Cuckoo 4 Politics 😎: Recent Episodes

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“In this country, because someone has a lot of money, we treat them like they have the right to tell us what to do.” Sam Jean returns for the Season 3 finale, picking up where he and Michael left off in the previous episode’s discussion about the border crisis, the latest stirrings in Congress, and of course, Donald Trump. It seems Republicans will blame non-Americans for everything. While they continue to promote division in this country by treating immigrants to the U.S. as a threat, they also blame the sending foreign aid to places like Ukraine to excuse wealth inequality, disparity of healthcare and underfunded social programs. With so many perceived injustices, it’s no wonder Trump’s voting base is so enchanted by his crude and racist remarks—they see them as his sticking it to the man, despite, of course, Trump being the man.

Conservative leaders are playing college students as pawns. They used the recent congressional hearing involving the presidents of three Ivy League universities as another means of denigrating institutions of higher education, particularly elite institutions, as indoctrination camps. Nevermind that many conservative leaders themselves are products of elite universities. They discourage students from speaking out for fear of missing opportunities and at a time and place in life where those students are meant to be exchanging ideas freely.

It’s no wonder so many unqualified people feel they are fit to run for office. Vivek Ramaswamy continues to troll his way through his campaign, modeling his approach after Trump’s. Meanwhile, a new law threatens to erode what’s left of the Voting Rights Act, affecting those citizens historically most discriminated against, but no one is really paying attention.

Quotes:

• “You do hear Americans say, ‘I’m all about supporting Ukraine…’ and so forth, but the government seems to always have money to provide aid to foreign crises, but at home when the price of goods and services keep going up, and inflation—although it’s coming down–people still say, ‘What about here at home?’ So, that’s a fair critique.” (7:08 | Michael)
• “What you get from Trump is the power of celebrity. That’s what you get from Trump, this idea that this is an important person. People believe that Donald Trump is an important person who tells it like it is. He’s not the most couth person. They ignore the fact that almost everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie, but they like the fact that Trump can vocalize the things that they’ve been told they aren’t allowed to say. ” (13:54 | Sam)
• “There is a character–even if I disagree with you politically–there’s a certain character that we believe a person should have in order to represent us in government. That’s the myth we’ve been told.” (18:36 |Sam)
• “The presidents of the universities were giving lawyerly answers in an environment where they were supposed to give social media-worthy answers, because that’s what the hearing was about.” (20:01 | Sam)
• “In this society, we venerate people who make a lot of money and we treat their intelligence in making money as if it is some moral good. What people like Vivek demonstrate is you can be smart, you can make a lot of money but it doesn’t make you a good person and it also doesn’t mean that you’re smart enough to do other things.” (39:09 | Sam)

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“Hopefully, this is a renaissance,” says Sam Jean, who returns to Cuckoo 4 Politics for another episode of Raw & Uncut as we wrap up 2023. It’s been a year full of high profile labor strikes, which remind people of the power of unions to stand up to corporations to fight for a living wage. Of course, this doesn’t stop many people from blaming immigrants for depressed wages and low employment. America has a history of demonizing its most newly arrived citizens, blaming them for all its problems, while simultaneously relying on them to make up large parts of the workforce. As Americans, we must question which of our foreign policy maneuvers have forced people to come to our country to seek a better life.

This hypocrisy extends to the highest positions of government. Americans continue to labor under the illusion that those on the Supreme Court hold themselves to a higher moral standard than the rest of us. Yet, as Michael points out, Judge Clarence Thomas accepts all sorts of gifts and favors from rich donors, compromising. Sam calls for term limits in the Supreme Court, to help tamper down such corruption and compromised integrity and corruption.

Meanwhile, too many conservative candidates are weaponizing their religion as a way to mystify their followers, something that Sam predicts will only become more pronounced during the 2024 election season. If there’s one abiding truth, it’s that Donald Trump makes everything worse.

Quotes:

• “We have to address why it is that people are coming here. The other thing we don’t address in terms of our foreign policy is what has American foreign policy done to some of these countries that are sending us their migrants? Why? Why is that happening?” (9:20 | Sam)
• “It seems like the public understands that the workers have no leverage and their only leverage is to strike. And when they start striking and they start explaining what they want, regardless of how the media tries to interpret it like, ‘Oh, they expect a living wage.---the shock of it! God forbid someone get a wage that allows them to live–I think that (18:17 | Sam)
• “One thing the strike demonstrates is the power of labor and organizing labor because the workers by themselves do not have sufficient leverage to stand up against the corporations. They just simply don’t. You think one worker can stand up to Ford, Chrysler, GM? Not at all. So this demonstrates the power of labor, and hopefully this is a renaissance for labor movements to come back.” (19:27 | Sam)
• “Judge Clarence Thomas. The man is literally hanging with big donors who are paying for his–everything–from taking him on lavish vacations, to paying for anything he wants and we think, ‘You’re supposed to be impartial?’ Is he another Tim Scott?” (24:28 | Michael)
• “There is a separation of church and state because we understand in this country that there are people who believe and there are people who don’t believe. We have to treat them the same way. You don’t need to insert religion to have an outcome that is fair. Can we use religious ideas to form certain laws? Of course we can, of course people do, but the laws are sufficient as they’re written without a hint and a hinge of religion.” (30:12 | Sam)

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“I don’t care that he’s 80, because the choice is between him and Donald Trump,” says Sam Jean, who returns to weigh in on President Joe Biden as Biden prepares to run for re-election in 2024. The greatest criticism leveled at the president, from his own party as well as his Republican detractors, is that he is too old for the job. Sam argues that people’s perception of Biden is based on the media taking clips out of context. Michael recounts attending a rally where Biden appeared spry and in command of a fervent audience, dispelling popular beliefs that he is both unreliable and unrelatable.

People also want to blame the president for economic issues that are out of his control, such as high inflation rates and increasing costs of living, while ignoring that unemployment is the lowest it’s ever been. Democrats have a messaging problem, suggests Sam. Their rational approach and insistence on facts means that they don’t experience the immediate, emotional reaction that Republicans are able to elicit from the MAGA crowd.

Stay until the end for Michael’s closing thoughts, where he explains why Biden, though older than Trump only by a few years, is handling aging much more gracefully.

Quotes:

• “I don’t think his age has anything to do with his ability to connect with people, because when I see him, I see him as somebody’s grandfather.” (9:49 | Sam)
• “Trump is just a crazy, stupid person, and they have a lot of energy. He’s always raging about something and so it looks like he’s a young guy, but he’s not young himself.” (11:42 | Sam)
• “All these things that people have direct anger about —or I would say misdirected anger about —is to Biden. They are not realizing that there are other factors involved, particularly in Congress, because I’ve not yet heard a possible alternative solution to inflation.” (17:48 | Michael)
• “There is this famous composer who is told about this young prodigy who’s great and so the composer goes to listen to this prodigy. And this prodigy has a concert and plays his piece flawlessly, and people come up to the composer afterwards and ask, ‘Hey, what did you think?’ He said, ‘He could play the music but he doesn’t feel the notes.’ And that’s what Democrats are missing sometimes. They don’t feel the notes. Not from the economic arguments. They can play the music, they can tell people, ‘Well, this is not really the president’s fault, look at these numbers, look at these numbers, look at these numbers. But that’s not what people want to hear. They want to hear ‘You feel the soul of this thing that’s bothering me. How are these things going to go down?’ And I don’t know that they have effectively messaged that, and I don’t know if you can, to be honest with you. I don’t know if you can effectively message that, because if people feel like things are bad, how do you stop that feeling?” (19:40 | Sam)
• “People who are liberals tend to be less influenced in the way that Conservatives can be influenced. We look for evidence for things…But the MAGA crowd has been inoculated to just believe what they are told.” (24:18 | Sam)

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“There's no one that I see who can beat Donald Trump. He's vanquished all of them,” says Sam Jean, who returns for another special Raw & Uncut edition of Cuckoo 4 Politics. He and Michael discuss the GOP candidates running for the U.S. presidency in 2024. Mike Pence is an irrelevant dearth of charisma, who has returned to his pre-Trump irrelevancy. Nikki Haley has plenty of charisma but is running a campaign from 2002. Michael’s dislike for Tim Scott borders on the irrational, yet is still not as irrational as those who refrained from donating to Scott’s campaign because of his single status. Chris Christie has a lower than ten percent approval rating but is the only one willing to take Trump head on. Ron DeSantis’ thuggish tactics and empty policies don’t translate outside of his limited base in Florida. Michael takes pointed aim at his treatment of both Black constituents and politicians.

Does any of this really matter, though? As Sam points out that despite being indicted on 91 counts of felony, including inciting an insurrection, Donald Trump's MAGA base still blindly supports him. And his fellow politicians will do what they must to curry favor with him. After all, this is not the Republican party of Reagan, Bush Sr. or even Bush Jr. Despite the unprecedented vitriol and unbecoming behavior displayed by the party, Michael explains why he isn’t panicked—-yet.

Quotes

• “Everybody has to account for Trump and Trump's followers. And this is why I told you it wasn't a race from the jump, from the start, it wasn't a race. Trump had already won. And if you've noticed, as the primary has gone on, Trump has only become more and more popular.” (14:39 | Sam)
• “Once you get out of Florida, and you go to New Hampshire, nobody in New Hampshire thinks that people in Florida are actually more free than in New Hampshire, and voters in New Hampshire, for all the MAGA craziness, take the primary seriously, and they come with very serious questions. Iowa, they come with a very serious question, because they're given this sort of stage that they aren't given most of the time. And DeSantis just does not connect with people. If he's not bullying, he just does not connect with people. Trump might not like his followers, but he has no problem shaking their hands.” (19:33 | Sam)
• “I'll say this. Ron DeSantis is not definitely loved in the state of Florida, not entirely. Again, he's only admired in certain pockets within Florida. But I recall his rhetoric about, Black Lives Matter. His rhetoric about Critical Race Theory, his effort to minimize the political power within black communities to relegate them to one congressional elected official, his firing an elected official who was a black woman, I believe the district attorney, to put someone else in place. It doesn't resonate well.” (23:58 | Michael)
• ‘About the 91 indictments, it means absolutely nothing. OK, I'm being glib about it, when I say it means nothing. It doesn't mean nothing. In the grand scheme of history, it's a big deal. But if you're asking me in the particular, today, in the political environment for the Republican Party, what it means, it means nothing to them. And the reason it means nothing to them, is he continues to lead every single poll. At some point, Michael, you’ve got to stop believing in Santa Claus.” (30:21 | Sam)
• “Trump is a great ‘marketeer’-- if that's even a word–but what's what I find interesting, too, is that GOP officials are scared, not of Trump, but of his Maga supporters.” (32:40 | Michael)

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“They live in a completely different world, and that world is disassociated with the majority of Americans,” says Sam Jean, friend of the show, who joins Michael for another episode of Raw & Uncut, where they talk about the chaos erupting in the House of Representatives under the (lack of) leadership of the GOP. Ignoring any separation of church and state, Republican leaders are making sectors such as healthcare, academia, law enforcement political and the fallout is manifold. Not only does this discourage people from pursuing positions in these fields, the dire need for personnel forces the barrier to entry lower and lower and the populace continues to lose.

Of course, politicians themselves will never feel these effects. Worse yet, Sam and Michael are convinced they don’t do it for any other reason than for attention, relevance and to curry favor particularly with Donald Trump. As Sam notes, as much as Republicans complain about what Democrats are doing, they never present a viable alternative. They have no agenda or even a plan.

Join another lively discussion as the two friends discuss the doomed fall of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the white-washing of Black history in schools, and why no one should be taking courses from Prager University.

Quotes

• “If you're thinking like a MAGA Republican, it makes perfect sense. They don't believe in government. They don't believe government is good for anything. And so their whole approach to governing is disruption.” (13:35 | Sam)
• “Republicans are rebels with only one cause: and that cause is Donald Trump.” (15:21 | Sam)
• “[Republicans] live in a completely different world, and that world is disassociated with the majority of Americans.” (20:22 | Sam)
• “With the current trend of the MAGA ultra-rhetoric that comes out, we are seeing an increase of people opting out of education because it's been politicized, opting out of the medical field, particularly when it comes to maternity, because, just like you've mentioned, they don't want to be when they have to make a medical decision for fear of a lawsuit. We have people opting out of law enforcement, because of that particular field being politicized. So where do we go with this because we're seeing this trend continuing on, and in the end, who's going to suffer?” (24:03 | Michael)
• “Everybody thinks that their perspective is valid. That's just natural. But for a long time, in this country, we deferred to people who were subject matter experts. We deferred to teachers, doctors, scientists, sociologists or psychologists. Now we don't. Everybody, on some level, feels like they have a certain level of subject matter expertise, whether it is because they've read things on Wikipedia, or they've seen YouTube documentaries. Everybody thinks that they're an expert on things.” (45:41 | Sam)

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“Even if you’re not involved in a case, it’s important to care who is sitting in these seats,” says Judge Jill Beck. For the past year, Judge Beck has traveled throughout all 67 counties of Pennsylvania, in a campaign to be elected to the state’s Superior Court. She joins Cuckoo 4 Politics to explain what goes on in all four levels of the court system – something that even lawyers find confusing at times. She also explains what judges do not, or should not, do. Despite many peoples’ growing fear of partisanship within the legal system, judges are not meant to promote or overturn precedents but to make decisions based on the evidence put before them, and to make sure justice is served and upheld.

A self-described “born neutral,” she herself has drafted 500 successful decisions under Superior and Supreme Court Judges and Justices. She has the highest recommendation from the Bar Association, a deciding board free from political partisanship. Placing an “R” or a “D” behind a judge’s name is a mistake, she warns. It compromises the motivations of an already reluctant voting populace, who may not realize that judges swayed by politics will only work in their favor until the vote swings the other way. It also raises the question of how those judges who owe their position to political backing maintain their impartiality.

The concerns of Pennsylvanians reflect the concerns of Americans. On today’s episode, Judge Beck explains how she balances her personal and professional life, her most memorable cases dealing with injustice that keep her motivated and why she and Michael actually enjoy jury duty.

• “I always tell people, the courts serve as a check and balance not only on our legislative and executive branches of government, but also in the courts below. The things that are coming before the superior court really affect people's lives. Because we're talking about someone's right to be free from incarceration, their right to parent their children, the right to access and make healthcare decisions on their own, the right to their wealth. Their safety. Their home. Their inheritance. These are big picture things that affect everyday Pennsylvanians even if you're not the litigants involved in the case, because our courts are interpreting our Constitution and our statutes. A law that did not adversely affect you yesterday, very well could adversely affect you tomorrow. So, it's important to care who's sitting in these seats.” (13:51 | Judge Beck)
• “A lot of people are looking at our courts and seeing them as just a third political arm of the government, and not as the fair, impartial and apolitical branch that it should be.” (21:06 | Judge Beck)
• “I always tell people, when you vote, you're investing in your community. And when you do vote, they also put you into the jury pool. And that's just showing that I, the citizen, have an active role in my community. And I could weigh in on that decision. It's not just elected officials.” (26:08 | Michael)
• “There is no such thing – or there shouldn't be – as a Democratic judge or Republican judge. We're just judges, we have to do the job, give every single case the time, the effort and the energy to ensure that the facts were correctly found and supported by the trial court. That the law was correctly and faithfully applied in every single case. It isn't brain surgery, truly. But it's an incredibly important job.” (30:48 | Judge Beck)
• “Seeing injustice, seeing someone hurt, seeing someone have their rights violated, that motivates me to do the job, to do it right, and to make sure Pennsylvanians–that people–are protected, that they get the justice that they deserve. My goal truly is for our courts to be a place where justice can be for all.” (36:39 | Judge Beck)

Links

Connect with Jill Beck:

JillBeck.com,

@ElectJillBeck

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“A district attorney is for all the people, so I want to be a unifier of political division,” says First Assistant District Attorney of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, who returns to Cuckoo 4 Politics to talk more about the issues facing his district and how he plans to solve them when he is, hopefully, elected District Attorney. Mike himself has been on both sides of the political divide–a divide host Michael Desrosiers believes continues to be further drawn by Republicans who insist on maintaining traditions and laws which tend to favor white men. After many years as a registered Republican, Mike Mancuso is running for office as a Democrat. He explains what inspired this change, including the democratic policies that he felt would be most effective in solving the district’s most pressing issues.

As is the case in most of America, gun violence and drug use are becoming shockingly commonplace in Monroe County. Yet, as Michael Desrosiers points out, Republicans took a hard “lock them up” stance when drug use was relegated to the Black community. Only when drugs began affecting white communities did the conversation begin to revolve around treatment. Our host asks the First Assistant DA what changes he would like to see made to the criminal justice system and his thoughts on gun crime and gun control. Mike Mancuso describes Monroe County’s crisis involving juvenile criminals including the lack of facilities to keep the most dangerous among them away from the public.

By joining today’s conversation, you are likely to recognize at least one issue that you are facing in your own community. As the profile of both Republicans and Democrats continues to change and evolve with the times, so must policies in order to be effective.

Quotes:

• “I always look at the individual issues and character and merit of the candidate. That's how I run.” (9:55 | Mike Mancuso)
• “When I became full time, as first assistant DA in 2016, I started seeing things that were troubling about the repetitive nature of certain types of crimes and issues. I was advocating for positions that I felt were very democratic and spirit that were very proactive.” (11:27 | Mike Mancuso)
• “It seems like the Republican platform on criminal justice was law and order. And to me, that could be interpreted as maintaining the status quo, no type of change. If there's a drug addiction, or someone's caught with drugs, you put them in jail, and then solve it. Where the Democratic principles–not saying they're not for law and order–but they’re for justice, for fairness.” (18:18 | Michael Desrosiers )
• “Right now, Monroe County has a crisis, in that we do not have ready access to secure detention facilities for the handful–less than six or so a year–of juvenile offenders. And that's also a problem in our region as a whole. There's a total lack of juvenile detention centers and so we've had very troubling cases where dangerous kids were let out.” (42:19 | Mike Mancuso)
• “I understand people clinging to traditions, I understand values like hard work and individual accountability. And I think all of that is compatible with effective reforms that are based on the data. I mean, we can't just be running the country based on opinion polls, but where those opinions are based, in fact, and, and have data behind them, they should be embraced and they should be utilized to make our country a better place.” (50:04 | Mike Mancuso)

Links

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www.mancusoforda.com

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“The interplay between drug addiction, mental health and domestic violence—those three big issues contribute a lot to repeat offenses, recidivism, that revolving door analogy,” explains Mike Mancuso, who is currently running for District Attorney of Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Having worked as a first assistant district attorney since 2004, Mike has worked on countless such cases, has seen the way they overlap with each other and understands how best to approach these problems.

This conversation illustrates the transparency and accountability that Mancuso brings to the table. He shares the challenges faced by law enforcement and the steps being taken to rebuild trust with the community, including the implementation of body cameras and data-driven analysis. You'll gain a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding police actions and the importance of fair investigations.

Quotes:

• "The interplay between drug addiction, mental health, and domestic violence, those three big issues contribute a lot to repeat offenses, recidivism, that revolving door analogy." - Michael Mancuso (13:35)
• "Studies have shown that a victim in a domestic of a non-fatal strangulation is 800 times more likely to die as a result of a homicide than anyone else just walking down the street." - Michael Mancuso (14:18)
• "The regaining of trust, particularly by minority members of the Monroe County community is very, very important to me. It's very, very important also to the police chiefs that I deal with on a regular basis." - Michael Mancuso (35:31)
• "It's important to have accountability when a wrong has been done and the evidence overwhelmingly finds that the police were found to be guilty of their dereliction of duty." - Michael Desrosiers (35:19)
• "The use of body cameras by officers is becoming standard now. For all our local police departments and that's a good step forward." - Michael Mancuso (35:55)

Links

Connect with Mike Mancuso:

www.mancusoforda.com

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“We’ve got to protect the community but in a way that builds trust within the community,” says Don Leeth who is running for District Attorney in Monroe County, PA this Fall, beginning with the Democratic primary election which takes place on May 16. In December of 2020, Monroe County was the scene of a fatal altercation between Pennsylvania state troopers and a young man named Christian Hall. Don and Michael discuss the case and the issues it raises about the need for transparency and external investigations in cases involving police. The incident was the impetus for Don’s decision to run for DA and highlights the erosion of trust between the police department and the community–particularly communities of color–and a mentality of “them versus us.” This trust must be rebuilt by addressing issues of substance abuse, juvenile reform and mental health among others. In addition to diversifying the police force, it is crucial, Don argues, to match the right professionals–such as social workers as substance abuse counselors–to the right tasks, as police are not trained for many of the challenges they are put on the front lines to face.

Racial inequality is a systemic issue–not just an issue of a few bad apples, Don says. Part of making justice more equal is eliminating sanctions put in place which disproportionately affect Black and Latino communities. This includes veering away from punishing low-level drug abuse and incentivizing drug treatment programs, and reforming bail practices. Don describes the difference in the conversations he has with his own son about how to interact with the police, and the conversations his sister has with her own sons who are of mixed race. Michael explains why he keeps a “Ferguson” camera in his car in the event he is pulled over by police.

The issues facing Monroe County are issues facing counties and communities across the nation. Today’s discussion expands upon the one which took place in Episode 41 of Cuckoo 4 Politics titled “Why?” which touched upon issues regarding gun control in America and its connection to race relations.

• “Business as usual is the continued policies in regards to an adversarial process, in regard to our criminal justice system, where you're willing to do whatever it takes in regards to getting another notch in the belt in regards to winning a case. We have to move away from just the idea of being tough on crime and really take a look at it in regards to the societal effect.” (20:07-20:31 | Don)
• “When I get pulled over by a police officer, I make sure I let them know that they're on camera, just so they know. It’s to protect them and protect me as well. And it's unfortunate I, as a Black motorist, have to do that…So that's the extra precaution that I have to take because unfortunately, statistics are not on my side, and I have to do these things. So Driving While Black is a real thing.” (26:57-27:35 | Michael)
• “I don't remember who said it, but our system is based on power, not justice.” (47:01-47:06 | Don)

Links

Connect with Donald Leeth:

www.donaldleethforda.com

www.stroudsburglaw.com

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“There seems to be no safe place in America,” says Michael, noting that even in places that were once considered places of solace, people have to worry about being shot. Sam Jean joins another episode of Raw & Uncut to talk about gun control in America and its intersection with issues of race. The episode was recorded in the wake of Tyre Nichols dying at the hands of five Memphis police officers. They note the hypocrisy of allowing anyone to acquire a gun while requiring training and permits for far less consequential endeavors such as driving a car. Similarly, when it comes to police brutality, offending officers are moved to other departments while any other profession would bar its practitioner for life. Sam explains the sympathy he both has and doesn’t have for police officers based on the work they do, the power that they possess and the responsibility that comes with it. Asking for accountability is not the same as being anti-police.

There is a disparity between the way we view white people who own guns–and openly carry them–with the way we view Black people, particularly Black men, who do the same. Similarly, as Sam points out, white police officers convicted of police brutality have their officer portraits shown on TV while Black officers have their resulting mug shots shown. Sam and Michael discuss a movement gaining attention in Memphis that would have two different judiciary processes for each race. Racist conservatives blame Black criminality on single-parent households, a term often interchangeably and incorrectly confused with having an absentee parent, Sam notes, as a deflection from the effects of external racist forces.

Michael and Sam question why more money and attention aren’t being focused on de-escalating crime. Michael compares the huge disparity between incidents of gun crime in the U.S. to those of the rest of the world.

• “I've already given up the idea that you're going to restrict the ability of people to own weapons in this country. I've already given that up because it is part of our culture And we don't want to let that part of our culture go.” (8:22-8:36 | Sam)
• “We won't let a 14-year-old-vote. We will not let a 14-year-old drink…But we're going to trust a 14-year-old with an AR-15. To just walk around on public land.What could go wrong there?” (13:16-13:58 | Sam)
• “If you're a police officer, and you were involved in this sort of thing, and you get fired and you don't go to jail, you shouldn't be able to go somewhere else and be a cop. Period. If I'm a lawyer and I lose my law license, I get disbarred for a reason. I can't just show up in some other state and try to join the bar.” (44:09-44:28 | Sam)
• “In some consulate offices, when they have travel warnings for the United States, they sometimes put, ‘Be careful because of the rampant school shootings, at a club…I don't recall ever looking up a country's travel site and seeing a warning like that…And I thought that was interesting.” (48:36-49:18 | Michael)

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“A lot of people have a movie-like version of the real world,” says Sam, who returns for another episode of Raw and Uncut, “and it doesn’t work like that.” People are hungry for performative politics because President Biden’s scandal-free tenure doesn’t fill the void of entertainment left by Trump. People see the Chinese balloon flying over the Midwest and expect it to be shot down as if life were an action movie, not thinking of the implications of that actually happening. Taking the balloon down did cost nearly a million dollars in military spending, which satisfies the same people who would then turn around and complain that their taxes are being spent on projects like public housing, Covid relief extension and tunnels that would help alleviate traffic.

They want to see empty gestures that even the politicians providing them don’t actually believe. They assume President Biden has done nothing about the train derailment in Ohio because Fox News says so. This is why Fox News invites guests on whom they know are lying because the network knows what its viewers want to hear, and knows they come to Fox to get their fix. Politicians will also create problems where they don’t exist, such as children being forced to confront trans rights issues, people being forced to use the term ‘LatinX,’ and meanwhile real, worthwhile problems like infrastructure, healthcare and tax codes and the squeezing of the middle class are ignored.

The two discuss what the example of George Santos says about the hypocrisy of the Republican Party. Sam gives his thoughts on Nikki Haley and why he is done underestimating Trump. Michael closes the episode discussing the influence of the 1949 Fairness Doctrine–and its absence–on the way that politics are presented in the media today.

Quotes

• “The train derailment in Ohio, the Right makes it seem like the federal government is absent. Meanwhile, the federal government, the President in particular, said to the governor, ‘Whatever you need, I'm going to give it to you. And Governor Mike DeWine, who isn't a raging Maga Republican basically said, ‘If we need you, we'll let you know. But if you watch Fox News, you'll hear, ‘Look, this train was derailed by the federal government…This shouldn't be a surprise.” (17:13-18:01 | Sam)
• “You have to understand that one of the flaws of politicians is they become addicted to power and to staying in power. One of the ways you stay in power is to get people to vote for you. And so their way of getting people to vote for them is to consistently push and amplify these sorts of issues.” (26:26-26:52 | Sam)
• “A lot of people have a very movie version of the real world. And it doesn't work like that. You don't send Bruce Willis up there with some fighter jets to take this thing down and there's no collateral damage.” (38:46-39:00 | Sam)
• “If we were to peel behind the curtain, we’d see not only the country's progression, but that we as Americans have more in common than what the false narratives depicted by Right Wing media…Each of us must filter what we take in as news and keep an open mind. It's okay to formulate an opinion while respecting those that do not share similar beliefs.” (1:02:20-1:02:32 | Michael)

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“So we have this issue in this country, that we keep essentially trying to rewrite the past, to make it seem like it wasn't what it was,” says Sam Jean Esq., who returns for another episode of Cuckoo 4 Politics: Raw & Uncut. He references Skip Gates who said that countries that confront their histories of racism do better than countries that don’t. Yet, people in positions of power are literally rewriting history to make certain segments of the population feel more comfortable. The hypocrisy of certain Conservatives to promote free speech but to want to censor students' curriculum, or want to decide whether drag shows are fit for other peoples’ children to see based on a false equivalency between a style of theater and criminal activity. They believe in free speech as it pertains to their own world view, under the guise of simply “asking questions,” while opposing points of view are forms of indoctrination that needs to be stopped.

People aren’t willing to have conversations about the way that slave labor boosted the economy of the South such that it could compete with the industrial North in the Civil War. Africa, the second largest continent in the world is rendered the same size as other continents on the map, is reflective of how much Africa is still not valued beyond the resources it can provide for other parts of the world.

In his closing, Michael cites the 25 states across the country that are bidding to ban any curriculum that mentions critical race theory or sexual orientation, reproduction or gender identity. Anyone who opposes this is only allowed to comment on the voting procedure and not the content of the bill itself. Michael agrees with historian Jim Ross at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that these measures are the same taken by the Old Confederacy and would only serve to resegregate schools.

Quotes

• “This is the Republican Party that says, individual freedom, they strive for freedom. The people must decide. Yet they're enacting laws that will dictate what you must learn. Are they becoming like North Korea? I mean, is this what's going on?” (22:50-23:09 | Michael)
• “It is clear that there are people who believe that the only way that the world could have moved in the way that it moves is if things happened exactly like they happened. They believe that the only way that the West could advance was to be colonizers. And so what they do is they don't see colonization as something that is bad, that is evil, that strips the dignity of peoples who are being colonized. If they do see that, they think, ‘Well, that's a necessary evil for the benefits of what colonization brings.’” (34:47-35:27 | Sam)

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“There’s an excitement in being able to look down on someone,” says Darryl Colon, who resumes his conversation with Michael about the origins of racism in America. Darryl discusses President Lyndon B Johnson’s Kerner commission, a committee of all-white conservatives who placed the issue of racism at white America’s feet. As Michael points out, Black Americans historically have not been afforded the same opportunities to assimilate into society as have newly arrived Americans, particularly Europeans. Darryl quotes psychologist Carl Rogers, who said that people are drawn to support and reward things that are “like them,” and that conservatives want to shut down the Critical Race Theory conversation to maintain a status quo that benefits them, regardless of its effect on others. Psychologist Alfred Adler recognized that at the heart of a superiority complex is an inferiority complex, and people are always eager for the chance to look down on someone else for the chance to be—or just to feel—powerful. He says this motivation perpetuated slavery, white supremacy and the origins of the modern-day police institution.

Regarding the resistance from Conservatives to incorporate Critical Race Theory into curriculum, Michael makes the analogy of wearing red during American Heart Month: dedicating a month to heart disease doesn’t mean you think it’s more important than cancer. It’s simply a matter of raising awareness. Historically, large groups of people united under one cause have proven too much of a threat to those in power to be tolerated for long. The two men refer to 9/11 as the first time Americans were truly united, and the world with them, a unity which could have lasted to this day had it not been squandered with an invasion of Iraq under false pretenses.

Michael closes the show by discussing the methods used to conduct census surveys in centuries past, and the categorizing of citizens based on to what degree they possessed Black heritage. He compares this with the way citizens are choosing to self-identify today.

Quotes-

• “Psychologist Carl Rogers spoke about the desire to be fully acculturated, fully assimilated, and embraced by the European component of American society. He said the desire to be white is an incredibly powerful social dynamic.” (11:29-11:47 | Darryl)
• “What Carl Rogers is referring to is what I call the difference between assimilation and what they used to call integration, but they now call multiculturalism or diversity. People used to confuse the two things thinking one was the other. Assimilation is the people in power teach and those who are not in power learn under integration, we will teach and learn together. Under assimilation, differences are eliminated. Under integration, you see the differences are exciting opportunities to experience something new and with assimilation, rewards go to people like ‘us.’” (11:48-12:45 | Darryl)
• “That's the key thing. They just do not wish to have us–Americans, or a diverse group of people–to be unified, and there's always something that's going to break us apart.” (24:25-24:39 | Michael)

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“Differences should be celebrated, not eliminated,” says Darryl Colon, the first guest on the new season of Cuckoo 4 Politics. Darryl, who has several advanced degrees in the field of psychology and mental health, explains that differences among races are nothing more than genetic adaptations to regional climates. Yet, the enormous power of imagery, particularly the medium of film, has profoundly influenced the way races feel about themselves and each other. He explains that Black characters, particularly Black men, who behave in a way deemed unacceptable by society, will never make it to the end of a film or novel. “Unacceptable” behavior, oddly enough, includes acting with bravery, intelligence, or initiative. Michael recalls that in the 1986 movie “Top Gun,” two minor but recurring Black characters were not featured in the film’s epilogue sequence the way all the white characters were. Even movies like Black Panther have hidden messages suggesting dire consequences for Black characters who act too decisively or with too much confidence.

This kind of messaging has a profound effect. Darryl cites a famous study called the “Black Doll/White Doll '' experiment begun in the 1940s wherein children, both Black and white, were shown a Black doll and a white doll and asked which doll was beautiful, intelligent, good. Up until recently, throughout each experiment, the children chose the white doll. Black people, Darryl says, have been fighting off stereotypes assigned to them by Europeans 500 years ago in an effort to justify the slave trade. Before then, people from the African continent were making major contributions to science and letters, like the basis of the Pythagorean theorem.

Another major contribution is Hip Hop music, which, though originally dismissed by mainstream radio as being too “urban,” is now celebrating its 50th anniversary with stars of the genre dominating media and branching out into parallel fields like fashion. Michael opens and closes the show on this topic, as well as the declaration of Juneteenth as an official holiday. While many corporations have embraced the holiday, many of their celebrations are off-key if not exploitative. Michael quotes, “Black history should be viewed as another way to celebrate us as a nation, like the Fourth of July.”

Quotes

• “All these racial differences are genetic adaptations to environmental factors, but we use them to separate and categorize and say one’s better than the other, but it’s all BS.” (18:06-18:19 (Darryl)
• “There was a time when you only had Ebony magazine or Jet magazine to see someone like yourself. But when you looked at other national magazines, even in this country, you would only see predominantly white models on the front covers.” (19:49-20:06 | Michael)
• “Movies are huge in terms of their impact on how people think and what they aspire toward. The impact of media and film is incredible. Everyone wants to be like what they see in the movies.” (28:20-28:37 | Darryl)
• “Racism as we know it today is a very recent development in the course of human history. Prior to that people from the African continent contributed to the world’s technology, science, culture, art and trade as much as anybody else. Europeans had to develop an anti-black narrative in order to justify the institution of slavery.” (29:56-30:47 | Darryl)

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“Growing up, there was an idea that some people just were not going to serve in public office,” says Sam Jean, who returns to resume the discussion about the results of the US midterm elections. This week, he and Michael discuss the “celebrification” of American politics. It’s evident in candidates like former football player and recent Republican candidate for the state of Georgia, Herschel Walker, and former news anchor Kari Lake who recently ran on the Republican ticket for Governor of Arizona. Taking leaves out of Donald Trump’s playbook, these candidates trade charisma for competency.

This is only successful, Sam and Michael point out, because Republican voters like candidates who behave in a mean, mocking manner toward the Democratic party. This voter base sees themselves as victims under the thumb of liberal policy and conspiratorial liberal media. So, they prioritize the satisfaction they feel in seeing liberals “get owned” over sound policy and practices. They present Florida governor Ron DeSantis as another example of this, a figure whom, Sam points out, has never actually had to prove his mettle.

Also part of the discussion is the state of Louisiana which is the only state to vote to maintain slavery and involuntary servitude as a means of punishing criminals. This brings up issues of privatized prisons and for-profit incarceration. Michael’s closing statement analyzes the new lines along which voters are divided.

Quotes

• “The problem that Republicans ran into is when people are accustomed to having a right, and having that right taken away in the way that it was taken away, the real life ramifications don’t play out well.” (4:43-5:05 | Sam)
• “When we were growing up, there was an idea that some people just were not going to serve in public office. ‘Oh, this guy can't run for public office, because he's not smart enough, or this guy can't run for public office because he's got too many scandals.” (19:00-19:21 | Sam)
• “There's a significant portion of the Republican base, who feel that conservatives are victims. That conservatives are being victimized by this wild, lawless, liberal society, and its agents in the media. And so they say that they're victims. Kari Lake speaks to that.” (22:14-22:39 | Sam)
• “All he's doing is smacking liberals around, they need a good smacking. And Republican voters love that. My thing about Ron DeSantis, however, is you don't know a candidate until the candidate has to deal with an adverse situation, something they're not prepared for, some crisis. How does the candidate deal with that? How does he or she handle that? And I have not seen Ron DeSantis be put in a position to do that.” (32:26-32:57 | Sam)
• “As we know, they call it the prison industrial complex because private prisons were being fabricated or created, in order to incarcerate more people in order to go to the nearest bidder as far as to make goods.” (38:13-38:29 | Michael)
• “In short, the people have spoken and Americans prefer a divided government. However, the division seems to transition not just from left or the right. It's becoming literally more black and white, female versus male, and those who have a higher college education versus those who reach a certain level in education.” (49:04-49:25 | Michael)

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“I told you that you can’t pay attention to certain narratives,” says returning guest Sam Jean on this episode of Cuckoo 4 Politics. As it turns out, Sam was correct about his midterm predictions, and that the much-publicized Republican Red Wave turned out to be a drip. Sam attributes this and other false beliefs to fake news and fear campaigns put out by the Republican Party. Many people also believed that their hometowns would reach crime levels comparable to major cities like New York and Chicago, and that Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul was attacked by a man he met on Grindr.

These falsehoods and the likes, Sam and Michael argue, proves that Republicans have no real issues which they plan to address. What is more, they discuss issues in a one-size-fits-all narrative and as Sam explains, politics are too local for such an approach. What is worse, such extreme views can be enough to drive independent people away from voting.

Perhaps ironically, Donald Trump made Sam a believer. Find out why, as well as the real story behind the presence of litter boxes in school classrooms (and it's far more concerning than Republicans’ fear that students are identifying as cats).

Quotes

• “When you're looking at congressional races, the voters decided that they weren't buying what Republicans were selling.” (3:44-3:51 | Sam)
• “What I try to convey to conservatives is you can have legitimate reasons for not liking a political figure, candidate, whatever. You don't need to make stuff up about them… The problem is, they’re putting people’s lives at risk..” (17:50-18:12 | Sam Jean)
• “Liz Cheney is not going to make it through a Republican primary.” (28:20-28:24 | Sam)
• “But Michael, all politics is local. You can't look at something nationally, and say, ‘Oh, it's going to apply here. It's going to apply there. It's going to apply there in the exact same way.” (31:40-32:00 | Sam) SM Quote

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“It’s complicated,” says Geoffrey Gordan who, along with his wife Elizabeth, returns to the show to discuss contemporary politics from the point of view of residents of hotbed states like Arizona. The question of the day is what compels Latinos to vote for either Republicans or Democrats. Right away, as he explains, there is the difference between Hispanic and Latino. Elizabeth points out the difference between Latinos who have lived in America for generations and those who have recently arrived–a distinction made by many Latinos themselves.

What many Latinos do share is a strong Christian faith, and therefore find many of the issues supported by the Democratic Party, particularly abortion and gay rights, are difficult to reconcile.

What is ironic, as Geoffrey points out, is that newly arrived Latinos are joining the Evangelical sect of Christianity in droves. This is the same faith shared by many anti-immigration Republicans.

Quotes

• “Many Hispanics have a very strong faith based family structure, and they have for years, whether they started out as Catholics. And a lot of the things center around family, faith and country. And that, to their core, is who they are.” (11:46-12:15 | Geoffrey)
• “I do think there's another factor in the Hispanic conversation. And I think it's the classic wet foot dry foot immigrant view, where the immigrants who came, quote unquote, the right way, or in the case of Hispanics, those Hispanics who have been here for generations and generations, do look down on other newer immigrants.” (16:41-17:10 | Elizabeth)
• “In a segment of the Hispanic population, they do not have that foundational grounding in the civil rights movement, because they've been accepted into white society. They are the Hispanic white population. And so for them, civil rights, that ability for people to live their lives is not as ingrained. They have not been on the receiving end of anti Hispanic racism, because they pass. Unless their name is Garcia, which, some of them it is, but even then, if you're Garcia, but you speak perfect English and you look white, Okay, no problem.” (22:22-23:12 | Elizabeth)
• “The irony is the base of the of the Republican Party, which is Evangelical, has so much animosity against immigration, and illegal immigration. But it's literally the people that are coming here, especially over the last 20 years, that are growing the church.” (28:31-28:52 | Geoffrey)

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“We don’t like to talk about these things because they’re not sexy,” says Elizabeth Coleman Gordan, of the work required to actually implement change in communities. She and her husband Geoffrey, join Michael for part two of their conversation about the political climate in Arizona as the mid-term elections approach. Michael and Geoffrey both agree that too many people expect instant gratification, and aren’t realistic about the political process.

Several of the most pressing issues of the day are discussed. The hypocrisy of the way we both shun immigrant populations, while relying on their labor. The factors that led to inflation and supply chain issues that, despite Republican talking points, have nothing to do with Joe Biden. And why the overturning of Roe v. Wade may be what tips Arizona elections in the Democrats favor.

As a biracial couple, Elizabeth and Geoffrey discuss their experience of raising three young men through the Trump era, why America needs to put in some hard work, and how their predominantly white area has been shifting more towards diversity.

Quotes

• “Honestly, when people are accepting aid, or they know someone who's accepting aid, it's because well, they're one of the good ones. But those people getting aid, that other kind of aid, they're not one of the good ones. Folks, in so many ways, if you were on the island from Lord of the Flies, you 100% would have killed that little Piggy boy. Really, you would not have been one of those supportive, cooperative, loving, great and kind people. You would have massacred each other and it's sad to see it.” (34:18-35:02 | Elizabeth)
• “Infrastructure isn’t sexy. The solutions aren't going to be easy. The solution for infrastructure is almost always going to be some kind of attack so that you can rebuild or increase infrastructure. The solution to the water problem is, ‘Hey, guess what, nobody gets to have lawns. You need to have either rocks or fake grass because we can't be spending money on lawns.” (38:51-39:21 | Elizabeth)
• “For me, there's this concern that we're not going to be able to do hard things. Doing hard things takes practice. And if we get out of the practice of putting our heads together, as citizens, as constituents, as legislators, and doing hard things, then we're not going to be in a position 20 years down the road, 40 years down the road, where other nations are willing to do the hard things, to really put in that time. America has always been known to put in the hard work, even despite all of her issues, she has been known to put in this hard work.” 42:39-43:18 | Geoffrey)

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“There are significant concerns with respect to our democracy,” says Geoffrey Gordan, on this episode of Cuckoo for politics. This episode begins a new series where Michael talks to residents of state’s to get their take on the political climate. Today, he welcomes Geoffrey and his wife Elizabeth Coleman Gordan, residents of Arizona, a state with a large independent base. They explain there is ‘a trifecta’ of elections that will take place in November: governor, senator, and secretary of state. And they are very concerned about the integrity of democracy, and about the consequences of electing people who continue to support Trump and repeat his more divisive and dangerous rhetoric.

They discuss the measures being taken to complicate the mail-in voting process as a method of discouraging or disqualifying certain demographics from participating. Another method of influencing election outcomes is to rezone voting districts, which is something they experienced with their own issues. Michael asks the couple their views, as residents of a border state, on the border crisis, and whether it’s truly a crisis at all.

As midterms fast approach, the only thing to rival the tension is the passion of dedicated citizens like Elizabeth and Geoffrey. Join the conversation to hear more.

Quotes

• “In a lot of ways, the rhetoric has not changed or lessened in any way since Trump has left office. In fact, I think it's become more strident. And it's concerning. I'm terrified that the folks who are going to be in these high offices are still talking about ‘the steal’ and that the election was stolen from Trump.” (6:50-7:15 | Elizabeth)
• “Here in Arizona, we have the trifecta: the race for governor, the Secretary of State, and our Senator, who are all Trump endorsed election deniers.” (8:29-8:50 |Geoffrey)
• “Democracy requires us to first start on good faith. We will always have differences of opinion, we will disagree, but we have to be able to come together in good faith, to work out those differences within a democratic system and within the political system.” (27:15-27:38 | Geoffrey)

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“This is why I’m becoming more and more cynical every day. Because none of it is making any sense to me,” says Sam Jean, Michael’s friend, and frequent guest, about the constant hypocrisy and double standards practiced in the world today, by Republicans in particular. Republicans only need one example to paint all Democrats with the same brush, but the same rules never apply to them. Republican sex offenders in high political positions are the quickest to call other people sexual predators or dangerous to children. He discusses the double standards held by which white people and people of color are held to—including an example of Black families fleeing Ukraine only to be told to turn back.

Sam also considers that Trump supporters—separate from regular Republicans—meet the criteria for a cult. One major problem, he says, is many people only utilize one news source, particularly ones that are a feedback loop.

Join Michael and Sam to discuss why Sam was right about Dr. Oz, who makes Sarah Palin look like a Rhodes scholar, and the story behind the podcast’s name.

Quotes

• “I’m not sure if someone other than Will Smith had slapped someone, that they would have continuously played the slap over and over again.”(5:22-5:33 | Sam)

• “There’s also a lack of critical thinking going on. People are being told this is what’s happening, and they don’t even do the basics of trying to understand what it is they are claiming is happening.”(29:09-29:22 | Sam)

• “These people have been living under their version of the truth for so long that when the actual truth is revealed to them, they’re shocked.(30:11-30:20 | Sam)

• “It is now illegal for a pregnant woman to have an abortion, even in instances of rape in certain states. However, that same woman can easily purchase an assault rifle, carry a concealed pistol and pick her child up from a public school.”(55:17-55:33 | Michael)

• “The word ‘woke,’ most of the people who use it don’t even know where it came from… you don’t want to have a discussion about my position. That’s all.” (13:42-14:29| Sam)

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“I thought we understood that a woman had the right to access an abortion,” says Sam Jean, longtime friend of Michael’s, who returns to the podcast to discuss the recent ruling by the US Supreme Court to overturn abortion rights at the federal level. Sam believes that Republicans are using the issue of abortion as a fundraising tool because this resonates with a large portion of their fanbase. Michael raises the question whether this issue is the last stronghold available to men as a means to control women, and explains that Evangelicals have historically been behind a lot of the attempts to overturn the rights of women, notably when they got President Ronald Reagan elected.

They discuss the differences in the line of questioning that Justice Jackson and Judge Amy Coney Barrett were asked during their respective confirmation proceedings, and the stoicism of Jackson versus the emotionality of Brett Kavanaugh. People of color, at a certain level of visibility and accomplishment, don’t have the luxury of indulging in certain behaviors that their white counterparts do.

Join the latest conversation between Michael and Sam to hear their shock at how little some Supreme Court Justices know the constitution, why Ted Cruz loves to be hated, and why all of these issues come back to fundraising.

Quotes

• “If I think about it, every country that’s equal to us- Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Japan– they all allow abortions. And now we’re going back to yesteryear?” (7:19-7:30 | Michael)

• “I’m just going to point out that nobody gets to tell a woman or a man what to do with their body. Nobody.” (13:59-14:09 | Sam)

• “It’s all politics, it’s performance, it’s theater, because they want to push this messaging. And this is where you have to give Republicans credit, they know the assignment. They know what they have to do.”(27:32-27:43 | Sam)

• “We in the black community, or minorities in general, any persons of color, we have to take a different stance because what we do represents not just us individually but represents an entire community.”(37:27-37:42 | Sam)

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On this episode of Cuckoos 4 Politics, Sam Jean returns for the second half of the conversation about the many issues currently going on in the state of Florida. Conservative canvassers are going around to elderly and Hispanic communities, changing their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. This leads to further discussion about how Republicans project their machinations onto Democrats as part of a strategy, including assuming that any election loss is a result of voter fraud, or of flooding the polls with Democrat-voting undocumented immigrants.

Another element of Republican strategy is one of demoralization, sending a message that there are more of ‘us’ than ‘them,’ so don’t bother voting against us. This is in lieu of any concrete plans or proposals. When one boogeyman doesn’t work, like Black Lives Matter, Republicans put the blame on ANTIFA. Sam also blames the media for its complicity in perpetuating the message.

Listen to the two friends discuss why Trump is still a likely Republican nominee despite being twice impeached, and further instances of hypocrisy on the part of Republicans.

Quotes

• “The strategy is, if they're accusing you of doing something, they’re doing it.” (7:13-7:18 | Sam)

• “It’s not designed to be true, it is just designed to be part of a message that is designed to keep them in power perpetually.” (13:02-13:10 | Sam)

• “There isn’t any symmetry in how the media treats messaging from Republicans, which become standard media talking points, and messaging from Democrats, which is always presented as ‘Democrats say.’”(14:44-15:02 | Sam)

• “Overall, Florida has bigger problems that will have more repercussions than this sole politician.” (29:11-29:17 | Michael)

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Florida has long been known for its sunny weather and hot climate, but as the midterm elections approach, things are really heating up. But are these issues that are putting Florida “on the map” really issues at all? Sam Jean, argues that Conservatives are creating false struggles in order to create a false sense of victory. Michael argues that as America evolves and changes, Conservatives are shadowboxing in a fight to keep it the same.

At best, argue Michael and Sam, Governor Ron DeSantis’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill is hypocritical, as laissez faire Conservatives are always demanding that the government refrain from interfering in personal matters. Worse, it puts teachers in an increasingly difficult position as they’re being used to represent issues they don’t believe exist, and they are forced to choose between protecting vulnerable children or abiding by their orders. At worst, they say, it makes a portion of the population feel they are not free to be who they are.

On this episode of Cuckoo 4 Politics, Michael and Sam discuss what’s really in the books Conservatives want banned, who is really responsible for voter fraud, and what election police will do with all the money they are being (over)paid.

Quotes

• “It has nothing to do with what the books say. It is just political posturing, and it’s making a certain segment of Conservatives, or Republicans, feel OK, and they feel that they’re winning.” (11:54-12:08 | Sam)

• “I thought we had gotten to the point where we wouldn’t have these discussions about gay people. I thought we were past this.” (14:36-14:45 | Sam)

• “Conservative teachers that I know are offended by this. They say the people who have written it have no idea what teachers do.”(18:10-18:18 | Sam)

• “Now it’s a thorny question. Is the teacher bound by policy, or is the teacher bound by telling the parent this is what your child has been discussing with me.” (19:18-19:35 | Michael)

• “It’s just amazing to me how a party that talks about individual rights, and limitation of government is going about trying to police every aspect of the lives of people while pretending that they’re not.” (21:17-21:36 | Sam)

• “The powers that be, that do Republican messaging, have indoctrinated voters to believe that they should win every election. When they win, it’s in spite of voter fraud; when they lose it’s because of voter fraud.” (26:02-26:23 | Sam)

• “If I’m being honest, the kind of voter fraud that becomes statistically relevant, and by statistically relevant I mean less than one percent, is people voting in places they don’t live.”(26:5-27:10 | Sam)

• “My thinking is, the overall mantra of the recurrent Republican brand can be summed up this way: prevent people from reading certain books, prevent educators from teaching about systemic racism, prevent women from making decisions about their own bodies, and, in the case of some groups, prevent certain types of people from voting in democratic elections. All in the pretext of not personal freedom, but rather denying the evolution of a nation that strives to be more a perfect union for all people.” (35:22-36:03 | Michael)

Links

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“Racism is not just the product of individual bias or prejudice,” explains Sam Jean Esq., “racism can be embedded in legal systems and policies.” Sam, a former classmate of Michael’s when they both completed their undergraduate degrees at Eastern Nazarene College, also teaches graduate school and has made several media appearances on the subject of U.S. policy.

Critical race theory continues to ignite heated debate not only for its content and merits, but whether or not it should be taught in schools, particularly at the elementary level. Yet, as Sam explains, this theory is not new. It originated over 30 years ago, from a workshop organized by Kimberle Crenshaw, Neil Gotanda, and Stephanie Philips at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It examines the overlap between race, the law, and society.

In this episode, find out what Critical Race Theory actually is (as opposed to anti-racism, or the 1619 Project), why Sam views George Washington differently than he views Thomas Jefferson, and what we can learn from the way that other countries teach their children about the ugly parts of their country’s history.

Quotes

• “Racism is developed due to the fact it is structurally embedded in America’s institutions and its laws since the days of slavery.” (3:48-3:58 | Michael)

• “I don’t remember coming out of that classroom saying, ‘Ooh, I hate white people.’ I don’t remember us saying anything like that. We would have lunch together, move on, graduate, and still maintain our friendship. But today…” (8:38-8:50 | Michael)

• “What actual critical race theory is, if people were being objective about it is something that most people would agree with.” (10:38-10:47 | Sam)

• “People have done bad things. In order for those bad things not to happen again, we should all be informed what they were.” (19:08-19:16 | Sam)

• “And if somebody brings it up, ‘What about the children?’ The children should know.” (25:41-25:46 | Sam)

• “I think it’s a political tool. And it is useful. And one of the things I have to say, Republican and Conservative strategists, they understand their base. They understand the things that drive their people and one of the things that Republicans, Republicans don’t believe in,--OK, to a percent, when you poll them– they don’t believe that race is an issue.” (29:28-29:54 | Sam)

Links

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In a country that has recently seen a lot of political conflicts, many people wrongly believe their right to vote doesn’t matter. While political frustration is understandable, the reality is that no change could ever happen without voters. In today’s episode, host Michael Desrosiers and guest Sam Jean discuss the history of voting and why we need to protect voting rights for all Americans.

Even though the right to vote is protected under the 15th amendment of the constitution, there have been many cases throughout history where political parties have aimed to suppress marginalized groups from voting. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law with the intention to overcome legal barriers that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote. While this piece of legislation was a notable achievement for civil rights, the current Republican Party has been working to dismantle it under the false pretense of voter fraud. In reality, the only reason to support voter suppression is to limit the majority of voters who were implementing positive change so it is important now more than ever that we continue to exercise our right to vote.

Tune into this week’s episode of Cuckoo 4 Politics to learn more about the history of voting in America, current threats to voting rights, and the importance of preserving The Voting Rights Act of 1965 to empower all people and protect the democracy of our country.

Quotes

• “Today's political Republican Party that helped draft the Voting Rights bill are surprisingly executing a game plan to curb voter participation.” (03:45-03:54 | Michael)

• “There was a time in America, not too long ago, where everyone technically had the right to vote, but there were states where Black people could not vote.” (07:17-07:32 | Sam Jean)

• “The Voting Rights Act was one of the crowning achievements of civil rights legislation. Its purpose was to ensure that there was no discrimination against people coming to vote.” (09:30-09:42 | Sam Jean)

• “It should be easier for a voter to vote.” (19:03-19:06 | Michael)

• “The way most Republicans view elections today is if they lose, they lost because something fishy happened. They didn't lose because people somehow really disagree with their position. And if you do disagree with their position, you don't have the right to be in power.” (21:09-21:26 | Sam Jean)

• “The only reason to suppress voter participation is to limit the majority of voters to affect change.” (37:08-37:15 | Michael)

• “If we, as a people, allow politicians to pass voter suppression laws that only allow certain people to vote, then we, as a nation, will have lost all credibility to be the shining city on a hill and a symbol of democracy.” (42:29-42:54 | Michael)

Links

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Historically, Black Americans voted Republican. Originally founded as a party of diverse political beliefs, the Republican Party has recently converted into an immoral and corrupt organization. In today’s episode, host Michael Desrosiers and guest Sam Jean sit down to discuss the aggressive transformation of the Republican party.

According to Michael, the Republican party was founded in 1792 by supporters of Thomas Jefferson. This particular group was in favor of a decentralized government with limited powers and pushed for freedoms for all Americans. In the history of the United States, there has always been polarization among politicians but it has never been such a threat as it is under Trump. Not only was his initial campaign based on malicious lies, but Trump’s influence has since developed into a destructive cult-like following that has successfully rebranded the party entirely.

Tune into this week’s episode of Cuckoo 4 Politics for an in-depth conversation about the Republican Party. Learn more about the history of the party and how it has transformed into a political nightmare after the Trump administration.

Quotes

• “The term Republican was first coined in the year 1792 by supporters of Thomas Jefferson. That group favored the idea of a decentralized government with limited powers.” (01:22-01:34 | Michael Desrosiers)

• “The only people who really refuse subpoenas tend to be the people who can afford really good lawyers.” (24:54-25:05 | Sam Jean)

• “The GOP was very much cosmopolitan and diverse in its political beliefs and actions. However, the party of Lincoln no longer exists because it has cemented itself to the party of Trump.” (28:57-29:11 | Michael Desrosiers)

• “Trump's political rise first began through a lie.” (30:35-30:40 | Michael Desrosiers)

• “Former FBI director who served under Trump, James Comey said that lying about all things large or small is a service to some code of loyalty to Trump.” (32:02-32:14 | Michael Desrosiers)

• “There is no room to embrace falsehoods associated with fantasies of a narcissistic man instead of the fidelity of the US Constitution that each public officials swear by.” (33:41-33:56 | Michael Desrosiers)

• “Historically, Black Americans overwhelmingly registered as Republicans. But today that number is significantly less as the party continues to move in a direction that aims to disenfranchise voters, particularly in communities of color.” (34:36-34:50 | Michael Desrosiers)

Links

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Currently, the Democratic Party has control over the White House, both houses of Congress, and the Senate. While they seem to be the majority party, why do they have limited success when it comes to legislation? In today’s episode, host Michael Desrosiers invites guest Sam Jean back to discuss gridlock and how it impacts the life of the average citizen.

According to Michael, gridlock occurs when one party controls the executive branch and the other controls one or both houses of Congress. Since the Democratic Party has the majority in all three branches of government, the Republican Party has been refusing to participate in forming legislation, even if it will help Americans. In our two-party system, both parties must come to an agreement for anything to happen. And as long as our government remains gridlocked, advancing America’s long list of interests will remain on indefinite hold. Whether it be lowering prescription drug costs, immigration reform, or addressing climate change, it is in the best interest of the country that both parties set aside their long-term differences and commit to making America a better place for ALL Americans.

Tune into this week’s episode of Cuckoo 4 Politics to learn more about how the state of the Republican Party, double standards for women politicians, and unrestricted campaign financing all contribute to the never-ending gridlock in the US political system.

Quotes

• “Gridlock is defined when one party controls the executive branch and the other political party controls one or both houses of Congress.” (00:33-00:43 | Michael)

• “We always know that no matter what administration is in, regardless of party affiliation, there are always some trade-offs.” (04:40-04:49 | Michael)

• “If one party decides they don't want to play ball, nothing happens.” (06:03-06:07 | Sam Jean)

• “A frustration a lot of people have, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum, is that there doesn't seem to be any urgency in providing relief for the average American.” (06:19-06:42 | Sam Jean)

• “When you are in a political cult, it doesn't matter if it makes sense or not. You would rather drink poisoned water than accept something a Democrat did.” (15:04-15:17 | Sam Jean)

• “If Congressional gridlock continues to be the norm for the foreseeable US political future, no legislative moment will take place. And we the American people will bear the true costs as a result of lack of cooperation among our legislators.” (25:47-26:03 | Michael)

• “The one big notable difference between the US and other democracies is the lack of campaign finance reform.” (29:04-29:13 | Michael)

• "An average citizen’s donation of a single dollar is no match to a corporation that could provide $1 million in campaign contributions.” (30:29-20:38 | Michael)

Links

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What do we actually understand about our country’s current political status? After a tiresome four years of the Trump administration, America had high hopes for the next president. While the two administrations are vastly different, why are so many Americans still disappointed with the current state of affairs? In today’s episode, host Michael Desrosiers sits down with long-time friend and political expert Sam Jean to discuss the state of our union.

According to Sam, most Americans are taught to believe that the President of the United States has the power to change things at the snap of a finger. While the President is the most influential political figure in the US, the reality is that things take a lot of time to change. After emerging from four years of continuous scandal, many Americans looked forward to a sense of normalcy in the White House. And while the Biden Administration has already accomplished countless feats, including COVID relief, passing the infrastructure bill, and lowering unemployment rates, people tend to focus on the things that haven’t been finished. As the first year of Biden’s presidency comes to a close, it is important to remember that many of his actions won’t come to fruition until after his term has ended.

Tune into this week’s episode of Cuckoo for Politics to learn more about the powers of the President, what the Biden administration has already accomplished, and why it takes so long to get things done politically.

Quotes• “I think we all grow up with the notion that whoever's in the White House has superhuman capabilities to quickly eradicate all our ills and wills.” (07:08-07:17 | Michael)

• “Biden’s approval rating is low, and it keeps going down because there seems to be this sense of fatigue, and part of it is unrealistic.” (09:53-10:01 | Sam Jean)

• “I’ve noticed the same issues that are happening here at home, are also happening elsewhere.” (11:02-11:06 | Michael)

• “There are a lot of things that I am disappointed about, but I'm a practical person and I get that the President of the United States doesn't control everything.” (12:38-12:49 | Sam Jean)

• “Whenever there's a transition from one president to the next, the incoming president not only inherits the task made by the former, but also inherits the history of past administration successes and its failures while occupying the White House.” (19:06-19:21 Michael)

• “Although there are vaccines and remedies on the horizon, COVID still remains the number one hindrance to America's progress.” (20:00-20:06 | Michael)

Linkscuckoo4politics.com

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This episode discusses how the “Big LIE” has inspired an election audit in Arizona and further undermine America’s faith in its democracy.

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Commentary on the history of the Juneteenth Celebration and what it means to a nation who aims to take steps to becoming more perfect union.

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This is a candid discussion with a public official who is a mother of a police officer in the military and serving in the city of Atlanta. Also speak with a political and legal analyst who shares his views on the verdict of the convicted officer who killed George Floyd.

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This is a special extended episode discussion on various controversial political topics with fellow alum and political analysts Sam Jean.

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This is a special episode discussion on various controversial political topics with fellow alum and political analysts Sam Jean.

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This episode is a continued conversation with my guest , Tameko Patterson, Stroudsburg Area School Board President, where we discuss such topics of diversity in the public school system, challenges facing the district and the future of tomorrow’s school children along other related subjects regarding education.

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This is a podcast episode on the subject of education. My guest is Stroudsburg School Board President , Tameko Patterson, where we discuss such topics like challenges she faces in the school district, the need for diversity in the school system and other related subjects regarding the future of public education .

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This is a continuing candid conversation with the Surapine’s one being a Republican voter & the other a Democrat voter. They share their different perspectives on various political topics such as Min. Wage , Gun Rights, Police Reform, the Black Lives Matter Movement along with the campaign messages of Senators Warnock and Ossoff.

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This is a podcast discussion where I talk to two GA residents who are not only married but have 2 distinctive political views. One a Trump supporter and the other a Biden Supporter. This discussion is lively and goes into various political topics: State of the GOP, Foreign Policy, Religion, Majorie Green, etc.

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As a result of the special election in Georgia , Rev. Warnock and Jon Ossoff became the 2 newest Democratic US Senators. This is a podcast conversation with a young voter who expressed her perspective on why GA voted Blue and what she expects from these elected officials.

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This podcast is a discussion with political analysts , Sam Jean, as we take a serious and comical look at the events that took place on January 6th 2021..

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This episode dives into the discussion of the frivolous law suits made by the out going President. Also , did labels hurt the Democratic candidates in the down ballot? Overall our system of government worked and proved American resilience.

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The Republican Party is not your parents party anymore. This 2nd episode dives into a discussion of the mindset of single-issue voter , the decline of church membership and how GOP has transcended from the Family Values Party to embracing Q’Anon conspiracy theories.

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This is a 2 part series where we discuss the evolution of the Republican Brand. In this episode I discuss with my guest how his conservative political leanings evolve overtime upon attending a Christian College.

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This podcast discussion examines the optics and subjects raised at the last debate. Some topics raised in the exchange are issues of race , the controversy over the Hunter-Biden laptop, and are voters getting Trump fatigue.

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This is a brief .30 minute episode that examines the events that took place at the dual presidential town hall meeting. Together with my guests , Sam Jean , we aim to provide a comical review of possible predictions in the upcoming presidential debate between Trump and Biden.

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This podcast looks into the stigma associated with immigrants. It is also an on-going conversation I have with Sam Jean whose upbringing leads his family to admire and support Ronald Regan. His conservative political leanings, however, do change over a period of time.

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This podcast is a continuation conversation with Sam Jean on the topics discussed at the VP Debate. We comment on the candidates message , their debate tactics and provide our respective takeaways from the debate.

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In this podcast I discuss with a known and reputable debater, Sam Jean , on the difference between an “Argument” vs “Debate.” As well as other take aways from the topics that was presented on that debate stage.

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2 Union leaders discuss the significance of a Union and pertinent pending legislation that will affect Aviation workers. Moreover, how they manage to balance home life with their Union leadership roles.

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Getting to know Claudette Williams, the person, the veteran & the candidate. A woman of tremendous character who perseveres through lifes’ challenges and continues to fulfill her God-given purpose.

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