Politics Episodes

The special recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom is scheduled for September 14, less than three weeks away. The polls are close and the campaigns are moving into high gear. Lauren Rosenhall gives us her perspective on the state of the race 20 days from election day. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Newsom has a razor thin lead of 1.2% in the Recall race based on an average of polls according to 538.org. At the same time, the Covid Delta surge is reminding voters - Hispanics in particular - how devastating the 2020 lockdowns were for their community. And the Governor is playing a risky Newsom or Bust strategy. We will track the campaign through election day September 14 with special guests to keep you up to speed on this historic vote. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james...

California's recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom is set for September 14, 2021. Over 40 candidates are on the ballot. But the unfolding Delta variant Covid resurgence could prove to be a wild card in what was once regarded as an eminently winnable race for Newsom. https://calmatters.org/gavin-newsom-recall-election/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

5 rural Oregon counties voted by wide margins on Tuesday to begin the process to join Idaho. That brings the tally to 7 for the leavers, with more than 10 more counties slated to vote on the issue. Is the driver to leave Oregon the usual rural versus urban hostility or is there something more at play ? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) the second largest school system in the United States and the largest in California, published a report last week outlining the dire impact of the Covid lockdowns on our state's 6 million public school students. With schools just reopening in the last 10 days, High School drop out and failure rates are projected to double and even worse, over the next 3 years. And California with an 8% unemployment rate - versus 6% nationwide - can ill afford to be tur...

It looks like the Recall organizers who want to oust California Governor Gavin Newsom have successfully gathered more than enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. Political Scientist Professor at Sonoma State University David McCuan explains the process which will be the national political story of 2021. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

The SF School Board is threatened with being recalled because after one year of Covid related lockdowns, the 127 public schools in the City are still closed to its' 59,000 students. The City is actually suing the School Board to compel them to re-open the schools in compliance with State Law. And their cancel culture antics of renaming 44 of our schools - Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt were unacceptable to them - made San Francisco an international laughing stock when it was learned their "re...

California voters are especially testy these days as we enter our 12 th month of Covid lockdown. Not only is the Governor threatened with Recall over his handling of the crisis, but the San Francisco District Attorney is too, for being soft on crime and hostile to police as well as School Boards. San Francisco's failure to open public schools while private and parochial schools have been in session since the Fall of 2020 is especially galling. Is California in for a sea change politically ? -...

Ambassador Ric Grenell served as US Ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020. Subsequently he served as Acting Director of National Intelligence in 2020, a cabinet level post. A favorite of Donald Trump for his blunt and forthright speaking style, Sean Hannity and Representative Matt Gaetz were pushing him to declare for Governor in the likely California Recall Election. He was coy, interested, but would not take the bait. In today's podcast we will briefly profile him. --- Send in a voice mes...

The first week of February 2021 was not very good to the Governor of California. First, the Recall signature campaign was closing in on 1.4 million signatures with six weeks left before the deadline. Then two Republican candidates announced they would run against him in the Recall and a third one, an Independent was considering a run. Finally the Recall campaign has raised $2.5 million. All that in the space of a week. But political fortunes can turn a dime. Here's our latest thrilling installme...

Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021. His predecessor Donald Trump did not attend the ceremony, but he left a letter of support for the incoming President in the Oval Office. Biden's 21 minute inaugural address spoke of unity and toning down political rhetoric. While new American Presidents enjoy a honeymoon with the voters, his challenge will be to forge links to the 74 million Americans who chose Donald Trump for President rather than ...

The Siege of the US Capitol one week ago illustrated how US politics have become militarized under Donald Trump. Militias and their members were a visible presence at the infamous rally beforehand and at the storming of the Capitol. The Million Militia March scheduled for Inauguration Day January 20 will be met by 3000 National Guard troops if it turns violent. A 7 foot high unscaleable fence now surrounds the Capitol. And Trump faces a second impeachment for inciting the riot. Yet his followers...

The 25th Amendment permits the Vice President and a majority of the cabinet to declare a President unable to discharge the duties and powers of his office and replace him. Should Vice President Pence and the cabinet remove President Trump in the last 13 days of his term which expires January 20, 2021 ? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

When Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021 he will become the 23rd President in history to have Irish roots. 50% of our Presidents have an ancestral link to Ireland - that's quite a high concentration and the story behind it is even more fascinating. Since 1945, 9 of the 13 Presidents have Irish roots along with 35 million fellow Americans. Talk about punching above your weight for the Fighting Irish ! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor....

Chesa Boudin, the 40 year old District Attorney of San Francisco was elected November 2019. He has spent his first 11 months in office radically transforming the criminal justice prosecution priorities for our City. But none of the changes is more controversial than his criminal prosecution of three current and former SF police officers on charges as varied as manslaughter, felony battery and assault. The Police Union has locked horns with the DA whom they opposed when he ran for election. Meanw...

A popular conspiracy theory in right wing circles is that Vice President elect Kamala Harris will soon take over from an incapacitated President elect Joe Biden. When you repeat such a theory you are giving it oxygen some argue, even if your intent is to dismantle and reject it. In today's podcast I will explain how this myth has materialized, its roots in American History and why it is never likely to come to pass. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

President Trump, in his 16 minute electoral fraud diatribe from the White House Briefing Room, Thursday November 5 has launched a Conspiracy Theory of a stolen election, before the American people and a global audience. His obvious motivation was anger at seeing his early lead in the election returns slip away in favor of Joe Biden. He has let the conspiracy genie out of the bottle publicly giving his 70 million voters a rallying cry, much like Hillary Clinton's supporters slogan " Resist". His ...

72 years ago today, November 2, 1948, President Harry Truman defied all expectations and won re-election, when the national polls had him down 6.5% versus Governor Tom Dewey. His come from behind win was a shock to the nation. Not only did he confound the pundits, but the Democrats recaptured the Congress with healthy majorities. How did he do it ? Are there lessons to be learned for Donald Trump and Joe Biden in tomorrow's election ? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herli...

Gun sales in June surged to 3.9 million weapons, an 80% increase over the same month last year. More than 20 million new firearms have been purchased in 2020, fueled by national apprehension over the pandemic, unemployment, economic uncertainty, racial tension and political uncertainty. With more than 400 million weapons already in circulation in this country, there are enough firearms for every man, woman and child and then some. Are people fearful of losing police protection and turning to sel...

JFK took on anti-Catholic bigotry upfront in the 1960 presidential campaign, speaking before a conference of Protestant Pastors in Houston, Texas, September 12 regarding his Catholic Faith. Kennedy went on to win the Presidency, albeit narrowly with 112,000 votes. He reminded the clerics of the No Religious Test provision of the US Constitution (Article VI, Clause 3) and further spoke of his own WWII heroism in the South Pacific. We thought that the concept of Catholics being viewed as "Other" h...

Wednesday night's VP debate was more anticipated than past vice presidential meet ups for a host of reasons. After last week's acrimonious shouting match that was disastrous for both Biden and Trump, Mike Pence had to steady the SS Trump which was taking on water; mission accomplished. Kamala Harris, however, had to introduce herself to the American people as a potential President while demonstrating her policy chops. Pence was in his element and confidently played his hand with aplomb, but with...

Over the last 6 weeks, five major police departments have lost their Chiefs, in large measure because of a breakdown of trust between the Mayor and Chief. Most police chiefs serve at the pleasure of the Mayor and their ongoing working relationship is critical to the morale of the rank and file police officers and to the safety of the community. Trust, confidence and sharing of goals are key to a successful working relationship. In the five cases we cite, the Mayor became beholden to the street p...

Kamala Harris and Facebook. 4 conspiracy theories quickly emerged after her selection. In today’s episode we will look at each one, and while trying not to give them oxygen, debunk them --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

An illegal alien felon shot and killed a father and his two sons in a working class residential neighborhood of San Francisco in June 2008. District Attorney charged Edwin Ramos with three counts of murder but declined to seek the death penalty despite pleas from the widow and Senator Dianne Feinstein. The controversial case brings together three of Harris’ vulnerabilities - death penalty, sanctuary cities and referring to ICE agents as equivalent to KKK. --- Send in a voice message: https://anc...