Off The Record With Paul Hodes

In the 1970s, conservatives began to believe that the places where people in government got their information - their basic facts -- were inherently liberal. They didn’t like the answers they were hearing from universities, scientists, and research groups on what government should do…what policies we should follow. So some of them decided that they needed a whole different regime of knowledge and analysis – a different way of looking at the world – that would justify the policies that they wanted to see. They started new institutions – led by the Heritage Foundation – that would be the vanguard of a new, conservative ecosystem of ideas all aimed at explicitly justifying conservative policy. Eventually, as these institutions grew more successful, liberals followed suit. Today, we live a world of deep polarization. Our two political tribes don’t seem to agree on anything, and nowadays, they sometimes can’t even agree on what is reality is.  Can we trace it, or at least a big part of it, back to this moment

Building the stuff we rely on in America -- roads, broadband, the electric grid -- is something that both parties say is important.  Donald Trump pushed a giant investment in it for years. So why were Republicans dead set against the Biden Administration's infrastructure plan even before it was released?   Also, is the media full of it these days, why vaccine passports won't work in America, and what to make of Deborah Birx and other Trump administration health officials sudden finger-pointing campaign on Covid.  Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

Would the answer "Appalachia" surprise you? Maybe...but consider that the senior-most Republican leader in America is from Kentucky, while the Democrat who wields the most power in the Senate is Joe Manchin of West Virginia.  They come from a region that is often misunderstood...and too often looked down on.  But Appalachian issues are American issues -- and the priorities of Appalachian leaders echo throughout our country.  Today, we welcome the hosts of the outstanding podcast Appodlachia onto the show to share some insights into the region's politics, economy, and lessons for America.  Check it out, and subscribe to their show (and ours!) if you want more of their great content.

Dan Adcock of the National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare explains what's the Covid Rescue bill for Social Security recipients.  Also, why his organization opposes the TRUST act -- a bill that would try to address shortfalls in Social Security funding. For the opposing view on that, check out Bob Bixby of the Concord Coalition in the Great Ideas podcast.

Also, more incidents of shocking gun violence in America, what does a media ratings plunge mean, and is Donald Trump launching his Republican vendetta campaign?

Federal law forces a lot of marijuana-related businesses that are legal int heir home states to operate in piles of cash.  The problem: that can lead to a pile of crime. Congressman Ed Perlmutter joins the show to explain how his new bill would help fix that problem.  And why does space matter? As a member of the congressional committee that oversees US Space policy, Congressman Perlmutter explains what's in it for all of us.

This episode posted in the Great Ideas Podcast earlier this week, and it's gotten such a reaction that we wanted to make it available in this feed as well for anyone who hasn't subscribed to both (but please do!!).   Many experts argue that the modern filibuster has ruined Congress: it allows a small minority to run roughshod over the majority, and stops important things that the American people need and want. Others say that even with its flaws, getting rid of the filibuster could be dangerous and even destructive.  Norman Ornstein is one of the nation's leading experts on American government.  He explains what's going on and more important, how we might make it better without causing a Congressional meltdown.

A roundtable discussion on what's happening and what can be done next.  Also, can we fix the filibuster without breaking the congress, and is democracy reform a big federal takeover or a desperately needed fix to protect people's rights?

In 2010, Republicans rode a midterm wave to gain overwhelming control of drawing districts for state houses and Congress.  The result? Just in 2012, 1.4 million more Americans voted for Democrats for Congress, but Republicans still won a 33-seat majority.  In fact, the Center for American Progress estimates that an average of 59 politicians -- more than enough to determine the majority -- were elected to Congress each term simply because the lines were drawn in their favor. Former Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder created The National Democratic Redistricting Committee to fix that problem and support fair districts in America.  Its Executive Director John Bisognano joins us to explain what they're doing and how they hope to achieve fair representation for Americans.  Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Joe Biden and the Democrats won the war over the $1.9 trillion Covid rescue bill...but can they win the peace? In 2009, President Obama and the Democrats fumbled the rollout of their stimulus bill. So can Dems avoid making the same mistake twice?  Also...is there a filibuster tweak deal on the horizon; convincing people to get vaccines; and what should Congress tackle next?

Young Americans think politics is broken.  Now, some former aides to Senator Bernie Sanders have launched a new group aimed at getting young people excited about fixing it.  They think they can get millennials and Gen Zers of all political persuasions fired up, including people on the right. Two of these impressive young leaders - Shana Gallagher and Joseline Garcia - join us to explain why this work is so important to their generation and to all of us, and how they're going to pull it off.

There's a titanic battle brewing over the future of the Internet, social media, and tech.  It's Facebook vs. Apple: two behemoths with very different visions of privacy, who their customers are, what they're selling, and what the rules should be.  Business and investing expert Chris Hill walks us through the fight that could define the future of media, commerce, and technology.  These discussions normally appear in our Capitol Close Up podcast, so please check that out and subscribe for more fascinating discussions like this. 

Harvard Associate Robert Paarlberg takes on everything we thought we knew about organic and locally-grown food.  Think it's better for health, the climate, the environment, low-income communities, and feeding a hungry world?  Not so fast! An unbiased look at the much more nuanced truth about farming, eating, and helping the planet, based on Dr. Paarlberg's new book: “Resetting the Table: Straight Talk about the Food We Grow and Eat.” 

It's not as far-fetched as you might think.  Also, an epic failure from Ted Cruz's staff, lessons in bad crisis management from Andrew Cuomo, and how to make everyone stop hating the media so much.

At least 44 Americans are being held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad today. A few years ago, American freelance conflict journalist Jim Foley was one of them. After his public execution, his mother Diane Foley founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. Diane joins us to discuss the Foundation's critical work to advocate for the safety of Americans held abroad, and especially to promote the safety of journalists.  We explore difficult questions, like how do we protect Americans from being kidnapped, what should the US government do when they are, and what can listeners do to help?

Matt Robison sits down with Sarah Jones, the Editor-in-Chief of PoliticusUSA.com, to talk about how the Great Ideas show came about, why they both feel it is so important to explore serious, positive ideas for change, how the show and website are planning to collaborate, and why it's so important to hear constructive ideas from across the ideological spectrum -- even the ones you don't agree with. Great Ideas is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, Anchor, Breaker, PocketCasts, RadioPublic, and Stitcher. Excerpts from the first show available on PoliticusUSA.

We are so excited to announce a new show, broadcast on WKXL in New Hampshire, and launched as a podcast this week. It's called "Great Ideas." We all know that America faces challenges. But we’ve also got smart people who spend every day coming up with great ideas for how to meet those challenges. That's what this show is all about. Washington's top policy experts from across the ideological spectrum – the people that our leaders listen to – explaining how an issue or a policy really works, and then sharing their newest, most innovative ideas for making it work better. No shouting. No crossfire. Just ideas. Check out this one minute trailer, and then please subscribe to hear fresh episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Great Ideas is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, Anchor, Breaker, PocketCasts, RadioPublic, and Stitcher.

The roundtable tackles whether the Lincoln Project was all a con, should we re-open schools now, if the San Francisco school board vote to remove Abraham Lincoln's name from a school is a sign of the woke Left losing its mind, if its time for a change in federal marijuana policy, and whether a "low hanging fruit" approach is right on immigration. 

With so much focus on our domestic problems, it’s easy to lose sight of the very serious challenges, conflicts, and threats that face us around the world: an Iran that could be within weeks of having the materials to make a nuclear bomb, an aggressive and nuclear-armed Russia, ongoing and tragic warfare in Yemen, and deep tensions in the strait of Taiwan involving nuclear-armed China which also wields the largest military in the world. Our guest John Tierney is the Executive Director at Council for a Livable World, a leading NGO focused on peace and security. He lays out smart approaches for how America can better navigate a hostile, dangerous world to reduce nuclear weapons, promote dialogue, and achieve greater peace and security.

Senior Congressional Democratic leader and Intelligence Committee member Peter Welch describes efforts to fight extremists in America and the forces -- foreign and domestic -- that support them.  He also describes what practical climate legislation could accomplish for the American economy.  Then, Paul and Matt break down what it would take to really reform social media and protect American democracy from bots, trolls, foreign manipulations, and misinformation.