My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

A normal midterm with its usual issues between the parties becomes a test for a new President when a labor strike unexpectedly reaches his desk. The opposition party gains, but so does his. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hoover did a difficult thing. He beat back challenges and his party won control. Until a string of congressional deaths changed the picture. The 72nd Congress of 1931 was, as elected, a very narrow Republican , House 218 R - 217 D. Close, but for President Hoover, good enough. That is until, 14 Congressmen-elect died. Not all at once -- that would be weird -- it was over 13 months, for all kinds of reasons but heart attacks and pneumonias leading the list. When special elections were held, it went 218 D and 216 R. 1 Farm Laborer supported the Democrats so final was 219-216. We talk about this curious case. We also talk about the 14 Congressmen-elect who had some interesting biographies. And we talk Herbert Hoover and the spin he (tried to) put on The Great Depression. We are part of Airwave Media Podcast Network. www.airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson and William McKinley's midterm elections are not remembered. But each one changed history in its own way. One confined a President, the other changed a party. And the third may have cemented America's place in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Strange, introspective, radical, achieving, protesting, scoffing. These words could all be used in TIME magazine's Men and Women of The Year to describe late Silents and Boomers. We look at this, and then a 90s Atlanta Constitutional article on Generation X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's oft said that Washington refused a crown. With Richard Lim of This American President, we get real about this topic. His book Refusing a Crown is the first book to place Washington’s decisions within the sweeping Western shift from monarchy to republic, showing why that transition was anything but inevitable. Drawing on the Judeo-Christian moral tradition and the political inheritance from Great Britain, Refusing a Crown reveals how early Americans sought to build a republic strong enough to govern real people—not an idealized political fantasy. At a time when Americans once again argue about leadership, power, and the future of self-government, one figure continues to stand apart: George Washington. Across the political spectrum—from Donald Trump to Joe Biden—leaders still invoke him as the ultimate measure of political greatness. Refusing a Crown reveals why.Washington’s most extraordinary achievement was not winning the Revolutionary War or helping found a new nation. It was something far rarer: He gave up power—twice. First, when he resigned his command after victory. Then again, when he stepped down as president, establishing a precedent no law required and no force could compel. In an age dominated by kings and emperors, Washington chose restraint—and in doing so, he helped define the American experiment. Book (Preorder):https://www.amazon.com/Refusing-Crown-George-Washington-Changed/dp/1645721280 Website:https://www.richardmlim.com/ This American President:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thisamericanpresidentX: https://x.com/ThisAmerPresFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisAmerPres/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisamericanpresident LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-l-4116094/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our final episode, we look at a few historic media that truly sought to tell readers not just the news, but what the news was. From Bennett to Drudge, we look at these innovators. And we talk about today's media innovation. All of us, and our politicians as media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Listener Jerry Spencer about Coxey's Army, which marched to DC during a depression in the 1890's. And also about how Hearst and Pulitzer's papers fueled the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past 100 years, over 80% of the first term midterms went badly for Presidents, and their party lost seats.  But in a few cases they did not. And a few times when they did, the result was very little real change or even a kind of win. A look at first term midterms during the Presidencies of Chester Arthur, Harding, FDR, GW Bush, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.  A combo of new and previously recorded MHCBUYP episodes reveals that while many first term midterms have devastated the President's plans, Presidents don't always do badly, there are 'stave' elections where Presidents have lost so little it's almost a win.  And sometimes, a defeat has positive effects.   Music by Josh Woodward and Lee Rosevere in this episode. Find them on the Free Music Archive website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've talked about who owns media, who writes it. Now will talk about the debates about what is in it? This episode is about bias in the news media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"To the victor goes the spoils" True of government jobs after a 19th century election. Also true of newspapers. Much of the spoils system perfected during Jackson's time helped newspaper publishers get ads, printing and postmaster jobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First rule is: Nobody talks about Giggle Club. Second. When he says no pencils, it's no pencils. Third. Get a buddy. Fourth. Don't take it so seriously, my good man. FDR's Press relationship on this episode, and Wilson before him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Press has power. Can it be too much? Or is it needed to offset governmental power? We look at some interesting, powerful, and at times problematic press people. The renegade Grant critic Don Piatt, the FDR basher McCormick, Seward's pain and Lincoln's booster Medill, and the man who ran for President, Horace Greeley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TV technology arrives on the scene half press and half novelty. Politicians learn they can bring messages on at times that won't be critiqued. Yet twice, in big historic moments, the TV industry realizes it has to stop simply covering and speak for itself. These moments rare but pack a punch. Also, Kennedy, LBJ and their relationship with television and magazines. Mutual dependence and communications. Favors and frustration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Battle of Chancellorsville. The Union has got the Confederates in their sights. But not for long. All the while, a reporter named Whitelaw Reid is tracking events. He's been kicked out of the coverage pool by the Union Army but that won't stop him. He rents a boat. And his readers love him for it. He won't hold back his opinions, especially about President Lincoln. Not because he's against the cause, because Reid is very much for it. Reid does not truck this idea of being objective. His readers love him for that, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eisenhower gets irritated. Lincoln finds a friend. Theodore Roosevelt seeks the truth at lunch. Madison sees talent. Greeley won't miss his dinner, despite the riots. And a man has a simple plan. He'll make a newspaper that won't dirty your table. Part One of Our Mediated Republic: a series on media in America and its role in creating political power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It went by fast! Show update. We've reached a milestone. And a few things you can do if you are interested. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Protest work? Maybe, with other steps & factors. Looking at the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, Mothers of the Disappeared and the American Revolution, we look at change, from despair to anger to moderation. These stories are used to answer the question – What does political change take? What numbers does it take? How do you know when it’s happening?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A now forgotten incident about an attempt to have a second hostage crisis during the Carter administration, only narrowly averted by heroic of the embassy staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's in a word? Lots, maybe, when its a key word in the most contentious debate in America. The word "infringe" determines the threshold of how the Constitution should be enforced. But do we understand the word, and if we do, are we applying it correctly in our political debates over guns and politics? In this cast we look at how framers like Washington, Madison, Hamilton and Jefferson used the word, and how it's applied in DC v. Heller and US v. Miller. We contrast infringe to its Constitutional cousin abridge, and we look at what the NRA asserts about the 2nd amendment's words, including the word infringe. We also look at the current New York carry law Supreme Court case and where the Court is likely to go, and look at guns and politics in general. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

from D.W. Griffith to today, we look at the controversial use of movies and film in politics. And how using video instead of argument may be popular, but it has its flaws. We also look at some recent projects, Lincoln, Boardwalk Empire, Game Change to see how faithfully the history is treated.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stories of Presidential inflation fighting and fund-raising that seem to have a similar ring to today's events, in this episode. Nixon's plans to cut housing costs by reducing prices on the key element of housing inspires timber companies but riles environmentalist. Johnson uses his air fleet to shuttle the right people around to get the price of electrical wiring down. Eisenhower, Reagan, Hoover and Clinton raise the gas tax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1917, the most prominent spokesperson for African Americans, W.E.B. DuBois, shocked many when he threw his support behind enthusiastic and patriotic participation in World War I. He thought it was the key to expanding rights and treatment for African Americans. He was only to be later disappointed by the treatment of soldiers in France, the treatment of veterans when they came home, and the revision of history after the war to downplay accomplishments of African American soldiers. He struggled to write a book but could never come to terms with his own role in World War I and what came after. We discuss the life and legacy of the author and activist W.E.B. DuBois with Chad L. Williams, the Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies at Brandeis University. He is the author of The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War. -- We are part of Airwave Media Network Music by Lee Rosevere Want to support us? - We have a Patreon - go to www.myhistorycanbeatupyourpolitics.com Advertise: advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The history behind a rebellion against a state of the new United States, why it happened, its impact on our Constitution, and what it means today. From a 2014 cast, but it's been a while.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 13th Vice President of the United States remains obscure. Where King's name does come up, it's often with the wrong picture. Or he's confused with Rufus King.  According to our guest, Thomas Balcerski, Associate Professor of History at Eastern Connecticut University, he should be in the discussion. Balcerski is author of Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King (Oxford University Press, 2019). We get into the Presidential Ratings Game too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!  When Henry said it, he might have been committing treason. Yet the words also made him famous and indicated his superior bravery and patriotism to his country. The trouble is, that's often all he's remembered for. But without Henry the Revolution may not have succeeded and the Constitution may not look like it does. We get into why. From a 2017 interview - a bit about Patrick Henry and his times. Why the forgotten American "founder," one who was often too busy in his home state of Virginia to get nationally famous can provide us with American Revolutionary war stories and government founding narratives more interesting than just the Franklin, Jefferson and Washington stories we are accustomed to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the name says, about inkeeps and bunch of stories from books and clippings. Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/mhcbuyp (Amos Ellmaker is the VP Candidate of the 1832 anti-masonic party) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.B. Farquhar would go on to be an advisor to President Cleveland and run his successful non consecutive re election campaign. But prior to that, he was part of a plan to sell out to Confederate army before they reached York and possibly destroy it. For this he'd get some infamy, until Abraham Lincoln stepped in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nixon's long buried memo reveals a lot, maybe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

an early project doesn't go so well. A corporate entity finds it can't work well with the Don, and walk away, after court battles. For Trump, it's formative. And other stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A brief look at the family legacy of Chester Arthur, his son and grandson. From the White House to San Francisco's hippie scene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a thought that Springsteen should not be in politics. His young adult story says, he always was. Thoughts about a few current topics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All about the 1812 Election, a rough one for James Madison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many know of President Arthur's work on civil service reform. Less known is that he also sought to change his party's position on the use of tariffs. He had been a customs official, the nation's highest. In that job he learned to work with businessmen and merchants. When he became President, he turned his attetnion on the high taxes on imports of his day. As a 19th century Republican this was near heresy. His effort was only partially successful, but it would stoke discussion on tariff reform for the next half century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Officially, as any part of US policy, tiny room in 1982. We tell that story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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From the early attempts to depict Washington, to the first Congressional attempts to block Confederate statues, to today's debate. In this episode Bruce examines the history behind statues in America, and Bruce looks at every debating point and angle he can think of regarding Confederate statues, the dates of their construction and their removal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

not a surprise in my book, but the SCOTUS recently ruled on Trump's executive order of 2025 denying citizenship by birth in the United States. We look at the arguments, and the two takes by Kavanaugh (on the concurring side) and Gorsuch (on the dissenting side, but not fully with the Trump position). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forgotten but once famous, Whitelaw Reid was a top journalist and politician of his time. In 1906, as ambassador to Britain, the former vice-presidential candidate was asked by Cambridge University to explain why the British lost the American Colonies. Although he shuddered and thought he would rather speak on any other subject, he gave that speech and it serves a good history of the events that led up to history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First - The history of the Declaration -- the actual document, and how it was saved from British capture.  Then we speak with listener Jason Petri about his Signers Playing Card project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nixon's first bombing campaigns had the names of mealtimes which seem to also correspond with the years of his first term: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972. In this ( 2021) episode we look at Nixon, Kissinger and the Paris Peace Accords that ended the Vietnam War. In addition to providing some additional context for the Saigon 1975 situation so much in the news today, we revisit whether the accord was a sham peace or a true deal. The deal left hundreds of thousands of enemy troops in South Vietnam as U.S. troops exited. Could a better deal have been etched? Or could the same deal have been made sooner. And what about those leopard spots? The great debate over the negotiating table? and the dingy carpet? All this and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Average Americans, in the form of a DC jury, get the evidence. They hear the tapes, and they are shocked. But what will shock them more is what happens when Nixon testifies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress should be doing a lot more, and they would in Listener Page Brousseau's world. He and Bruce talk about Michigan, Article I, tariffs, and partisanship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nixon shoves, Bob Strauss declines money, and another break-in happens, and no one talks about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this series, we uncover the lesser-known stories of Watergate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris joins the show again - it' s been a while. We catch up and talk today's politics. Chris's Instagram is @doctor_nov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From 2010, but still spot on...Lincoln had just one miderm in his Presidency, and it didn't go well. He very nearly lost control of Congress during a war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, no big deal, we just tackle about every significant problem we have in our politics today (back in 2021). norm-breaking, free-speech and free-speech limits, threats and violence, double impeachments, pushing envelopes and reverse virtue signaling is all part of this episode. Also, Abigail Adams, a treaty won by a forceful speech, a shadowy organization rising up to oppose a President's agenda, two Founders debate and trade charges of hypocrisy. And a bowling ball. Lee Rosevere -music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I talked with Peter about bank robberies in California in the 1970's through the 1990's and why it was the bank robbery capital of the country. Peter's book is Norco 80 about a deadly robbery in CA in 1980. https://www.amazon.com/Norco-80-Spectacular-Robbery-American/dp/1640092129 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stories from the 1968 election, including an important factor driving it, and a bit about 1968 radio. And a little bit from the late political advisor David Gergen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We join Alex Hastie of Ohio v. The World Podcast once again! and Author Paul Dickson (https://www.amazon.com/Bonus-Army-American-Epic/dp/0802714404) to discuss the Bonus Army march of veterans seeking compensation during the Great Depression, and the horrible way they were treated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1970's a President, seeking to reduce inflation, tried a new tactic. Simply not spending the money that congress appropriated. OK, it wasn't entirely new, but it had been used in defense spending after the war where demand was needed or in very small amounts. This was billions of collars. As we discuss impoundment could be considered unfair - because a President could technically pass nice sounding bills and then later, kill the funding, thus getting credit for the good image of legislation without having to execute. As President Trump is using a similar technique, we look at impoundment and what Congress did in reaction (myriad steps from creating a new Budget Office to legislation to monitoring like hawks, to going to the press). We also look at the Supreme Court. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It had a short history, but within the time of the Civil War, the Confederate States had two Congressional elections. The second in 1863 (and 1864 in some states) should be seen as a midterm, and like those in the Northern states, it didn't go well for the party in power, that being the increasingly unpopular government of Jefferson Davis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevan Whitten has been listening for at least a decade and a half. He's from Maine (So we have to talk James Blaine) and he's talks about the program and asks Bruce a big question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The midterm election that didn't. In 2002, With national security on the minds of voters and a poor message in opposition, the President's party gained seats in the House for the first time in a first-term Congressional election since FDR's time. George W. Bush's GOP also gained back the Senate. But it's hard election to analyze. We'll try, with a little help from a former President. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've been podcasting for 20 years and Billy Paige has listened to the show for all of those years. We talk to him and other listeners in some special episodes in the next couple of months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nixon's first presidential midterm election (the election in which the House and Senate would be up for election) would turn out to be his last, but no one knew it at the time. Nixon tried something Presidents hadn't tried and took off in Air Force One to boost GOP candidates and attack hippie "thugs" across the country. He hoped to reverse the midterm trend. He did not, and he blamed bad audio and unhelpful political science. He may have done better than he thought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This phrase may have been stated by a Pennsylvanian in the 1880's described as a "German." as we talk about in this episode about family, assimilation, education and immigration. But it's not so simple. There were many German Americans, and two types in particular stood out from and sometimes in contrast with each other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The island-hopping and Second-front hoping after Pearl Harbor did not bring FDR a reverse of the traditional midterm curse or a victory for his party. The GOP and anti FDR Democratic winners of this midterm would ensure there would be scrutiny of the war effort and that New Deal programs domestically would be ended. They would lay the seeds for Truman's difficult Presidency and the eventual GOP recapture of Congress and the White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last episode of the series, we ask the question of where Reagan fits in today's politics, given that parties have shifted so much since his Presidency. We also summarize the series, and ask new questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting with the Reykjavik Summit of 1986 and a fly on the wall view of the events there, we look at the pro-Reagan and anti-Reagan arguments regarding his role in the ending of the Cold War, and try to capture everything Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We look at a unsung Revolutionary War battle, The Battle of Camden, a loss for the American side that would nonetheless have some positive long-term effects, and demonstrate a common theory about the Revolution is wrong.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the most abstract of the economic stats and yet, it's the most personal. It's the one that often has turned Presidents into crusaders. And sometimes turned the American people into the critical actors, volunteers or even 'the problem'. Pins, gardens and tough talk on this episode about Presidents, shrinking dollars, and rising prices. We are part of Airwave Media Network. Interested in advertising on the podcast? Contact sales@advertisecast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A TV show affects Reagan deeply. The question is often asked if Reagan won the Cold War. Usually, the only period examined is Reagan's second term. But if one looks at Reagan's first term, we see a perhaps unproductive stance and an unpopular hawkish stance that terrified many Americans and some allies, and was not helping to thaw the cold. Had the Presidency ended in 4 years, no significant progress could have been claimed. Yet one could aslo say Reagan was building a strategy while his adversaries had aging and sometimes ill leadership, and a few light moves were made. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That's the State's Rights amendment, right? Ask just about anyone about the Tenth Amendment and they will say "States." States rights, powers, protections, limits to the Federal government. And they are right. Partially. But the Tenth contains words at the very end reserving powers: to the states or to the people. The last part is hardly ever discussed and has not been significantly litigated. But it seems illogical to ignore it, and understanding it could be the key to applying the amendment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Answering listener questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Events 100 years ago have nothing at all to do with today's events, unless you consider new technologies changing the pace of life, the immigration issue, a new administration changing messaging and policies, racism and racial violence, crime, labor struggles, international conflicts and government spending on the poor.  And, new kinds of poems.  (Music by Paul Whiteman band (from 1921) and Lee Rosevere ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The invention of radio and government intervention in recreation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Based on a listener question, POTUS and VPOTUS making speeches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This new President is defying all norms! Shocking statements and words, crazy economic theories. Scary foreign policy. Bruce Springsteen is angry. We've never seen numbers like this. Radical foreign policy and bold domestic policy. Is he really going to push the button? Weapons in space? It's just too much to process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lincoln beat up politics with history as good or better than I could. David Sirota and the Left's use of executive power. A few questions from listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A scandal in the US, even more of a scandal in Iran. Iran-Contra was a significant moment of the Reagan Administration and the 80's, but its rarely seen from the other country's side. In Iran, the event was not insignificant. A mix of unreleased content and some long-lost episodes that were quite popular in their time and still have some points today on this podcast. We are part of Airwave Media Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Timely topics and a few stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We look at the scandal that rocked Reagan's Presidency. It looks very different with time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 24th amendment banning the payment of poll tax or other tax in order to vote, had a crazy legislative history to get passed. Alexander's Hamilton's House became a central part of the Senate effort. How the poll tax was defended in 1939 in Texas, and how the way it was administered was often worse than any one-time fee. Also: 3 words to watch in voter ID battles. Why people still paid poll tax even after the amendment passed, and why maybe the 24th didn't need to be passed at all. in this episode a few stories we left out of our previous episode on the 24th Amendment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

a story of 1970's British politics. A change in country is behind every corner of the smoking room, every staircase, and every pint of ale. On benches red and green, members make moves. A pipe-smoker, a yacht champion, a grocer's daughter a former (maybe current?) spy. We are part of Airwave Media Podcast Network To advertise: sales@advertisecast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fed up with the US government's efforts to rescue her son being held hostage, Barbara Timm, mother of a Marine guard at the US Embassy at Iran, goes directly to Tehran. We tell her story. We are part of Airwave Media Network Advertise? advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we look at a historic campaign episode and try to solve a mystery of history of the 1884 election. Did GOP candidate Blaine hear the bigoted comments of a supporter, or didn't he?  We also get an insider's view from a adept political reporter of how the other side jumped on the political opportunity created by the unfortunate comments of a reverend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HST and JFK did not have a close relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this quick episode, a missing part from the Ark of Commerce series, we look at the role of money in the battle between Confederate and Union governments.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have we forgotten about George W. Bush and how much today's politics were defined during his administration? Does Congress have any role anymore? Have we reached a point where Congress not only has less power but doesn't want to use what it has? Over the years, federal power has shifted from Congress to the President, with particular acceleration since Reagan and George W. Bush's Presidencies. David Sirota of The Lever Podcast and Master Plan Podcast joins us to talk about this trend and how it is a planned effort with people of both parties involved. His podcast, Master Plan, is available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/br/podcast/master-plan/id1723377799 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reagan makes a big reform most see as a good thing. And he made a diplomatic move most see as a very bad thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political world was shocked in 1987 when a 41-year old developer put an ad in the NY Times. Now it's 2026: he's consistent, sorta. What does it say about today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1962, A civil rights champion and a civil rights opponent join on one thing - to ban poll taxes. The Court later rules that it applies to fees. What does it mean for today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homelessness, education, healthcare and other domestic issues under constant evaluation during the time of the Reagan Presidency. We look at the personal Ronald Reagan and the contention of critics that his policies didn't match the person. We look at first term and second term policy differences on homelessness, and the contention by supporters that homelessness was focused on by media in the 80's but not during other Presidencies. Finally, we look at Reagan's response to AIDS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reagan Battles Ford for the GOP Nomination. He loses. And becomes President. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Baker called Reagan's foreign policy "a witches brew." In one country, a longshot try for peace. In others, alliances with warmakers. Reagan's policy towards seven nations - El Salvador, Lebanon, Poland, Nicaragua, China, Grenada and Guatemala examined in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We seek to solve two puzzles: How did Reagan the Truman booster and N ew Deal supporter become Reagan the Goldwater acolyte? And when he entered politics, became GOP nominee and President, what were the economic results of his Presidency? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reagan is the only President to have led a union into a strike. Twice, with two wins. And that's why he knew how to a break a strike when he had to. But in doing so, did he encourage employers to be harsh with workers? Some think that's exactly what happened. This, and the joy of the tax cut passage is turning into concern about deficit numbers. Not even his whiz kid Stockman can find an answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Replay from 2016 First in our series on Ronald Reagan that will have twelve episodes. The Presidency we discuss almost didn't happen. A look at the attempt on Reagan's life, his first year and why the shooting was not an unimportant incident of his Presidency but directly connected to his performance in the first year. We also go over the Dozen Ronald Reagans Concept - that there are twelve different aspects to him to examine both in reality and in the perception of Reagan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bit about the recent Court decision, with a note about the concurrences of Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, which agreed with each other on the decision merits but warred on the reasons why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For my 20th year, I'm replaying the most popular series I've done, a look at Ronald Reagan in 12 episodes. Before I do that, I have few thoughts about what might have been left out of that huge undertaking, and one new item that wasn't available when it was recorded a decade ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Healthcare, Bosnia and Belief In The President. All are in doubt. The second part of our series on Bill Clinton's first year, 1993. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's 1993. A new President jogs through his first year, with an unexperienced staff and a hostile White House press corps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A look at the histories and realities of breaking up trusts, from T.R.'s era to the present. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The writer Thomas Wolfe, known for his large novels and spewing prose, was a fan of Germany. On a trip there for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he found joy, and worry. Initially he admired the changes, but would soon change his opinion after a series of events and a near run-in with Hitler himself. He didn't live to see the true extent of Nazism, but left a warning for history. [One note: Thomas Wolfe, the 1930's author should not be confused with Bonfire of the Vanities author Tom Wolfe. Also a good author, different guy.] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In answering a question about JFK's health and its role in Lyndon Johnson's decision to accept the Vice Presidency, Bruce takes a look at the people and factors surrounding Johnson's decision, Kennedy's motivations, Eisenhower's indirect role, and the confusing hours in a Los Angeles hotel that changed history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why talk about LBJ? There's a few reasons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the surface, the 25th Amendment is a perfect mechanism for providing a stable transition of Presidential power. But that's not what early state ratification critics thought. And it's not how Hollywood writers oft envision it. When debating the 25th amendment to the US Constitution, one state legislator called it rushing "pell-mell into madness." Another said it did not complete the very purpose it intended and should go back to Congress for fixing. And still another said it has a huge hole around the vice presidency. These state quibbles were enough for a scare, but the states ratified anyway, in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis and a bipartisan push. But were the arguments valid? Although the 25th is designed to potentially remove a President, it is also designed to avoid doing that if at all possible. It was written by politicians to avoid politics, and as several TV and movie writers have found, it could create lots of politics. If you find it confusing, you aren't alone. Some opponents during its ratification took a look at what came out of the hard work of Sen. Kefauver and Bayh and said - why was it written this way? And not all their criticisms were answered. In this episode we look at the 25th and objections raised in Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Colorado that might have sunk the amendment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From a town in California named for Zachary Taylor, to a famous letter sent by Frederick Douglass, we tell a few stories that didn't make it in to the series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices