Podcast 306

Political Polarization. This Podcast is live from the backyard, on a warm summer night. This is made possible by the magic of on demand audio. How did politics get so personal? How did Political Polarization become something written and talked about all the time. These days it seems like the media tries to divide Americans by slicing and dicing poll data. What’s the real divider in America today? The Government. What’s the solution? Maybe getting the government out of the people’s lives. Is the solution a third political party? Former Minnesota Governor Jessie Ventura is saddened by the news that the Independence Party has lost major party status in his home state. What about Ventura’s one term as Minnesota’s Governor? How did that work out? Meanwhile, how does one explain the fact that ‘divided’ Americans keep putting up moderate candidates like Mitt Romney, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton and Jim Webb? If American Politics is so polarized, why do moderate candidates consistently end up as favorites? Mitt Romney continues toying with a presidential run, trash talking Clinton and Obama, but offering no solutions or plans of his own. (Editor’s Note: And you wonder why I say Republican arguments so far are nothing by rhetoric.) Is it possible we Americans run a little deeper on the issues than polling data can show? Is it possible people are divided on different issues, yet not necessarily ‘polarized’ when it comes to the leaders they choose? Has the growth of government in our personal lives made everything political? Is it possible the divisions, and frustration and anger might be mitigated if Washington and Saint Paul would just get out of the way? Sponsored by Depotstar. 

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Podcast 218

It’s complicated. Why are ‘simple’ solutions advocated for complicated problems, and what happens when those ‘simple’ solutions don’t work? With airstrikes beginning against ISIS, apparently many in the US expect ISIS to be ‘destroyed’. Really? Fact is, things are hardly as simple as the commentariat would have us believe. Every crisis contains layers of political, diplomatic, military, corporate, social and other special interests that have to be considered. Then there is the corporate and independent media, and social media. ‘On The Ground’, inside any breaking story, are other, similar layers to be considered by policy makers. Demanding the simple solution plays well on the shout-fests that pass for ‘news’ these days, but seldom play in the real world; One of the reasons we are underwhelmed when things go wrong. People seem to think there was a time when things were easily resolved. Was there? The American Civil War? Prohibition? World War II? The Cold War? When was it ever easy or simple? We’re still getting used to the new complexities of a multi polar – chaotic – world, made more confusing by many new technical innovations with increasingly positive and negative effects. While there are simple solutions to problems every now and then, one has to understand the details to sell those ‘simple’ solutions and selling it can be complicated. History always seems easier when it is written than when it actually plays out. Today, people demand solutions, but they don’t want to know the details. Is this a willful ignorance? A willful refusal to participate or learn? Is it ‘the media’s fault’? Or, is it our fault? Either we pitch in and become informed, or we accept what our elected leaders do. We expect flawless performance from our technology and our leaders and are shocked when it fails. We might be living through a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change our government to be more responsive to individuals, but we’re not going to do it through ignorance and apathy. Sponsored by Autonomous Cad. 

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Podcast 192

The Bob Davis Podcasts Celebrates One Year. The one year anniversary of the new version of the podcasts is August fourth. July 5th 2009 is the fifth year anniversary of the original Bob Davis Podcast. Don’t get too excited, although there will be fireworks at the end of the podcast. In just one year, nearly a million podcasts have been served up at the rate of about a hundred thousand a month, three thousand a day. Thanks to the listeners, and the sponsors. A dinner discussion about the opportunities departing talk show hosts (locally) may mean for Bob Davis, provoked a wider discussion about why podcasting is better, more promising and more fun, than radio. Plus, why more and more quality talk hosts and radio people are jumping a sinking ship and starting their own podcasts. How has that changed Bob Davis, how are the podcasts different from radio, how a revolution in technology spurns a revolution in communication. In some ways, it’s the same revolution we’re seeing in American Politics, and the fading institutions of the old world. What happens when a podcaster runs out of printer paper on a Sunday night, just before he about to print his ream of the latest news, read it, and then comment on it? A discussion about what a ‘political news cleanse’ might sound like. Plus a few shout outs and a short talk about what being in business for yourself is all about. Sponsored by Baklund R&D.

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