Episode 123 – GOP 2012 Romney’s to Lose, Bachmann’s to Win?

Who is going to challenge Mitt Romney for the 2012 GOP Presidential Nomination? Will it come from the evangelical right, as conventional wisdom dictates, or with everyone so far to the right, will the challenge come from the left, through Huntsman? Are Pawlenty and the others positioned properly? Is there a hidden anti-Mormon vote that will sink Romney and Huntsman? Do the Republicans want to beat Obama so badly that they’ll hold their nose and vote for anyone they think will win, including the chameleoon-like Romney? Does Ron Paul have a shot, and why does he keep winning straw polls? All these questions are dealt with in the show, plus the issue of remaining in Afghanistan and Pakistan, whether or not we should be declaring war on Libya, and what is it about the new Green Lantern movie that sends chills down our hosts spines? Always irreverent and informative, it’s PoliTalk. Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion…without the fighting!

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

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Episode 122 – Obama Up Medicare In GOP Out

The Democrats turn the tables on Republicans and use health care to their advantage in winning a long-held Republican Congressional seat in New York. Why did things change? What does this mean for the 2012 elections? Are Republicans worried so much about singing to the choir that they’re missing the tone of the electorate? As President Obama continues to climb in the polls, will Republican pot shots continue to pay-off, or will they backfire? With so many candidates leaving the race, what are the Republican prospects in 2012? Always entertaining and informative, it’s Political — the political podcast. Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political talk…without the fighting.

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below:

Episode 121 – Gas Prices Go Up, Poll Numbers Go Down

We all know there’s fallout from the rise in gas prices, but in this episode Jeff and Glenn go beyond the rising numbers to talk about the larger political themes, from gas prices to big banks to big business, and look at the specific issues driving the politics and policies around gas prices. Leaving the gas behind, they also talk about the 2012 presidential primary process. Glenn explains why so many on the Republican side are waiting to get in, while Jeff chides them for waiting too long, and costing themselves a chance at a presidency that is within their grasp. Jeff explains how the electoral math has shifted for President Obama, leaving him vulnerable in key states and promising a close race…a race many Republicans seem reluctant to wage. Glenn closes the show with a passionate explanation about why the Royal Wedding, and specifically the British Monarchy it represents, shouldn’t be the object of such media saturation here in the United States. Note to self: Glenn won’t be invited to many Royal cocktail parties in the future. Always engaging and informative, it’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast, co-hosted by Glenn Gaudet and Jeff Kimball.

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below:

Episode 119 – Corporate Taxes, Libya Policy and GOP Presidential Politics

This is the episode where everything gets turned on its head. It’s Glenn who takes on the big corporations and their scheming ways this week, pointing out that GE in 2010 paid no taxes. Jeff takes on the big banks as usual, calling for the restoration of Glass-Steagall so that banks can start acting like banks again and pump money to small businesses and help grow the economy. Jeff also talks about some lobbying the banks are doing to protect their high fees on debit and credit cards, otherwise known as free money for banks, from being repealed or restricted. They then dive into the Libya policy and explain that it’s really about payback for cheap gas for France and the UK for their support for our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Finally Jeff offers up an interesting view of the average GOP caucus voter in Iowa, and how the IA party is in danger of marginalizing itself in 2012, with social issues taking the lead in Iowa, but not elsewhere. Gone are the days when as Iowa goes, so goes the nation?

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below:

Episode 118 – Romney Care, Budget Votes and Entitlement Reform

In this episode, Jeff and Glenn get into an interesting discussion about Glenn’s experiences with Mitt Romney’s health care plan in Massachusetts. They discuss various aspects of the health care situation in Mass, and then how it can impact Romney’s bid for the Presidency, and his criticism of ObamaCare. They then get into an interesting discussion of Michele Bachmann’s run for the White House, and how it doesn’t matter how many mistakes she makes on the way as long as she continues to stick her thumb in the nose of the establishment, because that’s what her constituents want (as much as it makes Jeff sick). Keeping the theme of getting sick, your stomach will turn when Jeff explains what’s really going on with the budget, CR and debt ceiling votes, and they close the show with an interesting talk about how we can achieve meaningful entitlement reform.

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below:

Episode 117 – Gas Price Sham, Political Scams

Glenn takes us down the Rabbit Hole in this episode, berating everyone for the gas price increase sham, explaining how the laws of supply and demand have no relation to the increase in gas prices. The talk expands from there into those hedging the market, and how that drives up prices, and rather than tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the President could make a few phone calls to Wall Street and put the brakes on this. At the 15:30 mark, Jeff and Glenn get into a deep discussion of how technology and the new style of communication may have actually sent us backwards politically. As we are able to communicate en mass more easily now, we seem to be talking at each other, through posts and one way communication, but we’re losing the ability to talk to each other, and that’s so pervasive in our poiitics and policies (i.e. Wisconsin). At the 28:00 mark, another fascinating discussion of the 2012 race — the positioning, the messaging and why so many in the GOP side are doing an awkward dance of ‘will they get in or won’t they?’ The GOP, that used to have a habit of giving the nomination to the person who’s next in line (i.e. Bob Dole) now finds its constituencies in disarray, and a bizarrely open nomination process.

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below:

Episode 116 – What the Huck! Huckabee, 2012 GOP Race and Wisconsin

What the heck is Huck doing? In his latest string of attacks, Huckabee has gone so far to the right, digging up untrue and misleading claims against President Obama. Is this the path to the Republican nomination? Is there any moderation left in the Republican party anymore? Are any potential Republican nominees talking about jobs? By this time in the 2008 cycle, Obama and Clinton had already announced their runs for the presidency, hired staff, tested messages and raised significant amounts of money. Where are the Republicans? By the time they get in, will they be too late and too far to the right? And on matters of foreign policy, just how do you spell Gadaffi’s name? Is it with a G, Q or K? And if you’re a dictator, why give yourself the rank of Colonel? Why not General or King? From the surreal to the serious, it’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below:

Episode 115 – GOP Presidential Politics, Unions and Budget Shell Games

Jeff and Glenn make no friends this week in taking on everything and everyone. They first explain why the GOP field is thin and hurting its chances of victory in 2012 through an apparent lack of organizing, fundraising and hiring. With Sen. Thune out, Huckabee likely not running, Daniels slow to start and Palin in her own orbit, where is this field headed? They also take on Republicans in Congress for the imposter that is posing as a budget cutting bill, explaining that there is indeed no budget for this fiscal year. They chide the Republicans in the House for passing this bill, knowing that it would never become law, and take on all Members of Congress — Democrats and Republicans — for not working together to pass a budget and fund the government in a coherent and responsible manner. How would they like it if their livelihood was funded on the basis of a series of continuing resolutions? It’s no way to run a business, or a government. They also explain why raising the retirement age and means testing Social Security needs to be discussed if we ever want to bring our fiscal house in order. In a surprising move, Jeff — the show’s stalwart Progressive – takes on public employee unions, specifically teacher’s unions – over the policy of tenure, and notes that FDR himself was opposed to public employee unions as standing in the way of the prudent operation of government. They understand why tenure was created, but forcefully argue why it is an outdated model now, especially in a struggling economy. A strong union backer, Jeff also chides Gov. Walker for elevating this issue to the point where there can be no reasonable discussion or conclusion that moves policy forward.

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below:

Episode 114 – Libertarian Love In and the Anderson Cooper Man Crush

PoliTalk welcomes Guest Blogger Jeff back to the show in a “Libertarian Love-In” chatfest. GBJ and Glenn discuss a plethera of issues including the Obama/O’Reilly Superbowl Interview in which both of our hosts thought that the interview was a missed opportunity for the President. GBJ also discusses his disenfranchisement with Fox News and his Man Crush for Anderson Cooper.  The two then delve into concerns that neither party is addressing details around the budget cuts that will have to take place. They explore the futility of repealing the health care law vs. changing components that should be changed.  They finish up with some predictions for the Tea Party and ask why we need to declare a political party affiliation with the government.

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below:

Episode 113 – Understanding the Florida Health Care Ruling, Ronald Reagan Liberal Icon

Is Ronald Reagan, Conservative Republican Diety, in fact a liberal icon? What would the 2012 GOP field say about a politician who raised taxes, grew the size of government, doubled the size of a federal agency he proposed to abolish (education), restored social security solvency instead of changing the program as promised and backed pro-union legislation? Could a candidate with those views survive the Republican Primary? What if that candidate was Ronald Regan? What does the ruling on health care reform mean? Is the individual mandate dead? What would people think if they knew the individual mandate was first proposed by Republican Senator Bob Dole in reaction to Hilary Clinton’s proposed employer mandate?  Is the individual mandate a good idea on its merits? How did it find its way into health care reform legislation? The show is kicked off this week with a discussion of the politics of Egypt and what it means for U.S. politics and foreign policy.

Best Friends. Vast Experience. Engaging political discussion without the fighting…and with a few laughs. It’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on iTunes and Zune

Of you can play right the show here by clicking on the play button below: