Debate Series Aims to Inform Discourse

The Fairfield Citizen just did a story on our upcoming debate event, the National Debate Series. Check it out here.

Here are some of our favorite quotes from the story:

Kimball and Gaudet have a singular mission: to bring civility and intelligence back to political conversation.

“It’s so much easier to spew rage than to engage in intelligent conversation,” Kimball said. “There are a lot of people who are fed up.”

When Kimball says “a lot of people,” he refers, in part, to the growing audience he and Gaudet get for their weekly podcast, “PoliTalk.” Available at iTunes and other online podcast hosts, PoliTalk is typically an hour-long conversation between the two men, both of whom name the weekly National Public Radio show “Car Talk” as their chief inspiration.

“We’re trying to inform and entertain,” Gaudet said, “when I think others are trying to inflame and entertain. Rush (Limbaugh) makes $30 million a year. I’d like to have that. Anger sells. But if we can change the tone of the discussion, I think we all benefit.”

“We get a lot of good information that we bring to the show, without making it sound like insider baseball,” said Gaudet, whose career has been spent mostly in marketing, technology and media. “We can have conversations that appeal to a broad audience, and, in a sense, an under served audience. [Other, more partisan shows] are preaching to the converted. We’re preaching to the convertible. That’s always your swing vote.”

Episode 57 – Pick an Option… Any Option

This episode of PoliTalk offers lots of options for listeners. The first half of the show features a discussion of the options facing the President for the war in Afghanistan. Glenn explains why there are no good options, and Jeff tries to completely change the discussion by offering up a totally different option. The options get more clear when it comes to health care reform and the future of the public option. Glenn explains why the public option, as positioned now, will ultimately work for the President…and Jeff explains why it might not…and why Hillary Clinton may have been a better option to lead this debate. Always entertaining and informative, it’s PoliTalk, your  weekly political podcast.

Join us in Boston on November 10, 2009! Register now, visit http://nationaldebateseries.com

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on  iTunes and Zune

Episode 56 – Goldman Sachs and the State of Financial Regulation

2009 is proving to be a very good year for Wall Street, but times are still tough for people on Main Street. While the Dow passed the 10,000 mark and Wall Street bonuses will be very big, unemployment remains very high and businesses, especially small ones, are hurting. Jeff and Glenn explain why financial reforms may hold the key to encouraging economic recovery helping Main Street! And why the Administration needs to focus more on helping small business and less on Wall Street pay packages and Fox news. Always entertaining and informative, it’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

Join us in Boston on November 10, 2009! Register now, visit http://nationaldebateseries.com

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on  iTunes and Zune

Episode 55 – Politics of Afghanistan, Health Care Reform and Las Vegas Room Rates

Following up on last week’s in-depth discussion of Afghanistan, the PoliTalk boys turn their sights back home to talk about the political implications of what’s happening over there. They wonder what our end game is, and how various options will play politically back home. Moving to discuss the politics of another hot button issue, they explain how room rates at Las Vegas hotels are tied to the fate of health care reform.  They also explain why they are on a crusade to counter the hate-filled sensational bombastic rhetoric found on most political talk shows, and encourage their listeners to invest in and help re-brand the nature of political discourse. Always entertaining and informative, it’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

Join us in Boston on November 10, 2009! Register now, visit http://nationaldebateseries.com

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast on  iTunes and Zune

Episode 54 – Afghanistan Explained

In what might be the most substantive and engaging episode of PoliTalk, Lt. Col. Joseph Alessi Ph.D., chair and professor of Military Science at the University of Pittsburgh, walks us through what is really going on in Afghanistan. To understand the current political decisions, you have to understand the complex history of this country, and to do that, you need to listen to Joe. The McCain campaign had “Joe the Plumber.” At PoliTalk, we have Joe the Scholar, who offers a fair, balanced view of the region and explains why if you don’t learn from history, you’re doomed to repeat it…and nowhere is that lesson more vital than Afghanistan. Always engaging and informative, it’s PoliTalk — your weekly political podcast.

Join us in Boston on November 10, 2009! Register now, visit http://nationaldebateseries.com

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from  iTunes and Zune

Episode 53 – Iran Goes Nuclear

Just when you thought it was safe to talk about the Middle East, Iran drops a bombshell… almost literally. Between the announcement of a new nuclear plant and the testing short and medium distance ballistic missles, Iran has put itself back on the world stage. Join Jeff and Glenn as they discuss the region, the implications of Iranian actions and their take on possible outcomes.Always informative and entertaining, it’s straight-forward political analysis on PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

Join us in Boston on November 10, 2009! Register now, visit http://nationaldebateseries.com

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from  iTunes and Zune

Episode 52 – Amendments, Sausage Making and a Few Laughs

It may not seem possible, but Jeff and Glenn actually have fun explaining the Senate Finance Committee health care amendments. No, we’re not kidding. They go into the substance, but offer up a lot of laughs in this new episode of PoliTalk. Listen as they substantively explain what you need to understand about the process and about what’s in the bills, and laugh while they rip on each other, and clear through the blizzards of acronyms and legal-ease.  Tired of people screaming at each other on political shows? Always informative and entertaining, it’s straight-forward political analysis on PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.
Join us in Boston on November 10, 2009! Register now for Early-Bird Special Pricing, visit http://nationaldebateseries.com

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from  iTunes and Zune

Episode 51 – I’m Sorry, So Sorry

We want to apologize up front for this episode. No, literally. Because in this one, Jeff and Glenn dive deeper into the issue of political apologies. Why are they done? What is their purpose? Why do innocent family members get dragged out into public? And maybe most important, do they actually change anything (I mean, afterall, they are apologizing for a reason…).  Our co-hosts not only look at the recent apology by Congressman Joe Wilson, but also President Bill Clinton, Senator David Vitter, Senator John Edwards, Governor Mark Sanford and Governor Eliot Spitzer. Always entertaining and informative, it’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

Join us in Boston on November 10, 2009! Register now for Early-Bird Special Pricing, visit http://nationaldebateseries.com

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from  iTunes and Zune

Episode 50 – Obama Health Care Speech to Congress: Reality Check

Glenn and Jeff react almost immediately to President Obama’s speech to Congress, putting the speech in context, reminding listeners what they should watch from the President and Congress over the next week, and explaining the politics and policy ramifications of the speech.  They offer praise for the broad objectives met through the speech, dive deep into a discussion on the proposed health care exchanges and the effect on small business. Jeff reacts strongly to Congressman Wilson’s outrageous outburst during the President’s discussion on immigrants and Glenn takes heed of President Obama’s closing words and offers his strong views on the need for more reasoned and rational debate of issues. Always entertaining and informative, it’s PoliTalk — your weekly political podcast.

Join us in Boston on November 10, 2009! Register now for Early-Bird Special Pricing, visit http://nationaldebateseries.com

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from  iTunes and Zune

Episode 48 – Afghanistan & Health Care: Do they have an end game?

Glenn quickly gets to the central question regarding the anticipated troop surge in Afghanistan…what’s the end game? Jeff challenges us to look at history and understand how we can successfully combat the Taliban in a country with so little stability and a history of coup, with power driven by tribal warlords rather than a central government. Moving to health care, they also ask what the end game is there, and respond to listener questions on health care. Always entertaining and informative, it’s PoliTalk, your weekly political podcast.

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from  iTunes.