Center Left Radio: Recent Episodes
Richard Gayzur
CLR 1983. Air Date December 1, 2024. An international panel of experts offers a range of predictions based on the election of Donald Trump and his potential impact on world events, as well as thoughtful observations about the changing attitudes and perceptions of the American electorate. With Dr. Charles Webel, Su Luo, Ivan Sebalo and Marcel Kaba. More must listening.
CLR Show 1982. Air Date November 15, 2024. A special Noble Hearts Forum presenting an in depth discussion of the underlying causes and possible effects of the recent Trump presidential victory. Panelists include Bill Arnone, Dr. Charles Webel, John Cugini and Dr. Bill Mulligan. Must listening.
CLR Show 1981. Air Date November 12, 2024. My thanks to our listeners over these last seven and one half years as we put up up this, our last regularly scheduled Center Left Radio show, and our nearly 1000th show since we began in March of 2017. I've tried to be true our mission pointing out the faults of trumpism, the merits of progressivism, and the need to govern America from a centrist position. For now the country has chosen to lurch to an extreme form of leadership. It remains to be seen if and when it will regret that decision. In the meanwhile, the democratic party must take on the role of educators, priming the electorate for the all important midterm elections of 2026 that will indicate whether we are prepared to, once and for all, free ourselves from the siren song Donald J. Trump. (One final Noble Hearts Forum will hit our podcast feed on Friday, November 15th.)
CLR Show 1980. Air Date November 8, 2024. A clear-eyed post mortem of the presidential election. The country has chosen to overlook the glaring list of automatic disqualifications of most unqualified, morally, ethically and spiritually damaged candidate in the history of the American presidency and has instead bought into his gospel of fear and vengeance. Even more disturbing is that 14 million fewer democratic votes were cast in 2024 than in 2020. It remains to be seen if American democracy can recover from the body blow. Much will depend on what Trump and his minions actually do in the months ahead. No less significant will be the the organizational and messaging skills of an opposition loyal to the norms, letter and spirit of the American Constitution. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1979. Air Date November 5, 2024. As this show is put up on this podcast feed, it's impossible to say with any certainty who will win the presidential election––although our fondest hopes are with Kamala Harris. What we can say for certain is that hope and love will ultimately overcome fear and division. And that the evolutionary processes that will ultimately redefine us as a nation, a planet and a universe are already in play and––barring our extinction as a species––will invariably lead to a better and more inclusive world for us all. The question is, how hard will segments of our society push back against the prospect of change? How far will they go to assuage the fear of losing what they have or, more precisely, never had to avoid embracing the hopeful expectations of a largely unknowable future? Those choices will define the pace (and pain) of change. But they can never eradicate the simple truth that change is, has always been and will always be the magical constant of all our lives.
CLR Show 1978. Air Date November 1, 2024. In truth, Kamala Harris appears poised to be elected the next president of the United States. The bigger issue is how Donald and his minions will attempt to cravenly delay or reverse her victory. Some level of acting out among the disillusioned base would appear inevitable. But then there's Donald's sentencing in NY on November 26th and the near certainty of some form of physical restriction. How will the most radical elements in the Trumpian base respond to that? Will Donald's minions go even further than they went in January of 2021? Joe Biden has been empowered by the Supreme Court with a writ of presidential immunity. And although that writ was intended to benefit Donald by slowing down the pace of his federal trials, I can envision Joe using it in a final act of his presidency to bring those who would attempt to destroy this country to perpetrate a lie and assert their own false power under swift and firm control. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1977. Air Date October 29, 2024. With one week left until the election both political camps are busily making their closing arguments to potential voters. The democrats are amplifying the message of hope, inclusion and positive future vision that has characterized their entire campaign. The trumpians, predictably and regrettably, have ratcheted up their core message of hate, grievance, division, prejudice and outright fear to levels that would have been unthinkable even two months ago. Donald's Madison Square Garden rally referred to Puerto Rico as a floating island of garbage. This instantly alienated, perhaps, several million potential voters and will continue to resonate in the Latin community. Why do such an insanely self-destructive thing this close to the election? Because fear feeds on itself and is ultimately self-destructive. That is why Donald will lose and lose big next week.
CLR Show 1976. Air Date October 22, 2024. Panelists Bill Arnone, John Cugini and Bill Mulligan discuss the 2024 presidential election from differing political perspectives and with an emphasis on issues that are too often overlooked by the media. The result is a consensus, not so much about who will be elected but the challenges that will continue to confront America, no matter who is. Must listening.
CLR Show 1975. Air Date October 18, 2024. Kamala Harris's appearance on Fox coupled with her various meetings with groups of well-known and not as well known republicans appears to signal a major realization on the part of her campaign, viz., that there is far more headway to be exploited among disgruntled republicans than was imagined earlier in the campaign. At the very moment Donald appears to be shutting down his campaign, Harris is on fire, doing a non-stop series of smaller event and interviews, and often several a day. Her campaign seems to sense, and the 'feeling' is getting stronger every day, that she is headed for victory and a much larger one than current polls would suggest. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1974. Air Date October 15, 2024. While all signs point to a Harris-Walz victory, it's critical to consider the consequences of a Donald victory. Chief among them would be immediate infighting between and among the various factions of the former republican party. Will they commit to quickly rebuilding as something reminiscent of the Regan era party, or commit to remaining a permanent party of Trump, complete with a gutting of the civil service, prosecution of political rivals and use of the military as Donald's private militia? And if they're to remain a permanent trumpian party, knowing full well this will mean a resounding defeat in the 2026 midterms, what purpose will free and free elections serve? And why sustain a Constitution that places too many obstacles in the way of unfettered control? To say nothing of the massive and inevitable civil unrest that will follow and the unknown response to it all by the strongest military in the world. Donald must be defeated.
CLR Show 1973. Air Date October 11, 2024. The democrats have more ammunition to hurl back at the republicans––in the form of easily exposed and debunked republican lies about everything–– than any other presidential campaign in modern American history. It's now a question of refining and perfecting the messages that reveal those lies to all of America: that republicans are pro-police; that democratic scientists can make hurricanes effect only republican districts; that illegal Haitians are eating cats and dogs in Michigan; and that Donald actually cares about America. His only reason for running is to stay out of jail. And it's so easy to convincingly argue that he's guilty of everything he's been accused of. Barack Obama's appearance on the campaign train is a positive sign that the best of the democratic messaging is still to come. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1972. Air Date October 8, 2024. Remarkably––or maybe not so remarkably––the Trumpians are using the same 'patriotic' language as democrats to motivate their base. They speak of 'freedom' coupled with threats about the last chance to save the country. But their exhortations are rooted in Donald's worst fears, which he has cravenly melded with their own. Lofty words hide simmering racial animus, misogyny and, for many, unvarnished greed. These are among the many stepchildren of fear. We must––and can and will––counter Donald's fear based (don't jail me!) rants with hope for a greater America. We cannot be suckered into operating out of fear, lest we amplify the fear that drives and oppresses the Trumpians. We can and will win this election unified in the hope and belief that America's best days lie ahead––as they've always been, even when things seem darkest.
CLR Show 1971. Air Date October 4, 2024. It may be a less than scientific observation, but good things coming in threes portend well for the forces of rationality and democracy in America. Consider: The Mets have made it to the second round of the playoffs against all odds; the longshoremen's strike that could have plunged us back to supply chain hell has been expertly sidestepped by 'incompetent' Joe Biden; and an asteroid the size of a school bus that could have nearly destroyed us is harmlessly circling earth as a second moon for another month until it is harmlessly flung into the far reaches of the galaxy. Not unlike what will happen to Donald Trump after November 5th. It's in the stars! With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1970. Air Date October 1, 2024. October Surprises are a staple of American presidential politics. And the Israeli incursion into Southern Lebanon coupled with the east coast longshoremen's strike might count as a major one in some other campaign cycle. But the electorate is largely locked into its positions on the candidates. And the remaining undecideds will be far more influenced by Donald's and Jimmy's ongoing blatant lies than whether or when Joe Biden enforces the Taft-Hartley Act. That makes this evening's Vice Presidential debate far more consequential than it might otherwise be. In all likelihood, it will be the last opportunity for undecided Americans to witness a face to face between representatives of the two campaigns––and watch JD Vance lie about his reasons for lying.
CLR Show 1969. Air Date September 27, 2024. A constant lament of the rational is how Donald continues to lie so blatantly and continually with no apparent consequences among his fans. But there are consequences. It's just that they are cumulative and slowly accruing. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have not only pushed back against but effectively exposed lie after Trumpian lie, to the point where a presumed Trumpian strong suit like the economy is moving into the Harris column. And the same is true of immigration. That, and flailing Donald's inability to make any real headway with the remaining undecideds. All this will reach a tipping point within the last two weeks of the campaign and the Harris victory will be a very significant one. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1968. Air Date September 24, 2024. Policy is being bantered back and forth between the Harris and Trump campaigns (with the Trump version typically a garbled reaction to the day's headlines) but the likelihood is that this election will be more about, and will be won by an embrace of, either love/hope or fear. The great irony is that the 'Christian' nationalist forces, historic purveyors of biblical love and hope, are now the merchants of fear, division and domination as embodied in Project 2025. Their goal: convince White America and a few others that 'our country' is being taken away from us and the only option is to seize it back from 'them'. The problem is, 'them' is bigger and far more 'positively' motivated––an altogether Christian characteristic. Donald's utter incapacity for the office is irrelevant: He is little more than a permission slip for those who see America's dismantling as the only pathway to their dominance.
CLR Show 1967. Air Date September 20, 2024. The irrational inappropriateness of republican pronouncements and positions––everything from Donald Trump's criminal conviction to Mark Robinson's professed black neo-Nazi beliefs to JD Vance's admitted lies about Haitians eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio––would have been game enders for any other presidential or regional campaign in American history. On the surface at least, republican voters seem to be taking it all in stride, simply ignoring it all in the interest of preserving tribal cohesion. But there is a cumulative weight to these collective insanities and we are beginning to see signs that political gravity, and simple reality, may finally be starting to weigh down this bowdlerized version of a once-proud republican party. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1966. Air Date September 17, 2024. The greatest of all Trumpian lies is that the permanent splitting of America along ideological and emotional lines will benefit Trumpians and will create some kind of wonderful new world where Trumpians happily rule and control all. In fact, it would lead to the destruction of America as a world power and most likely to some form of civil war. This is a fate we can avoid but only if more Americans learn the truth of the Trump-Vance hate campaign. Vance has even openly admitted to the lies they are telling, showing absolutely no respect for the people they claim to lead. Imagine what they would do to the majority of Americans who they consider to be their enemies.
CLR Show 1965. Air Date September 13, 2024. 67.1 million people, including many devout republicans, watched the presidential debate and saw Donald Trump eviscerated by Kamala Harris, and shown to be the racist, American hating, deranged old man that he is. While the Donald Show may bring a wry smile to the faces of his most ardent supporters, they can no longer pretend that he is fit to be president––or even a mediocre gameshow host. Voting for Donald is a vote to tear down America and American democracy. And the onus will be on anyone who votes to do it. Republicans: If you can't find it in your heart to eschew Donald for the sake of the country, do it for more selfish reasons. Consider the fate of the more than 1000 federal prisoners would believed Donald's lies and raided the Capital on 1/6. No, this is not about supporting your favorite gameshow host. This is about the stability and long term viability of America. Don't take your responsibility lightly! With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1964. Air Date September 10, 2024. Juxtaposing the free-for-all executive privilege ruling of the Supreme Court against the unhinged threats and behavior of Donald Trump, and it's no wonder most of the planet believes America may have lost its mind for even considering convicted felon Donald Trump an acceptable candidate for the presidency, much less one in strong contention for the position. But, despite the tight polls, Kamala's massive and consistent 15-point lead with women, coupled with the inefficient ground game established by the republicans in key swing states, may still lead to a Nixon-McGovern-1972-like victory for Kamala in November. Trump will attack viciously at tonight's debate; it's the only tool left in his quiver. And, by every indication, Kamala will make him pay for it. Stay tuned.
CLR Show 1963. Air Date September 6, 2024. Donald's campaign has boxed itself into a curious strategy. Unable to deal with policies, issues or facts of any kind and committed to simply tossing out red meat for the ill-informed MAGA masses, it has shifted its disinformation campaign to personal attacks on Harris and Walz––things like negative comments from a former Harris boyfriend or calling Walz before a congressional committee to answer questions about a long defunct state program. And the slurs and mis-facts are being tossed out so rapidly that none seem to be able to gain traction before the next false slur supersedes it. Donald is having no better success trying to co-opt democratic programs he neither understands nor cares about. All of which should make the September 10th presidential candidate debate a very memorable one––but for all the wrong reasons from a Trumpian perspective. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1962. Air Date September 3, 2024. The question must be asked: Knowing nothing more than Donald's (dis)qualifications for elected office––a convicted felon, insurrectionist, sex offender, congenital liar, etc.––who in their right mind would want him as president of the United States or in any other position of leadership? The answer, when all other possibilities have been eliminated, is people who have an emotional bond with Donald that supersedes their capacity to make rational decisions. Donald is the sublimated image of the 'unfairness' that pervades their lives, and the sole mechanism for making all things fair. His base has been driven to this unlikely emotional state by a constant repetition of lies and false promises directed to their basest fears. This tactic has worked to bring down functional democracies in the past. But it will not work this time. The vast majority of Americans are on to Donald.
CLR Show 1961. Air Date August 30, 2024. The Harris campaign has embraced the notion of hope against the forces of hopelessness and the existential nature of that choice for the American electorate. The Trump campaign has no defense against this messaging. Instead, it will attempt to issue personal attacks, focus on candidate inconsistencies and even (in Clinton-esque fashion) attempt to co-opt democratic positions, much as JD Vance recently and unsuccessfully attempted to do with raising the child tax credit. For Donald and Co., it's an 'everything against the wall and see what sticks' strategy and its awkward execution is apparent in the polls as they shift further toward Harris-Walz. The trick for Kamala is to not be diverted from her core message of 'positive evolution through hope' as she negotiates the final two months of the campaign. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1960. Air Date August 27, 2024. The Harris-Walz campaign has done more than captivate America. It has proven to be a remarkably astute student of American political history and a brilliant avoider of political pitfalls. Rather than focusing on its differentiations from Joe Biden, it has elevated him to the status of American folk hero ('I love my job, but I love my country more') while assiduously avoiding every pitfall of the 2016 Clinton campaign, including the hubris and self-righteous presumptions of inevitable victory. This is the true genius of the Harris campaign and of the candidate herself. And it seems hard to imagine that the entire strategy and the tools of its seemingly flawless execution were only first conceptualized after Joe Biden retired from the race. We'll invariably learn more about that in the future.
CLR Show 1959. Air Date August 23, 2024. After what was arguably the most successful political convention in recent American history, the democrats have not only redefined Donald as the antithesis of all that is American, but reduced him in stature as no one has been able to over the past 8 years. Then, as if to underscore everything the democrats said about him, Donald went on a bizarre texting rant during last night's closing ceremonies so far removed from reality that only the most fervent of Kool Aid drinkers could possibly embrace its disjointed, hate-filled, rambling messages. Kamala and the democrats have the wind to their backs and the possibility of a McGovern-like election result for Donald is within the realm of possibility. But, as Michele Obama eloquently and forcefully reminded us all, to make it happen, we must all "Do Something" between now and November 4th. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1958. Air Date August 20, 2024. The first night of the Democratic National Convention was a reason for great joy and celebration, for love of country and love of Joe Biden. But more than anything else, it corrected a longstanding confusion within democratic circles. For too long, we have focused on the threat of Donald before focusing on the moral certitude of our own beliefs, the strength of our policies and the evolutionary promise of America. By focusing on what is good and binds us first, we wholly avoid the self-doubt and paralysis that comes with weighing the force of Donald's gospel of hate and fear. And our hope and joy is 'trickling down' to all segments of American society. The important thing now is to 'act', and to do everything in our power to bring out the largest possible vote for democrats up and down the ticket on November 5th. As Kamala says, "When we fight, we win."
CLR Show 1957. Air Date August 16, 2024. Not surprisingly, Donald's campaign is quietly putting out predictions of a coming reset, presumably to be triggered by a resounding victory in his debate against VP Harris, and further bolstered by a strong performance by JD Vance against Tim Walz. Really? Is it even within the realm of possibility that the rambling 'weirdo' who has been doing multi-hour 'press conferences' will, suddenly develop the discipline and factual acumen to debate former prosecutor / VP Kamala Harris on matters of fact and policy? Or that he will be able to intimidate her, verbally or physically, as he once attempted to intimidate a far less forceful Hillary Clinton? Harris's performance will also be judged against the one that propelled her into the presidential slot and, there, she's already a winner. Donald will be relegated to 80+ more days of blustering and lying and doing re-runs of the Donald Show. All but the most loyal of viewers have already tuned out. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1956. Air Date August 13, 2024. With all the positive energy flowing into and from the Harris campaign and the total antithesis being evidenced on the Trumpian side, it's easy to envision a Harris-Walz victory on Nov. 4. The Harris campaign is bringing out the best of our long-suppressed American optimism, our inherent can-do sense and the very best of the American political system. The problem lies with what happens between November 5th and the inauguration on January 20th. Trump and his minions realize this will be their final chance to destroy the Constitutional order and proclaim Donald ruler of the former United States. Moreover, his pending convictions and imprisonment could well portend their own fate. It's not unreasonable to envision a no-holds-barred effort to illegally seize power––until the strength of the American majority is fully asserted and American law blunts those efforts for good. But don't expect it to be clean or easy.
CLR Show 1955. Air Date August 9, 2024. A wholly unscientific sampling of prior Trump voters is revealing a willingness to discuss the relative pros and cons of Donald vs. Kamla, at least on the part of the relatively small, rational republican fringes. Given the incredibly positive vibe of the incredibly effective early Harris campaign, this was to be expected. Harris is breaking through even the otherwise impenetrable Trumpian media wall and forcing the moderate fringes to question voting for a convicted felon. But it will not always be this easy for Kamla. The Donald forces will reassemble and begin the heaviest barrage of garbage attacks and outright lies in American political history, probably just after the Democratic convention and in the lead-up to the first (and probably only) Donald-Kamla debate on September 10th. And after that debate... the ultimate expression of Trumpian panic will be on full display. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1954. Air Date August 6, 2024. Voters in November will have the simplest and most obvious of all of choices; the choice of hope over fear, of Kamala over Donald. But many Trumpians will still choose Donald and fear, largely because they have been bathed in Donald's fear for such an extended period that they are numb to the possibility that hope is an option for America and Americans. That will not be the case for democrats. Kamala has injected a level of hope into the campaign that has not been experienced since the first Obama campaign, and may very well exceed the levels of hope and participation experienced at that time. Her trajectory is upward and her constituency and resources continue to grow at an unprecedented pace. Donald is throwing everything at the wall and nothing is sticking. The same old grievance-laden predictions of a 'stolen election' will soon become his vapid, beleaguered battle cry. And he will ultimately lose more supporters than he will gain.
CLR show 1953. Air Date August 2, 2024. The core themes of both the democratic and republican campaigns have been established and it couldn't be more disastrous for the republicans. They are all about fear, division and retribution. The Harris campaign is about hope, inclusion and building America. And all of this before Kamala even announces her VP pick, or the democrats hold their convention. Recall that, even with the recent attempt on Donald's life, the republicans saw no bounce whatsoever from their convention, the worst of all political signs. But Kamala's campaign cannot simply be a contrast in feelings. There must be an intense focus on democratic policies, both as they have and will make the country better and stronger and how they differ from the democracy defeating non-policies of Donald and his ilk. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1952. Air Date July 30. 2024. A visitor from Betelgeuse converses with a group of non-Trumpians, trying to make sense of why anyone would vote for convicted felon Donald in a country that calls itself a democracy. His conclusion: Donald's supporters are part of a cult that denies and defies all norms of conventional politics and behavior. If they understand that putting him in power would mean deconstructing their government and Constitution, it's of no concern––because the cult leader says it's Ok and, what the hell, he was elected president once before. The only way out of imploding the country is for democrats to vote in unprecedented numbers on November 4th. And even then, the cult leader and his cultists will fight the results in any way they can. And it will get ugly. But not as ugly as destroying American democracy.
CLR Show 1951. Air Date July 26, 2024. Between the Republican National Convention and voter concern over Donald's attempted assassination it would be reasonable to expect Donald and republicans generally to have experienced a significant bump in their numbers. This is typically the case for American political parties. But just the opposite has happened. What was a 4-point lead over Biden nationally, before and after the RNC convention has evaporated into a dead heat or a one-point trailing of Harris just 2 days into her campaign. What should have been a net 10-point bump can be validly construed as a 15-point lost opportunity deficit. Harris has the wind to her back, a positive message for the country and is rapidly re-coalescing the traditional democratic winning constituency pool. Net, net: This election could produce a 1972 McGovern-like disaster for Donald and his minions. (But we'll play the games just the same!) With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1950. Air Date July 23, 2024. In the space of 24-hours the newly minted Kamala Harris presidential campaign has raised more than $100 million dollars, shattering all presidential fund raising records and witness to a conscious choice of hope over hopelessness on the part of democrats nationwide. Donald and his boy Robiin are now reduced to railing against hope, not a physically declining Joe Biden. It will be lies and grievances against truth and hope. And this is, literally, just day one.
CLR Show 1949. Air Date July 19, 2024. Too many democrats are making hopeless sounds, all but conceding the election to the soulless forces of Trump sycophancy. But it has been proven, time and time again over the millennia, that, especially in moments of profound importance when the need for change is all the more intense, it is always darkest just before the dawn. For those who are currently fearing that darkness, take hope. And prepare for the political speech of a lifetime by Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention to democratic cheers and tears of joy and hopefulness like we've never seen or heard them before. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1948. Air Date July 16, 2024. Of late, democrats have been experiencing and all too often eloquently inferring their hopelessness over the apparent normalization of Donald Trump and all things Trumpian to the point where it all sounds like a dry run for a concession speech. That is infuriating. Not once has the attempted assassination of Donald been decried for what it was and is: the latest use of a weapon of mass destruction that should never have been allowed on the streets in the first place, and that is supported by Donald. He is not a hero; he is the latest target of failed republican policies and their callous disregard for the safety of all Americans. The only difference between Donald and the countless others that have been killed by automatic rifles is that he survived the attempt. The bandage he will wear on his ear as a sign of triumph must be converted into a badge of dishonor and willful disdain on the part of a convicted felon. Why is no one else telling it this way? Wake up, democrats!
CLR Show 1947. Air Date July 12, 2024. Give the conundrum facing democrats and Joe Biden as we struggle to define the top of the ticket, it might be useful to paraphrase the St. Francis prayer, to wit: 'Lord give me the strength to change the things I can change, the patience to accept the things I can't, and the wisdom to recognize the difference between the two.' Implicit in this prayer––if it ever existed as such––is the presence and choice of hope over hopelessness. Challenges like the one democrats face in choosing the top of the ticket and defeating Donald Trump cannot be approached with a sense of foreboding and doom. They must be faced with a positive 'can do' attitude. And it's damn high time democrats understood that. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1946. Air Date July 9, 2024. Joe Biden's poor debate performance, while doing little to change candidate standings has turned into a rallying point for doom and gloom on the part of the liberal media. This sort of reaction is the worst disservice the media can provide its viewers and listeners. There is nothing to prevent us from defeating Trump and his message of hatred and destruction except our comparable feelings of hopelessness and despair. We are the force of light and goodness. Donald and Co. are the essence of darkness and evil. Quite literally. It doesn't matter who tops the ticket. What matters is each of us committing to doing everything we possibly can to insure the election of democrats up and down every ballot in the country, beginning with the presidency.
CLR show 1945. Air Date July 5, 2024. The Democratic Party is about to do something the current Trumpian Party could never even envision: making a mid-course correction for the sake of the party and American democracy by selecting new candidates for president and vice president from a pool that suggests we have a wealth of riches at our disposal. If rumors are correct, Donald may be on the verge of choosing Michael Flynn to run as his vice-presidential pick. That would mean a twice impeached, convicted felon, sex offender and tax cheat would be choosing a criminal that he personally pardoned to run with him for the highest elected positions in the world. No amount of 'Swift Boating' could possibly hide the ugliness of it all from the large majority of Americans. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR show 1944. Air Date July 2, 2024. With its horrific decision granting virtual kingship to sitting presidents, the US Supreme Court has officially removed itself as a functional branch of the American government and declared the rule of law and the Constitution null and void for all practical purposes. We are left with one final option: to win and retain the presidency this November together with both houses of Congress and to begin the slow, painful process of reclaiming the meaning and function of American democracy. To allow Donald into the White House is to end the American experiment and all it signifies and makes possible for America and the world. Joe Biden must be reelected. We have no other viable choices.
CLR Show 1943. Air Date June 27, 2024. Joe Biden's performance in the presidential debate was far below expectations. He seemed old, at times forgetful and spoke is a raspy voice that, only later, was revealed to be the effects of a cold. It was a massive disappointment for democrats and, being democrats, many are still panicking. It will also drive Donald to new levels of calumny and bombast and result in his further discounting of Joe as a viable opponent. But he will do this at his own peril. The panic will subside. Democrats will double down. Joe will have far better appearances. Donald will be sentenced. And the presidential race will still be one of truth versus the basest of lies. We are fighting to preserve American democracy; Donald is out to destroy it. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1942. Air Date June 25, 2024. This Thursday's presidential candidate debate promises to be one of the more egregious mismatches in debating history. Jo Biden has been sequestered for a week working on statements of policy and Donald's weaknesses. Both would need to be cogently stated in a format that will permit no 'talking-over' one's opponent. Donald, on the other hand, is doing no specific debate preparation whatsoever and is merely doing a series of rambling campaign speeches that leave even his most ardent supporters scratching their heads. Prediction: Donald will not show for the debate, or depart early when his efforts to shout over Biden prove futile.
CLR Show 1941. Air Date June 21, 2024. A new poll shows Donald and Joe Biden neck and neck with Biden slightly ahead with a fraction over 40% of registered voters. But that missing 20 percent of the electorate with be the key to the election. They are the true undecided independents, and during this coming Thursday's debate they will watch Donald self-destruct in a deluge of paranoid attacks and mindless blathering, all ill-suited to the sedate format. It's custom made for Biden. And on July 11th, Donald finally gets sentenced; read: suffers the first real world penalties for his criminal acts. And there's so much more to come. Don't be surprised if Jack Smith resumes the 1/6 case immediately after the ethically challenged Supreme Court begrudgingly concedes there is no such thing as blanket presidential immunity. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1940. Air Date June 18, 2024. The Trumpian mindset allows only for the destruction of those things that are deemed 'offensive'. Coming from a position of fear and grievance, there is no choice but to destroy those things that stand in the way of a fantasy America that never was and could never be. The notion seems to be that if the functional core of the country is destroyed, somehow Donald will rebuild it in a form that works for 'us'. 'They' don't matter. It's another reason why it's a fool's errand to try and reason Trumpians out of their delusions. They'll simply have to work through them on their own as democrats continue working for a 'more perfect union'––for all.
CLR Show 1939. Air Date June 14, 2024. On June 27th, Donald will debate Joe Biden on live TV before no one but CNN and ABC commentators, under a strict series of rules. It is the antithesis of the preferred Trump format and he will be destroyed if he shows up. He may very well decline to appear. On July 11th, Donald will be sentenced and, based on leaked communications between his lawyers and the Republican National Convention staff, there is a reasonable chance he may not be able to attend because home or local confinement may be in effect, even as he pursues his appeal. In either circumstance, the base will remain unmoved and/or remain entirely uninformed. But the independents and the wavering segments of the GOP will get the message(s) loud and clear. And change will be in the air. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1938. Air Date June 11, 2024. If you'd been living on a tiny island as part of a small community with no connection to America for 30 years, and suddenly found yourself back in America, you'd be interested in reconnecting with the politics, especially realizing it was an election year. And if you were thrust into a group of Democrats and MAGA-ists, you'd first realize that no one could agree on a set of political facts or other facts. But once you'd done some research of your own and realized who the candidates were, you'd reach the unavoidable conclusion that the MAGA-ists were insane for wanting a convicted criminal to be president. And you'd do everything in your power to keep that person out of the White House. Right? To do otherwise would be insane. Right?
CLR Show 1937. Air Date June 7, 2024. All democracies come with a self destruct switch. To avoid triggering it, every generation must re-commit to the perpetuation and positive evolution of the democracy by choosing love and hope over fear and grievance. It will never be a unanimous choice, but love and hope must be embraced by a clear majority of the citizens. If this is not the case, then fear and grievance will predominate, democratic institutions will fail, and we will repeat the familiar steps that lead to the fascistic and communistic states of the 20th century. And it could be generations––if ever––before we came to our senses and regained our footing. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1936. Air Date June 4, 2024. Yes, Donald will continue to prove his incompetence every time he approaches a microphone. He will prove his ineligibility to serve every time a newscaster recites his litany of crimes, prosecuted and and un-prosecuted. He will reveal his disdain for the constitution and his willingness to destroy the fabric of American democracy on countless occasions. He will be sentenced to incarceration and/or house arrest and attempt to wear it as a bizarre badge of honor. As insane as it sounds, none of this can outright prevent him from winning the 2024 presidential election. Only his resounding defeat at the ballot box can do that. And that will take dedication and commitment on the part of every democrat in the nation, no matter what other grievances you might harbor. Period.
CLR Show 1935. Air Date May 31, 2024. The headlines that Trump and the republican power brokers have dreaded seeing are finally on every newspaper and internet site on the planet: 'Trump Guilty On All Counts'. And he'll probably be given jail time. Donald is acting as though he can simply blow past it all. But the leadership knows better. Rather than the coattails on which all will glide into a new era of republican power, Donald is the millstone that will sink the entire party for several generations. Do not imagine for a moment, no matter what you read or hear, and especially from Donald himself, that the republican power brokers will fall on their swords to express fealty to Donald. There will be a very interesting Republican National Convention beginning on July 14th. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1934. Air Date May 28, 2024. Whether or not Donald is convicted this week, the irrational emotions and grievances of the base will be stoked all the more. Whether or not he is incarcerated or loses in November, it won't matter. It will all be seen as further proof of the unavoidability of us versus them and a clarion call to fight to the bitter end to defeat 'them'. And if, God forbid, Donald were to win in November, there is no clear vision of what a victory would mean, except an evisceration and reconstruction of all tools of government to suit Donald's personal purposes. And after that... We need a leader who can begin the process of reuniting the country under the aegis of true patriotism. And it will be a slow painful process––at best.
CLR Show 1933. Air Date May 24, 2024. Justice Samuel Alito has flown insurrectionist flags over his main and vacation homes. Justice Clarence Thomas has facilitated the insurrectionist activities of his wife, as evidenced in her emails. Both have taken lavish vacations paid for by major republican/MAGA supporters. And Alito authored the Dobbs decision. Both men are disqualified from any further service on the Court. Until they are formally sanctioned or impeached, the US Supreme Court is a non-functional body and its decisions are tainted in the most literal sense of the word. No need to wait for Trump to destroy the Constitution. It's already happening. And we damned well better do something about it. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1932. Air Date May 21, 2024. The title quote is from Mark Twain, but its significance is wholly contemporary. More than that, an openness to new experiences and new people will be an absolutely critical component of our attempting to establish a reasonable level of civic and civil discourse as we begin to contemplate life in recognizably united America after the era of Donald. The vectors are beginning to line up.
CLR Show 1931. Air Date May 14, 2024. The outrage of college students over Israel's continued hostilities in Gaza and that of the MAGA crowd over anything that challenges Donald's ability to do whatever he pleases have something in common: a total and infantile lack of realistic expectations. The college students seem incapable of defining exactly what it is their universities should or shouldn't be doing to support Israel and haven't the foggiest notion how peace and governance would be maintained if Israel summarily left Gaza without a firm peace agreement in place. The MAGA crowd has can't seem to grasp the notion that we all live under a single Constitution and that Donald cannot suspend it at will for his own purposes. One would think in an age of instant everything, including information, such infantile thought processes would no longer be possible. Regrettably, that is not the case.
CLR Show 1930. Air Date May 10, 2024. After a clearly unsuccessful cross examination of Stormy Daniels, Donald instructed his lawyers to demand a mistrial and demand that the gag order against him be immediately revised to permit him to attack Stormy Daniels on social media and the campaign trail. These are irrational requests and were rightfully denied. Clearly, team Donald has nothing to work with and is looking to simply muddy the waters in the hope that some insanely false claims made by Donald will boomerang back and infect the jury deciding his case. The better odds are that Donald will be found guilty in less than a month. Then the real challenges to our democracy will begin. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1929. Air Date May 6, 2024. The notion that Hope Hicks' testimony in Donald's New York criminal trial will somehow 'prove' that Donald was motivated only by love of Melania in facilitating an illegal campaign contribution is as credible as him throwing himself on the mercy of the court during his sentencing. No rational or even on-the-fence juror will be swayed by such a specious argument. The bigger question remains, what will the republican party do once Donald is sentenced to prison time, as any other person in his position would be. It is unlikely they will spontaneously embrace hope and run a more rational candidate. The base hasn't been prepared for such a sea change. They may have to confront a 2024 loss by more than 15 million votes by an incarcerated Donald who could never be paroled to serve even if he won.
CLR Show 1928. Air Date April 30, 2024. There are no easy answers to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. There is a single, logical, reasonable goal; a two state solution permitting functional autonomy to Palestinians. But the current Israeli government is diametrically opposed to this solution. And Hamas is devoted to the elimination of Israel, not coexistence with it. That means American college protestors will continue to press unreasonable and/or incomprehensible demands that serve only to keep Hamas and the real plight of the Palestinians in the news while exacerbating an anti-semitic trend that has been building in the US for a decade or more. The solution can only lie with a negotiated settlement brokered by honest brokers. Which is to say, things are not looking especially promising at the moment.
CLR show 1927. Air Date April 26, 2024. The US Supreme Court, or at least its conservative majority has essentially declared itself an extension of Donald's warped will. Speaking in legally dulcet terms during a hearing on Executive immunity, it effectively precluded any possibility that Donald's insurrection and other crimes could be tried before the November election, apparently with no concern for the obvious and chilling message this action sends to the vast majority of Americans and the world. Joe Biden has no choice but to add a minimum of three and possibly four new justices immediately after the election in November. And America has no choice but to reelect him if we expect to continue as a functional democracy. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1926. Air Date April 23, 2024. With the passage of the foreign aid bill over the weekend by two thirds of all republicans and all the threats of the clown car republicans to destroy the speakership of Mike Johnson thwarted, republicans have set their unsavory endgame in motion. Donald no longer owns them. But will they still feel compelled to embrace him in an effort to placate a constantly shrinking extreme MAGA base that will cast the functional republican party into an extended diaspora––with unknown effect on the our entire governance system––or take the first painful steps––now––to create a new post-Donald party modeled after some earlier iteration(s) of traditional republicanism?
CLR Show 1925. Air Date April 19, 2024. Four discrete events; Israeli retaliatory missiles fired into Iran, protestors being removed from the Columbia campus in 48 hours, the Trump NY criminal trial jury being seated and Speaker Johnson moving foreign aid packages to the floor of the House, can be individually viewed as evidence of the political and governance failures that spawned them. But collectively, viewed as force vectors from 50,000 feet up, they can also be seen as a series of first steps in a positive global direction. Hopeful signs, perhaps. The important thing is to view no current event in isolation or out of context. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1924. Air Date April 16, 2024. Once again, the unthinkable has happened for the trumpists: Donald is actually sitting a criminal court room facing the virtual certainty that he will be convicted of what Michael Cohen has already done jail time for. One can only imagine––and hope––that whatever rational heads may remain in the technical republican party are weighing the real world options: Donald cannot win; funding his legal bills is a pathway to up and down ballot failure; he is best removed from the ticket before the republican convention to avoid an internal insurrection (his Daughter-in-law's efforts to the contrary notwithstanding); that the real choice is between loss of an election cycle or two or the death of a republican party that chooses to go over the cliff with Donald. Their decisions will impact the entire nation for many years to come.
CLR Show 1923. Air Date April 9, 2024. Most people experiencing yesterday's total eclipse realized moments of unanticipated joy and connection, well beyond any connection provided by nationality, race, ethnicity, education, political affiliation or religion. In essence, they experienced an unanticipated affiliation with the Universal Energy that defines, binds and empowers us all, and connections us with all life and matter that every has or ever will exist, beyond all time and throughout the multiverse. This recognition of affiliation is the source of all hope (which is just another word for love) and the starting point for solving all the problems that confront us as a species. Really.
CLR Show 1922. Air Date April 5, 2024. The pure obstructionist/do-nothing mode of the republican congress has prevented any number of positive, democratic-sponsored laws from being passed, but should not obscure the fact that Joe Biden has done a great deal with the few legislative tools he has. For democrats to focus on what he may not have accomplished in full is wrong-headedness in the extreme. Marvel instead on what he has been able to do and consider what would happen if he were not available after 2024 to prevent republicans from deconstructing the Constitution and ending America's leadership role in the world. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1921. Air Date April 2, 2024. While it seems likely the New York courts will find Trump guilty within the next 2 months, it remains unknown what sort of sentence will be imposed. At one extreme, Donald may still find himself a free man campaigning for the presidency. Which means he must be defeated at the ballot box, and it's becoming increasingly apparent that his defeat is more than just a possibility. At that point, if there are still unsettled criminal cases against him, we can all expect to see the wheels of justice continuing to grind slowly... but, ultimately, grinding Donald very finely.
CLR Show 1920. Air Date March 26, 2024. The idea is rarely spoken in public, and may not even be consciously held by most Trumpians. But they share a collective death wish for their party. They have no choice but to recognize that Donald is the antithesis all of things that have ever been republican and they have been drawn into a trap that allows them to speak and act out only what Donald's narcissistic psyche wishes. The only way to move forward is to allow Donald to self-destruct. The alternative is unthinkable––for most.
CLR Show 1919. Air Date March 22, 2024. Donald is about to lose more than half a billion dollars, he is still facing 91 criminal counts, he is draining the RNC to pay his millions in legal bills, and the RNC has come out with a 'conservative platform for 2024' that flies in the face of everything Americans overwhelmingly want, including reproductive rights and labor rights. How is it possible Donald still seems to be neck in neck with Joe Biden? Something is not right with the polling. To quote the ancient adage: 'If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1918. Air Date March 19, 2024. Donald's ability to spew one outrageous lie after the next may seem like a repetition of his days in the White House, but cannot be read as an indication of his ability to return there and continue the coup he began on 1/6/21. He has nothing but land mines ahead of him in the 8 months between now and the election. And he will be financially ruined in less than a week. The mindless cheers of his (dwindling) base should not be the sound we listen for. Instead, listen to the growing moans of real republicans and independents who are searching for viable alternatives.
CLR Show 1917. Air Date March 15, 2024. The unsettling sense that we've been here before with Donald is unfortunately valid. But we know far more about this clinical narcissist than we knew in 2016. And we have Donald's trail of illegality and incompetence to guide us. The argument this time is simple: Do you want totalitarianism or democracy? Regrettably, there are too many in this country who would choose the former. But the vast majority want democracy and we must continually make––and illustrate––that argument right through the November election and beyond, in every way and in every forum available to us. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1916. Air Date March 12, 2024. The list of constitutional and other crises that would be unleashed by a Donald victory in November are too long and frightening to enumerate. 'The destruction of the American Constitutional Order' is a reasonable shorthand for describing them. But that raises the unspoken issue of whether the American military would allow that destruction to take place or participate it in any way. It's a question that need not be resolved under the worst of circumstances. 'Just say no' to another Donald presidency. Joe is doing a damned good job under the most challenging of circumstances and deserves an opportunity to do even better for all Americans––and for the world.
CLR Show 1915. Air Date March 8, 2024. We're breaking with a standard policy of not extrapolating outward from a single event to say that Joe Biden's State of the Union Address last night set the table for a Democratic win in November. The Trump-ists were shown to be against everything that Americans were for, including democracy. They have no policies and their only weapons are lies and grievance mongering. But, as Friday Co-Host, David Bach, reminded us, that doesn't mean that we can remove our chosen legislators' and Chief Executive's collective feet from the fire. We must demand more of them in the way of meaningful immigration reform and Israeli-Palestinian policy. That's how democracies do their greatest work.
CLR Show 1914. Air Date March 5, 2024. In issuing it's incoherent ruling on Donald's clear disqualification from running for office under Article 14, Section 3 of the US Constitution, the Court proved only one thing: It is afraid to do its job; afraid of the threats and violence it would face against its members, their associates and families for simply dong their jobs and ending the Trump nightmare once and for all. Instead, they are acting like a banana republic court, operating at the whims and justifying the ends of the mob who controls them. The one lead by Capo Wannabe, mentally imbalanced Donald. This must change if we are to preserve our democracy.
CLR Show 1913. Air Date March 1, 2024. The callous, utterly partisan decision by the US Supreme court to slow walk the Trump presidential immunity claim is final proof of the Court's inability to function as a fair arbiter of Constitutional matters, or as a functional component of a democracy. The question is whether our democracy has already passed the tipping point, or if it can be pulled back from the brink in the November election. We must assume the latter and work like we've never worked before to keep Donald out of the White House––and American political life––permanently. With Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1912. Air Date February 27, 2024. One of the greatest gifts any human––and especially a politician––can have and share is a true sense of humor. It requires an appreciation for irony, a capacity for empathy and the ability to laugh at oneself. The resulting effect is a positive sense of affiliation with those they encounter. Joe has the gift. Donald, on the other hand, has absolutely no sense of humor, lacks all empathy, hasn't the foggiest idea what irony might be and maintains his iron grip on a shrinking base through the sharing of grievance and fear. There is no true laughter or good jokes in MAGA-land; just mean jeers and finger pointing. It's a depressing way to live, and an increasing number of Trump supporters will finally begin to realize it, especially after Donald's first criminal conviction.
CLR Show 1911. Air Date January 23, 2024. The string of grievance laden, nonsensical but democracy-threatening pronouncements and legislation being proposed and occasionally even passed by MAGA state legislatures and the feckless House leadership continues unabated. Whatever Donald thinks he wants on a given day to distract from his own criminality, they race to give him. But Joe Biden is beginning to show signs of his pugnacious side. He is beginning to hit back at republicans with stunning accuracy and force. The sheer novelty of it makes it all the more powerful. Now we just need a lot more of it. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1910. Air Date February 14, 2024. A broad ranging discussion of the state of America's Social Insurance programs. While the efforts of the National Academy of Social Insurance show promise for dealing with Social Security's chronic financial issues, the same can't be said for the larger systemic problems affecting Medicare and Medicaid. Surprisingly, while politics are at play, all sides appear to agree on the fundamental nature of the issues. In this election year, it's up to all Americans to make Social Insurance a front-of-mind issue for their politicians––because failure of these programs is simply not an option. With NHF Panelists Bill Arnone, Bill Mulligan and John Cuguni.
CLR Show 1909. Air Date February 9, 2024. Oliver Hardy's persistent admonition to Stan Laurel would be better directed to today's hapless republican party. Every new revelation about their incapacity and/or outright refusal to legislate or function in any rational way is the direct product of their refusal to jettison Donald from their ranks on the countless occasions when that would have been possible. And now the country must pay the price for their incompetence. No political maneuver is too base or divisive, and no constitutional prohibition is a functional deterrent. Donald won't have it any other way. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1908. Air Date February 6, 2024. While it may seem like a topic for technical sorts only, Artificial Intelligence, as it currently exists, can and is beginning to impact our lives in countless and largely unrecognized ways. This show recounts one person's introduction to AI, but you would be well advised to facilitate your own. Download ChatGPT and begin your self-education.
CLR Show 1907. Air Date February 2, 2024. While we typically focus on political issues, the real source of all our problems and solutions is the collective way we deal with the combination of love and fear at the core of each of us, our particular share of the Universal Energy that binds, defines and empowers each and every one of us. Political cycles, issues and politicians will come and go. But our future success as a nation––and a species––is largely dependent on how we come to understand and deal with the forces that are common to all of us, regardless of whatever political or religious affiliations we may profess. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1906. Air Date January 30, 2024. FDR was correct in stating, 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' In current parlance, the worst fears are those that we fail to debunk and suppress. And when the relative strengths of both parties are expressed as factually based vectors, democrats are beginning the current campaign cycle with a remarkably strong hand. All we have to do is play to it, and we will not only get past the era of Trump, but could emerge with an American democracy more tested and vibrant than ever.
CLR Show 1905. Air Date January 26, 2024. Lacking actionable policies of any kind or any evidence of dedication to the Constitution and its principals, Donald, his MAGA base and the politicians who depend on them have resorted to dealing in and promoting fear as their sole unifying force. And fear is contagious. But... fear can be confronted and suppressed at any time by people who refuse to be dominated by it. And at that point, love and hope can dominate. More than anything else, hope is and will continue to be the democrats' secret weapon this election cycle. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1904. Air Date January 15, 2024. An all too rare thoughtful discussion of the history, present and possible future(s) of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, presented by a fact-committed panel of experts of varying political persuasions and all members of the same Regis High School class. More than the discussion of a single issue, it is primer on how thoughtful people of different orientations can constructively interact. With Charles Webel, Bill Mulligan, John Cugini and Tom Gallagher. Must listening for all Center Left Radio fans and all people who recognize that political grandstanding can never solve real world problems.
CLR Show 1903. Air Date January 12, 2024. The first shoe is dropping. Before the end of January, Donald will learn the real world details of how his financial fantasies will be unravelled when a New York Judge declares the full amount of his tax penalties and interest, as well as the long term restrictions on his and his son's business dealings. And the second shoe will fall the day the first major newspaper headline reads 'Trump Guilty.' But that does not excuse Joe Biden and the democrats from creating a meaningful, effective, policy-based campaign. On the contrary, it makes it more essential than ever that America has a functional president and party to turn to. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1902. Air Date January 9, 2024. Even in the proverbial dead of winter, things can change and none so much as Donald's political and legal fate. As of this morning Nikki Haley has reduced his lead in New Hampshire to only 7 points (after trailing by nearly 30) and Donald is only days away from the probable loss of his real estate empire, a massive nine figure fine and penalty to the state of New York, and being prohibited from ever doing business in NY again. The effect on Donald's psyche and the inevitable deterioration of his already bizarre behavior and unbridled threats will finally begin to play on the psyches of all but his most fervent supporters.
CLR Show 1901. Air Date January 5, 2024. If forced to describe Trumpians generally, 'mortally frightened children with a love of garish entertainment and a complete absence of civic responsibility,'might do the trick. But it takes a horrifically frightened cult leader to set it all in motion. Donald's life is devoted to proclaiming his innocence, his wrongful persecution and swearing vengeance on his enemies, all to the cheers of an adoring audience. But the adoration will evaporate––and Donald knows it will––the day the headlines read: 'Trump Guilty'. The show will be over, even if a few of the crazier crazies feel a need to act out their frustrations and earn jail time for their efforts. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1877. Air Date December 29, 2023. As 2023 comes to an end, it helps to take stock of where the two major candidates stand: Donald and his cohorts are in the best position they will ever be, playing the weakest hand in political history and nowhere to go but down as he edges closer to his first conviction. Biden is at his weakest political point, but with nowhere to go but up in the next 11 months. But... the Biden folks have to begin playing their much stronger hand far better. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1876. Air Date December 22, 2023. Unexpectedly, the Supreme Court is being forced to make two major decisions in the next 3 weeks: Is Donald liable for criminal acts he committed while president; and does the clear language of third section of the 14th Amendment bar him from running for office again? The Colorado Supreme Court has presented a masterful, virtually unassailable argument for why he is disqualified. Will SCOTUS go the the political route to quell America's potential crazies and destroy any hope of it or our judicial system ever being taken seriously again, or will they do what the constitution, law, precedent and history demand they must? With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1875. Air Date December 19, 2023. A review of the numerous negative elements of Trumpism, and how they are infecting our society might lead some to the conclusion that American Democracy is in danger of being destroyed. But that would demand an embrace of the same fear and irrationality by the positive promoters and forces of democracy. Democracy will only fail if we imagine that it has no alternative but to do so. We can and must inject the notion of hope and promote the positive acts required to preserve and enhance that which we have spent 240 years building.
CLR Show 1874. Air Date December 15, 2023. Hard as it may be to perceive, Rudy and Donald are in virtually the same position––legally and practically––at this moment. Both stand to lose a substantial part of their personal assets in the very near future based on perpetuated and acted upon lies. The difference is, Donald is the far better and far more entertaining liar. And yet, he is rapidly approaching the moment when he will no longer be 'all that is standing' between his most rabid followers and his fantasized 'deep state'. Stay tuned. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1873. Air Date December 12, 2023. Unfortunately, but not remarkably, the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court effectively ruled yesterday that a woman would have to carry a defective fetus to full term and see if she died in childbirth to determine whether she was entitled the enjoy the narrow exemption permitted by the Texas abortion law allowing for abortion when the mother's life was in danger. On the same day, and in a break with most precedent, The US Supreme Court agreed to fast tack a once-and-for-all determination of whether Donald was legally liable for his criminal acts while president. Stay tuned.
CLR Show 1872. Air Date December 8, 2023. As the Republican Clown Car moves closer to an Impeachment Inquiry vote, the full sum of their 2024 strategy becomes crystal clear: 'Vote for Donald; Joe is just as bad.' It's a sick and utterly defeatist position, yet one that is upsetting to most democrats by virtue of its sheer audacity and disregard for all American values. We can and must be better, suppress our fears of Donald and his ilk and elevate our hopes and aspirations for a positively evolving America. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1871. Air Date December 5, 2023. The Trumpian message and world vision has been self-consciously apocalyptic, with minor variations to suit more secular audiences. Essentially, it states that without me the end times begin. And it is a message that has worked, somehow compelling MAGA types and Evangelicals alike to act against their own historical beliefs in the interest of preventing their own fantasized destruction. Of late, democrats have begun to explore the use of apocalyptic imagery as a means of inspiring the more quiescent elements within their base. The difference, of course, is that our apocalypse would be real under Trump 2. Donald has already assured that. Maybe it's time we began to respond and react in our own self-interest.
CLR Show 1870. Air Date December 1, 2023. As Donald continues to defy every legal restraint, every gag order and every norm of decency, many of us continue to react apoplectically and decry his ability to remain unrepentant and unscathed. This is a wrong headed approach and one that forces us to pit our fears against his. And make no mistake: Donald will always out-fear us and turn his fears, buoyed by our own, into red meat for the MAGA masses. But there is a very effective alternative. If we embrace hope and all that it has always promised for the American people, while contrasting Donald as the antithesis of hope––the Anti-Hope––our chances of long-term success are hugely improved. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1869. Air Date November 21, 2023. We no longer have the luxury of simply observing Donald and his sycophantic followers from the comfort of our presumptions about the indestructibility of the American Constitution and our constitutional order. We must assume he means what he says and we must learn from history or find ourselves condemned to repeat it. Democratic messaging from this point forward must be laser focused on the link between Donald's words, the complicity of his sycophants and all the clear parallels to the rise of Fascism in Germany, Italy and Spain. We can no longer trust the republicans to 'ultimately' respect the democratic order. We must insure it ourselves.
CLR Show 1868. Air Date November 17, 2023. 'Do the right thing' is an infamous mob dictum. It's also a paraphrase of the (alleged) Churchill quote, 'Americans will always do the right thing after attempting all other options.' With Nikki Hayley gaining ground on Donald, and the spectacle of massive civil fines, criminal convictions and related sentencing(s) looming, republican donors and cooler republican minds will soon begin to recognize that the critical Independent vote in battleground states will soon begin to wither. Having chosen every other wrong path, perhaps the time is coming when they'll finally do the right thing... and jettison Donald. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1867. Air Date November 14, 2023. Anyone who imagines the period between now and the November 2024 election will be politically predictable or in any way familiar is living in a delusion. The full force of the lies, fear and hatred underlying the Donald phenomenon will be unleashed upon the country and it will take every bit of the collective strength of our governmental institutions merged with the collective strength of Americans who wish to preserve democracy to actually preserve our democratic form of government.
CLR Show 1866. Air Date November 10, 2023. Based on the results of Tuesday's off-year elections, the republicans are giving every indication that they won't, or more likely can't, learn from their prior political mistakes and will continue to tout the same losing attitudes and behaviors that have sunken them in every race since 2016. And this is before Donald's legal problems and the likelihood of actual convictions and sentencing(s) are factored in. The GOP is, quite literally, trapped in its own demented fantasies. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1865. Air Date November 7, 2023. The release of a NY Times/Marist poll yesterday showed Donald with as much as an 11 point lead in key battleground states, and sizable favorability ratings in the areas of the economy, the military and handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict. The findings are upsetting––and not a little irrational given Donald's current legal status. It also helps to remember that republicans have had substantial leads one year before every election since 2018, and have lost every single election since the (unexpected) election of Donald in 2016. This is not the time for democrats to panic. It's the time to revisit and revive proven election strategies and to work all the harder to preserve American Democracy in 2024.
CLR Show 1864. Air Date November 3, 2023. For all of Israel's rationalization of its military actions, it is rapidly approaching the point where the fears and political needs of its largely unpopular leader, Bibi Natanyahu, will overshadow whatever moral justification it may be able to present to the world. It is what inevitably happens when an extreme politician is allowed to co-opt the levers of government to fulfill personal ends 'in the name of national security.' Americans should be watching very carefully and realizing we are one misguided vote away from a far worse situation under Donald. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1863. Air Date October 31, 2023. Too many democrats are making meaningless arguments about delaying the most powerful legal and Constitutional actions against Donald so as not to give him something else to 'turn around' and 'use against us.' Understand this: Donald will never back down. He lives in fear of his freedom and fortune and will fight anyone or anything without fear of legal restriction or contempt proceedings in any Court to regain his hold on the White House, pardon himself for the crimes he can and take revenge on all others. He will destroy the Constitution and the Court System in the process without a second thought. This is not the time to worry about what Donald might say or how The Base will moan. We must focus only on what he would most definitely do ... again.
CLR Show 1862. Air Date October 27, 2023. In a brilliant article in the Atlantic ('The Weaponization of Loneliness') and an equally brilliant follow-up interview with Christiane Amanpour, Hillary Clinton focuses on the the underlying despair and emptiness effecting a substantial part of the republican party and Donald's demented capacity to exploit it rather than rectify it for his own selfish purposes. In the Trumpian world, emptiness and loneliness present perfect opportunities to insert objects of hatred and fear. MAGA types have reached a point where no position is too extreme if it fills an emotional void, no matter how dangerous of destructive that position might be to an individual or the nation. Democrats can and must confront this ideology of self- and national destruction head on. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1861. Air Date October 24, 2023. We can surrender to the clown car madness of the MAGA crowd and, like them, believe that Donald is an impregnable force and will overcome all efforts to be brought to 'deep state' justice. Or we can believe our eyes and ears, the Constitution and laws of this country and the judicial processes that confront him and accept the overwhelming likelihood that his financial and political demise is only weeks away. And having recognized that, we must communicate this reality as vigorously and broadly as we possibly can. Because it is the reality that will collectively save and reinvigorate us as a nation.
CLR Show 1860. Air Date October 20, 2023. The political gamesmanship of the republican party is, literally, all they have left in the tank. If Americans can be convinced to embrace any tentacle of the demented republican political beast, they may be foolish enough to imagine it is capable of governing and, even more incredibly, improving the lives of Americans. It cannot and will not. America must again assert itself as the sole credible remaining world leader. To fail to do so under the mantle of decency and reasonably projected strength is to encourage the worst of the tyrants and dictators and those who follow them to assert their destructive strength on the world stage, with predictable globally disastrous effects. We cannot and must not let this happen. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1859. Air Date October 10, 2023. There is no shortage of analytical skill being demonstrated of late, offering detailed descriptions of the events and perceptions that have lead to our current state of domestic and international conflict. But there are fewer and fewer realistic long-term strategies for defeating or even diminishing the other side. To discover those, we must consciously and collectively identify and suppress our fears, and elevate our collective hope and love. The nature and pathways to practical, lasting solutions will present themselves as soon as we do. It has been this way throughout human history.
CLR show 1858. Air Date October 6, 2023. The House republicans have once again done the unprecedented and unimaginable. With McCarthy booted out of the Speaker slot, the ever-certifiable Jim Jordan has tossed his jacket into the ring and gotten the predictable support of panic-stricken, racing-to-the-bottom Donald. The only problem is, on Earth 1, the republicans will need democratic support to elect a new Speaker, just like they needed it to get rid of the old. And they won't get that support until a rational contender emerges. Which would suggest, unless enough republicans come to their senses, we are in for a long government shutdown once the current CR expires, and may still be Speaker-less when it does. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1857. Air Date October 3, 2023. Evangelical Leader, Pastor Russell Moore, eloquently and thoughtfully describes the problems of a politicized religious movement that is currently 'using Jesus as a means to an end' in an interview with Carol Martin. His description of the church's problems track perfectly with the larger political problems of the country and particularly with the grievance-based cult of Donald that both motivates and spiritually diminishes the far right. While we can't solve it all overnight, we can understand it now and prioritize our actions. Priority 1: Keep Donald out of the White House.
CLR Show 1856. Air Date September 29, 2023. While the democrats refine their messaging for 2024, Donald and the MAGA republicans appear committed to writing the best of their material for them. Between a transparent 'impeachment inquiry' sham that totally backfired, an inter-mural republican squabble that is about to result in a government shutdown and Donald being stripped of his ability to do business in New York, the republicans are rapidly transcending the capabilities of their own spin machine and proving to even their most ardent supporters that they neither desire, nor are capable of governing in a Constitutionally-based America. They can only tear it down. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1855. Air Date September 26, 2023. We can no longer content ourselves with preaching to the democratic choir, or reminding ourselves that we are on the right side of the Constitution. Trumpians have convinced half the electorate that a vote for Donald is a consequence-free pathway to their fondest imaginings. It's a damnable lie. To enter the White House under any circumstances, Donald would have to first destroy the Constitutional order and all belief in it. The Biden Administration and the democrats must immediately begin messaging that fact, and do it with an unprecedented sense of urgency, by creating the most all-encompassing and effective political messaging campaign in all of American political history.
CLR Show 1854. Air Date September 22, 2023. The disproportionately powerful House Trumpians have given every indication that no amount of appeasement will divert them from their apparent goal, viz., to incapacitate from the inside a government they see as inherently evil and openly hostile to them and hardcore MAGA types. And having shut the place down, it's uncertain what it would take for them to allow it to open again. The easy solution would be to have Kevin McCarthy lead his way out of this crisis. But McCarthy has proven himself incapable of leadership. Yes, this is happening in America. The question is: How much longer will Americans of good faith put up with it? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1853. Air Date September 19, 2023. If Donald remains the official candidate of his party through the 2024 election, the result will be either a Constitutional crisis––triggered by his self-pardon to avoid prison––if he wins, or a protracted series of mini-insurrections among his most ardent sycophants, if he loses. The only possible way to avoid national paralysis will be to encourage the Judges who have current control over him in his criminal cases to fully enforce the sanctions he has already earned by violating the terms of his parole and taking him off the political playing field, post haste. It will be difficult and contentious, but will result in a mere fraction of problems that will ensue if his is allowed to 'run wild' to and through the 2024 election.
CLR Show 1852. Air Date September 15, 2023. With the Hunter Biden indictment rapidly evolving into a non-event and, still, no impeachable material discovered after five-plus years of investigating Joe Biden, the republicans are left with inference as their sole tool for attacking democrats as the Trump criminal trials move forward. Lacking the fresh red meat their base has been conditioned to demand and consume, they will invariably turn to the last ready source of that meat––themselves. Matt Gaetz's painful excoriation of Kevin McCarthy on the House floor can be viewed as the first of a new round of intra-mural excisions of trumpian flesh. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1851. Air Date September 12, 2023. With the return of the House, its Trumpian leadership now sets its eyes on an unfounded impeachment of Joe Biden and shutting down the US Government. Their audience remains the sycophantic base and their true and only goal remains the maintenance of power. The good of the United States of America and all its people is an unthinkable irrelevancy. It's time for the democrats to begin pushing back in earnest. A document eviscerating any basis for an impeachment, to be released today, would appear to be a reasonable first step in that effort.
CLR Show 1850. Air Date September 8, 2023. It may seem counterintuitive, but there is some comfort to be taken in the knowledge that we have hit the rock bottom of civic knowledge and awareness in this country. There is nowhere to go but up––or, unthinkably, out of existence as a functional democracy. But the strength of the criminal justice system as it deals with everyone from 1/6 Capital rioters/insurrectionists to Donald and his entire inner circle, is becoming increasingly apparent and an unavoidable reality for even the most virulent of Trumpian reality deniers. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1849. Air Date September 5, 2023. Next time you find yourself in a conversation with a Trumpian, ask a single question in the following form: "Based on what you know, did Donald Trump win the 2020 election? A simple yes or no, please." A 'yes' is a signal to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible, or at least change the subject. Any other reaction––from waffling, to annoyance to an outright admission that he lost, is an invitation to continue the conversation and the possibility of finding some new common ground for discussion.
CLR Show 1848. Air Date September 1, 2023. Donald's perpetual modus operandi has been to lurch from one scandal or infraction to the next before any consequences can be brought to bear. The result is his hazy air of omnipotence, and the adulation of those incapable of recognizing its false roots. But in the world of criminal justice where Donald is now a star attraction, no statement or action on his part escapes scrutiny or fails to elicit a reaction from the courts. This is the new and future reality for the one time reality show host. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1847. Air Date August 29, 2023. Disturbing as the thought may be, Donald is embraced by the base as nothing less than a religious figure, not subject to human law, facts or restrictions of any kind, and the object of persecution by those who cannot recognize the 'truth' of his message. He cannot be argued away by reason, and his actions and demands on followers and foes alike must be respected as the self-justifying wishes of an 'angry god.' His capacity to capture and leverage 25% of the population against the rest of us is a tribute to his native guile, the failure of our religious institutions and the failure of republican leaders to confront his challenge to the Constitutional structure of our nation. He must be vigorously resisted in every lawful way possible and will, eventually, be revealed as a false god to even the truest of believers. But the punitive consequences of his actions must become apparent in the relatively near future.
CLR Show 1846. Air Date August 25, 2023. Donald (Fulton County Prisoner #P01135809) has already released a fundraising picture of his hyper-bellicose mugshot on a ($36) tee-shirt over the words––NEVER SURRENDER. The problem is, that the picture was taken as, and only because, he surrendered himself to authorities at the notorious Fulton County Jail, posted bail designed to hold him to his conditions of release and was electronically fingerprinted. And yet, 6 of the 8 (alleged) presidential candidates at the first republican debate swore they would support him as the party's candidate for president even if he were convicted and incarcerated. The republican party has lost its mind and has already lost the 2024 election. With Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1845. Air date August 22, 2023. A recent poll of likely republican Iowa Caucus voters produced a media-defying statistic: 6 out of 10 Iowan republicans don't want Donald Trump as their presidential candidate. With Donald burdened by 2 impeachments, 4 indictments and the intense likelihood of convictions and incarceration ahead, it would appear to be a long-overdue rational reaction on the part of 'rational' republican voters who represent nearly 75% of the party. The fear of the 'base' and the results of Donald's control over it will soon dissipate. What's left will be dealing with the fear and anger of the most irrational remnants of Donald's support as they realize they never had the power they imagined.
CLR Show 1844. Air Date August 17, 2023. A distinguished panel of academic authors with shared roots in NYC's Regis High School––Drs. John D'Emilio, Bill Mulligan and Charles Webel––discuss the often unanticipated pathways leading to a life of successful academic writing. Topics include the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence engines like chatgpt and the far greater challenges associated with evolving into a society where critical reasoning skills, once deemed essential to effective writing of all kinds, are no longer stressed or even welcomed. Must listening for all aspiring authors, and all readers.
CLR Show 1843. Air Date August 15, 2023. if convicted on racketeering charges in Atlanta, Donald will receive a mandatory 20-year sentence (i.e. a life sentence.) To receive bail prior to trial he will have to prove to the Judge that he would never attempt to influence a witness––a virtual impossibility––and he could never be pardoned by either a US President or a Georgia Governor. Given his chronic incapacity to accept responsibility for anything, fleeing the country prior to conviction becomes a wholly imaginable and perhaps his sole 'viable' option. (Will the Justice Department turn a blind eye?)
CLR Show 1842. Air Date August 11, 2023. Donald would have us and his followers believe that he is in the strongest possible position. In reality, with three-going-on-four indictments, and trials coming in the middle of primary and election season, he is in the weakest. His formalized criminality will do exactly what one would expect it to do––make him toxic to most voters. And his November, 2024 performance, if he is available to run at all, will be more akin to that of Mike Dukakis than anything else. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1841. Air Date August 8, 2023. If Donald, with all of his legal and moral baggage, were to re-appear on that first 2016 republican debate stage, he would have been booed off of it by his fellow candidates and republican voters. And so republicans of today must ask themselves: Why is this thrice-indicted, chronically lying, anti-American, patently amoral man being openly embraced today by republicans and their evangelical cronies?
CLR Show 1840. Air Date August 4, 2023. The Jack Smith 1/6 indictment is airtight. The vapid, emotional responses of Trump's attorneys and minions has underscored that fact forcefully and repeatedly. Add to that the fact that Trump is incapable of admitting fault or loss, is possessed of no moral compass, has no off switch and will do anything––repeat, anything––to stay out of jail and regain power, and you have the makings of an American Saga for the ages. Stay tuned. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1839. Air Date August 1, 2023. With the unsealing of the 1/6 indictment against Trump and (as this is written) unknown others, America enters the final, extended episode of the Donald Show. The basic script has been written; trial, conviction and incarceration before the 2024 election are all but assured. The question remains: how will the centrist republican leadership navigate away from the Donald fantasy and reunite the party with mainstream American values and aspirations?
CLR Show 1838. Air Date July 28, 2023. Donald's image management, no matter how successful in the past, will soon be no match for the 4 criminal indictments that will be weighing on him. The grievances of his most loyal sycophants and the hand wringing fears of those who believe in their imagined power will all be subjected to the real-world drubbing that will be issued to Donald by Chris Christie in the first Iowa debate. It won't be a fatal blow but it will have severe and lasting consequences. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1837. Air Date July 25, 2023. The January 6th-related indictment of Donald marks the beginning of his political and legal end. He will be convicted and sentenced and, his predictable protestations notwithstanding, he will become a functional irrelevancy to the nation and the republican party. But can the republicans successfully disinamour themselves of Donald? To not do so will alienate Independents for a generation and relegate the republican party to extended political irrelevancy... or functional extinction.
CLR Show 1836. Air Date July 21, 2023. Even the liberal media is encouraging us to extrapolate outward to certain electoral doom every time Donald or one of his minions does something outlandish. Yes, be concerned, but suppress the urge to panic. There's only one certain extrapolation: the indictments, trials, convictions and sentencing of Donald will have a severely negative impact on his ability to run or govern. The odds of him ever holding public office again are below miniscule. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1835. Air Date July 17, 2023. A special interview with John D'Emilio, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a major force in the development LGBTQ history, and gay and lesbian studies in America. As a noted historian, quoted by Supreme Court Justices Kennedy and Sotomayor, he is optimistic that the current pushback against LGBTQ gains is an historical blip, and that hard earned LGBTQ rights will remain a viable part of our social and political landscape.
CLR Show 1834. Air Date July 11, 2023. At the very same moment: Joe Biden is representing America at a revitalized NATO conference, projecting American competence, commitment and leadership to the world... while Donald's lawyers go for broke and request a Mar-A-Lago documents trial date 'after' the 2024 election in a desperate bid to allow a convicted Donald to pardon himself. Which America do we choose?
CLR Show 1833. Air Date July 7, 2023. For all of the chronic moaning and prevaricating of the right, the Biden Administration has laid the groundwork––through its historic Infrastructure Bills––for a total refurbishing of our communications, transportation, medical delivery systems and so much more. It will be nearly impossible for republicans to run against these achievements, and harder yet to misrepresent or decry them. Will their culture of grievance become (even more) meaningless? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1832. Air Date June 30, 2023. In reacting to the decimation of yet another 50-year-old right, this time Affirmative Action, Joe Biden declared the current Supreme Court to be 'a court like no other.' And yet he reaffirmed his belief in the fundamental instruments of government and our ability to get past this current low point in our national experiment. Given his own 50-year track record, we would be wise to take him at his word.
CLR Show 1831. Air Date June 27, 2023. Donald's appeal to his followers is purely emotional. Objective facts are meaningless, grievance is the common currency and, arguably, any return to the White House would blunt the strength of grievance-fueled grip on the republican party. By the time he is convicted and sentenced the first time, he will most likely have altered his messaging to accommodate this altered reality, while still expanding his perpetual grift of the faithful. Even Fox will condemn him for it. Stay tuned.
CLR Show 1830. Air Date June 23, 2023. With the censure of Adam Schiff––for doing his job as a Congressperson––and the first real attempts to impeach Joe Biden––for no discernible legal reason––republicans in the House are confirming that they see themselves as devoid of all ethical, moral, legal, rational or constitutional restraints and are merely operating out of a fear-based symbiotic affiliation with Donald. Wiser internal party voices must intervene before they do irreparable damage to our governance system. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1529. Air Date June 20, 2023. With a blistering interview of Donald and a wholesale trashing of his Mar-a-Lago document defenses, the Murdock family has added Fox News to list of its holdings that have turned on Donald. This indicates their self-perception as protected commentators of the republican infighting to come... while invariably taking every chance to knock Joe Biden. Where will this leave the MAGA Base––emotionally and functionally? Stay tuned. There are still 17 months until the next election.
CLR Show 1828. Air Date June 16, 2023. It is becoming increasingly clear, Donald has no defense to the Mar-a-Lago counts or, in all likelihood, will he have any to any other indictment brought against him. His only possible defense is extra-judicial, in the court of public opinion, hoping public outrage over his 'political persecution' will somehow lead to his election and his self-exoneration. It is the longest and most desperate of all long shots. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1827. Air Date June 13, 2023. Donald's indictment for federal crimes marks an emotional high water mark––thus far––for his willfully ignorant, unquestioning supporters, and the rhetoric and perhaps more will only get more heated in coming days. But at some point the absurdity of electing a federal and state convict must break through... or we will make complete fools of ourselves and render our system of government moot.
CLR Show 1826. Air Date May 9, 2023. For all the bluster and false equivalencies of the right, the simple force of American Jurisprudence has once again reminded all parties that no one is above the law and that the odds are damned good justice will be done in the Mar-a-Lago and other Donald-centric cases. Of even greater interest: How will this effect an increasingly disillusioned/disaffected base in the weeks and months ahead? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1825. Air date June 6, 2023. With the once unthinkable federal criminal indictment(s) and likely conviction(s)/sentencing(s) of Donald increasingly imminent, we're forced to consider the still unthinkable challenge of reuniting a divided nation in a post-Donald era. Where and how to start? No one can state the best formula with any certainty but reaching out to differently-oriented family in a non-accusatory way––and doing it soon––might be a good way to start.
CLR Show 1824. Air Date June 2, 2023. Joe Biden has proven once again that Progressivism is still a possibility––and a necessity––even in the most ostensibly divided of nations. While striking far from a perfect deal, the Debt Ceiling Crisis has been avoided and substantial numbers of republicans and democrats alike have bought into the solution. The country is finally beginning to learn, a wise old man trumps a dirty old man, every time. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1823. Air Date May 30, 2023. Faced with the first real governance challenge of his tenure as Speaker, Kevin McCarthy has actually chosen the path of rationality and compromise, choosing not only to raise the debt ceiling, but praising the presidential/democratic negotiators he has dealt with. The crazies will undoubtedly react. But has the vulnerability of the far right to unavoidable rationality finally been exposed? And to what end in the presidential sweepstakes? Stay tuned.
CLR Show 1822. Air Date May 26, 2023. The republican party has dealt itself the ultimate losing hand. They cannot rationally debate their position on the 2020 election or the pardoning of insurrectionists without alienating 70% of the electorate. And they can't imagine telling the trumpian base the whole truth at this late date. Alternatively, the left must play the hand it has been dealt vigorously, deliberately and rationally, recognizing that the 2024 election is for all the American marbles that will ever be. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1821. Air Date May 23, 2023. Donald's impersonation of a perpetual defiant adolescent has gained him a loyal following, especially in light of winning the American presidency––once. But the show is growing old and and the consequences are beginning to mount. The adults in the room are becoming less cowed by an unthinkable repeat of his presidency and more confident in the debilitating effects of the convictions and penalties that await Donald in the near future. Further Proof: The list of republican presidential candidates is growing daily.
CLR Show 1820. Air Date May 19, 2023. We can sleep through small earthquakes, as last night proved to folks in the Lower Hudson Valley. But we can't look away from Donald, even for a day. Would we be better and healthier and possessed of a better perspective if we could? Even for just a day? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1819. Air Date May 16, 2023. The commonly held belief that Donald will be the republican standard bearer is fundamentally flawed. It may give DeSantis and others some cover with the base for the moment, but once the Mar-a-Lago and other indictments start to swirl, the GOP will be forced to recognize that Trump as standard bearer signals the virtually permanent emasculation of their party. And they will finally act out of self-interest.
CLR Show 1818. Air Date May 12, 2023. Donald's unhinged, unedited and un-fact-checked rant on CNN reminds us that we remain on a collision course between him and his grievance-laden sycophantic followers within the former republican party, and the American Constitution. The results of that all-out collision cannot be accurately predicted. The only way to avoid it is, ironically, for enough republican legislators to begin operating in their own self-interest. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1817. Air Date May 9, 2023. Our extreme media, our extreme politicians and extremist elements in our society have come to depend on the antipathy of 80% of Americans to preserve their power. In essence, we are encouraging a tyranny of the minority and will continue to empower it until we realize how easily it can be emasculated.
CLR Show 1816. Air Date May 5, 2023. With the conviction of the Proud Boys on a charge as legally complex as 'seditious conspiracy' there is all the more reason to believe that Merritt Garland and Jack Smith are simply employing a tried and true methodology for reeling in the leaders of a crime syndicate––or a conspiracy to overthrow the Constitution of the United States. Time and the facts are increasingly on their side.
CLR Show 1815. Air Date May 2, 2023. The notion that either side in our current political quagmire can 'defeat' the other is, by definition, self-defeating. Rather than defeating trumpism, democrats must continue to enunciate––and legislate––alternatives to grievance and grievance mongering. Remarkably, Joe Biden seems to understand this better than any other politician and continues to reflexively pursue a higher common ground for all Americans.
CLR Show 1814. Air Date April 28, 2023. Every so often, it's important to step back and identify those events and/or individuals in our lives that give us the grounding and hope to change and move forward. Such motivations supersede the political machinations of the day and reinforce our ability to soldier through any challenge that might befall us. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1813. Air Date April 25, 2023. The firing of Tucker Carlson from Fox was unexpected, to say the least. And not much else has been said by Fox or anyone associated with it. But it is reasonable to speculate, if not safe to assume, that it involves perceived liabilities and convert circumstances that are not apparent to the general public at this time. As big a shoe as Tucker is, there may be far larger ones to fall at Fox––and elsewhere––in the not far distant future.
CLR Show 1812. Air Date April 21, 2023. The republican party is utterly devoid of policy proposals and instead substitutes wedge issue dissemination in an effort to keep the base in a perpetual state of grievance. Some of these wedges could find their way into legislation that would actually hurt the base. A perfect example is McCarthy's demand to defund the Infrastructure Recovery Act as a condition of raising the debt ceiling. Most of the IRA money is earmarked for republican states and was voted for by republican senators! With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1811. Air Date April 19, 2023. Fox, the rare defamation defendant whose culpability had been all but pre-determined by the court, has settled with Dominion for $800 million. In a rational world, that would affect the on air policies and pronouncements of this 'news' organization. But not Fox. 1/6 lies continue unabated. The red meat needs of the MAGA base supersede all, even rational business practices. This grievance pandering and its consequences, extended over the MAGA culture and its enablers, will invariably reach a critical mass and force unforeseen changes in the not far future––possibly even good ones.
CLR Show 1810. Air Date April 11, 2023. The lies and half truths about what the Second Amendment says and authorizes are as vapid as the Heller decision that codified those lies. Half of the Amendment's 27 words talk about the need for a 'well regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free state.' This alone can restrict gun-related legislation, and is a condition with no bearing in 21st century. The fear, greed and emotional isolation of too many lawmakers, weapons manufacturers and gun owners would have us believe otherwise.
CLR Show 1809. Air Date April 7, 2023. The increasingly irrational speech and behavior by republicans and republican political bodies is evidence of a deep hopelessness fueled by an even deeper-seated fundamental fear. This is Donald's legacy to the party and it is being communicated and reacted to by an increasingly hopeless base. No republican leaders seem willing or capable of stemming the tide, much less identifying the problem. And all this in the midst of the most hopeful of holidays for Christians and Jews. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1808. Air Date April 4, 2023. To misstate the overused adage: 'Today is the first indictment of the rest of your life.' The novelty and media circus surrounding Donald for his first indictment will fade away far more quickly than the public interest in moon landings as indictments and criminal allegations pile up over the next six months. Donald's control over his side of the narrative––and the republican party generally––will finally begin to erode. And then the real 2024 republican candidate circus will begin.
CLR Show 1807. Air Date March 31, 2023. At long last, the first shoe has dropped and Donald has been indicted by the Manhattan DA. But the liberal media seems uncomfortable with the prospects for success, and even seems to be anticipating some arcane trumpian strategy to secure the republican nomination and even win the 2024 election. This is worse fantasy than the garbage Donald spews on a daily basis. And it is irresponsibility in the extreme. We must allow history and the legal process to play itself out. All rational signs point to Donald's demise. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1806. Air Date March 24, 2023. Republicans are playing the worst of losing presidential hands, yet feel compelled to pretend they are not––for the sake of the base. Donald will continue to implode as the indictments and convictions add up and the culture wars issues will appear all the more meaningless. Trump and DeSantis are setting republicans up for a loss of Dukakis proportions. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1805. Air Date March 21, 2023. The indictment of Donald by the Manhattan DA is a foregone conclusion. Once that happens, he will have crossed the legal equivalent of the Event Horizon of a Black Hole. There is no backing out, only going forward to an uncertain conclusion. The only way to prevent the system from working as it inevitably will is to destroy or hobble it. Incredibly, the republicans, out of fear of the base, are telegraphing their willingness to go this route.
CLR Show 1804. Air Date March 17, 2023. For the first time in four years the St. Patrick's Day Parade will take place in New York City. Maybe, just maybe, it can induce memories of more inclusive times and remind us for a moment that we can not only function but flourish when our differences are subordinated to that which unifies us as Americans. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1803. Air date March 14, 2023. The longstanding US policy that politics stops at the water's edge is based on a recognition that American strength and world stability demand a predictable consistency in American positions and its willingness to fulfill its international commitments over the long term. The cynical redefining of of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a 'territorial dispute' by both Trump and DeSantis can only be sending shockwaves throughout the international community and create further questions about America's long-term capacity to lead.
CLR Show 1802. Air Date March 3, 2023. For as conscious as we are of the political divide in this country, it becomes all the more lamentable when we consider how it plays out in families. The all too frequently heard 'we can't talk about politics' is an unacceptable response. Our politics are superseding even familial bonds and if we don't confront the reasons––within families––we run the risk of undermining the necessary strength of our most fundamental unit of measure. With Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1801. Air Date February 24, 2023. Dr. Stephen Bronner, Co-Director of the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue (www.icdd.info) and Dr. Charles Webel of the State University of New York in Prague share their considerable knowledge and insights relative to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and lay out (perhaps the only viable) pathways to a functional, sustainable peace. A must-listen podcast.
CLR Show 1800. Air Date February 21, 2023. There are any number of competing narratives about how and why the Ukrainian war began, who is to blame and how it needs to end. While Putin and Russia may still be pushing for a military solution, most of the planet recognizes that a negotiated peace is the only safe and rational way out for all sides. But a negotiated peace under current or likely future military positions would leave Putin with nothing more, or even less, than he started with, and a one way trip to oblivion. Can the best interests of all parties be achieved and internally 'sold' in a non-military win?
CLR Show 1799. Air Date February 17, 2023. Donald's protestation that the partial release of the Fulton Country Special Grand Jury Report somehow 'exonerated' him barely rises to the level of fantasy. No rational person believes him, and certainly not his attorney-enablers. Fani Willis appears posed to bring the first Donald et al indictment and a deluge of others will follow. The national response, threatened by Donald's sycophants to be one of violent outrage, will more likely be a collective sigh of national relief. With Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1798. Air Date February 14, 2023. Claiming chronic unaddressed grievances, the republican minority has, over the last 20 years, maneuvered its way into imposing its will on the majority, effectively undermining and overruling the established mechanisms and levers of governance. Guns proliferate, lost elections are openly challenged and established rights are withdrawn. So long as the majority sees this as another temporary blip in our otherwise constitutionally-based history, we can continue to work through it all. But the moment this state of affairs begins to feel like a new and permanent order ... all things will change.
CLR Show 1797. Air Date February 10, 2023. The first session of the House republicans' Weaponization of Government Committee only served to weaponize the truth, as witnessed in the presentations of Jamie Raskin and other prominent democrats. Vapid republican grievances and unsupported talking points were summarily eviscerated. Clearly, the point of it all for republicans is not to win arguments or adherents; it's simply to generate un-contextualized sound bites for FOX, OAN and their ilk to placate an ignorant base. It's a losing strategy but the only one left to an idea- and ideal-less party. Only a Trump indictment will fundamentally change the game for all players. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1796. Air Date February 8, 2023. In the aftermath of The State of the Union's garish display of partisanship, it may seem harder than ever not to categorize and pre-judge people by their politics, religion or even their profession. Fortunately, Dwight Dachnowicz, Owner and President of Tarrytown Honda, defies all such preconceptions. His CLR interview is a real spirit-lifter.
CLR Show 1795. Air Date February 3, 2023. The republican party no longer functions as anything resembling a traditional legislative force. It is a party of grievance, coopted by its most radical elements and dedicated to belittling democrats in social media and other media platforms in a way that appeals to the shared childish mindset of its leaders and its most ardent supporters. This is an exceedingly dangerous way to approach whatever negotiations may be possible to avoid the default of the US Government on its incurred obligations. McCarthy can't lead his caucus away from this looming disaster and the crazies seem to embrace its prospect. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1794. Air Date January 31, 2023. Unexpectedly, NY District Attorney Alvin Bragg has convened a Special Grand Jury to review evidence in the single easiest criminal case to bring against Donald Trump––the one for which Michael Cohen did time in a Federal lockup––the illegal hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. It's a 'paper case' based on documentation and would be the easiest to prove. What has caused Mr. Bragg's change of heart is hard to say. But unless and until a first criminal indictment is brought against Donald, his and his followers' unfounded and dangerous sense of his invincibility will continue to grow unabated.
CLR Show 1793. Air Date January 27, 2023. It may seem like an abstract exercise, but if you were to measure the sum of all love and all fear held in human souls, the net result would be an excess of love. And this excess is needed for the positive evolution of our species and planet. This won't necessarily prevent painful events from interrupting our path forward. Nor does it prevent us from suppressing the fear that does exists and elevating love in our souls. The future of our planet quite literally depends on it.
CLR Show 1792. Air Date January 24, 2023. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying 'America will always do the right thing...after exhausting all other options.' We appear to be on that path with our Second Amendment suicide pact, and Merritt Garland's apparent fear of indicting Donald Trump. The problem is, doing the right thing after exhausting all other options may not be a viable strategy at this moment in our history. We must do the right things––eliminate virtually all firearms and indict Trump––now, or run the risk of making things worse for having done the right things at the wrong time.
CLR Show 1791. Air Date January 20, 2023. The Supreme Court's internal investigation has failed to turn up the source of the May leak of the Dobbs decision to Politico. Incredibly, the review was conducted by an employee of the Court, subject to the hire and fire whims of the Justices. If Roberts was serious about restoring the credibility of the Court, he would have insisted on the FBI or some other professional independent source conducting the review. But that would have upset the ultra-right supporters of Justice Thomas, his wife Ginny and their ilk. The Court, with its 25% approval rating, is a political dung heap and the only way to fix it is to shine the light of day on its numerous shortcomings. With Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1790. Air Date January 17, 2023. An interview with Keith Alexander; born into poverty in Trinidad and Tobago, rising to Sergeant Detective with the local police, emigrating and becoming one of the most successful car salesmen in the United States, and raising a family of remarkably high-achievers. In all, a very successful life and a powerful––and ongoing––story of hope.
CLR Show 1789. Air Date January 13, 2023. The clown show debacle that marked the start of the Republican-controlled congress is predictably spilling over into its opening acts. Merritt Garland has appointed a special prosecutor to lend equivalency to Biden's (clearly accidental) withholding of classified documents and the republicans are overjoyed. The problem, of course, is the two cases are so radically different that Trump's guilt will be made all the more obvious and the case for initiating his prosecution all the more compelling. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1788. Air Date January 10, 2023. The Special Grand Jury empaneled by Fulton County Georgia DA, Fannie Willis, has just issued its final report after 8 months of questioning witnesses, and has even requested that the report be made public. Not a good sign for the objects of the investigations. Indictments against Trump, et al, could be issued in as little as a month. The repooplicans will bemoan the unfair treatment of their fearless leader, but will secretly breath a collective sigh of relief. The question will inevitably arise: How is it possible little Fulton Country beat the massive Department of Justice to an indictment of America's most bold-faced, unrepentant criminal?
CLR Show 1787. Air Date January 6, 2023. On the second anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, the House repooplicans, after 11 breathtakingly embarrassing failures to elect Kevin McCarthy Speaker or to accept his offer to totally emasculate the institution, find themselves with no viable alternative willing to serve as Speaker and, more significantly, with no direction, ideology, sense of purpose, institutional loyalty or recognizable commitment to the Constitution. They will force an era of rule by presidential mandate unprecedented in American history, with all the ensuing conflict and increased national vulnerability that will produce. For now, we can only hope...
CLR Show 1786. Air Date December 30, 2022. Americans are about to experience a wholesale shift in the nature and performance of the US Congress with republicans taking control. The focus will be on revenge, grievance mongering and pandering to a base that feeds exclusively on silo fed information lacking either substance or credibility. And all of this as we move toward the 2024 presidential election and the impending indictment(s) of Donald. Perhaps a chorus of 'When Will They Ever Learn' is in order. With Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1785. Air Date December 23, 2022. Volodymyr Zelenskyy did what no one since Emmanuel Macron has done: Unite the collective members of the House and Senate meeting in joint session to rise for a dozen or more standing ovations. The reason was the same for both speeches. Members were reminded by an 'outsider' what unifies us as Americans and what, in turn, links us to all of western civilization. It may have lasted for no more than a half hour but, dare we imagine, it was a hopeful sign in an otherwise politically hopeless season. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1784. Air Date December 20, 2022. The 1/6 Commission has made four criminal referrals to the Justice Department relative to the prosecution of Donald Trump, John Eastman and others. The scope and thoroughness of their investigatory work has been all but unprecedented in American history. And yet as much as a third of the nation still supports Donald––with virtually no basis other than his perpetually and blatantly false claims of grievance. What will their reaction be when Donald is indicted, tried, convicted and sentenced? In all likelihood, far less than our worst fears. But what will the lasting impact be on the functional capacity of our democratic institutions? Might we be galvanized as a nation by the realization that we will have survived the worst challenge to our democratic experiment since the Civil War?
CLR Show 1783. Air Date December 16, 2022. Donald's capacity for grifting and deception is endless, witness 'Trump Digital Trading Cards' at $99 a pop, each listed as a Non-Fungible Token and infinitely 'collectable and trade-able.' It's all leading up to a carbon copy repeat of the 2016 republican primaries. Trump the bloviating clown will shout all other comers off the stage and secure the nomination––but then lose in Dukakis-like style in the general. What will the remnants of the mindless base be instructed to do? What if Donald has already been indicted, tried and convicted before then? (That's why they play the games!) With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1782. Air Date December 9, 2022. The symptoms and the consequences of an out of control internet are in full view before us. It's time to stop pretending that platform owners are somehow shrouded in a bubble of first amendment immunity and lay out a clear statement of social media liabilities mirroring those which have been developed over decades and centuries. Platform owners and the users of those platforms must be held liable for their conscious and casually uncaring transmission of false information according to clear federal standards. Then we can swing it out in the courts. But until then we will be driven further apart as a nation so that people with an agenda can benefit. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1781. Air Date December 6, 2022. The republicans themselves cannot alter their role as repositories of grievance and fear and agents of structural destruction. Donald remains a cartoon that defies rules, regulations and standard norms of behavior. An intervention is in order, beginning with the real-world indictment, conviction and sentencing of Donald and massive republican losses in 2024. Yes, the worst of the base will react poorly. But, for now, it appears to be the only route to reestablishing functional 2-party politics in America.
CLR Show 1780. Air Date December 2, 2022. Even as DeSantis and others try to distance themselves from Trump and the weirdest forms of trumpism, there is the reflexive soft-pedaling/condoning of all things extreme. Where was the republican outcry over Trump dining with 'Ye' and a white nationalist at Mar-a-Lago? Republicans live in abject fear of alienating the extremists they need to jettison if they are ever to occupy the White House again. How will they deal with upcoming Trump indictment(s)? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1779. Air Date November 25, 2022. For those imagining the end of a Constitutional America is imminent, kindly reference the early 1960's with the government sponsored assassination of John Kennedy and being one rational Russian General away from nuclear destruction. We are, arguably, in far better shape than we were then, and the results of the recent election only prove it. We can, with hope and effort, get past the current political impasse and continue the Great American Experiment as we strive to explore the many facets, challenges and unknown outer parameters of being a Liberal Democracy.
CLR Show 1778. Air Date November 18, 2022. Governing the House with the slimmest of majorities may prove an impossible task for a republican party devoid of a rational agenda and bristling with extremism. Marjorie Taylor Greene has become a self-appointed spokesperson for the party, promising every kind of punitive investigation to right every kind of fictionalized wrong. And the odds that Kevin McCarthy can get the necessary 218 votes to become the next Speaker of the House are getting worse by the day. We've barely begun to realize the true extent of the changes our country must go through to free itself of the curse of trumpism. With Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1777. Air Date November 15, 2022. Assuming Donald declares for the presidency this evening, it will set off a series of in-fights among himself and Trump wannabe DeSantis that will fatally weaken either/both in the 2024 general election, with Trump being the likely selected candidate and with virtually no hope of winning the general. Having no loyalty to the country or its Constitution, collecting indictments and subpoenas by the day, and lacking any strategic vision for the country, this may very well prompt Donald to run a scorched earth/last hurrah campaign with unforeseeable consequences. Vigilance is advised.
CLR Show 1776. Air Date November 11, 2022. What seemed unthinkable only days ago has come to pass. Republicans flubbed the biggest mid-term opportunity of the modern era and the Murdock family has declared Donald 'Trumpty Dumpty', laying the disaster entirely at his feet and declaring Ron DeSantis the presumptive leader of the republican party. An inter-mural political bloodbath is in the offing and republicans have no one to blame but themselves for the coming gladiatorial spectacle that they could have been side-stepped at any point in the last six years.
CLR Show 1775. Air Date November 8, 2022. With today's mid-term election, however it turns out and however power is assumed, America enters the last two years of this phase of the Great American Experiment, the phase we have been in since the end of WW2. Where we go from here is entirely dependent upon whether competitive ideas can replace unfettered grievance as the basis for differentiating the body politic and, more fundamental than that, if republicans can free themselves of the fear and guilt perpetuated by their embrace of the great Trump lie.
CLR Show 1774. Air Date November 1, 2022. The indecency of our political discourse is at the heart of shared fears for the end of the American Experiment as we have known it for nearly two and one half centuries. We require both a symbolic and practical statement that fundamental indecency is fundamentally indefensible. The only action up to the task will be the indictment, trial, conviction and incarceration of Donald. But the timeframe within which that can be done and still be an effective prelude to a return to the path toward a more perfect union is growing very short.
CLR Show 1773. Air Date October 28, 2022. The period between the election of 2022 and that of 2024 will be the final chapter of the current iteration of the American democratic experiment. Our capacity to evolve further and approach 'a more perfect union' beyond 2024 will be dependent on our collective capacity to embrace hope more than fear. It's this imbalance, in hope's favor, that has brought us to where we are, but a reassessment of that choice is inherent in the very nature of democracy. And we are actively making that choice now... once again.
CLR Show 1772. Air Date October 25, 2022. For as insane as American politics seem to be, the polls suggest a far more normal distribution of votes and far more in line with a normal midterm election. The problem is Donald, magnifying and debasing everything about America and its political system. His indictments, convictions and sentences are the critical predicate to the republican party again envisioning itself as a functional component of the American system. Only then can our national fever can begin to subside.
CLR Show 1771. Air Date October 21, 2022. In the rush to support Donald's lies for the sake of election victories and political power, the MAGA Republicans have backed themselves into a dreadful corner. Is the only remaining route to, and expression of power the destruction of entity they seek to represent? Has Donald's clinical narcissism so infected his facilitators that they have inadvertently committed themselves on an unswerving path to minimize or eliminate all that is not Donald himself in the name of tacitly 'saving' the country? With Friday Co-Host––Davis Bach.
CLR Show 1770. Air Date, October 14, 2022. The January 6th Committee's final hearing produced the strongest evidence yet that the true goal of the Trump insurrection was not just to stop the vote count, but to invoke the Insurrection Act and impose nation-wide martial law after the murders of members of Congress. Of course that would have lead to a military takeover of the country and the suspension of the Constitution. And it's still a possibility... unless Donald is indicted, convicted and punished for any one of his many crimes at the earliest possible date, and prevented from assuming future office.
CLR Show 1769. Air Date October 10, 2022. Yes, Columbus was a creep on many levels and, yes, the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas deserve recognition both for their contributions and their suffering. The issue is, should we recognize the former in lieu of the latter? Should Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day be positioned as dueling holidays? Are Italian Americans less deserving of a cultural identity day than, say, German Americans? Complicated questions, and the jury is still out. With Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1768. Air Date October 7, 2022. Since the end of the second world war, nuclear posturing has been used to gain political leverage, although we came close to unintended disaster during the Cuban missile crisis. Now, Vladimir Putin appears to be consciously and compulsively backing himself and Russia into the inevitable use of tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine and Europe. The results would be catastrophic beyond comprehension. We can only hope there are cooler heads operating behind closed doors and in the back channels of power.
CLR Show 1767. Air Date October 4, 2022. The leaders of the republican party have squandered their opportunity to blunt the impending trauma of Donald's indictment(s) and inevitable conviction(s) for the base. And they will do even less to actively defend Donald during his final demise. The question remains: What follows the demise of the current republican party? A period of heightened political violence? A rational successor organization? Entirely new political party/parties? Or a series of internally warring splinter groups claiming to be the rightful successor to and bearer of the flickering Trumpian torch? Through it all, thoughtful Americans must not lose hope.
CLR Show 1766. Air Date September 30, 2022. The current spate of political, military and environmental negatives enveloping the planet would suggest an inevitable surrender to the hopelessness of our situation. But, throughout human history, hopelessness has always been the prelude to hope and rebuilding. It's just that the road to hope is always a bit longer than its counterpart. Why not simply choose to bypass the ugliness of presumed failure and inevitable self-destruction, and get on with the business of hopeful problem solving ... for a change?
CLR Show 1766. Air Date September 30, 2022. The current spate of political, military and environmental negatives enveloping the planet would suggest an inevitable surrender to the hopelessness of our situation. But, throughout human history, hopelessness has always been the prelude to hope and rebuilding. It's just that the road to hope is always a bit longer than its counterpart. Why not simply choose to bypass the ugliness of presumed failure and inevitable self-destruction, and get on with the business of hopeful problem solving ... for a change?
CLR Show 1765. Air Date September 23, 2022. Our Panel examines the increasingly limited and unsavory military options available to Vladimir Putin as Russia falters on the battlefield, together with the enormous stresses on, and possible reactions that should be anticipated from Russia's supreme leader. Sobering insights and must-listen material for all fans of Center Left Radio. With Dr. Charles Webel, Dr. Richard Corelli and John Cugini.
CLR Show 1765. Air Date September 23, 2022. Our Panel examines the increasingly limited and unsavory military options available to Vladimir Putin as Russia falters on the battlefield, together with the enormous stresses on, and possible reactions that should be anticipated from Russia's supreme leader. Sobering insights and must-listen material for all fans of Center Left Radio. With Dr. Charles Webel, Dr. Richard Corelli and John Cugini.
CLR Show 1764. Air Date September 20, 2022. Assuming the obvious––that Donald will be indicted, tried and convicted for the crimes he has committed––why must we hold ourselves captive to the mob-inspired notion that America will be 'punished' if justice is done? This has been Donald's thesis from the beginning and it is at odds with everything American. The more important question is: what punishment fits his crimes? And how can we relegate him to insignificance––if not obscurity––in the most expeditious way possible?
CLR Show 1764. Air Date September 20, 2022. Assuming the obvious––that Donald will be indicted, tried and convicted for the crimes he has committed––why must we hold ourselves captive to the mob-inspired notion that America will be 'punished' if justice is done? This has been Donald's thesis from the beginning and it is at odds with everything American. The more important question is: what punishment fits his crimes? And how can we relegate him to insignificance––if not obscurity––in the most expeditious way possible?
CLR Show 1763. Air Date September 16, 2022. Donald has reached the unvarnished threat stage, declaring yesterday that, if indicted, his 'people would never stand for it' and that 'you'll experience problems like this country has never seen before.' That would, hopefully, be pure hyperbole on his part. Still, 1/6 actually happened, and was a reaction to a similar Trump call to arms. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1763. Air Date September 16, 2022. Donald has reached the unvarnished threat stage, declaring yesterday that, if indicted, his 'people would never stand for it' and that 'you'll experience problems like this country has never seen before.' That would, hopefully, be pure hyperbole on his part. Still, 1/6 actually happened, and was a reaction to a similar Trump call to arms. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1762. Air Date August 9, 2022. As we contemplate the dignity and grace of the late Queen Elizabeth, is it too soon––or simply too much––to consider a possible re-dignifying of America? After the indictment, trial, conviction and sentencing of Donald, might President Biden offer a commutation of his sentence alone (based on a number of fiscal, physical and political restrictions) on the condition that Donald freely and openly admit to his crimes? Yes, the latter is highly unlikely. But might such an offer set an appropriate, dignified precedent for future American presidents?
CLR Show 1762. Air Date August 9, 2022. As we contemplate the dignity and grace of the late Queen Elizabeth, is it too soon––or simply too much––to consider a possible re-dignifying of America? After the indictment, trial, conviction and sentencing of Donald, might President Biden offer a commutation of his sentence alone (based on a number of fiscal, physical and political restrictions) on the condition that Donald freely and openly admit to his crimes? Yes, the latter is highly unlikely. But might such an offer set an appropriate, dignified precedent for future American presidents?
CLR Show 1761. Air Date September 6, 2022. Judge Aileen Cannon has just granted Donald a Special Master to review the status of classified and personal documents seized as part of the FBI's Mar-A-Lago search. This defies all judicial precedent and reinforces the notion that Donald is above the law, that the criminal justice system is for sale and and that the Department of Justice can still be thwarted by a twice impeached, disgraced ex-President. It also guarantees Donald's eventual indictment.
CLR Show 1761. Air Date September 6, 2022. Judge Aileen Cannon has just granted Donald a Special Master to review the status of classified and personal documents seized as part of the FBI's Mar-A-Lago search. This defies all judicial precedent and reinforces the notion that Donald is above the law, that the criminal justice system is for sale and and that the Department of Justice can still be thwarted by a twice impeached, disgraced ex-President. It also guarantees Donald's eventual indictment.
CLR Show 1760. Air Date September 2, 2022. The democrats and Joe Biden have finally settled on a communications strategy that leaves Trump and MAGA Republicans no choice but to perform exactly as advertised––by Biden and the democrats. Republicans have been appropriately branded as anti-everything, beginning with the Constitution and anything that would improve the lives of ordinary Americans. And things will only get worse for MAGA sorts (and the rest of us?) as Trump's indictment and conviction loom.
CLR Show 1760. Air Date September 2, 2022. The democrats and Joe Biden have finally settled on a communications strategy that leaves Trump and MAGA Republicans no choice but to perform exactly as advertised––by Biden and the democrats. Republicans have been appropriately branded as anti-everything, beginning with the Constitution and anything that would improve the lives of ordinary Americans. And things will only get worse for MAGA sorts (and the rest of us?) as Trump's indictment and conviction loom.
CLR Show 1759. Air Date August 30, 2022. The disgraced, twice-impeached, former president has raised the rhetorical ante to unprecedented levels. Eschewing any reference to his legal rights or status, he has demanded immediate reinstatement as president or, in the alternative, the immediate invalidation of the 2020 election. Why? Because he wasn't afforded an unfair advantage by the FBI publicly announcing an investigation of the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop. Like they did with Hillary Clinton's. This is tantamount to an admission of legal defeat on Donald's part. How will his radicalized base and feckless republican politicians respond?
CLR Show 1759. Air Date August 30, 2022. The disgraced, twice-impeached, former president has raised the rhetorical ante to unprecedented levels. Eschewing any reference to his legal rights or status, he has demanded immediate reinstatement as president or, in the alternative, the immediate invalidation of the 2020 election. Why? Because he wasn't afforded an unfair advantage by the FBI publicly announcing an investigation of the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop. Like they did with Hillary Clinton's. This is tantamount to an admission of legal defeat on Donald's part. How will his radicalized base and feckless republican politicians respond?
CLR Show 1758. Air Date August 26, 2022. Donald in Mar-a-Lago operates with none of the constraints or protections that might have buffered him during his occupancy of the White House. In an effort to remain all-powerful and supremely relevant he has done things with classified materials that would have landed anyone else in jail long ago. He legal team is a joke. All that's left is his mouth, his grievances and those who feed off of them. This will all end. The question remains: how? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1757. Air Date August 23, 2022. As Donald and his enablers run out of explanations for his retention of classified documentation and a viable legal defense fails to materialize, he will resort to his perpetual playbook and go for a big, spotlight-capturing announcement. The only one big enough will be a declaration for the presidency. And that will accelerate the downward spiral of the republican party and the likelihood of increased domestic turmoil, immeasurably.
CLR Show 1756. Air Date August 19, 2022. Trump may have given his followers a culture of perpetual grievance. Followed by a list of potential targets to unleash their frustrations on. But it is the feckless former republican party that is now endorsing and validating the worst proclivities of both Trump and his followers. Out of fear for their jobs. Unwilling to recognize that if they continue to provoke and unleash the mobs, there may not be a recognizable government to have jobs in. The risk is real. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1755. Air Date August 16, 2022. It's no longer a question of whether a Trump indictment is in the offing. The only issue is when. Donald's inevitable reaction/strategy will be to incite his base in the most garish and excessive way possible, then eschew any unsavory results. The unknown for all America is, how will we weather the inevitable trial(s) and conviction(s)? If history is any indicator, there will be difficult times ahead. But we'll come through stronger in the end.
CLR Show 1754. Air Date August 12, 2022. Merritt Garland's Motion to a Florida Federal Court to unseal both the Warrant and Inventory associated with the recent raid on Mar-a-Lago has left Donald in the unusual position of having to catch up with the narrative. 'Show them everything, they just lie about me anyway' is his fallback position. But why didn't he point out the lies in the documentation five days earlier, or any time during? Only the most rabid Trumpians can embrace this level of obvious calumny––and, unfortunately, they will. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1753. Air date August 9, 2022. With the raid on Mar-a-Lago the FBI and Merritt Garland have engaged Donald with a force and at a level of exposure that he has never experience. Invariably, indictments and trials for his numerous criminal offenses will follow. Republican leaders fully understand the danger of a sustained embrace of Trump and his grievance machine going forward. If they do not jettison him in the next three months, the country faces an all but unprecedented round of civil unrest and probable violence.
CLR Show 1752. Air Date August 5, 2022. The wanton destruction of records to hide the activities of numerous government players on January 6th is only matched by the irrational belief that it could all be kept secret or, at least, that no one would really care. The rot from the top that permitted this pervasive mindset becomes clearer by the day. Two years of Alex Jones text messages irresponsibly made public by his incompetent attorneys will undoubtedly enrich our body of knowledge on all fronts. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1751. Air Date August 2, 2022. Those imagining that America is nothing more than two opposing domestic camps would be wise to recognize the power and international scope of the country that took down Ayman Al-Zawahiri yesterday. The Trumpians who seek to emasculate our Federal System of government would also destroy our capacity to 'do the right thing' in the world. Recognizing the true scope of America is critical to appreciating the importance of defeating the Trumpian threat to us all.
CLR Show 1750. Air Date July 29, 2022. Six months ago, the common wisdom was that Trump would 'absolutely' run in 2024 and the republicans would 'absolutely' take back the House in 2022. Things are no longer so absolute. And it is more critical than ever that Americans (re)turn to sources of fact-based, thoughtful reporting. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1749. Air Date July 22, 2022. While the January 6th Committee hearings have been as devastating to the Trump position as ever, the Steve Bannon trial may be a predictor of things to come. When the prosecution rested its case for Bannon's defiance of a Congressional subpoena after less than two days, Bannon's side announced it would offer no defense and call no witnesses. A declaration of martyrdom? A misguided effort to rope-a-dope the prosecution and gain jury sympathy? Or, perhaps, a prediction of things to come at a future Trump trial. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1748. Air Date July 19, 2022. America is rapidly approaching the end game of a bizarre political experiment. We will soon find out if we are capable of destroying our constitutional democracy for failure of federal legislative initiative and the total abrogation of defined responsibilities on the part of our Supreme Court. Our one hope is to take the bold and unprecedented action demanded of us by our laws, to demonstrate the inherent and still resilient crisis response capability of the system––we must indict and convict criminal Donald.
CLR Show 1747. Air Date July 12, 2022. Even with an approval rating of 32%, Joe Biden still beats Donald Trump in a head-to-head 2024 match-up, and Kamla Harris beats Ron DeSantis. Steve Bannon is about to be tried and convicted for ignoring a congressional subpoena and the January 6th Committee continues to forge the strongest possible links between Donald and the insurrection. Make no assumptions about the 2022 midterm elections or the complete and inexorable division of the country. An indictment of Trump is in the offing. And it will change everything.
CLR Show 1746. Air Date July 8, 2022. The 'Donald Show' has bilked more small donors out of more money than possibly any other scam in recent American history. It has no policy aims. It has no ethical underpinnings. Its stated aims are often at direct odds with the needs of the people who support it. It is simply a power grab by an overlord who maintains his power by offering constant reminders and examples of his power and his capacity to operate with impunity. In short, it is a manufactured fantasy that will only end when Donald is indicted. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1745. Air Date July 1, 2022. The appearance of Cassidy Hutchinson before the 1/6 Select Committee appears to have raised the bar––if only slightly––for republican deniers. More commentators and committee members are challenging republicans to appear under oath, as Ms. Hutchinson and other republican operatives have, to present their side of the story. But we still confront a republican/trumpian party that lives in constant fear of its perpetual minority status and appears willing to take any measures to secure power, even at the price of eviscerating the Constitution. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1744. Air Date June 28, 2022. The recent actions of the Supreme Court and various state legislatures seem to be an exercise in hurting as many people as humanly possible. Why? The answer is as simple as it is profoundly challenging. If we cannot recognize that which binds us in the most fundamental way––our shared Universal Energy––we will seek mechanisms that unite segments of us in our shared fears, and marginalize those outside our 'fear circles' in an effort to make our fear more social and tolerable, even if we recognize it is harming us and others.
CLR Show 1743. Air Date June 24, 2022. The January 6th Committee is finally allowing us to view the nefarious acts of Trump and his minions in context, within the confines of a comprehensible narrative. The impact is powerful and the results remain to be determined. One thing is certain: Trump and his minions can no longer hide behind a curtain of lies, bluster and misdirection. The truth is taking on a life of its own. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1742. Air Date June 21, 2022. The recent Texas republican party convention has made the point in the starkest of terms. In a fit of fearful irrationality, republicans have decided they would rather destroy the constitution and the country than consider positions that would bolster their support among independent Americans. It is the ultimate statement of nihilistic impotence and demands a statement of constitutionally supported power from democrats in the form of the indictment and conviction of Donald Trump.
CLR Show 1741. Air Date June 17, 2022. The 1/6 Select Committee is doing a skillful job of spelling out the criminal intent and activities of Donald Trump and others––the same Donald Trump who has frequently claimed he could shoot people in the middle of Fifth Avenue and get away with it. But the failure of the Justice Department to indict under these circumstances will cause irreparable damage to the nation and, in the words of Judge Luttig, only encourage Trump and his ilk to do worse. With Friday CLR Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1740. Air Date June 10, 2022. With the beginning of the televised 1/6 Committee Hearings, the ultimate criminal case against Donald Trump is about to be laid out in exquisite detail. If that case does not lead to the Justice Department indicting Trump before the 2022 mid-term elections, it will be more than a lost opportunity. It will be a statement of the impotence of our justice system, a chance for political appointees in multiple states to summarily revise election outcomes in favor of republican candidates, a massive gut punch to all who have attempted to play by long-established rules and norms, and a clarion call to the domestic enemies of this country to initiate the final disabling of our constitutional system. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1739. Air Date June 7, 2022. We operate under the assumption that the far right has no respect for law, norms or the electoral process. And that the congress is incapable of enforcing adherence to those norms. But what would happen if democrats took the same constitutionally nihilist approach? What if no branch of government had a stake in protecting or sustaining whatever parody of itself American democracy has evolved into? Enter the unthinkable: The world's most powerful military.
CLR Show 1738. Air Date June 3, 2022. When fear is sufficiently strong––in an individual, community or a nation––it will eventually overflow whatever boundaries may be in place to keep it in check. If America's chronic fears, expressed in its primitive obsession with guns and religious hegemony, begin to negate the functionality of its courts, legislatures and chief executives, why would we expect the world's strongest military, with its orientation toward order and enforced structure, to remain on the political sidelines out of respect for traditions that are no longer respected by any other segments of society? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1737. Air date May 31, 2022. Just as 'we are what we eat', we feel what we repeat. While ritual is typically thought of in religious terms, we use any number of rituals to define the world around us and within us and to generate hope... or despair... about our shared future. We must envision our current political and social pugilistic state as a transition point from which we have the option to move forward and upward––or , by collective force of will, descend into chaos. The choice of defining ritual and result is ours.
CLR Show 1736. Air Date May 27, 2022. It's a simple equation. Democrats show up in sufficient numbers to hold the house and senate and the country has a chance of overcoming the self-destruction of the Supreme Court and the near extinction of the Congress as an effective branch of government. Leave it in the hands of republicans, a party controlled by a small group of zealots with a 12th century view of the world and no knowledge of, or interest in world history... and we will most likely repeat that history. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1735. Air Date May 24, 2022. It's easy. To destroy our democracy, democrats must lose hope and hand over the house and senate to republicans in November. This will trigger an automatic Trump presidential run, and result in a legal Trump loss in 2024. This, in turn, will trigger vote override laws and appointees in various republican states to declare victories where they have suffered losses and throw the election to Trump. The ultimate ruling of the Supreme Court, if it should actually choose to support democracy, will not be recognized by a large part of the country. The only way to stop it all, or at least slow the process? Democrats must turn out and vote in record breaking numbers this November.
CLR Show 1734. Air Date May 20, 2022. The unusual show of unity between Democrats and Republicans in supporting a $40 Billion Ukrainian aid package could be interpreted as a first move on the part of Republican leadership toward the purging of Trump and the weaning of the radicalized republican base from his emotional grip. But the republicans will have to play the remaining cards in their hand very skillfully to pull it off. And the odds are still against them. But that's why they play the games.
CLR Show 1733. Air Date May 17, 2022. It's difficult to preserve a functional democracy when half of its political structure is mired in a fatalistic belief in its own demise and openly facilitating anti-democratic processes in a desperate effort to preserve a soon-to-be-non-existent 'white hegemony'. The result can only be default to the control of the military-industrial forces powering the country, and whatever it/they deem to be acceptable levels of freedom for the populace ...unless we figure it all out before it's too late.
CLR Show 1732. Air Date May 13, 2022. Of all the constitutional crises facing America at this time, perhaps the most consequential will involve a denial of full faith and credit to the punitive state laws directed at women crossing state lines for legal abortions. 'Pro-Choice' states will refuse to turn these women and their providers over to 'Right to Life' states––whose legislatures, in turn, will choose to 'confederate' in the ultimate pander to the red-meat base. Counter-accusations of constitution busting will lead to a self-trivialized Supreme Court decision that will be largely ignored. Unless––and against all odds––republicans in position of authority immediately begin taking the constitutional survival of this nation seriously.
CLR Show 1731. Air Date May 6, 2022. At a time in our history when three sitting Supreme Court Justices openly lie to Congress about their intent to overturn Roe v. Wade, it would be foolish to imagine that a wholesale restructuring of American liberties to reflect the ideological and theological aims of a radical minority is not within the realm of possibility. The too silent majority must assert itself––now. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1730. Air Date May 3, 2022. On a day that Trump's 3 Supreme Court nominees swore under oath would never come, the Court––per a leaked draft of it's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson––appears prepared to destroy it's underpinnings, it's reputation and any hope of future credibility as 'the Court of last resort' by overturning Roe v. Wade. Which is to say, the Supreme Court of the United States is about to officially put an end to functional American democracy. Unless, of course, it changes it's mind before 'publishing' the leaked opinion. Or is it already too late?
CLR Show 1729. Air Date April 26, 2022. An unusually comprehensive discussion of the likely and not so likely outcomes of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Featuring Noble Hearts Forum Panelists, Dr. Charles Webel, John Cugini and Prof. Stephen Bronner. Be prepared to consider critically important factors rarely identified, much less examined, by media of all political stripes.
CLR Show 1728. Air Date April 22, 2022. The perceived invulnerability of Donald and the tacit permission slip he offers to pandering republican legislators to do whatever the base will grin about, with no thought to real world consequences, will all come to a crashing end when the former president is indicted for the highest of crimes against the United States. The worst of the potential consequences to the country can be avoided by republicans if they would only act in their own self-interest––now. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1727. Air Date April 19, 2022. Success, from a political perspective, is increasingly defined by social media response. Moreover, positive social media response is clearly not dictated by logistical or tactical execution of stated positions, on any side. Operating in this way, we are rapidly surrendering critical knowledge of what a liberal democracy is and how it should operate, much less focusing as a nation on the logistical processes critical to the practical preservation of our democracy. And we're running out of time.
CLR Show 1726. Air Date April 15, 2022. Organized Religion has the ability to promote a common moral code, to do charitable works and to promote affiliation beyond denominational borders to an extent and with a force that as no other organizations can exert. And yet they refuse to promote cross-border affiliation in any meaningful or effective way. If we sank into an apocalyptic state, that affiliation would be the only way out of it. So why not promote nonsectarian affiliation now? With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1725. Air Date April 22, 2022. There is a perfect connection of sorts that must and will be established between the work of our intelligence agencies in producing amazingly accurate Russian war plans weeks in advance of their execution, and the activities of those same intelligence services in producing damning information about January 6th insurrectionists. This is the information that will ultimately convict sitting members of Congress and the disgraced former president himself, and it must be shown to be the highly credible product of those same intelligence professionals, not the repurposed content of 1/6 Congressional Committee files.
CLR Show 1724. Air Date April 8, 2022. We've gotten to the point where even members of the Liberal community are decrying the Non-Violent Resistance Academic Community for not being relevant or effective in the current Russo-Ukrainian situation. It's so easy to forget that all effective non-violent resistance programs must be generated from within movements––a la Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr.–– and that the N/V Academic Community is our necessary window on how these things work and why they should be pursued. We are all too ready to lay blame where it doesn't truly belong. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1723. Air Date April 5, 2022. Is the very thought of non-violent resistance within the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine a rational or reasonable one? Is there a point at which non-violent resistance becomes irrelevant or even counter-productive? Or is the exercise of non-violent resistance an absolute virtue, demanding exploration and implementation despite the extreme nature of the circumstances? These are difficult questions at best, and all the more so when explored in the context of an ongoing conflict.
CLR Show 1722. Air Date April 1, 2022. It falls to AG Merritt Garland to initiate the first criminal prosecution of a former American president. The thought must be daunting and the list of possible unsavory consequences frightening. But to ignore his moral, ethical and legal obligation; even to degrade the gravity and significance of this prosecution by pushing it further into the future, is to debase the constitutional foundations of this country and any hope of both reversing our functional malaise and recapturing our moral standing in the world. Consider the plight of the ancient warrior, Arjun, in the epic tale, 'The Bhagavad Gita'. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1721. Air Date March 29, 2022. We can persist in surrounding ourselves with the half-realities of social media, 'sorta-fying' reality and making it less disturbing and far less significant than how many hits, friends and donations some biased story about reality may generate. Or we can do the one thing that will force us to deal with the real world and its consequences––and put our democracy to a true test of its underlying strengths before the eyes of the world: indict and try Donald Trump. Now. Whatever the consequences might be.
CLR Show 1720. Air Date March 25, 2022. Putin's lies about the reasons and results of his criminal invasion of Ukraine and trumpian lies about SC Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson unfortunately have much in common. Both sets of lies are rooted in the deep-seated fears of the liars and both pander to popular imaginings about fictional periods in the nation's history that were––supposedly––better than the imperfect present. It is the job of a free press and rational commentators to point this out, together with the dangers inherent in pursuing national policy based on lies. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1719. Air Date March 22, 2022. Social Media and Media generally are largely promoting a fear-based perception of the world around us, discouraging any deeper comprehension of the challenging issues that face us and the development of the thoughtful, comprehensive solutions needed to deal with them. Historically, this lack of comprehension has proven far more dangerous than the problems that confront us. Our true leaders must help us recognize this as they help us to overcome our collective fear of knowing.
CLR Show 1718. Air Date March 18, 2022. At some point, wall-to-wall coverage of the American/international unity and moral indignation occasioned by Mr. Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine will invariably give way to the more mundane elements of the American mid-term elections. Will we once again replace our visions of real war with manufactured culture war issues pandering to the worst of what we are? And can we do this without recognizing the damage we're inflicting on ourselves? With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1717. Air Date March 11, 2022. The second in an ongoing series of Noble Hearts Forums exploring the hard facts, immediate implications and potential evolution of the Ukrainian crisis, with a focus on both international and domestic issues. Panelist include Dr. Charles Webel, Dr. Bill Mulligan, John Cugini and Bill Arnone. Dr. Webel's insights into the mindset of Vladimir Putin––based on his personal contacts with the Russian autocrat––are especially revealing. Must listening.
CLR Show 1716. Air Date March 4, 2022. For as disturbing and irrational as Mr. Putin's invasion of Ukraine is, it has served to galvanize virtually the entire planet against him and is leading to an unforeseen range of anti-Russian reactions in all spheres of government, finance, technology and even the arts. The end point of all this is presently unknowable, and rightfully disturbing. At the same time, the callous buffoonish-ness of trumpian politics and politicians are being drawn into sharp relief, especially when viewed against the harsh realities of war and death. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1715. Air Date February 25, 2022. The notion that we can put morals and ethics aside and neutrally observe Putin's fear and paranoia unleashed on an independent nation is folly in the extreme and a total denial of history. To deny our own fears about his actions is an even greater folly. Putin's desperate efforts to reconstruct a false past are part of a growing rejection of hope for lack of a capacity to confront and suppress our greatest fears. And there is no neutral corner from which any American can safely observe the process. We must embrace hope and positive change. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1714. Air Date February 21, 2022. The fifth in our continuing series of Noble Hearts Forums examines the (mis)perceptions, challenges and opportunities defining current Sino-American relations, with an emphasis on the numerous political, military, economic, sociological and other layers of what often seems to be a schizophrenic relationship. Panelists include Dr. Vincent Mosco, Dr. Charles Webel, Dr. Bill Mulligan and Chinese national/Czech-based PhD candidate Su Luo. Must listening.
CLR Show 1713. Air date February 18, 2022. During her endorsement of NY Governor Kathy Hokul's run for a full term, Hillary Clinton gave the most impassioned 30-second elevator statement of the differences between democrats and republicans of her entire career. It sounded like nothing so much as a fact-based version of what republicans have been doing to democrats for the past 20 years. We need a lot more of the democratic version. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1712. Air Date February 15, 2022. In the midst of perpetual internal political strife, Joe Biden is pulling off a major foreign relations coup. He has stayed one move ahead of Vladimir Putin's Ukrainian saber rattling, united and reinvigorated an assumed irrelevant NATO and projected American power and resolve in an unmistakably positive way, all without firing a shot. People of good conscious will rightfully find no lack of fault in America's historic misapplication of its military strength. This, we would argue, is American projection of power at its best––and most necessary.
CLR Show 1711. Air Date February 11, 2022. The quantity and severity of far right political vitriol appears to be increasing. There's little concern for the veracity or even the plausibility of conspiracy theories and outright lies because the base remains primed to swallow it whole to feed their grievance cravings. As a party with little or no moral or ethical standing, and with little left to lose, the republicans are devolving into an internal enemy of democracy. So, what will it take to change things? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1710. Air Date February 7, 2022. An in-depth discussion of the background, (mis)perceptions, justifications, alternative responses and ethical concerns surrounding Russia's current posturing toward Ukraine and America's response to it. Prepare to have your pre-conceptions challenged by a panel of seasoned experts including Regians Dr. Charles Webel, Dr. Tom Gallagher, Dr. Gerry Moran, Dr. Bill Mulligan, and Guest Panelist Dr. Ivan Sebalo. Must listening for anyone who values facts over propoganda.
CLR Show 1709. Air Date, February 4, 2022. The republicans are unable to disavow Donald and all the negative baggage he brings to the 2022 election, and any other. His continued presence insures that more traditional messaging strategies will be subordinated to his ever-changing whims, grievances and and destructive tendencies. And if he has not been jettisoned before the first indictment comes down, the base will accuse the party of abandoning him. Meaning: The results of the 2022 Mid-Terms are by no means a foregone conclusion.
CLR Show 1708. Air Date February 1, 2022. The only thing worse than a non-indictment of Trump and his cronies for conspiracy to overturn an election would be a delayed indictment––anything more than 60 days from now––leading to republican false equivalency accusations of democratic election tampering. Fairness and Constitutional preservation demand we indict and try Donald. But what will the effect of that first, major, unprecedented act be; the criminal indictment of a former president? It's time we all begin to consider it seriously.
CLR Show 1707. Air Date January 28, 2022. The Build Back Better and Voting Rights failures appear to have been factored into democratic politics, at least for the moment. A new Supreme Court nominee will offer some solace. But things largely remain in a state of flux. Yet the Trumpians have redoubled their efforts to invent and perpetuate every kind of conspiracy theory, culture war issue and out right lie. What do they see coming? With CLR Friday Co-Host–-David Bach.
CLR Show 1706. Air date January 21, 2022. A thoughtful, broadranging and fiercely objective examination of the current iteration of America and its capacity to move forward in pursuit of a more perfect union. With John Cugini, Dr. Bill Mulligan and Dr. Charles Webel. Must listening for Americans of all political stripes.
CLR Show 1705. Air Date January 18, 2022. Most republicans appear to be operating under the delusion that the facade that is Trump is as perpetual as it is real. It is neither, at least in an politically meaningful form. The odds increase on a daily basis that Donald will be indicted by either NYS or by some Federal District, possibly by both. The immediate and longer terms consequences of such an indictment will be profound for Donald and his public life, and hugely challenging for the country, republicans and democrats alike. Republicans: Why not just jettison him now?
CLR Show 1704. Air Date January 14, 2022. With the indictment of the Oath Keepers on charges of Seditious Conspiracy, the path is now clear for the indictment of Donald and his cronies. So now the question: Does the Justice Department shy away to avoid an unsavory precedent and process, or does it do the right thing and maintain at least the possibility that our Constitutional Democracy has a future in its current form––all the while knowing that the republicans have self-disqualified themselves from, and are incapable of running the Congress?
CLR Show 1703. Air Date January 11, 2022. At long last, Mr. Biden is laser focusing on the fascistic autocracy that would likely replace American democracy if current republican restrictive voting laws are permitted to stand and Donald Trump is the republican 2024 nominee. But has Biden's delay in fully confronting our fundamental voting problem undercut its importance for Americans? How would our lives change if Donald Trump were re-elected, by fair or foul means?
CLR Show 1702. Air Date January 7, 2022. We are past the point of reasoning with republican politicians and their base. They are owned by a combination of conspiracy theories, fueled by countless grievances, fear of losing and, for far too many, an engrained combination of ignorance and need. This has been the foundation for fascism in the past and may well herald some form of it in a formerly-democratic America. But we must plan for a hope-based future, and all the more vigorously confront the lies and fears being exploited by the disgraced republican party for its own selfish purposes... if America is to rise again.
CLR Show 1701. Air Date January 4, 2022. Under the best of circumstances, the election of 2024 will be a national nightmare and, possibly, represent the swan song of the current American experiment. As we consider building back, will we look to the same failed institutions, governmental and otherwise, that facilitated our national trumpian nightmare? Or will we consider a realistic planetary future rooted in hope, a recognition of our shared energetic nature and the one rule that must govern all?
CLR Show 1619. Air Date December 28, 2021. If we're going to re-establish America as the gold standard for democracies, both in our own eyes and those of the world, we need to do two big things and a string of small things. The big things include passing some variation of the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill and bringing the high level perpetrators of the 1/6 insurrection, including Donald himself, to swift and complete justice. The many small things include opening lines of one-on-one communication with the trumpians we have written off. None of this will be easy. But it's critically necessary.
CLR Show 1618. Air Date December 17, 2021. Accusing the the Republican/trumpians of supporting the Insurrection and its Lead Insurrectionist, then attempting to negotiate with them in the interest of bipartisanship is an untenable and altogether contradictory position. Democrats of all stripes are getting tired of watching Mr. Biden try to play the conciliation card. It's time to treat republicans like the sworn enemies of democracy they are, and begin playing far harder hard ball with them and the likes of Manchin and Sinima. Invite them to step up or leave the party––with all the unpleasant consequences. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1617. Air Date December 10, 2021. Perhaps a third of our citizens lack functional ethical roots and a basic comprehension of our constitutional system, simply because they were never taught. As a consequence, they are prepared to swallow whole the eternal opening salvo of all political demagogues: acting on your cultural grievance outweighs the need to understand their source. This must change if we are to survive as a nation and species. And it can be done. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1616. Air Date December 3, 2021. Indications from oral arguments would lead many to think the Court is about to eviscerate Roe V. Wade. But can it do so without eviscerating its own rules of conduct and forever brand itself as just another mechanism for the perpetuation of the trumpian cultural wars? With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1615. Air Date November 19, 2021. It's no secret to Republican politicians that Trump was and and will always be a general election loser. Their dangerous strategy seems to be to embrace him for the 2022 midterm but set him lose before the 2024 general. The question is: Will the grievance-saturated Trumpian base go along with it? With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1614. Air Date November 12, 2021. Lacking shared ideas and any willingness to recognize what is good for the common good, both sides of the political spectrum have settled into volleying statements of shock back and forth, and accumulating their emotionally corrosive effects, with little incentive or capacity––on the part of Republicans––to rise above the muck. Cooler democratic heads with better ideas––and major achievements to tout––must prevail. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1613. Air Date November 9, 2021. An interview with Interviewer-Entertainer-Impresario-MC-Host––and so much more––Richard Skipper; Celebrator-In Chief of all who contribute to the performing arts in the New York area, and well beyond. Always informative, entertaining and utterly genuine, Richard talks about his life, his passions, and why he celebrates 'Bodies of Worth'.
CLR Show 1612. The message of the recent election is simple for democrats: You've got a winning hand and you've got the support of the American people for the legislation you're supposed to pass. Now, get your act together, play your hand, and look like the winners you're supposed to be... or be prepared to leave the table. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1611. Air Date October 29, 2021. With the Biden visit to the Vatican, we are once again allowed an accurate perspective on the true scope and strength of the American Presidency, the spiritual underpinnings of a Pope and a President who share a common faith, and the social significance for all Americans of the Build Back Better legislation that finally seems to be nearing realization. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1610. Air Date October 26, 2021. A fascinating conversation with Dr. Stephon Alexander of Brown University, author of 'Fear of a Black Universe: An Outsider's Guide to the Future of Physics.' A journey into the great mysteries of our universe, the amazing advances of the past century and the hope that comes with exploring the once unknowable––all from the uniquely personal perspective of a man of color working in a relatively colorless field.
CLR Show 1609. Air Date October 22, 2021. The dead hand of Donald could sink the republican party for a generation. But there's an easy way out for Mitch and Co.––suddenly discover the significance of the 1/6 Commission and allow it to present the ugly truth about the twice-impeached insurrectionist. Then move on. The problem is, you need a real leader to initiate the process. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1608. Air date October 19, 2021. Hard as it may be to believe at times, the democrats are single-handedly preserving our constitutional system by doing precisely what the Founding Fathers expected us to do––hash it out. The end result will be a Build Back Better bill/law that will stand as a hallmark of democracy and foreshadow the revitalization of the American political system.
CLR Show 1607. Air Date October 15, 2021. Is America on a path that could lead to a dystopia akin to the one posited by Margaret Atwood in 'The Handmaid's Tale'? The fact-free, intensified grievances of loyal trumpists would suggest we could be. A knowledge of our own history and a no less intense commitment to disseminating truth are our best defenses.
CLR Show 1606. Air Date October 12, 2021. The Buddhist concept of mindfulness––which includes choosing to exist in the real present––would seem at total odds with the forces of social media that continually urge us to extrapolate from de-contextualized factoids or outright mistruths. In the real present, there are opportunities to pass a more centrist version of the Biden agenda that will benefit Americans of all stripes, and not require a zero-sum defeat of all 'others'... or ourselves.
CLR Show 1605. Air Date October 8, 2021. The republicans' willingness to even consider weaponizing the full faith and credit of the country to score cheap political points is indicative of the path they have committed to and the damage they will invariably and inexorably do to the country unless they are continually called out and thwarted by all reasonable means. Theirs is not a political game, although they may lack the moral fiber to realize that it isn't. With CLR Friday Co-Host, Davids Bach.
CLR Show 1604. Air Date October 5, 2021. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have been hiding behind a public service patina for far too long. The company is in the business of intentionally pandering to, and making billions off of their users' expressed vulnerabilities. Facebook's liability––and future structure––must reflect their past behavior.
CLR Show 1603. Air Date October 1, 2021. James Carville's 'It's The Economy, Stupid' demands restatement for current democrats. In truth, we have everything going for us: full control of government and the overwhelming popularity of our programs. The problem is our poor messaging which allows the media to focus on the chronic ugliness of the legislating process rather than its laudable goals. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1602. Air Date September 28, 2021. Far from triggering the democratic equivalent of trumpian grievance, despair and fear, the tumultuous legislative process the democrats are currently going through––unilaterally––should reassure us that our system of government can and is still working as it should work, even under the most stressful of circumstances.
CLR Show 1601. Air Date September 24, 2021. With all the issues and moving parts in the current political arena, it ultimately boils down to a simple political thesis: the democrats want to do big things to help the country, and the republicans want to stop them because, well, just because. How should this be resolved? With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1600. Air Date September 21, 2021. Whether it's Trump or a Trump sycophant, the 2024 republican presidential candidate will be wedded to all trumpian irrationality and will invariably lose the presidency no matter how republicans think they've stacked the electoral deck. The result could be the dissolution of the country. Or... it can be anticipated and serve as a clarion call for national revitalization.
CLR Show 1599. Air Date September 17, 2021. Tulane student Arul Walther reminds us that there are similarities between present and past generations of college students... with some important differences. And Friday Co-Host, David Bach, reminds us it would take only one falsified national election to sink the entire American Experiment. We have no choice but to confront the nihilist trumpians who don't seem to notice or care.
CLR Show 1598. Air Date September 15, 2021. Too many Americans are adopting false fantasy notions about what America can become without threatening the very foundations of our country. In an unprecedented show of fear and cowardice, republican leaders are encouraging them. Democrats must push back wth meaningful Voting Rights and Infrastructure legislation.
CLR Show 1597. Air Date September 13, 2021. The 20th anniversary of 9/11 offers more than a moment for reflection on a painful event. It forces us to consider the unintended consequences of an unquestioned policy that gives absolute authority to the Commander in Chief to project American military power in wholly capricious ways, without congressional consultation or moral considerations. Trump and tribalism are the direct consequences.
CLR Show 1596. Air Date September 10, 2021. Republican 'leaders' show no concern for how their lies will ultimately harm their constituents. All that matters is the immediate rush from a taste of irrational red meat. Joe Biden is having none of it. His latest vaccination mandate for federal workers is proof of his commitment to scientific reality and the good of the entire country. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1595. Air Date September 8, 2021. In a change of roles, yours truly is interviewed by Dr. Esther Dyer, a long-time friend and associate. The results are surprisingly informative and, on a personal note, more than a little liberating.
CLR Show 1594. Air Date September 3, 2021. The Supreme Court's tacit defense of a Texas law allowing vigilante prosecution of women seeking abortions signals the beginning of the end of civil discourse in this country and any surviving respect for the rule of law. Joe Biden must appoint 2 or 4 more Supreme Court Justices immediately. The man who got us out of Afghanistan is capable of such forceful action. With CLR Friday Co-Host––David Bach.
CLR Show 1593. Air Date September 1, 2021. As always, Donald Trump cut a personally/political expedient deal with the Taliban with little apparent concern for its ultimate consequences, except that it might get him reelected. It didn't. And it has fallen to a far greater man and true leader, Joe Biden, to work through the ugly details and accept ultimate responsibility for his actions.
CLR Show 1592. Air Date August 27, 2021. An in depth and wide ranging discussion of America's protracted involvement in Afghanistan, going well beyond the media tick-tock of current troop and civilian withdrawals. Featuring Regis High School classmates Dr. Bill Mulligan, John Cugini, Dr. Charles Webel and Tom Gallagher. Must listening.
CLR Show 1591. Air Date August 25, 2021. The republicans' first efforts to take on 'vulnerable' centrist democrats in Congress by way of political advertising would seem to suggest they have very little to run with or on. An add running in 50 key districts attempts to saddle incumbent democrats with responsibility for slight upticks in the cost of back-to-school supplies. That's their best shot? Really?
CLR Show 1590. Air Date August 23, 2021. The power outages associated with Tropical Storm Henri are directly tied to our primitive infrastructure and 19th century reliance on wires tacked to poles to get power. But it's only when we understand the granular processes associated with making infrastructure changes that we can generate the popular understanding and support for the difficult decisions that must be made to make meaningful change a reality.
CLR Show 1589. Air Date August 20, 2021. Our reflexive willingness to declare Afghanistan a 'worst case scenario', devoid of all historical context, is further evidence of our national PTSD and a tendency to default to fear and hopelessness. We can cure ourselves - and neutralize the most politically sociopathic among us - only with massive doses of truth. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1588. Air Date August 18, 2021. The media frenzy on all sides about the 'failure' to plan for an orderly withdrawal of American military and civilians from Afghanistan is misplaced, and self-defeating for democrats. There is no such thing as an orderly withdrawal, only best and worst case messy scenarios. Biden must deal with a moderately bad case, but far from worst.
CLR Show 1587. Air Date August 16, 2021. No one––or not many people are arguing that the US military control of Kabul and a handful of provincial capitals was a sustainable one. But the speed with which the Taliban have taken back regional control and the unwillingness of Afghans to defend what we think of as a country has been breathtaking. It shouldn't be.
CLR Show 1586. Air Date August 11, 2021. The 'capitulation' of 19 republican senators into the 'yea' column for the basic senate infrastructure bill is further proof that President Joe Biden knows how to get things done. Human contact and basic respect are the keys to crippling the trumpian grievance juggernaut.
CLR Show 1585. Air Date August 6, 2021. It is dangerous and wrong to extrapolate conclusions from single events. Political media asks us to do that on a daily basis. However, it is far more dangerous to ignore burgeoning trends––like the growing republican belief that voting is a privilege and not a right. Such beliefs lay the groundwork for the dissolution of a democracy. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1584. Air Date August 4, 2021. Calls for the impeachment of Andy Cuomo by NY democrats should remind trumpian republicans that there is still a real, very American political world out there beyond the realm of wild fantasy, blind grievance and gut wrenching fear. Unless they succeed in destroying the country, they will have no choice but to re-join that world.
CLR Show 1583. Air Date August 2, 2021. The great trumpian lie––that freedom to live in a state of perpetual, selfish grievance is the most American of freedoms––is being disproved at breakneck speed, and largely by its most ardent supporters. Witness reactions to infrastructure and COVID-19.
CLR Show 1582. Air Date July 30, 2021. The untenability––and downright absurdity––of the far right's positions on masks, vaxing and the events of January 6 are becoming progressively more obvious. It takes very little imagination to forecast the irrelevancy of Donald Trump, very possibly before the midterms.
CLR Show 1581. Air Date July 28, 2021. The view from 50K feet shows the demise of Trump as kingmaker and the disillusionment of republican voters, boding poorly for their chances in the 2022 midterms. The reasons are evident and will become even more so as The House Select Committee on 1/6 hearings continue. Democrats must believe and act on their belief that America can evolve positively.
CLR Show 1580. Air Date July 26, 2021. We consider one view that holds January 6th marked the end of the Trump Era, and that all that has followed is little more than a collective tantrum by leaderless adolescents acting out their feelings of impotence, not the start of the 'real' insurrection.
CLR Show 1579. Air Date July 23, 2021. We know the republicans are lying. But our messaging must point out the intolerable specifics of those lies, and not encourage a passive 'Oh, well' acceptance of republican behavior––or the inevitability of mid-term 2022 democratic losses. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1578. Air Date July 21, 2021. The First Rule: 'You may not pass along the hurtful things that were passed on to you.' No sectarian requirements. If 15% of the world practiced it, war would become impossible, prisons would empty out and planetary unification would become inevitable.
CLR Show 1577. Air Date July 19, 2021. Part 3 of a 4-part series about the only rule we'll ever need to follow. Religious clergy across many denominations have the training and orientation to implement the positive effects of the rule, but are hampered by institutional boundaries and prerogatives. The rule can only work when institutional boundaries are substantially lowered.
CLR Show 1576. Air Date July 16, 2021. The second of three shows about the only rule humanity needs to follow, and its role in defeating the chronic hopelessness that threatens us as a species. Plus, CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1575. Air Date July, 14, 2021. Make no mistake. The Biden Administration will be defined, for better or worse, by its capacity to pass a meaningful John Lewis Voting Law. It's current behavior suggests democrats are ahead of the White House and Congress in demanding this legislation. Failure to produce it will result in severely diminished democratic commitment––not to mention the forfeiture of our constitutional democracy.
CLR Show 1574. Air Date July 12, 2021. Stepping away from pure politics for a bit: Why do we do what we do? Why do some choose to believe lies? What––and who––are we responsible for? What does it mean to be an 'energy being'? How are 'traits' passed along? What can and must we change? CLR begins a multi-part discussion of 'The First Rule'.
CLR Show 1573. Air Date July 9, 2021. Doom and gloom over our inability to beat the trumpians at their own grievance-saturated game should, instead, be a cause celebre for Progressives of every stripe. We have a vision of an evolving America, inexorably moving toward that more perfect union––plus the White House and the Congress. Trumpians have their fear and nothing more. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1572. Air Date July 7, 2021. The modern democratic party is weighted to the center––progressive protestations notwithstanding––and if the Biden Administration cannot deliver sweeping legislation on rational public safety and free and fair elections for all before the 2022 midterms, we will pay for it dearly at the polls.
CLR Show 1571. Air Date July 2, 2021. As the right embraces lies and ignorance with ever greater fervor and fever, rational voices must stay the course and resist the temptation to respond in kind. The nation as a whole is seeking clarity, consistency and constructive policies. In a word: Progressivism. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1570. Air date June 30, 2021. Our own fear of change and lack of hope encourages us to make today's headlines––especially the disheartening ones––the last word on events that may take months or years to unfold, e.g., Biden agenda items and Trump indictments. As always, we must suppress our fears and embrace evolution with love and hope.
CLR Show 1569. Air date June 28, 2021. There are early signs the wheels may be coming off the trump-mobile. Infighting, days of reckoning and the probable indictment of the Trump parent organization this week spell significant near-term changes for all things trumpian.
CLR Show 1568. Air Date June 25, 2021. At long last, Rudy Giuliani is receiving the first dose of his well-deserved medicine from the Disciplinary Committee of the NY Bar. But it's taken more than 18 months for this first step, with so many lies and conspiracy theories still filling the minds and airwaves of the trumpians. The perception that there will be appropriate consequences for inappropriate actions has far from taken hold. And it must. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1567. Air Date June 23, 2021. The embarrassing, unanimous vote of republican Senators to not even take up debate of HR1 is emblematic and predictive of all future democratic legislative efforts. McConnell is out to destroy, not compromise. Ridding ourselves of Reconciliation is the only viable route to preserving our democracy.
CLR 1566. Air Date June 18, 2021. Recent, unanticipated activity at the Supreme Court, Senatorial Committees, the creation of a new national holiday and –– wait for it –– glimmers of compromise on the part of Sen. Joe Manchin offer the promise of real progress on the passage of key components of the Progressive Agenda. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR 1565. Air Date June 16, 2021. It's not pleasant to think about, but our current state of internal conflict is a direct outgrowth of deep–seated White fear and insecurity stemming from our past oppression and current demonization of Blacks and other minorities.
CLR Show 1564. Air Date June 14, 2021. We step away from the business of politics––for just a moment––to share the joy and hopefulness of the creative process and its connection to the healing power of our shared Universal Energy.
CLR Show 1563. Air Date June 11, 2021. We can't simply 'get past' Trump and his illegalities. Out failure to prosecute and outlaw the worst of his affronts to our democratic institutions and processes will all but guarantee a worst, and more effective Trump-like president in the future. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1562. Air Date June 9, 2021. Vaccinating America is only the first of many things the Biden Administration must do –– or undo –– to reestablish America as a credible and stable leader and partner to our allies throughout the world. VP Harris's calling out Central American failures as a root cause of our southern border immigration problems is a novel and positive step.
CLR Show 1561. Air Date June 4, 2021. The complete irrationality of the grievance-based former republican party in matters of fact and tone make it increasingly apparent that bipartisanship in any traditional sense is virtually impossible. Democrats are essentially negotiating against themselves. And the Trumpian base is becoming an increasingly unstable force. President Biden must be so guided. With Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1560. Air Date June 2, 2021. Hard as it may be to imagine, republicans/trumpians in the house, senate and state legislatures have settled on the dismantling of democracy as their only short term path to political power, with the implicit and ill-founded hope that the system will somehow self-correct once Donald is off the stage. Democrats must do a full public investigation of 1/6 and force through uniform voting laws.
CLR Show 1559. Air Date May 28, 2021. Is trumpian irrationality and blatant obstructionism, coupled with a perceived lack of 'super-toughness' on the part of progressives, a reason to envision the worst? Are we incapable of ultimately seizing what is within our grasp? It all depends on your point of view. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1558. Air Date May 26, 2021. Continuing to embrace Donald is like eating a gallon of ice cream a day––just for the energy boost. The January 6th Commission will be formulated and, together with NY indictments coming down around Thanksgiving, will make Donald a progressively larger liability as the 2022 Midterm Elections draw nearer.
CLR Show 1557. Air Date May 24, 2021. As insane and easy a target as Marjorie Taylor Greene may be, Progressive Media has no right to mis-state or misinterpret her ramblings in order to make a Progressive political point on a given day. She did not make an anti-semitic remark on May 23rd. Suggesting she did––because it furthers a commentator's story line––does far more long-term harm to Progressives than it does to Trumpians.
CLR Show 1557. Air Date May 21, 2021. Trumpian leaders are consciously moving us toward the failsafe point of our Jeffersonian Democracy. It rests with them primarily to halt the process––and that can only be done through a vigorous repudiation of Donald and his lies. With CLR Friday Co-Host David Bach.
CLR Show 1556. May 19, 2021. There are more similarities than differences between the current state of America and nearly-at-war Germany. Our future rests with our ability to face and confront the threat that might have taken down our government on January 6th, no matter where the facts lead, or to risk finding ourselves on the wrong side of some future Nuremberg Trial, replete with its own 'Ernst Janning' condemnation.
CLR Show 1555. Air Date May 17, 2021. Both the trumpian congress and Bebe Natanyahu are playing the same dangerous game: using fear and anger for immediate political ends (The House in 2022 for the trumpians) and assuming things will calm down––or at least become more manageable––once their ends have been achieved. It is a dangerous and grossly irresponsible game, and places the lives of billions at risk.
CLR Show 1554. Air date May 13, 2021. A second revealing interview with Adam Weissman and Yousuke Kinome, Co-producers of 'Manji', a film examining the true history of the swastika––and why recognizing the truth is essential to overcoming the tribalism that threatens the foundations of our democracy.
Please support their post-production costs crowd sourcing efforts at www.seedandspark.com/fund/manji.
CLR Show 1553. Air Date May 12, 2021. Liz Cheney's 6-minute swan song before a republican-free House Chamber was the death-knell of the modern republican party and a formal indictment of trumpism. But she––and we––cannot, and will not, let our democracy die in a cesspool of fear and lies.
CLR Show 1552. Air Date May 10, 2021. As New York and the nation begin the long march toward normalcy, we need to recognize the things that must continue to change if we're to generate the hope and compassion needed for our survival as a species. Above all else, we must re-embrace our shared Universal Energy.
CLR Show 1551. Air Date May 7, 2021. In deference to their damaged demagogue, the Republicans have become willfully anti-strategic, even knowing the lessons of history and the probable consequences of their Constitution-defying words and deeds. We people of conscience must push back will all our strength.
CLR Show 1550. Air Date May 5, 2021. The great political irony of our time is that Republicans, facing the sweeping reforms and associated financial costs offered by Biden, could begin behaving like republicans and argue these proposals on their merits. But that might get in the way of their Donald-mandated grievance mongering.
CLR Show 1549. Air Date May 3, 2021. The political similarities between 1932 Germany and 2021 America are frightening. Even more frightening is the refusing of republicans to learn from history and their willingness to destroy the fundamentals of American democracy in an effort to appease an unstable, unappeasable demagogue.
CLR Show 1548. Air Date April 30, 2021. It would be nice to simply move on and forget Trump and trumpism ever happened. But that would be courting danger and a repetition of recent history. Markers must be laid down––starting, perhaps, with the indictment of Rudy Giuliani––and both current and future generations must be forewarned. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1547. Air Date April 28, 2021. We all share the same Universal Energy and have access to both its healing and creative powers. The trick is to learn the access codes, without and within.
CLR Show 1546. Air Date April 26, 2021. A CLR Special Presentation. Co-producer Adam Weissman and Director Yousuke Kinome explore historical perceptions, and the critical need for education and tolerance in their new film, MANJI, an eye-opening journey into the truth behind the swastika and its present-day role in the lives of more than 2 billion people.
CLR Show 1545. Air Date April 16, 2021. It was a political and cultural tipping point that propelled us out of Viet Nam. Are we still capable of reaching and appropriately responding to modern day tipping points in the areas of guns, racism and economic inequality? With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1544. Air Date April 14, 2021. Our Souls are composed of love and fear, and the practical implications and applications are all around us. And especially in how we structure and enable our police forces.
CLR Show 1543. Air Date April 12, 2021. Standard Mid-term wisdom says the republicans should gain seats in 2022. The thing is, they're doing nothing to earn them. And that may very well change the historical model.
CLR Show 1542. Air Date April 9, 2021. Republican leaders continue to encourage undifferentiated grievance within their base, while refusing to recognize the base's desire for the same tangible improvements being offered to democratic voters. The two opposing strategies are on a collision course. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1541. Air Date April 7, 2021. A simple message contained in a 1994 homily––that fear, not hate, was the opposite of love––set this commentator on a spiritual and creative pathway that he still walks.
CLR Show 1540. Air Date April 5, 2021. In the year 2075, in a work of fiction, even little children know the '3 Questions': What?; What if? and; What if we?'. They trigger the process of creating a better world based on an elevation of hope and love, and a suppression of fear. Can move the timetable up a bit?
CLR Show 1539. Air Date April 2, 2021. Thoughts about the meaning of the early spring religious feasts and the hope-filled progression of the American Experiment. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1538. Air Date March 31, 2021. The great lie that lead to the 1/6 insurrection is still widely accepted among trumpian supporters. This is exceedingly dangerous and and can only be rectified if and when republican leaders break ties with Donald and embrace the truth once again.
CLR Show 1537. Air Date March 29, 2021. CLR is proud to have been part of the final push to withdraw a NYS Senate Bill that would have confused the Swastika, a 7,000 year old symbol of peace and prosperity for 2 billion people, with the Hakenkreuz, the Nazi symbol of hatred and Jewish suppression. Facts too often eludes us in the era of trumpism.
CLR Show 1536. Air Date March 26, 2021. Democrats must find the balance between supporting the sweeping reforms proposed––and, in part, already acted upon––by President Biden, and goading the administration to avoid any semblance of resting on its laurels...ever. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1535. Air Date March 24, 2021. America's addiction to military grade weaponry makes no sense, except as a state-sanctioned, irrational expression of deep-seated grievance where mass shootings are all isolated from one another. We can't go on like this much longer.
CLR Show 1533. Air Date March 19, 2021. The days of the filibuster are rightfully numbered. Democrats must pass their long-overdue progressive agenda by simple majorities––then challenge republican voters to make the next congress take it all back. With CLR Friday Co-Host, David Bach.
CLR Show 1532. Air Date March 17, 2021. The hopeless are vulnerable to those who would amplify their hopelessness for their own ends. It's only when we suppress our fears that we can rediscover––and pass on–– the good that was passed on to us.
CLR Show 1531. Air Date March 15, 2021. What trumpians imagine to be a justifiable display of aggression is, in reality, a self-reflexive fear reaction that harms them even more than it harms the rest of us.
CLR Show 1530. Recorded March 18, 2021. A CLR Special Presentation. Chronic misperceptions about the swastika and its role as a symbol of peace and prosperity for nearly 2 billion people have lead to a misconceived NY legislative initiative. A long-overdue education and a very thoughtful solution are offered by Mr. Nikunj Trivedi and Dr. T.K. Nakagaki.