The Think Tank with Mike O'Neil: Recent Episodes
KTAR
Hosted by KTAR political analyst, Dr. Mike O'Neil, 'The Think Tank' aspires to bring together some of the state's most interesting, thoughtful and influential leaders to discuss the economic, political and social issues facing the state and the nation.
Arizona Highground political analyst, Paul Bentz, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss what he's seen as far as early 2024 polling, how abortion and education policy could sway voters, and more.
Find more from Dr. Mike O'Neil at https://mikeoneil.org/
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In the second part of Mike O'Neil's conversation with Arizona Highground political analyst, Paul Bentz, they discuss the arguments around early voting in Arizona, why water and mass transit have been gaining traction post-pandemic, and more.
Find more from Dr. Mike O'Neil at https://mikeoneil.org/
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Arizona Highground political analyst, Paul Bentz, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss what he's seen as far as early 2024 polling, how abortion and education policy could sway voters, and more.
Find more from Dr. Mike O'Neil at https://mikeoneil.org/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Steve Krafft, Phoenix lawyer and retired Fox10 journalist of more than three decades, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the latest developments in the race for the presidency in 2024, whether or not Donald Trump's upcoming court dates will sway voters, and more.
Find more from Dr. Mike O'Neil at https://mikeoneil.org/
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Herb Paine, writer and former KJZZ political commentator, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss censorship in universities, art as a means of censoring freedom of speech, and more.
Follow Herb's writing on Substack: https://substack.com/@herbpaine
Find more from Dr. Mike O'Neil at https://mikeoneil.org/
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In part two of two, Mike O'Neil continues his discussion with Erika Donalds and Beth Lewis on the debate around school voucher programs, getting schools ample resources, how the First Amendment plays into which schools get attention, and more.
Listen to Part 1 here: http://bitly.ws/S9NX
Find more from Dr. Mike O'Neil at https://mikeoneil.org/
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In part one of two, Mike O'Neil is joined by Erika Donalds, Florida education activist and OptimaEd CEO, and Beth Lewis, career teacher and executive director of Save Our Schools Arizona. Together, they explore what the movement behind school choice really entails, how parents should evaluate their kids' teachers, and more.
Find more from Dr. Mike O'Neil at https://mikeoneil.org/
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HighGround Inc. CEO, Chuck Coughlin, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss whether or not Kyrsten Sinema will be running for re-election, who from Arizona stands to make waves with voters if not her, and more.
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Arizona housing advocate, Stacey Champion, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the clearing of "The Zone" in Downtown Phoenix, the health risks that put homeless people at risk during our current heat wave, and more.
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Maricopa County Recorder, Stephen Richer, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss accusations and a lawsuit from former Arizona candidate for governor Kari Lake, as well as his own countersuit alleging libel from Lake, the risks to this family and more.
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University of Delaware astrophysicist, Professor Stan Owocki, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the big questions of how did the universe initially form, how likely is it that we find and communicate with any possible extraterrestrial life, and more.
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Steve Goldstein, former KJZZ reporter, joins Mike O'Neil what he's learned in more than two decades as a respected political journalist, which party has the bigger pull amongst Arizona voters and more.
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Phoenix city councilman and former PHXPD chief, Kevin Robinson, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the similarities between his two careers, where the city council aims to look for solutions to the homeless crisis and more.
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HighGround Inc. CEO, Chuck Coughlin, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss Arizona's new budget, how much aid there is for the housing market and water reserves, and more.
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HighGround Inc. CEO, Chuck Coughlin, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the newly signed federal budget from President Biden, how the president and Kevin McCarthy came to the agreement, what concessions were allocated to each of the major parties, and more.
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Tom Ryan, longtime valley attorney, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the federal and state liability former president Donald Trump faces, where New York law plays into what charges he would face, and more.
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Carol Berry, retired Phoenix municipal court judge, and Elaman Rodriguez, Senior Manager of Spanish Programs at Local First AZ join Mike O'Neil to discuss the Arizona Town Hall's report on equity, how attainable is equity in the eyes of the law, and more.
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Valley attorney, Tom Ryan, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss threats to the American legal system, break down Arizona's recent state budget numbers, and more.
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Valley attorney and KTAR host, Barry Markson, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss challenges to the 2020 and 2022 elections, if any of those challenges have the law in their favor, and more.
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HighGround Inc. CEO, Chuck Coughlin, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss Arizona's upcoming budget and what's on it, attorney general Kris Maye's comments on the state's water conservation, and more.
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Transportation advocate, Martin Shultz, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the importance of mass transit in Phoenix, how projects like the light rail system get funded, and more.
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Neil Giuliano, former mayor of Tempe, and Charles Siler, Tempe-based economist, join Mike O'Neil to discuss the proposal to build a new stadium for the Arizona Coyotes, the land and financial logistics if the deal goes through, and more.
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Matt Grodsky, Democratic strategist, and Tyler Montague, Republican activist, join Mike O'Neil to discuss the future of center ground politics in the U.S, how Arizona's nearly equally split legislature fits into that future, and more.
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Former U.S attorney, Paul Charlton, joins Mike O'Neil the afternoon of former president Donald Trump's being charged with 34 felony counts per his indictment. They discuss what it means for the former president's future election chances, what the prosecution needs to look for in the case, and more.
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Sixty years ago, Phoenix lawyer, Dave Tierney, was part of the earliest efforts of Civil Rights movement in the American South. In Part 2 of 2, he sits down with Mike O'Neil to discuss how the government addressed protests across the south, lessons modern civil rights movements are taking from the past, and more.
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Sixty years ago, Phoenix lawyer, Dave Tierney, was part of the earliest efforts of Civil Rights movement in the American South. Now, in Part 1 of 2, he sits down with Mike O'Neil to discuss the line from Civil War policies to the 1960s, his early student activism at Brandeis University, and more.
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Newly Elected Attorney General Kris Mayes joins Mike O'Neil on The Think Tank to discuss new policy changes to Arizona.
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HighGround Inc. CEO, Chuck Coughlin, former Fox 10 reporter, Steve Krafft, and former KJZZ reporter, Steve Goldstein, join Mike O'Neil for the annual Think Tank predictions for 2023.
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HighGround Inc. President Chuck Coughlin, former KJZZ reporter Steve Goldstein and Retired Fox 10 Reporter Steve Krafft join Mike O'Neil for the 2022 Arizona and National Political Awards, recognizing the biggest and boldest news stories of the year.
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Republican activist, Tyler Montague, former Paradise Valley Republican precinct committee chair, Kathy Petsas, and Arizona HighGround pollster, Paul Bentz, join Mike O'Neil to discuss what priorities the Republican party should focus on post-2022 election, where traditional conservatives feel the party is leaning, and more.
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Secretary of State-elect Adrian Fontes and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer join Mike O'Neil to discuss how votes get counted in Arizona, the precautions that election officials have taken since 2020, and more.
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HighGround Inc. President Chuck Coughlin joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the results of Arizona's 2022 midterm elections, what the takeaways were, and what they mean for the future of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
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Internationally-known physicist, Dr. Lawrence Krauss, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss science as a public utility, the merits of open scientific discussion and details on his new event with the Origins Project Foundation.
Click for more info on Dr. Krauss' event: https://originsproject.org/events/
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Internationally-known physicist, Dr. Lawrence Krauss, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss science as a public utility, the merits of open scientific discussion and details on his new event with the Origins Project Foundation. Click for more info on Dr. Krauss' event: https://originsproject.org/events/ TIMESTAMPS:SEG1 - 0:00SEG 2 - 7:32SEG 3 - 17:35SEG 4 - 31:23See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mike O'Neil is joined by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer to discuss the logistics of counting ballots in this year's midterm election and when voters can expect results. Then HighGround Inc. President Chuck Coughlin joins the show to discuss the high-profile races in Arizona and what that could mean for the future of democracy and of the Republican party.
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Mike O'Neil is joined by the Arizona Public Health Association's executive director, Will Humble, and ACA International board member and debt collector, Christian Lehr. Together, they discuss Arizona Proposition 209, it's effect on good and businesses from debt collectors, and more.
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Ahead of the state midterm election, Sybil Francis, CEO of the Center for the Future of Arizona, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss recent polls on what Arizonans want in their public officials and policies. Then Adrian Fontes, democratic candidate for Arizona secretary of state, joins to talk election security, appealing across party lines and more.
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Mike O'Neil sits down with former Phoenix mayor, Terry Goddard, to discuss Proposition 211, which would require disclosing original sources for election donations. Then Kris Mayes, the democratic candidate for attorney general, joins Mike to discuss her campaign, protecting abortion rights in Arizona and more.
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The election for the next Maricopa County Attorney is coming up soon, Mike O'Neil sits down with Republican incumbent, Rachel Mitchell to talk about the role of her office in enforcing the rule of law. Then Democratic opponent, Julie Gunnigle, joins the show to discuss what she would change if elected as attorney.
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Can you trust the polls? Mike O'Neil, polling expert of over 40 years, takes us through the history of polling to help us illustrate some of the strengths and weaknesses of polling in the 20th century. Then KTAR's Jim Cross joins the show to discuss some of the political figures he's interviewed over the last 25 years.
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Can you trust the polls? Mike O'Neil, polling expert of over 40 years, takes us through the history of polling to help us illustrate some of the strengths and weaknesses of polling in the 20th century.
TIMESTAMPS:
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Martin Shultz, retired lobbyist and former vice president of APS, and Herb Paine, social critic and columnist at KJZZ, join Mike O'Neil to discuss how Arizona has changed in five decades of covering politics, President Biden's speech on national security, and more.
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Highground Inc. President, Chuck Couglin joins Mike O'Neil to discuss Katie Hobbs' refusal to debate Kari Lake, what issues might not be immediately considered to voters in 2022 and more.
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Cesar Aguilar, executive director at the Arizona Students Association, and Michael Huemer, professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder, join Mike O'Neil to discuss President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, the question of who benefits from reduced loans and more.
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Sybil Francis, President and CEO of the Center for the Future of Arizona, and Paul Bentz, Arizona HighGround Vice President, join Mike O'Neil to discuss the intricacies of voter consensus, where Arizona voters land on issues like immigration and more.
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HighGround Senior Vice President, Paul Bentz, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the current narrative around the Democratic Party, what the 2022 election looks like post-Arizona primary, and more.
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Save Our Schools director, Beth Lewis, and ASU professor, Sharon Kirsch, join Mike O'Neil to discuss education reform in Arizona, how Save Our Schools has affected students and teachers alike, and more.
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Planned Parenthood AZ's, Chris Love, and valley attorney, Tom Ryan, join Mike O'Neil to discuss Planned Parenthood in Arizona, what the pro-choice strategy looks like in the U.S after the overturning of Roe v. Wade and more
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:28 SEG 3 - 17:51 SEG 4 - 30:36
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Highground Inc. President, Chuck Couglin and valley attorney, Tom Ryan, join Mike O'Neil to discuss the state of Arizona just before the 2022 Primary Elections, should Katie Hobbs' campaign be as loud as her competitors, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:35 SEG 3 - 18:05 SEG 4 - 31:08
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Retired Fox 10 Reporter & Writer Steve Krafft joins The Think Tank w/ CEO and President of HighGround, Chuck Coughlin & Host Mike O'Neal to talk about his new children's book, 'Won't Somebody Play with Annabelle Kay?'. They also discuss the current state of affairs and changes in the media...
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 8:53 SEG 3 - 17:36 SEG 4 - 28:52
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Arizona Republican Senator Paul Boyer and CEO and President of HighGround, Inc. Chuck Coughlin join The Think Tank to discuss the Jan. 6th Hearings and how it'll affect the upcoming elections.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:07 SEG 3 - 17:31 SEG 4 - 29:12
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Doug Kelly, CEO of American Edge Project, and Terry Goddard, former Arizona Attorney general, join Mike O'Neil to discuss free and accessible internet, supporting American innovation, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 9:29 SEG 3 - 18:04 SEG 4 - 27:02
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Matt Salmon, Republican candidate for Arizona Governor, and Terry Goddard, former Arizona Attorney general, join Mike O'Neil to discuss gun control in the wake of mass shootings, how to address immigration at the southern border and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:21 SEG 3 - 18:10 SEG 4 - 30:49
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Jennifer Tunning, Director of Clinical Services at Candelen, Iya Affo, Project Manager at Arizona ACEs Consortium, and Apache Junction teacher, Laura Wiggins, join Mike O'Neil to discuss stress amongst teachers and students, what systems are in place to help, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:59 SEG 3 - 17:59 SEG 4 - 32:04
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Marco Lopez & Aaron Lieberman join The Think Tank to discuss why they are running for Arizona Governor.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 9:01 SEG 3 - 17:19 SEG 4 - 28:57
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Republican Candidate for Governor, Karrin Taylor Robson talks education & border security.
Chris Love, Board Chair for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona and Democrat candidate for Maricopa County Attorney Julie Gunnigle discus the leaked Supreme Court draft document on the end of Roe v. Wade.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 9:21 SEG 3 - 18:00 SEG 4 - 28:41
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Mary Jo West, first female news anchor in Phoenix television, Al Macias, recently retired KJZZ news director, and Bill Andres, longtime television reporter/radio personality join Mike O'Neil to discuss evolution in the newsroom, changes in journalism over the last few decades and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 9:59 SEG 3 - 17:55 SEG 4 - 29:28
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Beth Lewis, Director of Save Our Schools Arizona, and Chris Kotterman, Governmental Relations Director for Arizona School Board Association, join Mike O'Neil to discuss the struggles of getting money into classrooms, how charter/private schools affect the education system, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 9:57 SEG 3 - 18:00 SEG 4 - 28:46
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ASU Professor of Future Wars, Daniel Rothenberg, and Political Negotiator, Marty Latz, join Mike O'Neil to discuss the current state of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, how much support internationally stands for both sides, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:21 SEG 3 - 17:30 SEG 4 - 31:23
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Arizona Agenda co-founder Rachel Leingang, Copper Courier managing editor Camarom Stevenson, and AZ Center for Investigative Reporting's Brandon Quester join Mike O'Neil to discuss new territory for journalists, what the most pressing political issues in Arizona are, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 8:11 SEG 3 - 17:56 SEG 4 - 29:36
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World-renowned theoretical physicist, commentator, bestselling author and President of "The Origins Project Foundation" joins Mike O'Neil to discuss god and woke culture in universities...
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Maricopa County Recorder Steven Richer and Political consultant Chuck Coughlin join Mike O'Neil to discuss Political Reform.
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Jana Bommersbach and Camille Kimball join Mike O’Neill to discuss banned books in schools, where the discussion of media censorship is going and more.
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Foreign policy experts (and ASU professors) Candace Rondeaux and Daniel Rothenberg join Mike O'Neil to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Then political consultant Chuck Coughlin joins to discuss what the invasion has done to American conversations about international policy and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 12:51 SEG 3 - 18:08 SEG 4 - 29:51
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Thomas Baldrick, host of The Rocky Point Podcast, joins Mike O’Neil to discuss Arizona tourism at Puerto Peñasco, Rocky Point and more.
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Theoretical physicist, Dr. Lawrence Krauss, joins Mike O’Neil to discuss the methodology of scientists, how science can become politicized, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 – 0:00 SEG 2 – 10:19 SEG 3 – 17:48 SEG 4 – 31:01
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Navigate founder AJ Maestas and Baylor University Dawn Rogers join Mike O’Neil to discuss student athletic compensation, how that has changed dynamics between players and coaches, and more
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 – 0:00 SEG 2 – 10:34 SEG 3 – 17:58 SEG 4 – 29:57
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Activist and former Arizona legislative leader, Alfredo Gutierrez, joins Mike O’Neil to discuss his history in labor and civil rights movements, why Donald Trump received a significant portion of Hispanic voters, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 – 0:00 SEG 2 – 9:36 SEG 3 – 18:00 SEG 4 – 29:11
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Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb joins Mike O’Neil to discuss misinformation in the modern age, redistricting efforts in Arizona, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 – 0:00 SEG 2 – 10:34 SEG 3 – 18:04 SEG 4 – 30:10
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Attorney and KTAR’s own Barry Markson joins Mike O’Neil to discuss the U.S post-January 6th, where voting rights in the country are heading, and more.
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Arizona Mirror associate editor, Jeremy Duda, joins Mike O’Neil to discuss upcoming Arizona elections, how redistricting will affect certain parts of the state, and more. Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 – 9:21 - SEG 3 – 18:00 - SEG 4 – 31:37
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Highground Inc. President Chuck Coughlin, political strategist Rick DeGraw, and NPR's Steve Goldstein join Mike O'Neil for predictions on where U.S politics will go in 2022.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 10:04 - SEG 3 - 17:51 - SEG 4 - 29:04
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Highground Inc. President Chuck Coughlin, political strategist Rick DeGraw, and NPR's Steve Goldstein join Mike O'Neil for the annual 2021 Arizona and National Political Awards.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:05 - SEG 3 - 17:57 - SEG 4 - 31:07
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Stacey Champion, local community organizer, joins Mike O'Neil to discuss homelessness in Arizona, how the government has responded to the issue, and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:43 SEG 3 - 17:35 SEG 4 - 32:00
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Tyler Montague, conservative activist, Jerald Lewis, former Arizona politician, and political organizer Randy Parraz join Mike O’Neil to discuss Russell Pearce, the first Arizona lawmaker to be recalled from office, and his impact on the electoral system.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:20 SEG 3 - 17:50 SEG 4 - 33:38
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(*This is a rerun of The Think Tank from January 2nd, 2021).
Former Attorney General Grant Woods joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the results and fallout from the 2020 Election, where both parties can go from here, and more.
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Political strategist Rick DeGraw, Democratic attorney Bob Lord and Biden 2020 Deputy Director Tony Can join Mike O’Neil to discuss status of the Biden presidency, the details of the Build Back Better Bill and more.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 12:31 - SEG 3 - 17:32 - SEG 4 - 30:04
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Save Our Schools co-founder Beth Lewis and substitute teacher Raquel Mamani join Mike O'Neil to discuss the reason behind standardized tests, why education fund have been tied up in the courts, and more.
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In the second of a two-part series, Mike O'Neil is joined by Highground Inc. President Chuck Coughlin and former Phoenix mayor Paul Johnson to discuss the rise of extremism in politics, whether there are Independent candidates who could be successful in 2024 and more.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:40 - SEG 3 - 17:55 - SEG 4 - 31:19
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In the first of a two-part series of threats to the American electoral system, Mike O'Neil is joined by former Phoenix mayor Terry Goddard to discuss Bill Maher's recent comments on the 2024 election, what the Republican primaries could look like in Arizona and more.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:36 - SEG 3 - 18:00 - SEG 4 - 31:19
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Chris Love, Board Chair for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, and Tyler Montague, conservative activist, join Mike O’Neil to discuss both sides of the national abortion debate, the history of abortion legislation and more.
TIMESTAMPS: SEG 1 - 0:00 SEG 2 - 10:27 SEG 3 - 17:55 SEG 4 - 29:55
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Rick DeGraw, retired activist, joins Mike O’Neil to discuss the recent Arizona audit report, the Fairness Doctrine when it comes to public politics, and more.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:41 - SEG 3 - 18:00 - SEG 4 - 28:54
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Former Arizona senator Dennis DeConcini joins Mike O'Neil to discuss bipartisanship in the Senate, his involvement in the Panama Canal treaty, and more.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:13 - SEG 3 - 17:35 - SEG 4 - 29:55
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Highground Inc. President Chuck Coughlin joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the California recall, lawsuits that could nullify current Arizona legislation, and more.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:59 - SEG 3 - 17:52 - SEG 4 - 28:15
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Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer joins Mike O'Neil to discuss the 2020 election, the Arizona audit and more.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 8:37 - SEG 3 - 17:40 - SEG 4 - 31:39
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Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:41 - SEG 3 - 17:48 - SEG 4 - 30:33
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Mike and guests discuss the initial prospects for the Arizona Governor elections in 2022.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:02 - SEG 3 - 17:53 - SEG 4 - 29:14
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Mike and guests discuss the recent mask mandate discourse for schools in Arizona.
Timestamps: - SEG 1 - 0:00 - SEG 2 - 9:37 - SEG 3 - 17:57 - SEG 4 - 28:25
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There have been mass demonstrations in Cuba on a scale not seen in the last 30 years. The government responded by restricting the use of the internet and closing down social media to make it difficult for citizens to organize.
The censorship was not perfect, however, and the Think Tank has exclusively obtained recordings that circumvented government censorship. These will be played in this show.
I have traveled extensively in Cuba. Most of this week’s show will exclusively present recordings I have obtained since these demonstrations have started. They are gut-wrenching and real. And I can personally attest that the source is neither an activist nor a government shill. She openly discusses not only the hardships in current-day Cuba but also the range of opinions in that country, including in her own family.
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Critical Race Theory- what is it? Why is there such a pushback from AZ GOP political circles and Legislature- including Governor Ducey- against it?
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Tyler gives an insider’s perspective on the future of the Republican party in Arizona.
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Mike talks with Lydia Guzman. Lydiawas a persistent critic and nemesis of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Many think it was her tenacity that led to his ultimate legal downfall.
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Tyler Montague is a citizen activist and sometime Republican political consultant. He was involved in the recall of Russell Pearce and the election of Jerry Lewis to replace him.
Chris Love is the Chair of Planned Parenthood of Arizona. Mike has been following her social media posts which are clever, witty, and thoughtful.
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Guests Chico Robinson and Jim Byrne discuss curriculum in Arizona K-12 public schools- is critical race theory being taught in AZ schools to K-12 students?
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Guests Chico Robinson and Jim Byrne discuss curriculum in Arizona K-12 public schools- is critical race theory being taught in AZ schools to K-12 students?
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Supreme Court decision Brnovich vs Democratic National Committee- two top Attorneys talk voting rights cases and how they impact Arizona.
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What might happen in the criminal case against the Trump Organization? What happens if employees of the organization turn state's evidence? Did Donald Trump admit to wrongdoing at a rally in Ohio?
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Former US Attorney Paul Charlton and longtime Valley Attorney Tom Ryan talk about the legal case against the Trump Organization.
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Legal experts discuss the 2020 Election audit here in Maricopa County
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Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs ) leads off this week’s Think Tank with her observations on the ongoing vote count at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. She has weighed in on aspects of this effort publicly; this is a good chance to hear Arizona’s chief election officer firsthand.
We also talk with Grand Canyon Institute’s (http://grandcanyoninstitute.org/) Research Director, Dr. David Wells on the impact of Arizona’s decades of tax-cutting and on the proposed “flat tax” that is currently before the state legislature. He is the principal author of three analytical reports on the subject.
And finally, we pay our annual, and perhaps final, tribute to Dick Rowe on the occasion of what would have been his 100th birthday. Name doesn’t wring a bell? Listen in and you’ll find out why we regard him as the King of Oops.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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The Arizona state legislature voted to authorize the issuance of four year degrees by the state’s community colleges for the first time.
This change has been sought by the community colleges and successfully opposed by the state’s universities for decades.
We explore the implications of this decision with
Linda Thor, member Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board, former community college President at three institutions inside and outside of the Maricopa system.
Ernest Calderon, former Chairman of the Arizona Board of Regents
We discuss the implications of this change:
What types of degrees and programs are likely to be offered?
When are they likely to be available?
What kinds of costs are likely to be involved?
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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Two stories have dominated the news this past week.
ELECTION “AUDIT”. The Arizona State Senate mandated an additional “audit” of the 2020 election. No observer has been more on top of this issue than Jen Fifeld of the Arizona Republic. For example, when “auditors” had access to ballots it was she, and not the “auditors” who noticed that they also had black or blue markers on the desks, which could have been used to change votes. This is absolutely prohibited and it was Jen, and not the “auditors,” who noticed. And Amy Chan, an attorney and former Elections Director for the State of Arizona can speak to many of the legalities involved in this “recount” with highly relevant expertise. You could not find two more informed – and complimentary – experts on this topic.
FLAT TAX PROPOSAL. With little prior public discussion, the Governor and Republicans in the legislature tried to completely revamp the state’s tax system in a way that would both substantially reduce revenues (likely gutting education spending) and shifting the tax burden to the lowest income taxpayers in the state. But because Repubicans control both legislative chambers by a single vote, there are 48 Republican legislators any one of whom has the power to kabosh the entire effort. And some of these exercised this power. Chuck Coughlin and Tony Cani are among the state’s most astute political observers. They tell us what they know about what is going on behind the scenes.
Either one of these two issues would easily command a full show. But both are fast-moving and we could not wait an extra week to cover either.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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Fernanda Santos (fernandasantos.com) is a reporter who was the New York Times Phoenix Bureau Chief for five years. She is currently Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor of Practice at ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism and is an editorial writer for the Washington Post.
We discuss her interesting career path into journalism from her immigration from Brazil, to work in a small town paper, to the Times and the Post, two of journalism’s iconic publications.
We also talk about immigration and immigrants, border issues, the state of journalism and other issues. But mostly we listen to a very interesting person’s perspectives.
In that sense this is our third consecutive “interesting person” show. If you missed either of the last two shows, with Ernest Calderon or Francine Hardaway (or other recent shows), podcasts can be accessed at www.ktar.com as can this show after it is broadcast.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Every year around Tax Tim the Think Tank takes a look at taxes.
This year’s guest is Bob Lord, who is a tax attorney and a Fellow with the Institute of Policy Studies.
Among other things, Bob observes that the richest .01 percent of Americans, about 33,000 lucky souls, now pay just one-sixth of what they used to pay in tax, when measured as a percentage of their total wealth and that billionaire tax payments, as a percentage of their wealth, have dropped by an astounding 79 percent since 1980.
How did this happen?
And how do they do it?
To understand this, we delve into the difference between “nominal” tax rates (which are moderately progressive) and the actual rates that people actually pay. And the various devices buried deep into the tax code that few understand.
All things Taxes in this week’s Think Tank.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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Terry Green Sterling was regularly selected by her peers as Journalist of the Year and is now Journalist in Residence at ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism. Jude Joffe-Block is a Phoenix-based journalist who currently works for the Associated Press.
They have collaborated on a new book “Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Latino Resistance.” (https://www.amazon.com/Driving-While-Brown-Sheriff-Resistance-ebook/dp/B08W3682BD/ref=pd_cart_vw_crc_2_2/145-1531749-3313738?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B08W3682BD&pd_rd_r=f790abe5-3c03-4b05-b1d9-daebd4a45be4&pd_rd_w=Dtqer&pd_rd_wg=chw12&pf_rd_p=01004c92-8f40-4f1a-bee8-08cb36dccac2&pf_rd_r=AZVM6Y1B091RVA06BJ38&psc=1&refRID=AZVM6Y1B091RVA06BJ38#customerReviews). It documents, of course, the story of Sheriff Joe. But it is also the story of the (mostly Latino) resistance that developed in response to his aggressive anti-immigration policies.
I found this to be an "I can't put it down” book. Even as one who has followed the career of Joe Arpaio for over 25 years, I found it fascinating to learn in detail of the grass-roots movement that arose in opposition to his policies.
Some of these were well-known and included both former and current officeholders. But some of the most significant figures labored in relative obscurity. To an equal extent as Sheriff Joe, this book is about their decades-long struggle with him and his policies. Like a novel, the story involves both victories and losses and documents an extended struggle and is ultimately a book with a lesson about the value of persistence in the face of obstacles.
And, for those who were not here at the beginning of his tenure, there will be surprises. For example, one of his first forays into the issue was when a citizen, Patrick Haab, held a group of presumably undocumented immigrants at gunpoint in a "citizen's arrest". Arpaio's department had the gun-wielding Haab arrested. Clearly the "Sheriff Joe" that became the champion of the anti-immigration forces did not start out this way, his positions evolved over time. And the authors don't just relate events, they tell the stories of some of the most noteworthy players in this drama. We get a sense of their humanity, their conflicts, and their struggles. This makes the book not only a definitive treatment of the Arpaio phenomenon, but also a highly readable gripping story.
Terry and Jude are our guests in this week’s Think Tank. They tell a compelling story.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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To the astonishment of every observer, Arizona will not get a 10th Congressional seat as a result of the 2020 Census. As a professional survey researcher, Mike shares professional knowledge and tells us why Arizona didn’t get the 10th Congressional seat, and why a better count would have certainly done so. The result: we not only lose congressional and electoral college clout, we will also lose many millions of dollars in federal aid each year over the next decade.
We then move to a discussion of the legislature, with former legislative leader and Executive Director of the Center for Economic Progress (https://azeconcenter.org/), David Lujan.
Essentially legislative actions have been in three areas: abortion, taxes, and voting restrictions.
We conclude with a brief discussion of the “audit” of the Maricopa County 2020 vote occurring at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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Fernanda Santos (fernandasantos.com) is a reporter who was the New York Times Phoenix Bureau Chief for five years. She is currently Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor of Practice at ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism and is an editorial writer for the Washington Post.
We discuss her interesting career path into journalism from her immigration from Brazil, to work in a small town paper, to the Times and the Post, two of journalism’s iconic publications.
We also talk about immigration and immigrants, border issues, the state of journalism and other issues. But mostly we listen to a very interesting person’s perspectives.
In that sense this is our third consecutive “interesting person” show. If you missed either of the last two shows, with Ernest Calderon or Francine Hardaway (or other recent shows), podcasts can be accessed at www.ktar.com as can this show after it is broadcast.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or emai
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Why is intergenerational poverty the rule rather than the exception? America considers itself the “land of opportunity,” yet so many cannot escape the poverty they are born into.
Why don’t the poor just “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”?
Francine Hardaway’s experiences document how difficult this turns out to be.
When she was introduced to a couple of young kids who were being warehoused in the foster care system, she decided to step in personally to help; she become their foster mom.
And Francine had financial, educational, and bureaucratic resources at her disposal, way beyond that of a typical foster parent: Francine was a highly-educated PhD who had run a successful company in Phoenix. She lived in the Biltmore and had access to financial resources. Money was not going to be an obstacle. And she was well-connected and bureaucratically savvy. Example: when she encountered bureaucratic resistance in becoming a foster mom for the kids, she got around this with a call to the Governor, who took her call and intervened.
No, Francine was NOT your typical foster mom. One would think her success would be guaranteed.
But her experiences show how difficult it is, especially from the perspective of a lifetime. The “kids” are now adults with kids of their own. One of the two kids has been in and out of prison (even after her help), and life has been a struggle for both.
This week’s Think Tank lets Francine tell this story. Her book, Foster Momhttps://www.amazon.com/Foster-Mom-Self-Discovery-Francine-Hardaway/dp/0595314317/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=francine+hardaway&qid=1618519020&s=books&sr=1-1 is a great read, and tells it in greater detail.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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The Think Tank welcomes the return of the Think Tank “A Team,” Attorney Tom Ryan and political consultant Chuck Coughlin to discuss several of the most pressing Arizona issues.
Arizona is getting $12.2 billion of America Rescue Plan Act relief. But there is a requirement that they money be used for the specified purposes, not to fund tax cuts. AG Brnovich has indicted he will sue over this provision. Will his court challenge have a chance?
Proposition 208, passed by the voters last November provides additional education funding paid for by a tax on ultra-high income earners. The Voter Protection initiative, also passed by the voters, prohibits the legislature from any action whose purpose is to undermine the will of the voters. The governor and Republicans in the legislature think they can evade this provision with artful legislation. Will this survive a court challenge?
The Arizona State Senate “won” the right to “audit” the Maricopa County election results. But they seem to have no idea of how to do this given that the County has already subjected the results to two independent audits. President Fann does not appear to have a face-saving way to get out of this mess. (Like the dog that finally catches that car: “What do I do NOW?)
With Governor Ducey’s support, Native American gaming legislation is in the works that will augment the tribes’ gaming footprint, but also pour a small fortune into the hands of the billionaire owners of the four major league sports franchises (who also all benefitted from publicly financed stadiums).
We conclude with a discussion of the demise of civility in our politics with a discussion of a couple of pertinent incidents this week in our own legislature.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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Citizen activist Stacey Champion (@ChampPR) and former Attorney General Terry Goddard (@TerryGoddardAZ) discuss Arizona Public Service, rate cases, and regulation by the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Stacey Champion is a citizen who has, initially single-handedly, taken on APS for years including what she’s seen as unjustified and misleading rate increases, disconnection rules and political spending.
One of her recent cases was taken up by the Attorney General; as a former Attorney General Terry Goddard has perspective on this action.
In our final segment, Arizona Mirror (https://www.azmirror.com/) editor Jim Small (@JimSmall) weighs in on voter suppression legislation and Terry Goddard reacts.
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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It is legislative season and there is a lot going on. Our guest is Tony Cani who helped run the Biden campaign in Arizona in 2020 and numerous other political campaigns in the state. Among the things we discuss:
Voter Suppression. Over 250 bills nationally have been introduced to make it more difficult for poorer people and racial minorities to vote. So many it’s hard to keep track of them. Arizona has more than its share of these.
Governor Ducey Orange. Governor wrote an editorial oddly published in Orange County CA touting Arizona’s economy, but urging those who move here to abandon their California ways. Also, is Governor Ducey’s political career over? Does he have a path to anything once his term limited tenure in office expires?
Evading the People’s Will. In November we voted to fund education with a surtax on very high earners (only on income over $500k for couples, 250k for individuals). The legislature is considering a bill that would defund this educational spending bump and allow the impacted very high earner taxpayers to evade the taxes just voted in by the people. Years ago, Arizona voters passed the Voter Protection Act which would seem to make this illegal. How can they do this? If this passes, it seems headed for court.
The future of the Republican Party. The Trump faction of the Republican party would seem to be in full control. Moderately conservative suburban voters elected Joe Biden (and, in Arizona, Sen. Mark Kelly). Is there any way back to the Republican Party for these voters? Would they even be welcome?
The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
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This week’s Think Tank takes on two topics this week.
Politically Motivated Prosecutions. ABC 15’s investigative reporter Dave Biscobing has been doing a series of reports on the highly politicized political prosecutions of several Black Lives Matter protestors. Ordinary protestors were charged as gang members on laughably flimsy evidence (wearing black, chanting, and carrying umbrellas to a protest). Once Dave exposed the lack of serious evidence and multiple videos of the protests, most of the charges were dropped. Dave brings up to date on this evolving story.
It’s not hard to see why Dave won 3 national Emmys and a slew of other awards for his work. You can see several of his reports on this subject at this link: www.abc15.com/protest.
Constraining Democracy. The Arizona Legislature is in session and considering a number of highly partisan bills that have a common theme: they will make it harder to vote or diminish the power of the vote. Specifically they would
· Permit the Legislature to award Electoral Votes as they see fit, regardless of the popular vote (yes, really!)
· Require citizen initiatives to get 60% of the vote in order to be enacted.
· Make it harder to stay on the popular Permanent Early Voting List
· Prohibit election officials from mailing you a ballot (in response to a pandemic or other catastrophic event) unless you previously had requested one.
· Prohibit election officials from extending deadlines in response to an emergency.
Julie Erfle (@erfleuncuffed) joins the show to discuss these proposed electoral changes. Julie is a communications consultant at Erfle (erfleuncuffed.com) and a columnist for the Arizona Mirror.
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The United States Capitol was breached by a sometimes armed and sometimes violent mob. Five people, including a Capitol policeman, died. President Trump was impeached for inciting this insurrection. Fifty-seven of 100 U.S. Senators voted to convict him for this, which fell short of the two-thirds constitutional requirement for removal from office.
Senate Majority Leader McConnell, in a speech immediately after the failure to convict gave an emotional speech citing Donald Trump’s many legal exposures since he is now out of office.
This week’s Think Tank has two uniquely qualified guests to discuss these exposures:
· Paul Charlton is a former US Attorney for Arizona, appointed by and serving under President George W. Bush.
· Terry Goddard is, among other things, former Arizona Attorney General having served in that capacity from 2003 to 2011.
These legal exposures are both criminal and civil. Some are federal and some are state or local.
Those at risk extend beyond Donald Trump himself to several of his chief aides as well as the hundreds of those who personally breached the Capitol building in an attempt to influence Congress’ certification of the 2020 election.
There are many elements to this legal exposure. This week’s Think Tank will consider several of the most significant.
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Several cases of over-zealous prosecution of protestors in Phoenix have been presented in several recent news reports, most notably by Dave Biscobing of ABC 15 TV.
This week’s Think Tank guests:
· Dave Biscobing, is an Emmy-award winning ABC15 TV investigative reporter who has been doing a series of disturbing reports on how protestors have been selectively prosecuted by the Phoenix Police and Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
· Tom Ryan is a local attorney who has been involved in numerous legal actions involving official misconduct, though none of those specifically reported on by Dave Biscobing
· Darrell Hill is Policy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona. He is also a non-practicing attorney.
This week’s Think Tank discusses these cases as well as several proposed pieces of legislation that could have a chilling effect on the right of citizens to peacefully protest police actions in Arizona.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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The COVID pandemic has altered all of our lives, no more so than in our schools. What is actually going on in our schools right now? How much is in-person learning, how much is remote? How are teachers and students adapting? To what extent is learning impaired? What are our children missing?
We have two guests, both practicing teachers. Each has also been involved in educational policy issues in other ways.
Beth Lewis, teaches in the Tempe Elementary School District in a school with a high proportion of kids who qualify for free or reduced price lunches. She has been a leader of Save our Schools, which successfully passed a Proposition in November which imposed an income tax surcharge on very high income taxpayers and earmarked the additional revenue for schools.
Christine Marsh teaches in a middle school gifted program in Scottsdale. She was 2016 Arizona Teacher of the Year. In November, she was elected to the Arizona State Senate from a central Phoenix legislative district.
We started out by asking these teachers about the classroom issues listed above. We then moved to policy issues and explored what changes these educational leaders would most like to see.
All Things Education in this week’s Think Tank.
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The Think Tank departs from conventional politics this week as we discuss two serious topics. And in between we take a break by telling a funny story.
Dr. Dwight Moore is retired industrial psychologist who helped pass the California Death with Dignity act in 2015. He has volunteered with Washington's End of Life Options for seven years, and now chairs Arizona's End of Life Options group. A He has helped over 50 patients navigate Washington's medical aid in dying law being at their bedside when they died.
We discuss:
· What is medical aid in dying?"
· Who is eligible?
· How is this different from suicide?
· What kinds of checks and are in place?
· What if a family member doesn't support that choice?
Well, that’s our first two segments. We then segue in our next segment which might be entitled: “A funny thing happened to me when crossing our southern border.” You think you have had a bad day? Try to top this sequence of events. Guest Jany Deng tells how within 5 minutes of being accosted by border guards for “suspicious behavior” he befriended them and got them to pose for pictures with them in front of what he called “Trump’s Wall”.
Finally, we replay Arnold Schwarzenegger’s moving observations he made in the aftermath of the attack on the U.S. Capitol as he retells what it was like growing up in Austria in the immediate aftermath of World War II among soldiers immersed with a combination of denial and guilt about the cause for which they had fought.
Take a break from Politics in this week’s Think Tank. Sort of. The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm.
Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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With the inauguration of President Biden the Think Tank takes a look at our foreign relations around the world.
Our guest is foreign policy expert Daniel Rothenberg who is an ASU Professor of Practice in ASU’s School of Politics and Global Studies. He is also Co-Director of the Center on the Future of War.
President Biden’s inaugural address included the following:
“Here’s my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested, and we’ve come out stronger for it,” “We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again — not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.”
The message seemed to be: the last four years was a blip, and you can trust us to work with you again.
Will it be seen this way? What are the challenges in our relationships with
· Our European NATO partners?
· Russia?
· China?
· The Middle East?
This week’s Think Tank takes you around the world assessing our relationships around the globe.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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We were going to do our Annual Year in Review show, this week. That is a lot of fun. But too much happened this week to ignore.
There was a violent invasion of the United States Capitol this week by a pro-Trump mob. What started as a protest against the certification of Joe Biden as President of the United States took an ugly turn as a crowd broke through police lines and entered and vandalized the US Capitol building, causing an evacuation of elected Representatives and Senators. It was the first such violation of the seat of our government since the British burned the White House in 1814.
Any other week, the two Democratic Senate victories would have been the lead story, since this gives the Democrats a 50-50 split which means control of the Senate, since Vice President Kamala Harris will break any ties. But the victory was quickly overshadowed by events at the United States Capitol.
Barring equally dramatic events, we will have our annual Predictions show next week.
Think Tank regulars Chuck Coughlin, Rick Degraw and Steve Krafft discuss this week’s dramatic events.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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Grant Woods is a former Arizona Attorney General and a former McCain staffer. But, more importantly he is a former Republican and a very thoughtful observer of the current political scene.
It has been four weeks since the election. The election was NOT close (306-232 electoral votes) and a popular vote margin of almost 7 million. This is larger than most of our recent Presidential elections. Despite all evidence, three-fourths of Republicans think the election was stolen. And only a handful of elected Republicans have been willing to say publicly that Joe Biden is President-elect.
Republicans used to stand for a muscular foreign policy. They were internationalists who favored foreign trade, because we benefit from it. Before Reagan, they were against deficits (now they only seem to care about deficits when a Democrat is President). But Trump loyalists are against all of these things.
Given all of this, what is the future of the Republican party?
And can the country find common ground?
Grant Woods is one of the most thoughtful political observers in Arizona. Join this week’s Think Tank for a very insightful discussion of the state of our politics.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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This week’s Think Tank explores the intersection of religious values and political activity. Our guests are three very thoughtful people who have in various ways dealt with the intersection of values, religion and politics. Rabbi Robert Kravitz has been involved in civil and human rights for decades; after delivering a sermon addressing morality and honesty in government had to leave his part-time congregation. Jerry Lewis, a former LDS stake president and one-time Republican state senator who now runs a school for homeless kids Rick DeGraw, once a Presbyterian minister who became a longtime Democratic activist in Arizona
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Political operative Rick DeGraw and recently retired Fox10 reporter Steve Krafft (@stevekrafft7) join Mike O’Neil in a fast-paced and irreverent discussion of:
· 2020 Arizona Political Awards: Top Story of the Year, Person of the Year, Loser of the Year, Biggest Victory, Biggest Thing that Did Not Happen, Most Underreported Story, Bigest Surprise, Biggest Scam, “Tweet of the Year” and more.
· 2020National Political Awards: Top Story, Biggest Winners and Losers, Most Underreported Story, Biggest Surprise, Biggest Missed Opportunity, and more.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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This week’s Think Topic is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We will discuss her life, her legacy, and the likely political impact of the fight for her seat on the Supreme Court.
Betsy West (@Betsywest) conceived and directed the 2018 CNN documentary film, RBG (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7689964/?ref_=ttawd_awd_tt). The film won a primetime Emmy award and was nominated for two Academy Awards. Betsy was a producer and news executive at both CBS and ABC where, among other accolades, she won 21 Emmy awards. She is also emeritus Professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. We will discuss with her both her insights about Justice Ginsburg and the making of her documentary film.
Chuck Coughlin and I will discuss the political fallout from the court vacancy:
· Will it help either party’s electoral prospects? You could make a case either way.
· Can Sen. McConnell push a replacement through before January 20th? Likely.
· Will Republican Senatorial candidates pay a price if he does?
· Will the Democrats expand the Supreme Court if they win both the Presidency and the Senate? Will they pay a price if they do?
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.co
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Grant Woods is a former Arizona Attorney General and a former McCain staffer. But, more importantly he is a former Republican and a very thoughtful observer of the current political scene.
It has been four weeks since the election. The election was NOT close (306-232 electoral votes) and a popular vote margin of almost 7 million. This is larger than most of our recent Presidential elections. Despite all evidence, three-fourths of Republicans think the election was stolen. And only a handful of elected Republicans have been willing to say publicly that Joe Biden is President-elect.
Republicans used to stand for a muscular foreign policy. They were internationalists who favored foreign trade, because we benefit from it. Before Reagan, they were against deficits (now they only seem to care about deficits when a Democrat is President). But Trump loyalists are against all of these things.
Given all of this, what is the future of the Republican party?
And can the country find common ground?
Grant Woods is one of the most thoughtful political observers in Arizona. Join this week’s Think Tank for a very insightful discussion of the state of our politics.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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We all need a break from the endless (though important) discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, this week, we take a look back at the incredible, true story of how, once upon a time, a radio station, politics, and rock and roll changed everything.
"WBCN and The American Revolution" is an award-winning, feature documentary that tells the previously untold story of the early days of the underground, radical Boston radio station, WBCN-FM, set against the dazzling and profound social, political, and cultural changes starting in the late-1960s.
The production is directed by Peabody Award-winning journalist Bill Lichtenstein who began working at the radio station at the age of 14 in 1970. Bill is our guest on this week’s Think Tank. He tells the story, not only about that era, but how he went about creating the documentary.
The story is told through the extraordinary history of WBCN, which in its early days called itself “The American Revolution,” and the personal and political journeys of a compelling cast of characters who connect and intersect through the radio station and exploding music and counterculture scenes, militant anti-war activism, civil rights struggles, and the emerging women’s and gay liberation movements. Women DJ’s? Openly gay people? These were entirely new concepts. One reviewer called the film “possibly the first film to tell the true story of the 1960s.” The film includes first-person accounts from the station’s staff and newly filmed and archival material featuring the leading political, social, and musical figures of the day, who crossed paths with the radio station, including Noam Chomsky, David Bowie, Abbie Hoffman, Jane Fonda, Jerry Garcia and Duane Allman, Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, (in his first radio interview), and Patti Smith, performing with her band in her first live radio broadcast. For a taste, take a look at the film’s theatrical trailer: tinyurl.com/WBCNtrailer
To look at the film’s publicity flyer or register to view the film and a live discussion with the film’s mastermind, Bill Lichtenstein and Phoenix journalist Steve Krafft, click here.
This will get you a week from the time you start to view the film and access to the live virtual discussion on Sunday December 6th at 6pm.
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Conservatives are prone to think that the answer to crime is severe punishment. Liberals are traditionally more concerned with rehabilitation. It is pretty hard to design a program that appeals to both groups.
There is a program in Maricopa County that would seem to have something for everyone. The Restorative Justice Construction project assigns probationers with construction skills to work details that involve undertaking construction projects for legitimate and needy nonprofits. The nonprofits generally contribute needed materials, while this program provides the labor.
Worthy charitable entities get much needed work done. Since participating probationers include both master craftsmen and apprentices, the latter often get to develop marketable job-related skills. And court-mandated work requirements are met by doing things that are more useful to the community than picking up trash.
Attorney Dave Tierney has been involved with this program for many years. We discuss how the program evolved, what it takes to make the program work, how it differs from less successful programs using prison labor and what are the obstacles to replication of this program elsewhere.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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We have been flooded with conspiracy theories. QAnon. PizzaGate. Electoral Manipulations. All without a shred of hard evidence. Yet some of these are apparently believed by millions, including some elected officials.
And some of these apparently are Arizona electeds. Many of these beliefs persist, even when clearly debunked (examples: Sharpie-gate, “cancelled” ballots) or have simple explanations.
Is this new, or is it a permanent feature of American character? Many of these beliefs are reminiscent of those described by Richard Hofstadter in his 1964 essay, “The Paranoid Style of American Politics”. Read that essay and you could conclude that these are nothing new.
What is going on here?
What makes it so easy for so many to accept explanations for events without any factual basis?
This week’s Think Tank guest is Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, a reporter for the Arizona Mirror who has written several articles on the topic.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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The election is over and it’s likely that President Joe Biden will have to deal with a Republican Senate. All our national problems (COVID, a sluggish economy) will still be here when he takes office.
So how does he go about governing?
Our guests have been involved in the process of making government work.
· Chuck Coughlin is an advisor to Republican candidates and officeholders.
· Jack Lunsford was himself an elected official and now works with them.
And they’ve both been doing it for many years. They have insights worth hearing.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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Final 2020 Pre-Election Preview
Political pros Rick DeGraw and Chuck Coughlin have faced one another running opposing Arizona gubernatorial campaigns. Two of the sharpest political minds in the state, this week they return to the Think Tank to give their views on the 2020 elections that are just days away.
· President. Does Donald Trump still have a chance to be elected? Or is he more likely to go down in flames? To what extent can polls showing a Biden lead be trusted?
· US Senate. Will Mark Kelly’s polling lead hold up? Will the President’s dissing of Martha McSally this week hurt her with the voters? Or does it signal that Trump has given up on her?
· Arizona Legislature. Democrats have not controlled a single legislative house in decades. What are their chances of reversing that record this year in one or both houses?
· Vote Viewer Guide. Finally, we present some principles for how to intelligently view this year’s elections. There are reasons to believe the vote reporting this year will be different from years past. How should you take in the results; what can you take to the bank and what should you ignore?
The election is days away. This week’s Think Tank has some really astute political observers’ perspectives to help you sort it all out.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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We ran out of time in our regular Think Tank with political gurus Rick DeGraw and Chuck Coughlin on next Tuesday’s election; there was simply too much ground to cover. In this special web-only segment, we consider the question of what President Trump might do if he loses the election, especially if it is close. He has already indicated that the only way he could lose is if there is fraud. What extra-legal and quasi-legal options might he have if there is some question about the outcome? And who might resist him if he attempted to retain power on the basis of some legal veneer?
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Should you believe the polls? How election night 2020 will be unlike any other. What to look for on election night for an early indication of the outcome.
I have been doing this show for about 7.5 years. It has been a real labor of love and something quite different for me. I don’t pretend to be a “radio guy.” I see people here who can fill the airwaves with their perfect voices, never stumble over a word and do it all effortlessly. That’s not me.
I am here as a policy wonk, someone with the luxury to read several hours a day on matters of policy. But even this is really a hobby.
More significantly, I have spent the last 40 years doing survey research (“polling” if you must). My training in this involves years of study at some of the leading academic survey research centers in the world.
My relevant expertise is hear is both real and extensive.
Ten days before the election, I thought it would be worthwhile to share some of this perspective and address:
· Can we trust the polls after 2016?
· Should we believe them?
Very fair questions.
Why important? If the polls are at all accurate, Joe Biden has this election all wrapped up. But that is a very big “if”.
Most people think professional pollsters will be the first to defend the infallibility of polls. Completely wrong. I know many of the serious professional pollsters in this country personally. Many are friends. I have listened to them present at professional meetings and I’ve spent innumerable hours discussing methodological issues with them. True professional pollsters know the limitations on and fragilities of their work.
In this hour I will shed some light on the question “can you believe the polls”.
There are some genuine and enduring problems with polling that has evolved over the last 20 years or so that concern me greatly. And I’ve been talking about these publicly in speeches for all of those years.
· But there are also reasons to believe that the polls will be more accurate in 2020 than they were in 2016.
· And most of the theories you have probably heard about what happened in 2016 turn out to be totally wrong. I will tell you about these as well.
To do this I will walk you through the history of polling over the last 100 years. Not as a sterile historical exercise, but because some of our current problems have echoes in prior debacles (1936 Literary Digest, 1948 “Dewey beats Truman”, and 2016, among others). Many of polling’s current limitations have their roots in the problems of decades ago.
We will then consider:
· What happened in 2016 polling (systematic research has been done on this and many of the popular assumptions are simply wrong)
· What is different (and the same) in 2020
· Which pollsters should you trust…and why?
· Why election night 2020 will be unlike any other.
· What are the most likely paths to victory for each candidate?
There is a lot riding on the answers to these questions. I hope to provide some real and useful insight.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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Education Funding and Legal Marijuana Initiatives
This week’s Think Tank features debates on the two statewide initiatives that the voters will fact this election.
Proposition 207 will legalize recreational marijuana for those over 21, impose a 16% tax on it’s sale and permit sentence reviews for those previously convicted of possession of small quantities of marijuana.
Former Arizona Senate Minority Leader Chad Campbell will speak in favor
Public relations professional Lisa James will speak against.
Proposition 208 will impose a 3.5% income surcharge but only on personal income exceeding $500,000 for couples (income over $250,000 for single filers). The proceeds will increase educational funding in the state.
Joe Thomas, Arizona Education Association is in favor.
Marty Shultz --longtime retired APS lobbyist is against.
The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com
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Maricopa County Attorney Debate
The county attorney is arguably the most important position in the entire criminal justice system. Judges can only preside over cases that are brought to them. And if someone is convicted of a crime, there are mandatory sentence guidelines that constrain what sentences Judges may impose. Defense attorneys have to defend their clients whether they think they are guilty or innocent. That is not a bad thing: it is their job and it is important, but it constrains their impact. When a police officer arrests someone it is up to the County Attorney to decide whether to prosecute or drop a case, whether to send the defendant into some sort of diversion program, and exactly what to charge. That is a huge amount of discretionary power. Charges for many offenses can vary greatly with wide differences in penalties. And most crimes in Arizona, particularly violent crimes, are handled by the County Attorneys, not by the Arizona Attorney General.
This is a very important job.
Our guests in this week’s Think Tank are the two candidates for Maricopa County Attorney. The current county attorney, Allister Adel was appointed to the position late last year when her predecessor was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court. Her challenger is Julie Gunnigle.
Their debate is the subject of this week’s Think Tank. We ran over in time, so their closing statement are on the web at www.KTAR.com
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Can Democrats get a voice at the Arizona Legislature?
The Senate Race in LD 28 may be determinative.
This week’s Think Tank is a debate between the candidates for the Arizona Senate in Legislative District 28.
Even if you don’t live in this district, you should care about the results of this race.
With few exceptions, Republicans have been in near total control of the Arizona legislature for over 50 years. Democrats have a rare but viable chance of changing that this year. But it is difficult to see them getting even a tie in the Senate without winning this race.
Furthermore, this race is a rerun of 2018 when these same two candidates faced off and incumbent Republican Sen. Kate Brophy McGee received 47,278 votes and beat Democratic challenger Christine Porter Marsh who got 47,011. That is 267 votes out of approximately 100,000 votes cast. This is likely to be a very close race.
There is another reason to listen in. There was a Presidential debate this week. It was characterized by a lack of civility. Both candidates have been guests on the Think Tank before. Tune in to this week’s Think Tank and see how candidates for public office can disagree with one another with civility and grace.
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This week’s Think Topic is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We will discuss her life, her legacy, and the likely political impact of the fight for her seat on the Supreme Court.
Betsy West conceived and directed the 2018 CNN documentary film, RBG. The film won a primetime Emmy award and was nominated for two Academy Awards. Betsy was a producer and news executive at both CBS and ABC where, among other accolades, she won 21 Emmy awards. She is also emeritus Professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. We will discuss with her both her insights about Justice Ginsburg and the making of her documentary film.
Chuck Coughlin and I will discuss the political fallout from the court vacancy.
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This week’s Think Tank explores the intersection of religious values and political activity. Our guests are three very thoughtful people who have in various ways dealt with the intersection of values, religion and politics. Rabbi Robert Kravitz has been involved in civil and human rights for decades; after delivering a sermon addressing morality and honesty in government had to leave his part-time congregation. Jerry Lewis, a former LDS stake president and one-time Republican state senator who now runs a school for homeless kids Rick DeGraw, once a Presbyterian minister who became a longtime Democratic activist in Arizona
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The candidates for Maricopa County Sheriff square off in a formal debate in this week’s Think Tank. This is the first of several key race debates.
Paul Penzone, a career Phoenix Police Officer, is the incumbent Maricopa County Sheriff. He was elected to that post in 2016.
Jerry Sheridan is a career MCSO employee and rose to the rank of Chief Deputy Sheriff, overseeing much of the department’s operations.
Among other things, we ask about The legacy of Joe Arpaio on the MCSO and the extent to which they would deviate from his policies Tent City Alternatives to incarceration, especially for those not yet convicted of any crime. The appropriate MCSO relationship with ICE and other immigration-related issues. And we give each candidate an opportunity to question the other on a topic of their choosing.
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Mary Jo West was the first woman to anchor a prime time news broadcast in Phoenix. She anchored the news at Channel 10 (then KOOL-TV) from 1976 to 1982, and KTVK Channel 3 from 1983 to 1986. In between she did a stint anchoring a network CBS overnight show.
Then she left commercial television news and largely dropped from public view.
From the outside it looked glamorous. From the inside, it wasn’t as seamless as it appeared. Her co-anchor, Bill Close, was much older and a fixture in Phoenix broadcasting. And he, by all accounts, did not much appreciate sharing the anchor desk with a woman, especially a twenty-something woman.
Additionally, there was an extraordinary speech given in Congress last week. Congresswoman Alexandria Occasio-Cortez was rudely insulted by Cong Ted Yoho on the steps of the Capitol. You have probably heard about the incident and perhaps heard a short excerpt of this speech. But the full 10 minute speech is for the ages. Firstly, and certainly for the content of the speech. But also, as someone who has studied persuasion, this is one of the most powerful and artful rhetorical takedowns I have ever heard. She addresses not only the sexism underlying his remarks, but also takes apart his non-apology apology. This speech will be studied in rhetoric classes for many years. Regardless of your political persuasion, it is worth hearing for that reason alone. We play the speech in its entirety and then listen to Mary Jo’s reaction to it. Television news, sexism, career and life choices, all in this episode Think Tank.
This episode was originally broadcast on August 1st, 2020.
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This week it was the Republican’s turn as they nominated Donald Trump for another term as President.
Republican Consultant Paul Bentz (twitter.com/prbentz) spent the week culling the convention speeches for the most illustrative audio clips.
We start with the question: “To what extent will the story of the Trump speech be that the President held a nearly 2,000-person event on the front lawn of the White House in the middle of a pandemic? No masks, no virus checks, no social distancing? He no doubt fed off the applause of the adoring crowd. But how will this play with a population that is being admonished wear a mask in public? We discuss all the issues.
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Joe Biden’s DNC Convention The Democrats nominated Joe Biden this week in the first-ever virtual convention. Rick DeGraw is a longtime Democratic politico and was a delegate at two prior (in-person) Democratic National Conventions. His perspectives are both interesting and insightful. We dissect the convention and explore the following: • What worked—and what didn’t work—in this virtual convention.
• Who shone (and who bombed) among the “supporting cast”: the Republicans, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, and the ordinary citizens who were featured during the convention.
• How did Joe Biden’s speech work. Did he dispel the “Sleepy Joe” moniker Donald Trump has tried to put on him?
We also present some of the best and illustrative sound clips from several of these speakers. So if you didn’t see much of the convention, you can hear some of its best moments. In our final segment, we assess:
• What will the Republicans do differently as a result of seeing how the Democrats put together the first-ever first virtual convention
• Do we expect the Democrats will get the traditional convention “bump?
• Was the whole socially distanced Zoom convention an advertisement for the Trump Administrations failure to deal with Covid?
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Our guests are longtime Phoenix political and legal reporter Steve Krafft and attorney and businessman Bob Frank.We consider several things that have loomed large in the news over the last few days:
· Pandemic relief negotiations broke down in Washington and President Trump issued a series of executive orders most legal analysts see as of dubious legality.
· Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his VP selection and the two appeared jointly. How did the rollout go?
· President Trump explicitly stated that he wanted to undermine the efficacy of mail-in voting and his Postmaster General issued a series of dictums that had the effect of slowing down the mail.
· President Trump also ordered the Census to complete its work by the end of September rather than the end of October. Census experts agreed that this would impair the accuracy of the Census. He also ordered that noncitizens not be counted (again of dubious legality and also unclear how it could be implemented given that the courts rejected his attempt to include a citizenship question on the Census)
This week’s Think Tank takes on some of the most contentious issues of the last several days with two highly astute observers of the political scene
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The Arizona Legislature has been in Republican hands for decades. That means that on most issues, all legislative decisions are made in the Republican caucus without any input from Democrats. To get in the game regularly, Democrats need at least a tie in either the Arizona House or the Arizona Senate. With a tie, or a slight Democratic margin, no legislation will pass without participation of both parties. So, our primary focus this week will be the prospect for this to happen. Our expert panel is Emily Ryan of Copper State Consulting, Doug Cole COO of Arizona HighGround, and Mike Noble of OH Predictive Insights.
After discussing these legislative prospects with Emily and Doug, Mike will present a review of recent polling in attempt to describe the “mood” of the Arizona electorate as it may impact these and other races. We'll also take on federal races.
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Mary Jo West was the first woman to anchor a prime time news broadcast in Phoenix. She anchored the news at Channel 10 (then KOOL-TV) from 1976 to 1982, and KTVK Channel 3 from 1983 to 1986. In between she did a stint anchoring a network CBS overnight show.
Then she left commercial television news and largely dropped from public view.
From the outside it looked glamorous. From the inside, it wasn’t as seamless as it appeared. Her co-anchor, Bill Close, was much older and a fixture in Phoenix broadcasting. And he, by all accounts, did not much appreciate sharing the anchor desk with a woman, especially a twenty-something woman.
Additionally, there was an extraordinary speech given in Congress last week. Congresswoman Alexandria Occasio-Cortez was rudely insulted by Cong Ted Yoho on the steps of the Capitol. You have probably heard about the incident and perhaps heard a short excerpt of this speech. But the full 10 minute speech is for the ages. Firstly, and certainly for the content of the speech. But also, as someone who has studied persuasion, this is one of the most powerful and artful rhetorical takedowns I have ever heard. She addresses not only the sexism underlying his remarks, but also takes apart his non-apology apology. This speech will be studied in rhetoric classes for many years. Regardless of your political persuasion, it is worth hearing for that reason alone. We play the speech in its entirety and then listen to Mary Jo’s reaction to it.
Television news, sexism, career and life choices, all in this week’s Think Tank.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We are in the middle of a pandemic. But are kids have been out of school for approaching six months. Education is essential, but at what risk? Are online learning options viable? What choices do we have and what are the health and educational implications?
This week’s Think Tank brings together some of Arizona’s key educational actors to discuss. Dr. Donna Lewis, the Superintendent of the Creighton Elementary School District, and President of the Arizona School Administrators, which represents school administrators, superintendents, and principals. Chris Kotterman, Governmental Relations Director, Arizona School Boards Association, an organization that represents school governing boards. And Joe Thomas, President Arizona Education Association that represents teachers and other educators.
We discuss issues involved with opening Arizona schools including under what circumstances our should schools open, whose decision it is, and if schools are prepared to open.
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Marty Shultz has been a fixture in matters of public affairs for over four decades. A true “mover and shaker” in the Valley, he has worked with at least eight Arizona governors on issues ranging from transportation, to education, to social services. He was a VP of Arizona Public Service for most of his career and recently retired from a second career. As a retiree, he promises he can speak freely. And as someone who was truly on the “inside” when many of the most important issues this state has faced over the last half century, he truly has a valuable perspective on many issues.
Few people in the state have been as intimately involved in as many of the most important issues Arizona has faced as has Marty Shultz. He will share his thoughts on the state of Leadership in Arizona, and on some of the issues he has been involved in shaping, notably transportation, education, human services, and water issues. And, notably, the recent actions of his longtime former employer, Arizona Public Service.
And, we introduce a new feature in the Think Tank this week, a guest commentary. This week we hear from Julie Erfle.
This is truly a “don’t miss” episode of the Think Tank.
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This week the Think Tank evaluates the effectiveness of some of the most noteworthy political ads of 2020. Our guests are Democratic political adman Bob Grossfeld of The Media Guys and Republican political strategist Chuck Coughlin of Arizona Highground.
We take a look at the Presidential and Arizona US Senate campaigns and play some of the best and worst ads of 2020 as selected by our guests. We discuss why they think these ads are or are not effective.
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Our guests in this week’s Think Tank are two of the most astute and informed observers of the American legal system: Paul Bender and Paul Charlton. They join Mike O'Neil to discuss several recent legal actions that have presented fundamental questions involving the even-handed administration of the law in this country. (Originally aired May 16th, 2020)
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This week’s Think Tank brings together three experts on Affordable Housing and Homelessness in the Valley:
Margaret Kilman, Senior Program Manager with the Corporation for Supportive Housing www.csh.org). She has been working on issues related to housing and homelessness for about a decade. She also teaches homelessness and public policy at ASU’s MPA Program.
Joan Servis is with the Arizona Housing Coalition (www. azhousingcoalition.org), a collaborative statewide association that leads in the efforts to end homelessness by advocating for safe, affordable homes for all Arizonans.
Diana Yazzie Devine is CEO/President of Native American Connections www.nativeconnections.org) which has been providing housing and other services to our communities most vulnerable populations for almost 50 years and currently provides over 1,000 units of affordable housing and shelter space. She has been CEO for 41 of those 50 years.
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Despite the COVID19 pandemic, three widely-discussed citizen initiatives seem likely to achieve ballot status this November. They deal with Criminal Justice Reform, Legalization of Recreational Marijuana, and Education Funding. Terry Goddard’s Dark Money prohibition initiative had been on track to achieve ballot status, but appears to be a casualty of the pandemic, although voters have petitioned the Governor to permit the 280,000 signatures collected to be applied towards the 2022 election ballot status.
Our guests are involved with each of these. We will discuss the status of signature gathering for each as well as what each initiative will do if enacted by the voters.
Caroline Issacs of the American Field Service Committee will discuss the Second Chances Rehabilitation and Public Safety Act, which will initiate several reforms in the criminal justice system. Chad Campbell, former state senator and principal with Strategies360 will discuss the Marijuana Legalization Initiative. And David Lujan, Director of Center for Economic Progress, will discuss the Invest in Education funding initiative.
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Following the widely televised murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks ago, there have been protest marches throughout the United States and, indeed, the world.
Two of those involved with these marches are guests on this week’s Think Tank: Redeem Robinson is the Pastor of Ebenezer Church, and Jamaar Williams is a public defender.
In our final segment Dawn Penich-Thacker and Mike will discuss the implications of some of the relevant phraseology (“Black Lives Matter”, “Defund the Police”).
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Following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, spontaneous protests have arisen in all 50 states.
Dave Tierney is one of the most respected attorneys in Arizona and is a sober and thoughtful voice. As a former participant in early civil rights activities in Mississippi in the early 1960s, he also has historical perspective on these issues.
We pose questions to Dave about how our current situation is different from that of 50 or 60 years ago.
In addition, we discuss three extraordinary written statements from military leaders, General Mark Milley (current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs), Admiral Mike Mullen (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs), and Gen. James Mattis (former Secretary of Defense, appointed by President Trump). These unprecedented statements including the one from our current highest-ranking military officer demonstrate their concern about the possibility our military will be asked to intervene in peaceful protest or domestic affairs.
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The Arizona legislature finally adjourned its regular session this week. Howard Fischer has been reporting on state government and legal affairs in Arizona since 1982, the last 25 for Capitol Media Services which he founded in 1991. His reports have been widely disseminated in media throughout Arizona for decades.
Among other things, we discuss the most significant legislative accomplishment this session, what the state budget looked like, and how the legislature pivoted as a result of the COVID19 outbreak.
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Dr. Lawrence Krauss is a world-renowned physicist, public intellectual and public advocate for science. He is also currently host of a video podcast, The Origins Podcast. He returns to the Think Tank to talk about several issues relating to science and the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
Among the topics we cover are how in times of crisis like this pandemic, we turn to scientists for a vaccines and instant cures for the virus. At the same time, funding for basic scientific research has been hard to sell in an era where the dominant political demand has been to cut taxes.We also discuss how the public seems all to ready to substitute its judgment for that of scientists when it hears reports of a potential cures for the pandemic. And politicians can be rewarded for “doing something” even where that “something” is based on scant scientific evidence.
The discussion is wide-ranging; Lawrence Krauss is always provocative and insightful.
This episode of The Think Tank originally aired on April 4th, 2020.
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Our guests in this week’s Think Tank are two of the most astute and informed observers of the American legal system: Paul Bender and Paul Charlton. They join Mike O'Neil to discuss several legal actions this week that have presented fundamental questions involving the even-handed administration of the law in this country.
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President Trump visits Arizona this week. Sen. Martha McSally gets a ride to Arizona on Air Force 1 with the President but does not get a speaking role at the event. Governor Ducey begins to loosen COVID19 restrictions. And COVID19 causes a halt to most citizen initiative petition gathering. Think Tank regulars Chuck Coughlin and Tom Ryan are our guests this week to discuss all these developments and their political implications.
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Mike O'Neil looks back at the Kent State shooting that happened 50 years ago today.
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Two stories this week. Our primary topic concerns something that happened last week, the other exactly 50 years ago. We’ll spend most of our time on the first. I can connect the dots between the two stories. Stick around till the end and see if you can as well.
This week the death toll from COVID19 over the last 6 weeks surpassed the total number of American deaths in the Vietnam war over a decade. Yet, there was a protest a week ago Monday against, not for, the Governor’s Stay Home Order. Four nurses, Brittany Schilling, Lauren Leander, Jasmine Bhatti, and Jade Juriansz decided to stage a counter protest.
The first three of these join the Think Tank this week. The fourth, sent in a statement. Like the others, she works a heavy schedule. We talk with them about the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on their respective hospitals (Banner and the Mayo clinic), how why they decided to counter-protest, and what actually transpired at the protest. In addition, we also discuss the now iconic photo of Lauren Leander and a protester (reproduced in this post) that seemed to have captured the essence of the moment. And how these nurses have managed the media firestorm that engulfed them while continuing to work full-time schedules.
The story of these nurses gets most of this week’s show. For months, I had planned an entirely different topic for this week’s show but changed plans when these immediate events transpired. My original topic? I compressed that to five minutes. But you’ll have to listen in to hear what that was about. I hope you will do that.
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Mike O'Neill discusses some economic fallacies on both sides regarding coronavirus. Originally from The Think Tank 4/18/20 show.
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We all need a break from the endless (though important) discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, this week, we take a look back at the incredible, true story of how, once upon a time, a radio station, politics, and rock and roll changed everything.
"WBCN and The American Revolution" is an award-winning, feature documentary that tells the previously untold story of the early days of the underground, radical Boston radio station, WBCN-FM, set against the dazzling and profound social, political, and cultural changes starting in the late-1960s.
The production is directed by Peabody Award-winning journalist Bill Lichtenstein who began working at the radio station at the age of 14 in 1970. Bill is our guest on this week’s Think Tank. He tells the story, not only about that era, but how he went about creating the documentary.
The story is told through the extraordinary history of WBCN, which in its early days called itself “The American Revolution,” and the personal and political journeys of a compelling cast of characters who connect and intersect through the radio station and exploding music and counterculture scenes, militant anti-war activism, civil rights struggles, and the emerging women’s and gay liberation movements. Women DJ’s? Openly gay people? These were entirely new concepts. One reviewer called the film “possibly the first film to tell the true story of the 1960s.”
The film includes first-person accounts from the station’s staff and newly filmed and archival material featuring the leading political, social, and musical figures of the day, who crossed paths with the radio station, including Noam Chomsky, David Bowie, Abbie Hoffman, Jane Fonda, Jerry Garcia and Duane Allman, Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, (in his first radio interview), and Patti Smith, performing with her band in her first live radio broadcast.
For a taste, take a look at the film’s theatrical trailer: tinyurl.com/WBCNtrailer
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This week’s Think Tank brings in two of the state’s leading economists, ASU Economics Professor Dennis Hoffman and Jim Rounds of Rounds Consulting. We discuss current economic conditions and how to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Then, in our final segment, Mike makes some observations about economic fallacies of both the Left and the Right.
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Wisconsin had an election this week. Republican legislators refused to either expand vote by mail or delay the election as every other state with an April primary did. Due to a lack of willing poll workers, many polling stations closed (175 of 180 polling stations in Milwaukee, for example) and lines were sometimes several hours long. As one Wisconsin voter wrote: “I voted. In mask and gloves, putting myself, the poll workers, and my community at risk, I voted. Because I decided the only thing more dangerous than voting today was allowing the people who did this to Wisconsin to get away with this.” Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is our first guest. We discuss Arizona’s readiness to implement vote-by-mail elections and other reactions to the Wisconsin voting fiasco.
In the second half of the show, Chuck Coughlin returns and we discuss Presidential politics in the midst of a pandemic and the impact of Bernie Sanders withdrawal from the race this week. Because we are all ready to think about something other than the pandemic, at least for a few minutes.
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Dr. Lawrence Krauss is a world-renowned physicist, public intellectual and public advocate for science. He is also currently host of a video podcast, The Origins Podcast. He returns to the Think Tank to talk about several issues relating to science and the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
Among the topics we cover are how in times of crisis like this pandemic, we turn to scientists for a vaccines and instant cures for the virus. At the same time, funding for basic scientific research has been hard to sell in an era where the dominant political demand has been to cut taxes.We also discuss how the public seems all to ready to substitute its judgment for that of scientists when it hears reports of a potential cures for the pandemic. And politicians can be rewarded for “doing something” even where that “something” is based on scant scientific evidence.
The discussion is wide-ranging; Lawrence Krauss is always provocative and insightful.
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The Corona virus is sweeping the world, and it looks like the United States is destined to be the hardest hit country in the world in the next two or three weeks. Patients with symptoms are being advised to “call your doctor” and NOT to “go see your doctor” due to the danger of infection. That’s telemedicine. But in the USA doctors have traditionally had difficulty in getting reimbursed by insurance companies for work not performed “in person.”
A panel of four experts discuss related issues:
Paul Johnson is a former mayor of Phoenix and is President of Redirect Health, which has made extensive use of telemedicine. Dr. Doug Jenkinson is a British Family physician who practiced in Nottingham England for 37 years working for the National Health Service (that’s “socialized medicine” to Americans). Brandi Conner, is CEO of Nod Specialists who provides telemedicine services using Board Certified Infectious Disease physicians; they are experts in treating infections, including Coronaviruses. Megan Crosser is a board certified infection preventionist with Nod Specialists.
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What is it actually like to be physically quarantined with the Corona virus? We speak with someone quarantined in Spain. Mike Sweeney was on vacation in Spain when he was diagnosed with the Corona virus. He was, and still is, quarantined there. We call him and get a first-hand account of his experiences: how was his virus discovered, what did Spanish health authorities do once it was discovered, how has the disease impacted him, and what has his life been like in actual physical quarantine?
THen, what is the real deal on the U.S. Census? We speak with a former Director of the United States Census. Census Director. Most of us got Census notices this week. Why should we respond? Are responses confidential? Who will see our responses? What is the data used for? Our second guest, John Thompson, had a 30 year career with the U.S. Census and was director from 2013 until 2017. He answers the above questions and more. Including, how people like Mike Sweeney, who is currently quarantined in Spain will be counted in the Census.
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Steve Roberts has worked as a journalist and author for more than forty years and appears regularly as a political analyst on ABC News Radio and NPR. Steve and his wife, the late Cokie Roberts, wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column and were contributing writers for USA Weekend, a Sunday magazine that appears in 500 newspapers nationwide. Since 1997 he has been the Shapiro Professor of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.
Based on his decades of covering politics, the Think Tank explores his observations about the American politics including the status of the Democratic nomination, the November election, the potential impact of the Corona virus on the dynamics of the election and related topics.
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In a controversial 5-4 vote, the Phoenix City Council voted to establish a Civilian Review Board to investigate cases of potential police misconduct. The issue is polarizing. One side says the police are out of control and need to be reigned in by civilian oversight. The other side says the police cannot be fairly judged by civilians. And neither side seems ready to compromise.
Our guests take on this challenging topic. Samuel Stone is Chief of Staff to Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio and a longtime political consultant. Julie Erfle is a former journalist and a columnist for the Arizona Mirror. Julie also speaks with unique moral authority on police topics; her husband was a Phoenix police officer killed in the line of duty.
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