolationist in the thirties, but the US was a global empire starting the late 19th century. And in the 30, the FDR had been the head of the secretary. I forget his position, but it was with the Navy, and he headed the Navy and he was a big naval enthusiast, and he initiated a massive naval buildup in the Asia Pacific. And then he historian believed that the key factor that provoked a Japanese counter response and led to the Pacific War. So where's the isolationism? I mean, it's not the accurate history, but I mean these conventions just about political theater. But I mean, yeah, quoting Reagan. I mean, Reagan is the icon of the Republican. That's not even your party. So what is he doing quoting Reagan? Reagan? Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:54:04): Well, he's Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:54:05): The thing that bar a right wing extremist. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:54:07): Barack Obama said that Reagan was his favorite Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:54:09): President. I know. And it shows how far to the right the whole American spectrum has been because Reagan, when he came up in the sixties, was viewed as a right wing extremist, certainly by people in the anti-war and countercultural movement. And his whole theme was to attack the mess at Berkeley. And the student, how dare they question the Vietnam War. And then when he came in, he veered American politics sharply to the right. He cut the corporate tax rate and he ramped up us militarism in Central America, and he wanted to avenge the Vietnam War. They call them Rambo Reagan. And you can't get, this is like an icon of militarism and fascism, and they're quoting him. So I mean, what kind of party is this? And we have two right-wing parties in our country. The political spectrum has shifted so far to the right, and it's created dystopia. (00:55:04): We're discussing here where we invest trillion dollars on warfare, these morally bankrupt wars. And our own societies is filled with pathologies and majors, social ills, and we never address them. So they grow worse and worse. And we're not investing in our youth and education. I mean, where I live, the teachers are so poorly paid, it is just a disgrace. And you have third world conditions like the schools. They were protests in my state a few years ago, and I covered those protests for local newspaper. And there were people showing me on their phone who taught in schools in rural areas. I traveled in Africa and third world country. Then what they're showing me is from a third world country. There were no proper sanitation in their school. There were not enough seats for the students. And these are high school teachers trying to keep them in school. So I mean, the government is failing its citizens, and this is Reaganomics 1 0 1, so we've got to get beyond that. But they're touting this guy as a hero. That's terrible. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:56:06): And again, I think this will be the final question, but the longer we talk, the more questions because of your insight, you mentioned that we're dealing with two right wing parties. Are we dealing with two right wing parties that are representing different interests of the right winging elite? Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:56:30): Yes, absolutely. The GOP has always been rooted in the oil industry, the extractive industry, because their environmental policy is very favorable to big business and extractive industries and big oil. I think the military industry that hedged their bets now with both parties traditionally, like in the Reagan era, the Republican and the Reagan Republican got a lot of support in states that had big military industry. Like California used to be a center of the Republican domination and states like Arizona and the Southwest. But I think the Democrats under Clinton started courting the military contractors, and now they hedge their bets on both parties. I mean, there are a certain cultural issue, the right wing, the evangelical churches who were very gung-ho about things like against abortion. That's a certain spectrum that supports the Republican party. The Democrats go for this diversity, and they court the African-American vote, but they do so really based more on symbolism than actually delivering for the black population. (00:57:45): I think something that the black population, I think we'll see more and more than maybe leaving the Democrat. They're not getting anything. They're just getting the symbolism of some black elected officials, but they're not getting benefits to their communities. And there have been studies about this, and I heard Michael Eric Dyson, who was it? Yeah, it was Michael Eric Dyson came to where I live, and he gave a talk. He had done a study, it was him, it was, sorry, TVIs Smiley who used to work for PBS. He did a big study on black America in the state of black America, and he found it got worse under Obama, a certain core thing like income and business ownership and education because the Democrat weren't delivering on concrete social program that would benefit their community. So it's more of the symbolism and that's how they get votes. Dr. Wilmer Leon (00:58:38): And as we get out, I want to read this quickly because again, folks here on connecting the dots, we connect the dots, we provide data to support statements made. You talked about the defense industry funding both parties and Dave Calhoun, who was the CEO of Boeing. When asked in July of 2020 who Boeing would prefer Trump or Biden Boeing, and this is from CNBC, Boeing CEO. Dave Calhoun said that he was confident that whoever wins the White House in November, whether it's Donald Trump or Vice President Biden will continue supporting the defense industry. I think both candidates, at least in my view, appear globally oriented and interested in the defense of our country. And I believe they will support the industries. They'll do it in different ways and they'll have different terms, different teams for sure. But I don't think we're going to take a position on one being better than the other. And Dr. Jeremy Komarov, that I think is clear evidence of the points you made that we're dealing with two wings on the same bird. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (00:59:56): Absolutely. And viewers can go to open secrets.com and look at, well-known politician where they get their money. I mean, look up Joe Biden because I've done it. You'll see he gets a ton of money from Lockheed Martin. And yeah, the Democrats in some, I think they're getting more, Democrats now are getting more from the military contractor because they're even more hawkish, especially on Ukraine. That's been a big boon for a company like Boeing and Lockheed and surveillance industry. So I think they like Democrats even more now. And Democrats are positioning themselves to the right and more hawkish on foreign policy and even the border. I have an article next week on the border issue. Democrats are more to the right than Republican as far as spending on border surveillance. And that's a big, big industry, border surveillance drones, and that's part of the military industrial complex. Dr. Wilmer Leon (01:00:53): So I said, this was the last question. This is the last question, and you can just answer this, yes or no, all this conflation of the border, whether you're Donald Trump or whether you're Kamala Harris, whether you're Joe Biden or whoever, all of this talk about the border building, the wall security systems, drones a lot of money on the border. They don't talk about the US foreign policy that is driving people from Columbia, from Guatemala, from Mexico to the border because the United States policy is decimating their economies. And quick point people, you can look this up. About three weeks ago, Chiquita Brands was convicted in federal court in Florida of sponsoring death squads in Columbia. And now Chiquita Brands has to pay millions of dollars in reparations and damages to these victimized families in Columbia. Kamala Harris isn't talking about that. Donald Trump is, you want to deal with the border, deal with the decimation of these. Why are, ask the question, why are Haitians coming here? Because the United States is trying to rein, invade Haiti again, Jeremy, that in and of itself is another show. 30 seconds, am I right? Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (01:02:16): Yeah, absolutely. And there's no debate about that, and it's been a bipartisan in foreign policy that caused that vast immigration. And also you have to look, that caused the wreckage in those economies and societies, and you have to look at the free trade agreement. The Clinton administration promoted the nafta, and that helped decimate Mexican agriculture and forced a lot of the Mexicans to come to the United States. So nobody questioned the free trade laws. That's a big factor inducing immigration, including, especially from Mexico. So they ought to address revising those laws and creating a fairer world economy, but that might erode us primacy and the primacy of dollar, and they don't want that. So it's better to beef up the border, boost the coffer, the Lockheed Martin, instead of doing that, Dr. Wilmer Leon (01:03:10): Dr. Jeremy Komarov. In fact, here's one of the books. War Monger. I got it. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (01:03:17): Oh, great. Thank Dr. Wilmer Leon (01:03:17): You. Oh, hey, man. Great. Great work. Great, great work. Dr. Jeremy Kumar, thank you so much for joining me today. Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov (01:03:25): Thank you. Great conversation. Dr. Wilmer Leon (01:03:28): Hey folks. Thank you all so much for listening to the Connecting the Dots podcast with me, Dr. Wimer Leon. Stay tuned for new episodes every week. Also, please follow and subscribe. Leave a review, share the show, follow us on social media. You can find all the links below in the show description. Remember, this is where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge, talks without analysis is just chatter, and we don't chatter here on connecting the dots. See you again next time. Until then, I'm Dr. Wimer Leon. Have a great one. Peace. We're out Announcer (01:04:11): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge.

Former Missouri U.S. Sen. John Danforth witnessed lots changes to politics over his lifetime. Danforth, added his age 87, who served in the Senate from 1976 to 1995 and as Missouri's attorney general from 1969 to 1976, was at the cutting edge of turning Missouri from a state that voted for Democrats for statewide posts to a bellwether that was somewhat evenly divided between the parties. But Danforth is now decrying a force that helped Missouri Republicans take unprecedented power throughout state: Former President Donald Trump. “It's possible to be a Trump Republican. It's possible to be a Reagan Republican. But the two are not compatible. They're inconsistent,” Danforth said in an interview with St. Louis Public Radio. “It's really impossible to be both at the same time.”

DW Phillips, a constitutional lawyer and filmmaker, helms Ukraine Story, a non-profit for journalism. His team documents Ukrainian resilience against Russian aggression, including Bucha incidents. He investigates Kremlin disinformation, religious freedom, and KGB ties to the Russian Orthodox Church.Podcast Sponsors:Playcast: https://playcast.io/

In this episode of the Seeing Red podcast, hosts Andi Turner and Garrett Fulce discuss the current state of Texas politics, including the influx of outside spending in primary races and the financial struggles of the Republican Party of Texas. They also touch on the importance of civility in political discourse and the need for open-mindedness and respectful dialogue. The hosts address the issue of religious discrimination within the party and emphasize the importance of inclusivity and diversity. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the future of Texas politics.0:02:05 Discuss the significant amount of outside spending in Texas legislative races.0:06:09 Mention Matt Rinaldi's lack of fundraising and reliance on big donations.0:08:37 Express concern over potential losses in down-ballot races and the need for effective voter turnout efforts.0:09:31 Analyze Trump's stance on abortion and its potential impact on the election.0:11:36 Discuss the low voter turnout among young adults and the need for engagement.0:14:02 Civic duty is a developed habit.0:15:40 Identity politics dominate the current political landscape.0:16:48 Disagreements can be productive without being caustic.0:18:28 Populist movements lack a clear underlying philosophy.0:20:21 Persuasion requires understanding the other person's perspective.0:21:42 Demonstrating the impact of an issue can change perspectives.0:23:39 Respectful dialogue is crucial, even with differing opinions.0:25:19 Asking questions to address inconsistencies in persuasion.0:26:10 Public debates aim to convince the audience, not the opponent.0:26:57 Former Speaker Strauss confirms conversation about religious prerequisites for leadership.0:28:30 Separation of church and state and the freedom of religion.0:31:13 Political party's freedom to set their own criteria vs. political consequences.0:34:19 Slow incremental shifts vs. radical changes in governance.Follow us on all socials at @theseeingredpod and online at our website Seeing Red Podcast

About the Guest:Mark McCaig serves as the publisher of the Texas Voice. A notable figure in conservative circles, McCaig's experience extends to his role as the chairman of the Texas Republican Initiative, underpinning his expertise as a legal professional. His previous appearances on the show have proven invaluable for dissecting complex political developments.Episode Summary:In this episode of "Seeing Red Podcast," hosts Andi Turner and Garrett Fulce analyze the recent Super Tuesday in Texas and its significant ramifications for Texas politics. Starting with a vivid introduction, the show delves into an enriching conversation with Mark McCaig, a seasoned commentator and the publisher of The Texas Voice. The dialogue covers a breadth of topics, including Governor Greg Abbott's influence in Republican primary races, the implications of school choice legislation, and the broader realignment within the Republican party. The hosts explore shifting voter demographics, examining the impact of former President Trump's policies and persona and the potential outcome of the 2024 presidential race. Key Takeaways:Former President Trump and Governor Greg Abbott emerged victorious on Super Tuesday, affecting the state's political dynamics.Discussions surrounding the intricacies of school choice legislation highlighted its potential passage in the next session, albeit possibly as a limited pilot program.The conversation about Reagan Republicans illustrated the fractures within the party, underlining the necessity of strategies to attract moderate Republican voters.Speculation surrounds Governor Abbott possibly being tapped as Vice President in Trump's bid for 2024, examining the strategic advantages and gaps he could address.The intense focus on upcoming runoffs, notably Dade Phelan's race, underscores the heated political battles and intra-party challenges confronting Texas Republicans.Resources:Follow the Texas Voice at thetexasvoice.comConnect via Facebook: facebook.com/seeingredpodEmail the hosts: hosts@seeingredpodcast.comFollow us on all socials at @theseeingredpod and online at our website Seeing Red Podcast

Trump and Biden take Colorado, and the nation, on Super Tuesday. We'll drill into the results. Plus, with Nikki Haley suspending her campaign, what's next for a self-described Reagan Republican in Colorado who backed her? Then, you might think people suspected of violent crime would be held until they stand trial, but that doesn't always happen. And a push to protect pollinators.

Trump and Biden take Colorado, and the nation, on Super Tuesday. We'll drill into the results. Plus, with Nikki Haley suspending her campaign, what's next for a self-described Reagan Republican in Colorado who backed her? Then, you might think people suspected of violent crime would be held until they stand trial, but that doesn't always happen. And a push to protect pollinators.

Eliot's road trip continues but Eric welcomes syndicated columnist, Bulwark Policy Editor, and host of the Beg to Differ Podcast Mona Charen. They discuss Mona's 2003 book Useful Idiots describing the left's Cold War and post-Cold War passion for anti-anti Communism and indulging in apologetics for Communist regimes including the Soviet Union, the PRC, Cuba, and others in search of a utopian socialism that never quite met expectations and ended up excusing some of the world's worst human rights violators. They discuss the honorable tradition of cold war liberal anti-communism embodied by Harry Truman, Hubert Humprey and Henry Jackson and the alt-right's attraction to and apologias for Viktor Orban's Hungary and Vladimir Putin's Russia in pursuit of a critique of contemporary America. They touch on the ongoing Republican debate on foreign policy, the Republican Party's historic tradition of isolationism, the role of Wendell Wilke and Arthur Vandenberg in constructing a Republican internationalism and the prospects for a return to a Reaganaut foreign policy. They talk about the responsibilities of Reagan Republicans to call out the authoritarianism of Trumpism and Trumpists. Finally, Mona gives the speech Joe Biden should give to persuade the American people to continue supporting Ukraine and to give himself a political boost. Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

Florida Gov and GOP 2024 also-ran Ron DeSantis looks to lead in wake of violence and major hurricane | Former SC Gov and UN Ambassador under President Trump, Nikki Haley is having a moment, kind of | President Biden names first 10 drugs subject to negotations with Medicare | 60th anniversary of the March on WashingtonSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to Heartland Pod Wednesday!Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: Hurricane in Florida / Shooting in FloridaPOLITICO: DeSantis knows how to handle a hurricane. The racist shooting poses a bigger dilemma.A racially-motivated Jacksonville tragedy, couple with a looming storm, pose big tests for the governor.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, center and his wife Casey, right, bow their heads during a prayer.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (center) and his wife Casey bow their heads during a prayer at a vigil for the victims of Saturday's mass shooting on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023, in Jacksonville. | John Raoux/AP PhotoBy KIMBERLY LEONARD08/28/2023 04:14 PM EDTUpdated: 08/28/2023 05:12 PM EDTMIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' handling of back-to-back crises — a racist mass shooting and a potentially catastrophic hurricane — could help burnish his image as a can-do, effective governor or further damage his standing with Black Americans who have grown livid over his policies.Already, DeSantis' attempts to show leadership in the immediate aftermath of the Saturday shooting were poorly received by some Black lawmakers, Democrats and residents in Florida. In the hours after a 21-year-old white man killed three Black Floridians near a historically Black college in Jacksonville, several state Democrats blamed DeSantis, who is running for president, for creating an environment, through policies such as loosening gun laws and ending diversity programs, that helped hate fester.DeSantis has condemned the shooting and said “targeting people due to their race has no place in this state of Florida.” But attending a Sunday night vigil in Jacksonville, he was jeered and booed by people who had come out to remember the victims. At one point, a Jacksonville Democratic councilmember stepped in to calm the crowd, urging people to “put parties aside.” Later during the event, a pastor took issue with DeSantis describing the gunman as a “scumbag,” and said he should have used the word “racist” instead.The vigil stood in contrast to press conferences in Tallahassee on Sunday and Monday, when DeSantis appeared visibly tired but spoke authoritatively about preparations overseeing Tropical Storm Idalia, which is forecast to become a major hurricane. He canceled campaign appearances and fundraisers, and told Floridians Sunday they could “rest assured” because “I am here” and would “get the job done.”DeSantis says politics won't interfere with storm response“He needs to be in Florida for as long as it takes,” said Adam Hollingsworth, the former chief of staff to Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who served as governor before DeSantis. “His presidential ambitions could be a distraction, but first Gov. DeSantis has to dance with the one who brought him. Right now, that's the people of Florida.”Though the shooting and looming storm are taking DeSantis away from campaigning for president following a high-profile debate, they'll also allow voters and donors to see the governor at work leading the hurricane response, letting the public assess how he balances multiple priorities, displays empathy and projects leadership in moments of tragedy. At the same time, the shooting has shined a spotlight on DeSantis' record and vulnerabilities on race, one of the areas for which he has faced the most criticism and controversy as governor.In times of tragedy, opponents are “looking for a misstep,” acknowledged Craig Fugate, who led Florida's emergency division under Gov. Jeb Bush and oversaw FEMA during the Obama administration.“They're looking for something to go wrong — particularly for the opponents; they're looking for something to capitalize on,” Fugate said.DeSantis began his Monday morning hurricane preparedness press conference by first addressing the mass shooting. He pledged $1 million in security funding to Edward Waters University, a historically Black university that the gunman is believed to have initially targeted, as well as $100,000 toward a charity for the families of the victims. He also deployed state law enforcement officials to evaluate the campus' security and make additional recommendations, pledging to continue to assist in the “days and weeks ahead.”But many Democrats in the state panned his response. They pointed to laws he enacted in Florida to carve up representation in a Black-majority district that eventually led a Black Democratic congressman, Rep. Al Lawson, to lose his seat. They also pointed to his policies, approved by the GOP-led Legislature, banning what he calls “critical race theory” in schools, as well as his defense of a public school curriculum on Black history that required middle-school teachers to instruct that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”Florida Minority House Leader Fentrice Driskell, a Black Democrat of Tampa, said it was “absolutely” the right decision for DeSantis to attend the vigil but added that she didn't want to give him a pass.“The reality is, a number of wrongheaded decisions about the state of Florida, and who we are as a people, I think contributed to this charged political climate that resulted in the violence that we saw,” Driskell said in an interview.The accused gunman, identified as Ryan Palmeter, had a racist manifesto and drew swastikas on his weapons. He also had a history of mental illness, having been involuntarily institutionalized for emergency mental health services as a teenager, police said.During DeSantis' vigil remarks Sunday, Democratic state Rep. Angela Nixon, who represents the district where the shooting took place, could be seen glaring at the governor in videos and photos widely shared on social media.“We feel the same,” the NAACP wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.AXIOS: Biden set to name first 10 drugs subject to Medicare negotiations.The blood-thinners Eliquis and Xarelto are among the 10 prescription medicines the Biden administration will seek lower Medicare prices for as part of a new program allowing the government to negotiate drug prices for America's seniors.Why it matters: The administration's landmark announcement Tuesday detailed the first-ever set of drugs subject to Medicare price negotiations, a longtime Democratic priority included in last year's Inflation Reduction Act over drug companies' fervent objections.Other drugs up for negotiation include:Jardiance, a diabetes drug.Januvia, also for diabetes.Farxiga, another diabetes drug.Entresto, for heart failure.Enbrel, for arthritis and psoriasis.Imbruvica, a blood cancer drug.Stelara, used on psoriasis, Crohn's disease and other illnesses.Fiasp, also used for diabetes.Of note: Insulin is already subject to a $35 monthly co-pay cap for Medicare prescription drug plan enrollees under a different provision of the IRA.State of play: The drugs' manufacturers will have just over a month to decide whether to participate in negotiations — which the industry is battling in court — or sit out the process, at the risk of significant financial penalty.Drugmakers who refuse to negotiate with Medicare face an excise tax of up to 95% of their U.S. sales, or they can withdraw their drugs from Medicare and Medicaid coverage, shutting them out of huge markets.What they're saying: "The cancer moonshot will not succeed if this administration continues to dismantle the innovation rocket we need to get there," Stephen Ubl, CEO of industry trade group PhRMA, said in a statement following the release of the list.Zoom out: The medicines up for negotiation were chosen from a list of the 50 products with the highest spending in Medicare's prescription drug program, Part D.The selected drugs accounted for 20% of Part D prescription costs between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023, according to the Health and Human Services Department.Some of the highest-cost Medicare drugs were not eligible for this round of negotiations, either because they still have market exclusivity, they're the only option for a rare disease or another factor.The prices won't take effect before the 2024 elections, but Democrats are expected to tout the negotiations, along with other drug cost reforms in the IRA, as part of their campaign messaging.What's next: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will submit price offers to the drug companies by Feb. 1, with negotiations continuing until next August.CMS will publish the drugs' final maximum fair prices by Sept. 1, 2024, and prices will go into effect in 2026.What we're watching: Ongoing legal challenges could draw out or halt the negotiation process.Drugmakers and allied groups have already filed eight lawsuits against the Medicare drug negotiation process, and more lawsuits could follow Tuesday's announcement.President Biden and his health officials committed this morning to fighting industry lawsuits."Let me be clear: I am not backing down. There is no reason why Americans should be forced to pay more than any developed nation for life-saving prescriptions just to pad Big Pharma's pockets," Biden said in a statement.Nikki HaleyDAILY BEAST: Is it time for Republicans to take Nikki Haley seriously?According to a new Emerson College Polling survey, “Haley saw the largest increase in support among Republican candidates, jumping 5 points from 2 percent to 7 percent” following last week's debate.“Nikki Haley's support increased from about 2 percent to 9 percent among voters over 50 [years of age],” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, “while Trump's support dropped within this age group from about 56 percent to 49 percent after the debate.”Republican Debaters Agreed on One Thing: They Hate Vivek RamaswamyThis jump is modest, inasmuch as it still leaves Haley in the single digits. But it's also no outlier. According to a poll conducted by The Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, and Ipsos released last Thursday, voters were persuaded to at least give her a second look. “Pre-debate, 29 percent of GOP primary voters who watched the debate said they were considering voting for her,” according to the survey, “and that increased to 46 percent after the debate.”So how did she do it? Haley caught our attention by being first to hit Trump (from the right), when she criticized him for “adding eight trillion to our debt.” This surprised everyone, demonstrated courage, and put to rest the notion that she is merely running to be Trump's vice president.Haley also staked out a strong position on abortion. While stressing her pro-life beliefs, she made the pragmatic case that a federal abortion ban would require 60 votes. Instead, Haley urged Republicans to focus on consensus issues, like banning late-term abortions, making sure contraception is widely available, and supporting adoption as an alternative.Trump's former veep, Mike Pence, who supports a 15-week federal ban on abortion, took umbrage with this. “Nikki, you're my friend, but consensus is the opposite of leadership,” Pence scolded. (As the Never Trump conservative writer Jonah Goldberg has pointed out on his podcast, building consensus is often a key attribute of leadership.)The Republican Debate Was a Futile Pudding Wrestling MatchThis exchange, like others during that same debate, made it clear that in a general election Nikki Haley would likely be Joe Biden's most challenging opponent.Having served as governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations, she has the experience needed for the office. She also has sharp elbows. (“You have no foreign policy experience and it shows,” she told Vivek Ramaswamy.)At 51, Haley would present a stark contrast in terms of generational change, assuming that Joe Biden was still the Democratic nominee. And (unlike others) she is not staking out an abortion position that might render her effectively unelectable, should she become the Republican nominee.Haley (who frequently cites Margaret Thatcher's line, “If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman”) was the only woman on that stage. Her identity, temperament, and policy positions could help chip away at the gender gap that has only grown in recent years.The obvious caveat here is that all of these things would make Haley a great candidate to beat Joe Biden if she somehow wins the Republican nomination. But that's an awfully big “if.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: GOP Debate Showed How Not to Pick a PresidentHaley's answer to this is to make the electability argument: “We have to face the fact that Trump is the most disliked politician in America,” she—and she, alone—averred during last week's debate.But will that dog hunt?Right now, the electability argument isn't persuading Republicans to jump off the Trump bandwagon, even though that argument is likely the only one that could ever work. At some point (perhaps after Donald Trump goes on trial and it's too late), Republicans might be convinced that, as entertaining as Trump is, he simply can't win.Based on all of this, you might expect me to suggest that it's time to clear the field—to rally every freedom conservative, Reagan Republican, and Never Trump conservative to coalesce around Haley as the GOP's last, best hope.Some of my colleagues are already there. The New York Times columnist David Brooks, for example, declared last week that “Wednesday's debate persuaded me that the best Trump alternative is not [Tim] Scott, it's Nikki Haley.”But here's my problem. Haley has been all over the map for years now. One day she's courageous and impressive, and the next day she's a pathetic Trump toady.Haley is a political chameleon, which makes me reluctant to ever trust her again.Trump and Ramaswamy Show Us How the Worst Get to the TopOn the other hand, anyone looking for purity (as it pertains to Trump) can also dismiss Pence and Chris Christie—both of whom supported Trump until Jan. 6—and a vast swath of today's leading Never Trumpers. As the Good Book says, “Who then can be saved?”Nikki Haley's got a long way to go before she clears the not-Trump lane of candidates, much less taking on the final boss himself. And though nothing has yet made a dent in Trump's domination of the GOP voter base, he's never run as a candidate on trial before. But the whole 91-felony indictment thing might just do the trick.If Haley can prove herself by stringing together two or three of these kinds of courageous performances—in which she not only characterizes Trump as the guy who already lost to Biden, but also that she's as real a conservative as any of the other contenders—there is a path to success.It's hardly guaranteed, and as I've noted, courage comes and goes with Haley. But in the “Matt Lewis primary,” you can count me among the 46 percent who are now considering voting for her.Read more at The Daily Beast.SEMAFOR: Nikki Haley's abortion message could catch on in the GOPMorgan Chalfant and Kadia GobaRepublicans worried about Democrats leveraging abortion (again) to make gains in 2024 want GOP candidates to take a page out of Nikki Haley's debate prep playbook.Haley dismissed the idea that a 15-week national abortion ban could pass through Congress. Instead, she argued the focus should be on finding “consensus” around banning “late-term abortions,” sustaining access to contraception, allowing doctors who don't support abortion refuse to perform them, and preventing women who get abortions from being penalized.Defeated Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon bluntly said on Fox News that Republicans would lose the messaging war in 2024 unless they followed Haley's “perfect response” in the debate.“No one really understood how important abortion would be in 2022 because no one had run in a post-Roe world, so we suddenly got attacked, viciously attacked, by the Democrats, and it is a winning message for them,” she said. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer highlighted Dixon's opposition to rape exceptions in abortion bans in their contest, which took place alongide a ballot initiative guaranteeing abortion rights that passed by a wide margin.“The only candidate on the stage that talked about how we should protect women and not demonize them was Nikki Haley,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. said Sunday on CBS of the first GOP presidential debate. “And that is a message that we have to carry through. We have to be pro-woman and pro-life. You cannot go after women and attack them because they make a choice that you don't like or don't agree with.”And Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who represents a district President Biden won in 2020, told Semafor at a watch party last week: “She had probably the best-packaged message on abortion that I've heard, I want to say, in my entire adult life.”Haley might have won herself some fans, but her position wasn't a favorite within the anti-abortion movement, which has rallied around a 15-week federal ban as a minimum ask for candidates.

Florida Gov and GOP 2024 also-ran Ron DeSantis looks to lead in wake of violence and major hurricane | Former SC Gov and UN Ambassador under President Trump, Nikki Haley is having a moment, kind of | President Biden names first 10 drugs subject to negotations with Medicare | 60th anniversary of the March on WashingtonSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to Heartland Pod Wednesday!Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: Hurricane in Florida / Shooting in FloridaPOLITICO: DeSantis knows how to handle a hurricane. The racist shooting poses a bigger dilemma.A racially-motivated Jacksonville tragedy, couple with a looming storm, pose big tests for the governor.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, center and his wife Casey, right, bow their heads during a prayer.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (center) and his wife Casey bow their heads during a prayer at a vigil for the victims of Saturday's mass shooting on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023, in Jacksonville. | John Raoux/AP PhotoBy KIMBERLY LEONARD08/28/2023 04:14 PM EDTUpdated: 08/28/2023 05:12 PM EDTMIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' handling of back-to-back crises — a racist mass shooting and a potentially catastrophic hurricane — could help burnish his image as a can-do, effective governor or further damage his standing with Black Americans who have grown livid over his policies.Already, DeSantis' attempts to show leadership in the immediate aftermath of the Saturday shooting were poorly received by some Black lawmakers, Democrats and residents in Florida. In the hours after a 21-year-old white man killed three Black Floridians near a historically Black college in Jacksonville, several state Democrats blamed DeSantis, who is running for president, for creating an environment, through policies such as loosening gun laws and ending diversity programs, that helped hate fester.DeSantis has condemned the shooting and said “targeting people due to their race has no place in this state of Florida.” But attending a Sunday night vigil in Jacksonville, he was jeered and booed by people who had come out to remember the victims. At one point, a Jacksonville Democratic councilmember stepped in to calm the crowd, urging people to “put parties aside.” Later during the event, a pastor took issue with DeSantis describing the gunman as a “scumbag,” and said he should have used the word “racist” instead.The vigil stood in contrast to press conferences in Tallahassee on Sunday and Monday, when DeSantis appeared visibly tired but spoke authoritatively about preparations overseeing Tropical Storm Idalia, which is forecast to become a major hurricane. He canceled campaign appearances and fundraisers, and told Floridians Sunday they could “rest assured” because “I am here” and would “get the job done.”DeSantis says politics won't interfere with storm response“He needs to be in Florida for as long as it takes,” said Adam Hollingsworth, the former chief of staff to Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who served as governor before DeSantis. “His presidential ambitions could be a distraction, but first Gov. DeSantis has to dance with the one who brought him. Right now, that's the people of Florida.”Though the shooting and looming storm are taking DeSantis away from campaigning for president following a high-profile debate, they'll also allow voters and donors to see the governor at work leading the hurricane response, letting the public assess how he balances multiple priorities, displays empathy and projects leadership in moments of tragedy. At the same time, the shooting has shined a spotlight on DeSantis' record and vulnerabilities on race, one of the areas for which he has faced the most criticism and controversy as governor.In times of tragedy, opponents are “looking for a misstep,” acknowledged Craig Fugate, who led Florida's emergency division under Gov. Jeb Bush and oversaw FEMA during the Obama administration.“They're looking for something to go wrong — particularly for the opponents; they're looking for something to capitalize on,” Fugate said.DeSantis began his Monday morning hurricane preparedness press conference by first addressing the mass shooting. He pledged $1 million in security funding to Edward Waters University, a historically Black university that the gunman is believed to have initially targeted, as well as $100,000 toward a charity for the families of the victims. He also deployed state law enforcement officials to evaluate the campus' security and make additional recommendations, pledging to continue to assist in the “days and weeks ahead.”But many Democrats in the state panned his response. They pointed to laws he enacted in Florida to carve up representation in a Black-majority district that eventually led a Black Democratic congressman, Rep. Al Lawson, to lose his seat. They also pointed to his policies, approved by the GOP-led Legislature, banning what he calls “critical race theory” in schools, as well as his defense of a public school curriculum on Black history that required middle-school teachers to instruct that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”Florida Minority House Leader Fentrice Driskell, a Black Democrat of Tampa, said it was “absolutely” the right decision for DeSantis to attend the vigil but added that she didn't want to give him a pass.“The reality is, a number of wrongheaded decisions about the state of Florida, and who we are as a people, I think contributed to this charged political climate that resulted in the violence that we saw,” Driskell said in an interview.The accused gunman, identified as Ryan Palmeter, had a racist manifesto and drew swastikas on his weapons. He also had a history of mental illness, having been involuntarily institutionalized for emergency mental health services as a teenager, police said.During DeSantis' vigil remarks Sunday, Democratic state Rep. Angela Nixon, who represents the district where the shooting took place, could be seen glaring at the governor in videos and photos widely shared on social media.“We feel the same,” the NAACP wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.AXIOS: Biden set to name first 10 drugs subject to Medicare negotiations.The blood-thinners Eliquis and Xarelto are among the 10 prescription medicines the Biden administration will seek lower Medicare prices for as part of a new program allowing the government to negotiate drug prices for America's seniors.Why it matters: The administration's landmark announcement Tuesday detailed the first-ever set of drugs subject to Medicare price negotiations, a longtime Democratic priority included in last year's Inflation Reduction Act over drug companies' fervent objections.Other drugs up for negotiation include:Jardiance, a diabetes drug.Januvia, also for diabetes.Farxiga, another diabetes drug.Entresto, for heart failure.Enbrel, for arthritis and psoriasis.Imbruvica, a blood cancer drug.Stelara, used on psoriasis, Crohn's disease and other illnesses.Fiasp, also used for diabetes.Of note: Insulin is already subject to a $35 monthly co-pay cap for Medicare prescription drug plan enrollees under a different provision of the IRA.State of play: The drugs' manufacturers will have just over a month to decide whether to participate in negotiations — which the industry is battling in court — or sit out the process, at the risk of significant financial penalty.Drugmakers who refuse to negotiate with Medicare face an excise tax of up to 95% of their U.S. sales, or they can withdraw their drugs from Medicare and Medicaid coverage, shutting them out of huge markets.What they're saying: "The cancer moonshot will not succeed if this administration continues to dismantle the innovation rocket we need to get there," Stephen Ubl, CEO of industry trade group PhRMA, said in a statement following the release of the list.Zoom out: The medicines up for negotiation were chosen from a list of the 50 products with the highest spending in Medicare's prescription drug program, Part D.The selected drugs accounted for 20% of Part D prescription costs between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023, according to the Health and Human Services Department.Some of the highest-cost Medicare drugs were not eligible for this round of negotiations, either because they still have market exclusivity, they're the only option for a rare disease or another factor.The prices won't take effect before the 2024 elections, but Democrats are expected to tout the negotiations, along with other drug cost reforms in the IRA, as part of their campaign messaging.What's next: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will submit price offers to the drug companies by Feb. 1, with negotiations continuing until next August.CMS will publish the drugs' final maximum fair prices by Sept. 1, 2024, and prices will go into effect in 2026.What we're watching: Ongoing legal challenges could draw out or halt the negotiation process.Drugmakers and allied groups have already filed eight lawsuits against the Medicare drug negotiation process, and more lawsuits could follow Tuesday's announcement.President Biden and his health officials committed this morning to fighting industry lawsuits."Let me be clear: I am not backing down. There is no reason why Americans should be forced to pay more than any developed nation for life-saving prescriptions just to pad Big Pharma's pockets," Biden said in a statement.Nikki HaleyDAILY BEAST: Is it time for Republicans to take Nikki Haley seriously?According to a new Emerson College Polling survey, “Haley saw the largest increase in support among Republican candidates, jumping 5 points from 2 percent to 7 percent” following last week's debate.“Nikki Haley's support increased from about 2 percent to 9 percent among voters over 50 [years of age],” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, “while Trump's support dropped within this age group from about 56 percent to 49 percent after the debate.”Republican Debaters Agreed on One Thing: They Hate Vivek RamaswamyThis jump is modest, inasmuch as it still leaves Haley in the single digits. But it's also no outlier. According to a poll conducted by The Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, and Ipsos released last Thursday, voters were persuaded to at least give her a second look. “Pre-debate, 29 percent of GOP primary voters who watched the debate said they were considering voting for her,” according to the survey, “and that increased to 46 percent after the debate.”So how did she do it? Haley caught our attention by being first to hit Trump (from the right), when she criticized him for “adding eight trillion to our debt.” This surprised everyone, demonstrated courage, and put to rest the notion that she is merely running to be Trump's vice president.Haley also staked out a strong position on abortion. While stressing her pro-life beliefs, she made the pragmatic case that a federal abortion ban would require 60 votes. Instead, Haley urged Republicans to focus on consensus issues, like banning late-term abortions, making sure contraception is widely available, and supporting adoption as an alternative.Trump's former veep, Mike Pence, who supports a 15-week federal ban on abortion, took umbrage with this. “Nikki, you're my friend, but consensus is the opposite of leadership,” Pence scolded. (As the Never Trump conservative writer Jonah Goldberg has pointed out on his podcast, building consensus is often a key attribute of leadership.)The Republican Debate Was a Futile Pudding Wrestling MatchThis exchange, like others during that same debate, made it clear that in a general election Nikki Haley would likely be Joe Biden's most challenging opponent.Having served as governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations, she has the experience needed for the office. She also has sharp elbows. (“You have no foreign policy experience and it shows,” she told Vivek Ramaswamy.)At 51, Haley would present a stark contrast in terms of generational change, assuming that Joe Biden was still the Democratic nominee. And (unlike others) she is not staking out an abortion position that might render her effectively unelectable, should she become the Republican nominee.Haley (who frequently cites Margaret Thatcher's line, “If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman”) was the only woman on that stage. Her identity, temperament, and policy positions could help chip away at the gender gap that has only grown in recent years.The obvious caveat here is that all of these things would make Haley a great candidate to beat Joe Biden if she somehow wins the Republican nomination. But that's an awfully big “if.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: GOP Debate Showed How Not to Pick a PresidentHaley's answer to this is to make the electability argument: “We have to face the fact that Trump is the most disliked politician in America,” she—and she, alone—averred during last week's debate.But will that dog hunt?Right now, the electability argument isn't persuading Republicans to jump off the Trump bandwagon, even though that argument is likely the only one that could ever work. At some point (perhaps after Donald Trump goes on trial and it's too late), Republicans might be convinced that, as entertaining as Trump is, he simply can't win.Based on all of this, you might expect me to suggest that it's time to clear the field—to rally every freedom conservative, Reagan Republican, and Never Trump conservative to coalesce around Haley as the GOP's last, best hope.Some of my colleagues are already there. The New York Times columnist David Brooks, for example, declared last week that “Wednesday's debate persuaded me that the best Trump alternative is not [Tim] Scott, it's Nikki Haley.”But here's my problem. Haley has been all over the map for years now. One day she's courageous and impressive, and the next day she's a pathetic Trump toady.Haley is a political chameleon, which makes me reluctant to ever trust her again.Trump and Ramaswamy Show Us How the Worst Get to the TopOn the other hand, anyone looking for purity (as it pertains to Trump) can also dismiss Pence and Chris Christie—both of whom supported Trump until Jan. 6—and a vast swath of today's leading Never Trumpers. As the Good Book says, “Who then can be saved?”Nikki Haley's got a long way to go before she clears the not-Trump lane of candidates, much less taking on the final boss himself. And though nothing has yet made a dent in Trump's domination of the GOP voter base, he's never run as a candidate on trial before. But the whole 91-felony indictment thing might just do the trick.If Haley can prove herself by stringing together two or three of these kinds of courageous performances—in which she not only characterizes Trump as the guy who already lost to Biden, but also that she's as real a conservative as any of the other contenders—there is a path to success.It's hardly guaranteed, and as I've noted, courage comes and goes with Haley. But in the “Matt Lewis primary,” you can count me among the 46 percent who are now considering voting for her.Read more at The Daily Beast.SEMAFOR: Nikki Haley's abortion message could catch on in the GOPMorgan Chalfant and Kadia GobaRepublicans worried about Democrats leveraging abortion (again) to make gains in 2024 want GOP candidates to take a page out of Nikki Haley's debate prep playbook.Haley dismissed the idea that a 15-week national abortion ban could pass through Congress. Instead, she argued the focus should be on finding “consensus” around banning “late-term abortions,” sustaining access to contraception, allowing doctors who don't support abortion refuse to perform them, and preventing women who get abortions from being penalized.Defeated Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon bluntly said on Fox News that Republicans would lose the messaging war in 2024 unless they followed Haley's “perfect response” in the debate.“No one really understood how important abortion would be in 2022 because no one had run in a post-Roe world, so we suddenly got attacked, viciously attacked, by the Democrats, and it is a winning message for them,” she said. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer highlighted Dixon's opposition to rape exceptions in abortion bans in their contest, which took place alongide a ballot initiative guaranteeing abortion rights that passed by a wide margin.“The only candidate on the stage that talked about how we should protect women and not demonize them was Nikki Haley,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. said Sunday on CBS of the first GOP presidential debate. “And that is a message that we have to carry through. We have to be pro-woman and pro-life. You cannot go after women and attack them because they make a choice that you don't like or don't agree with.”And Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who represents a district President Biden won in 2020, told Semafor at a watch party last week: “She had probably the best-packaged message on abortion that I've heard, I want to say, in my entire adult life.”Haley might have won herself some fans, but her position wasn't a favorite within the anti-abortion movement, which has rallied around a 15-week federal ban as a minimum ask for candidates.

In this episode, Ken Gallegos tells the story of how his common sense saved him from a potentially deadly situation. He shares his experience of dating a Reagan Republican and meeting her gun-toting father. Gallegos recounts the night he narrowly avoided getting shot and how he used common sense to get himself out of a dangerous situation.Chapters:IntroductionMeeting JulianneJulianne's FatherThe Night of the IncidentCommon Sense Saves the DayConclusionInteresting things mentioned:Ken's experience dating a Reagan Republican in the 1980sMeeting Julianne's gun-toting fatherThe night Ken was nearly shotThe importance of common sense in dangerous situations

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: False Republicans in the Texas House, 24 of them, voted with Democrats on a budget amendment to oppose the very concept of school choice – not a specific program, but the concept of having anything but government controlled schools for public education. These people, including many from northwest Texas, are liars when it comes to being Republicans as school choice has been a part of even the nation GOP platform for decades. These liars often claim to be “Reagan Republicans” so take a look at the 1980 and 1984 GOP platforms upon which Reagan ran and you'll find school choice in both. While House members were voting wrong, the Senate voted for parental empowerment and school choice.The House budget is a loser in other ways at the esteemed Texas Public Policy Foundation says that it is no long a conservative budget as passed. One good thing: The Democrats failed to strike the anti-D.E.I. part of the budget.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.I talk about the legislative session with our old friend and former guest host, now publisher of the Texas Scorecard, Michael Quinn Sullivan.Texas oil and gas drilling rig count up again this week.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Yahoo News politics reporter Tom LoBianco talks about Mike Pence's decision not appealing a ruling ordering him to testify about Jan. 6. LoBianco talks about Pence's battle with Nikki Haley for the Reagan Republican niche, and why he no longer thinks Pence has a viable path to the Republican nomination. Then, Tom and Matt discuss Donald Trump's arraignment.

CITY HALL plans to take the Queens COUNTY'S town-district of Astoria, Created with a mind of being a part of New York City to be NOT like Manhattan. Townhomes and ONE AND TWO family homes many socialists and others hate for that was not how they grew up - they want a rat infested dark and dank ghetto of despair with only the god-less communists of the Soros-socialists who must be begged and bowed to like some pagan religion. The failed transplated and twisted identity of the socialist pagans needs to be defeated. One district at a time. Here is where it starts. Ronald Reagan Republican Club in Astoria with Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels supporting Kelly Klingman as she takes on Tiffany Caban for City Council. We must take our city back from democrat socialists https://www.facebook.com/ReaganRevolution --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mike-k-cohen/support

Did you Miss our Tribute to The 'Grandfather of the 9/11 Truth Movement'?It was with a very heavy heart that we shared the news that our friend and mentor in the great 9/11 Truth work, Prof. David Ray Griffin, had succumbed to his long battle with cancer and passed away on November 25, 2022.This was a very special livestream tribute to the 'Grandfather of the 9/11 Truth Movement' on Friday, December 10, hosted by Elizabeth Woodworth, myself, and my wife & assistant Gail Gage.Our panel of distinguished guests payed their respects to this giant of an intellectual, this author of no less than 50 books (15 on the subject of 9/11 truth) include Peter Dale Scott, Paul Craig Roberts, Fran Shure, Barbara Honegger, Niels Harrit, Steven Jones, David Chandler, and Ken Jenkins.My personal reflection:The Day My Life Changed ForeverHis voice was deceptively gentle on the radio that afternoon, March 29, 2006. I had by chance turned to the FM station KPFA, on my way back from a construction observation duty in the San Francisco Bay Area. There was a very brave talk show host, Bonnie Faulkner, who was the only one at the station willing to take deep dives into exposing the Deep State, but I didn't know about that, or her, yet – nor of her mysterious guest that day, David Ray Griffin.She was asking him to share with her audience his findings, having just discovered Graeme MacQueen's deep research into the 500 pages of explosive testimonies of the Oral Histories of hundreds of 9/11 first responders – released by New York City under court order in August of 2005.This professor of theology carefully read many of these eyewitness statements of explosions, one after another. I found myself entering a state of cognitive dissonance. I had never heard of any alternative theory about how the Twin Tower's came down. I couldn't drive and listen to this at the same time. It required all of my brain power to try to process his message. The testimony was powerful – and already contradicting my very world view. I pulled my car into the parking lot and just sat and listened  – in horror actually. I thought I knew pretty well what happened on 9/11. I was a Reagan Republican and wanted to go into Afghanistan and Iraq and get those bastards who did this to us.But here was this very well-spoken, seemingly objective, elderly gentleman, telling me about beams flying out of the towers laterally, dripping with molten metal, impaling themselves into buildings hundreds of feet away. He even tried to tell me that a third tower came down – one that wasn't even hit by a plane! “What?! I'm an architect! I would know if a third tower came down! Either this guy is the biggest con artist – or I had been conned by my government – and I just couldn't go there – not yet anyway. I would prove him wrong. I went to see him the next night at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, CA. But I was late. And he had attracted a sell-out crowd of 600. I couldn't get in.I could listen to him on what they were calling a “livestream” (brand new back then!). What I heard, online that night, was a deeply moving presentation that covered a whole lot more ground than I had heard on the radio, and it was delivered with a simple logic that I couldn't fight. David Ray Griffin stepped aside and let his evidence do the work. I was in trouble. By the time he was done with me, I felt like I had been turned upside down and inside out. I was confused – raw and vulnerable, yet this had turned to anger in the days and weeks to come, and the anger turned to action, as I independently verified his outrageous insinuations about my government and the media who had lied to me on a colossal scale. It was his unique unassuming style that had strip

Howie Kurtz on Trump trying to transform Reagan Republicans, the media taking shots at Gov. DeSantis and FOX defending their coverage of the 2020 Election results. Follow Howie on Twitter: @HowardKurtz For more #MediaBuzz click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We wrap up the ridiculously child-inappropriate children's story of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Host Rachel says it best when she sums it up thusly: sometimes barely anything happens, and sometimes way too much happens. Ain't that just the way? If you, like Bekah, enjoy cruelty towards puppets, you'll enjoy this episode. Rachel is pretty sure some puppets are gay. Bekah is open to ghosts. Jackie begs Rachel to become a donkey for her, just this once. Topics include: Ethiopian proverbs, grapes in wife form, the Island of Invisible Disabilities, a dog that may be alive or dead, Reagan Republicans, a philosophical tuna, Statler and Waldorf, ghost opinions, Pinocchio the atheist, unbelievably polite dolphins, the late great Jim Henson, eating a ton of salt, Ti Voglio Bene Assai (a song so catchy it will ruin your life), the Japanese reality TV show Old Enough, ichthyology, the very serious and never funny phrase 'Mamma Mia!', and how much fun would be worth it to be transfigured into a donkey.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

America Emboldened with Greg Boulden – A few weekends ago, my doorbell rang, and I answered to discover a local candidate canvassing for votes. This impressed me as many seem to use social media and videos to get the word out. I asked how he would describe himself, and the team stated, “A Reagan Republican.” I reached out to Bill Alexander because I...

America Emboldened with Greg Boulden – A few weekends ago, my doorbell rang, and I answered to discover a local candidate canvassing for votes. This impressed me as many seem to use social media and videos to get the word out. I asked how he would describe himself, and the team stated, “A Reagan Republican.” I reached out to Bill Alexander because I...

You can't quite call it f around and find out, since Judge Cannon has bent over backwards and around and through the 4th dimension and back in time for Trump. But Trump got his hand picked Special Master and quickly found out... he's just a Reagan Republican. Not a Qanon shaman. Trump has been caught it 11 different traps. OR WOULD HAVE BEEN except for the absolutely Cannon ball that dropped right after we recorded. Links: Lunn v. Commonwealth (2017), Arizona v. U.S., 567 U.S. 387 (2012), 18 U.S. Code Chapter 77 - PEONAGE, SLAVERY, AND TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, “A-M-P” Model, Justice Manual, the appointment order, order following partial stay, case management order, motion to stay, revised filing, Trump opposition to Dearie's CMO, Rule 53. Masters, 18 U.S. Code § 793 - Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information, DOJ;s reply, Trump opposition to extension of time

Ronald Reagan: the Godfather of the GOP opposition to abortion and his lasting legacy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ronald Reagan: the Godfather of the GOP opposition to abortion and his lasting legacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's pod, Connor and Paul are back in studio after last week's road show. Paul relates how a very close friend and former Reagan Republican has inexplicably gone woke, while Connor explains how a woke former neighbor has changed his virtue signal. Meanwhile, the duo get down to the real story that came out of President Obama's WH visit last week, and share some good news about the little guys winning big against a looney liberal arts college. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

My post yesterday on the real lesson of January 6 provoked a great discussion (many thanks to those of you who participated). It also prompted me to rewatch a movie that provides a hint of an answer — Frank Capra's “It's a Wonderful Life,” which was released 75 years ago this month. When I first saw the movie in the late 1960s, I thought it pure hokum. America was coming apart over Vietnam and the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, and I remember thinking the movie could have been produced by some propaganda bureau of the government that had been told to create a white-washed (and white) version of the United States. But in more recent years I've come around. As America has moved closer to being an oligarchy — with staggering inequalities of income, wealth, and power not seen in over a century — and closer to Trumpian neofascism (the two moves are connected), “It's a Wonderful Life” speaks to what's gone wrong and what must be done to make it right. As you probably know (and if you don't, this weekend would be a good time to watch it), the movie's central conflict is between Mr. Potter (played by Lionel Barrymore) and George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart). Potter is a greedy and cruel banker. George is the generous and honorable head of Bedford Fall's building-and-loan — the one entity standing in the way of Potter's total domination of the town. When George accidentally loses some deposits that fall into the hands of Potter, Potter sees an opportunity to ruin George. This brings George to the bridge where he contemplates suicide, thinking his life has been worthless — before a guardian angel's counsel turns him homeward.It's two radically opposed versions of America. In Potter's social-Darwinist view, people compete with one another for resources. Those who succeed deserve to win because they've outrun everyone else in that competitive race. After the death of George's father, who founded the building-and-loan, Potter moves to dissolve it — claiming George's father “was not a businessman. He was a man of high ideals, so-called, but ideals without common sense can ruin a town.” For Potter, common sense is not coddling the “discontented rabble.” In George's view, Bedford Falls is a community whose members help each other. He tells Potter that the so-called “rabble … do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community.” His father helped them build homes on credit so they could afford a decent life. “People were human beings to him,” George tells Potter, “but to you, they're cattle.”When George contemplates ending it all, his guardian angel shows him how bleak Bedford Falls would be had George never lived — poor, fearful, and dependent on Potter. The movie ends when everyone George has helped (virtually the entire town) pitch in to bail out George and his building-and-loan. It's a cartoon, of course — but a cartoon that's fast becoming a reality in America. Do we join together or let the Potters of America own and run everything? Soon after “It's a Wonderful Life” was released, the FBI considered it evidence of Communist Party infiltration of the film industry. The FBI's Los Angeles field office — using a report by an ad-hoc group that included Fountainhead writer and future Trump pin-up girl Ayn Rand — warned that the movie represented “rather obvious attempts to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a ‘scrooge-type' so that he would be the most hated man in the picture.” The movie “deliberately maligned the upper class, attempting to show the people who had money were mean and despicable characters. This … is a common trick used by Communists.” The FBI report compared “It's a Wonderful Life” to a Soviet film, and alleged that Frank Capra was “associated with left-wing groups” and that screenwriters Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett were “very close to known Communists.”This was all rubbish, of course — and a prelude to the Red Scare led by Republican Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin, who launched a series of highly publicized probes into alleged Communist penetration of Hollywood, the State Department, and even the US Army. The movie was also prelude to modern Republican ideology. Since Ronald Reagan, Republicans have used Potter-like social Darwinism to justify everything tax cuts for the wealthy, union-busting, and cutbacks in social safety nets. Rand herself became a hero to many in the Trump administration. Above all, Reagan Republicans, CEOs, and Trumpers have used the strategy of “divide-and-conquer” to generate division among Americans (a kind of political social-Darwinism). That way, Americans stay angry and suspicious of one another, and don't look upward to see where all the money and power have gone. And won't join together to claim it back. What would Republicans say about “It's a Wonderful Life” if it were released today? They'd probably call it socialist rather than communist, but it would make them squirm all the same — especially given the eery similarity between Lionel Barrymore's Mr. Potter and you know who. Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter on power, politics, and the real economy. If you'd like to support this work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or offering a gift subscription. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

We discuss Dr. Jacob's observations as a teacher of history in public education in America, the decline of morality and onslaught of Cultural Marxism, political correctness, and Humanism. Jake explains how Critical Race Theory has become a destructive philosophy that has been translated into curriculum. He gives tips to parents on how to combat CRT: get educated on the subject, boldly and respectfully challenge school boards, and gather other concerned parents to confront the administration. Daily podcast, relevant articles on issues pertaining to Christians and more can be found on Stand Up For The Truth.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for  Saturday, October 30, and Sunday, October 31. October's last weekend will end with sunny skies, and the warmest weather we should see for a little bit, so don't be afraid to get out and enjoy yourself. On Saturday it will be partly sunny, with a high near 55 degrees. A north wind will blow from 5 to 10 mph. Saturday night it will be partly cloudy and a little windier, with a low temperature around 41 degrees. It will be windier still Sunday, and that wind appears to be cold, as the high temperature will drop down to 51 degrees with sunny skies. Sunday the temperature will drop still further, with a low around 31 degrees.  Thankfully Halloween night should not feature the miserable rain that Iowa traditionally offers trick-or-treaters, but warm costume ideas will be welcome ones. The week concluded with some drama for the Cedar Rapids Mayoral race right before election day next Tuesday.  Entrepreneur Steve Shriver said Friday he quit as chair of Amara Andrews' campaign for Cedar Rapids mayor over “strategic differences” after her team acknowledged it coordinated with a political action committee to send a mailer to voters criticizing rival Tiffany O'Donnell, claiming she has touted herself as a Reagan Republican while hiding more extreme conservative views. Shriver said this is an example of the pernicious side of politics that he doesn't want to be a part of. This is a continuation of an open debate among candidates about whether party affiliation should be brought into the mayoral race at all. Andrews, billing h erself as a progressive Democrat, has argued partisan views should be a part of the race, while O'Donnell and incumbent Mayor Brad Hart, both Republicans, argue the mayoral position is nonpartisan.  I will leave it to you to decide why they are squabbling about party affiliation in a city that tends to favor Democrats. In the meantime I suggest you check out thegazette.com to see where all 4 mayoral candidates stand on issues that might affect you directly. If you click Elections at the top of the main page it will take you to our elections coverage, with the latest coverage as well as candidate profiles. Finally, whomever you favor, please vote in your local elections on Tuesday. Iowa business leaders said Friday they are concerned that expanding exemptions from workplace COVID-19 vaccination requirements — and protecting jobless benefits for those who refuse to follow a mandate — may result in unintended consequences or added costs related to the surprise changes enacted by the Iowa Legislature and signed into law Friday by Gov. Kim Reynolds. The swift arrival of https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89&ba=HF902 (House File 902) and its passage during Thursday's one-day special legislative session added to the frustration and confusion that Iowa employers already were facing due to vaccination mandates that now are in conflict with the new state requirement that they exempt employees who claim a medical or religious exemption. While business leaders are not fans of federal mandates in general, they are concerned about the Iowa laws for two main reasons: one, workers who opt to take the unemployment they now qualify for instead of complying with getting vaccinated could make the already challenging effort of finding employees even harder; two, a new layer of complexity when it comes to new exemptions raises the probability a business will make a potentially harmful mistake. Gov. Reynolds took the action on the same day that Iowa joined nine other states in a lawsuit challenging President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for all workers employed by a federal contractor, which is one-fifth of the nation's workforce. A Tama County man is dead after being shot by an officer in Tama County on Thursday. The Tama County Sheriff's Office received calls of shots being fired near the 1000 Support this podcast

Senator Connie Mack spent 18 years on Capitol Hill serving the citizens of Florida. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his years as a Reagan Republican, the social changes he pushed for, and the personal tragedy that led him to seek office in the first place. His book is called “Citizen Mack: Politics, An Honorable Calling.”

While best known for his closeness to JFK, the ‘Chairman of the Board' was involved with politics throughout most of his remarkable singing career. Hear biographer James Kaplan discuss Sinatra's political metamorphosis along with his impact on American culture and, of course, his essential songs.

In this episode, Dinesh makes the case that Trump isn't a Reagan Republican; he's a Teddy Roosevelt Republican.  Dinesh reveals how Teddy Roosevelt busted the old communications cartels and insists that now we have to bust the new digital cartels. Dinesh says we've all heard about the crimes and evils of white people, but no one ever spells out the accomplishments of white people--so Dinesh obliges. And activist Christian Walker joins Dinesh to talk about Trump, LeBron James and why cops save more black lives than BLM. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Women with Rose Reid. Today is Election Day in Georgia!! We continue with our blitz mini-season profiling the amazing women on the ground in Georgia whose work will determine two Senate seats, and party control.  We get two very different perspectives on this blue wave that we see taking Georgia: Barbara Krinsky is a 90 year old self professed "Reagan Republican" making the flip (in part because of candidate Reverend Raphael Warnock's convincing and sincere TV ads). And Park Cannon is the youngest person elected to the Georgia State Legislature from District 58 (representing the historic Old Fourth Ward where Martin Luther King Jr. was born and later preached). The nation is watching with anticipation as they follow Stacey Abrams' and Fair Fight's footsteps, championing voting rights and registration. And now the world is witnessing the changing landscape of the deep south. "My Vote Dont Count" by YellowPain Find us on Instagram @TheWomenPod // @RoseReid Special thanks to Wendy Zukerman! Ashely Fielding! Lori Geary! Clara Green! Adriene Lilly! Nora Kipnis! Gail Reid! #georgia #atlanta #staceyabrams #ParkCannon #democrats #vote #trump #Warnock #Ossoff #flip Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a special Bonus episode called “What’s the Matter with America” featuring Daniel Gilmore, a Republican reporting from North Carolina and Sean O’Neill, a Boston Democrat now living in Ireland who discuss what is being called one of the most important elections in US history. They give a topical, informative and entertaining insight into the current state of America and outline why this election is going to be much closer than many people expect. They discuss why the economy and taxes are still important to Republicans and whether Trump has inflicted enough damage on America for Reagan Republicans to vote for Biden. I would ask you to please subscribe so a new episode will appear in your library every week. I would also really appreciate if you could leave a rating and review as it helps others to discover this podcast. To find out who is on every Tuesday please follow me on Instagram and Facebook @traveltaleswithfergal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode 15 | October Surprise: Fact or Fiction? - The World Is Weird 3Host: Derek DeWittIs it commonplace for a big event that sways things to happen in presidential election years in the U.S? Maybe. We'll look at the 18 "October Surprises" in US presidential electoral history, encountering smear attempts, false charges, false claims, outright lies, political chaos, boozing, racism, homophobia, financial collapse brought about by unchecked rampant greed and really bad weather brought about by terminal shortsightedness and the politicization of literally everything. Sort of a greatest hits of the very worst things America expresses. SECTIONS03:33 - WHAT DID I MISS? THE REVOLUTION OF 1800 - Adams (Federalist) vs. Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)05:25 - "ELECTORAL FRAUD" IN 1840 - Van Buren (Democratic) vs. Harrison (Whig)07:29 - THE CHINESE LETTER OF 1880 - Garfield (Republican) vs. Hancock (Democratic)09:10 - 1884: DRUNKEN PAPISTS & SLAVEHOLDERS - Cleveland (Democratic) vs. Blaine (Republican)10:25 - 1912: TOO MANY COOKS - Taft (Republican) vs. T. Roosevelt (Progressive - Bull Moose) vs. Debs [Socialist] vs. Wilson (Democratic)13:32 - 1920: RACE ENTERS THE RACE - Harding (Republican) vs. Cox (Democratic)16:17 - 1940: RACE KEEPS ON RACING - F. Roosevelt (Democratic) vs. Willkie (Republican)17:49 - 1956: SURPRISE FROM ABROAD - Eisenhower (Republican) vs. Stevenson (Democratic)20:01 - 1964: THE WORLD MAKES NOISE AGAIN - Johnson (Democratic) vs. Goldwater (Republican)22:02 - 1968: TIT FOR TAT - Humphrey (Democratic) vs. Nixon (Republican) vs. Wallace (Independent)24:12 - 1972: PEACE IS AT HAND - Nixon (Republican) vs. McGovern (Democratic)26:33 - 1980: THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM "OCTOBER SURPRISE" - Carter (Democratic) vs. Reagan (Republican)32:53 - 1992: LIARS & WAFFLES - G. H. W. Bush (Republican) vs. B. Clinton (Democratic) vs. Perot (Independent)34:24 - 2000: ONE FOR THE ROAD - G. W. Bush (Republican) vs. Gore (Democratic)36:43 - 2004: THE BUSH BOUNCE - G. W. Bush (Republican) vs. Kerry (Democratic)38:23 - 2008: AUNTIE O. & THE GFC  - Obama (Democratic) vs. McCain (Republican)40:44 - 2012: STORM & SLANDER - Obama (Democratic) vs. Romney (Republican)42:38 - Does It Really Matter?43:22 - 2016: ANATOMY & EMAILS - Trump (Republican) vs. H. Clinton (Democratic)46:49 - The News Likes the Idea of an October Surprise. Also, VOTE, DAMMIT.Music by Fanette RonjatGuest vocal by Cinna Bantegnie Ronjat at 34:24 & 36:43PREVIOUS WORLD IS WEIRD: Mass HysteriaReferenced in this episode: Episode 05 | 44 for 44 - The Obama Conspiracies (Thanks, Obama!)Follow us on social for extra goodies:FacebookTwitterYouTube (including some extra videos on the topic)Other Podcasts by Derek DeWittDIGITAL SIGNAGE DONE RIGHT - Winner of 2020 Communicator Award of Excellence for Podcasts Series-Corporate Communications and on numerous top 10 podcast lists. PRAGUE TIMES - A city is more than just a location - it’s a kaleidoscope of history, places, people and trends. This podcast looks at Prague, in the center of Europe, from a number of perspectives, including what it is now, what is has been and where it’s going. It’s Prague THEN, Prague NOW, Prague LATER.

JM Creviere, Green Party candidate for Michigan's 2nd Congressional District, voted for Reagan in the 1980s, before being affected by cuts to education and lack of health care.  We discuss this, how the US healthcare system has merely traded public sector bureaucracy for a private sector one, and the issues affecting voters of the second district.

Jen Kerns says California Republicans need to start acting like Reagan Republicans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric Early is a Reagan Republican who wants to oust Adam Schiff from office.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yancey is a longtime Dallas resident, who is uniquely positioned to serve and fight for Texans. A veteran of the financial services industry, Yancey has helped build four successful investment management firms, which in turn, created hundreds of well-paying jobs. He is currently the Chairman and CEO of Attacca International, an independent, privately held mergers and acquisitions boutique firm based in Dallas. Yancey feels Texas is a model for economic and political success, and he would carry that model to Washington. A Reagan Republican, Yancey is fiscally conservative, in favor of limited government, a strong military that embraces a “needs-based military spending metric,” and supportive of strong free trade and economic development.“Given the many challenges that America currently faces, this is the right time for a business leader to serve Texas and the country, rather than a career politician,” Yancey says. “Senator Cornyn has little support from conservatives across Texas. Senator Cornyn has frequently disappointed Texans with his strong alignment with both Mitch McConnell and Trump. He has shown repeatedly that he is a follower and a compromiser on the wrong side of an issue rather than a leader. Conservative Texans deserve better! I ask for your support and your vote.”Yancey currently serves on the board of Emily’s Place in Plano, Texas. Emily’s Place is a home for women and their children to receive long-term, transformational care to break the cycle of domestic violence. He is also a board member of the Blue Sky Foundation, which uses the game of tennis (through the “Boots On The Court” program) to thank U.S. troops and their families for the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. Yancey is a prior co-owner of the WNBA Dallas Wings, having moved the team from Tulsa, Oklahoma to its current home in Arlington, Texas.In addition to his private sector experience, Yancey is a member of Parkway Hills Baptist Church in Plano. Yancey earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma and attended executive classes at Harvard University for advanced course studies in mergers and acquisitions. Yancey is married to Sherri Yancey and has two daughters, Alexann and Morgann Yancey.For more information visit:https://voteformark.com/

Nayyera Haq is an American culture and policy commentator who previously worked as Senior Director in the White House, and also served in the State Department as a spokesperson. During this conversation, she discusses how experience (and the times) led her from being the daughter of Reagan Republicans into the Democratic Party.

Clint Watts: The World of Advanced Persistent Manipulators     This $#!%’s chess! It ain’t checkers  -- Detective Alonzo Harris; 2001, Training Day     Want to have some fun with some numbers? As of May 2019, the total worldwide population identifying as human is 7.7 billion. Among those people, 4.4 billion of them use the internet. Not quite everyone is sharing their lives, but there are 3.499 billion active social media users.   Are they all real people? That’s a valid question… There are an estimated 270 million fake Facebook profiles. Oh… and… in 2018 Twitter deleted 70 Million accounts they determined were fake. So there’s that.   Clint Watts studies terrorists, terrorism, social media, external forces meddling with elections and a lot of other Orwellian things. Since publishing Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News last summer, he has looked deeper into other types of election hacking including Deepfakes. You may have seen his June testimony in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on C-Span… if you’re a C-Span type of person.   In this week’s episode of InSecurity, Matt Stephenson welcomes Clint Watts back to InSecurity. This week, we dig into Advanced Persistent Manipulators. Like their technology cousin Advanced Persistent Threats, APMs are hard to quantify, harder to understand and ever more difficult to stop. With governments all over the world in a state of perpetual campaign mode and candidates running their own Troll farms, do we even know what to prepare for? Tune in and find out!   About Clint Watts Clint Watts (@selectedwisdom) is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Non-Resident Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy. His book best-selling Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News shined a light on what has, is and could happen with regard to social media manipulation and the ways foreign interests can hack the electoral process. It was recently released in paperback.   Clint is also a national security contributor for NBC News and MSNBC. His research and writing focuses on terrorism, counterterrorism, social media influence and Russian disinformation. Clint’s tracking of terrorist foreign fighters allowed him to predict the rise of the Islamic State over al Qaeda in 2014. From 2014 – 2016, he worked with Andrew Weisburd and J.M. Berger to track and model the rise of Russian influence operations via social media leading up to the U.S. Presidential election of 2016. This research led Clint to testify before four different Senate committees in 2017and 2018regarding Russia’s information warfare campaign against the U.S. and the West.   Before becoming a consultant, Clint served as a U.S. Army infantry officer, a FBI Special Agent, as the Executive Officer of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, as a consultant to the FBI’s Counter Terrorism Division and National Security Branch, and as an analyst supporting the U.S. Intelligence Community and U.S. Special Operations Command.   His supporters think he’s had an interesting career, his enemies think he can’t hold down a job… both would be correct.   Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News A former FBI Special Agent and leading cyber-security expert offers a devastating and essential look at the misinformation campaigns, fake news, and electronic espionage operations that have become the cutting edge of modern warfare—and how we can protect ourselves and our country against them. Clint Watts electrified the nation when he testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election. In Messing with the Enemy, the cyber and homeland security expert introduces us to a frightening world in which terrorists and cyber criminals don’t hack your computer, they hack your mind. Watts reveals how these malefactors use your information and that of your friends and family to work for them through social media, which they use to map your social networks, scour your world affiliations, and master your fears and preferences. Thanks to the schemes engineered by social media manipulators using you and your information, business executives have coughed up millions in fraudulent wire transfers, seemingly good kids have joined the Islamic State, and staunch anti-communist Reagan Republicans have cheered the Russian government’s hacking of a Democratic presidential candidate’s e-mails. Watts knows how they do it because he’s mirrored their methods to understand their intentions, combat their actions, and coopt their efforts. Watts examines a particular social media platform—from Twitter to internet Forums to Facebook to LinkedIn—and a specific bad actor—from al Qaeda to the Islamic State to the Russian and Syrian governments—to illuminate exactly how social media tracking is used for nefarious purposes. He explains how he’s learned, through his successes and his failures, to engage with hackers, terrorists, and even the Russians—and how these interactions have generated methods of fighting back. Shocking, funny, and eye-opening, Messing with the Enemy is a deeply urgent guide for living safe and smart in a super-connected world.   About Matt Stephenson Insecurity Podcast host Matt Stephenson (@packmatt73) leads the Security Technology team at Cylance, which puts him in front of crowds, cameras, and microphones all over the world. He is the regular host of the InSecurity podcast and host of CylanceTV   Twenty years of work with the world’s largest security, storage, and recovery companies has introduced Matt to some of the most fascinating people in the industry. He wants to get those stories told so that others can learn from what has come   Every week on the InSecurity Podcast, Matt interviews leading authorities in the security industry to gain an expert perspective on topics including risk management, security control friction, compliance issues, and building a culture of security. Each episode provides relevant insights for security practitioners and business leaders working to improve their organization’s security posture and bottom line.   Can’t get enough of Insecurity? You can find us at ThreatVector InSecurity Podcasts, iTunes/Apple Podcasts and GooglePlayas well as Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud, I Heart Radio and wherever you get your podcasts!   Make sure you Subscribe, Rate and Review!  

What makes someone change their mind? In this episode, Samantha Soucy interviews her father about his experience transitioning from a Reagan Republican to an extremely liberal Democrat. They try to pinpoint specific factors that may have contributed to the change in his perspective and identity. Credits: Music credits go to Cinematic Piano by AShamaluevMusic (https://youtu.be/6Sq5Y2HzF1c) And, thanks to my father, Paul Soucy, for letting me interview you

What does it mean to be a Republican today? Is a Republican a follower of President Trump? Is a Republican anyone who votes against Democrats? Is a Republican defined by a certain set of beliefs? In the current environment, there is a lot of disagreement about what makes one a Republican.  This podcast episode won't end that discussion, but I present my thoughts on what a Republican is. I argue that being a Republican is not just about following a leader.  I believe a Republican is about upholding liberty and promoting prosperity through free markets and personal resposibility. What type of Republican are you? An Establishment Republican? A Reagan Republican? A Trump Republican? Others?  

Theme: Your Vote / Matters Hour #1 Guests: - Trent Franks – United States Congressman Trent Franks, Representing Arizona’s 8th District. Congressman Trent Franks is a conservative, Reagan Republican, currently serving in his seventh term in the United States Congress. Trent is a rare leader who still believes that people and principles should be at the center of political discourse in America. Trent believes the purpose of government is to protect the lives and Constitutional rights of the people. - Kelli Ward – is running for the US Senate Seat currently held by Senator John McCain, and previously served as an Arizona State Senator where she was one of the most committed Conservatives in the legislature – and has gained the endorsement of Gun Owners Of America, a Pro-2A group. - Kenn Weise - As Mayor of Avondale, AZ Kenn takes very seriously his oath to uphold not only the Constitution of the State of Arizona but also the Constitution of the United States.

Jay's guest today is Bob Ehrlich, the former governor of Maryland. He is a Baltimore-area kid, a Reagan Republican, and a straight-talker. With Jay, he talks about what ails Baltimore, what ails America, and what we can do to get back to health. A lot of people find Ehrlich a breath of fresh air. Chances are you will too. Check him out. P.S. He may – just may – run a dark-horse candidacy for the... Source

Do women make better presidents? Today on The Gist, we talk with Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Plus, we wish Thomas Jefferson a happy 272nd birthday by discussing how his name is evoked today. Historian Andrew Burstein is the author of Democracy's Muse: How Thomas Jefferson Became an FDR Liberal, a Reagan Republican, and a Tea Party Fanatic, All the While Being Dead. For the Spiel, vetting the vetting of Hillary Clinton. Today’s sponsor: Stamps.com. Sign up for a no-risk trial and get a $110 bonus offer, when you visit Stamps.com and enter promo code TheGist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at http://www.slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Clinton Democrats and Reagan Republicans are meaningless titles; Democrats in New York go "Big Brother" on voters, send out threatening letter; new study proves your twisted fantasies are completely normal; Brittany Manyard ends her life under Oregon's Death with Dignity Act; Funkhouser wears a raincoat to Halloween.

Why Clinton Democrats and Reagan Republicans are meaningless titles; Democrats in New York go "Big Brother" on voters, send out threatening letter; new study proves your twisted fantasies are completely normal; Brittany Manyard ends her life under Oregon's Death with Dignity Act; Funkhouser wears a raincoat to Halloween.

Ryan Fishman decided last September to run for his term-limited Michigan state senate district after a series of his op-ed articles convinced others to convince Ryan that he should leave the GOP and take a shot at a traditionally right-leaning district.   Ryan and Kevin discuss: - Difficulties (or not, really) in switching parties - Reagan Republicans and Reagan Democrats - The bad business logic of Right to Work, removing unions and poor short-sighted infrastructures - Door-Knocking and Lawn Signs - Being under 30 and running for office - Problem with planning for just 7 of 9 innings

McAlvany Weekly Commentary  About Guest: Alan Keyes — America’s foremost spokesperson for moral conservatism and the cause of America’s Revival — he has been running for president since September 14, 2007. Alan Keyes is a genuine Reagan Republican who served in the U.S. State Department during the Reagan years. He was ultimately appointed by President Reagan as Assistant Secretary […] The post An Interview with Dr. Alan Keyes appeared first on McAlvany Weekly Commentary.

It was our pleasure to interview Mr. Kieran Lalor, a candidate for congress in the 19th congressional district in upstate New York. Kieran’s life has long been one of service to his community and his country. A Marine, veteran of the Iraq war, Kieran is a true, blue American hero and a Reagan Republican trying to unseat a one-term, ultra left-wing carpetbagger named John Hall. There is something wrong about a guy supported by Jane Bleeping Fonda representing the district where West Point is. Kieran Lalor is going to change that. To learn more about his campaign, check him out at kml2008.com. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Hailed as “Groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.