Podcast 572-Change

Podcast 572-Change. A Super Moon Walk and Talk Podcast in the wake of Election 2016. Disengage and Decompress from a bruising and challenging election cycle lasting two years. In Podcast 572-Change we’re going to talk about change. The election outcome was a surprise. While a Clinton win might have signaled some level of change, a Trump win signals change in a big way. Political junkies are still hashing over vote totals, turn out, exit polls, laying blame and praise. Leaving the political nuts and bolts aside, this podcast focuses on how we know we’re passing from one era to the next. Many of us feel that change is upon us, whether we voted for Clinton, Trump or some other candidate. What challenges and opportunities lie ahead? One thing is a constant. Things never stay the same. Even though we’re on the doorstep of 2017, sometimes it still feels like 2003. Yet, look at the social, economic and technological change we’ve experienced in the last thirteen or so years. The communication device you hold in your hand is more powerful and more useful than the desktop computer you used back in 2003. The technological changes alone are stunning. Staring up at the full moon in the middle of the night on this walk and talk, it sure feels like the pace of change is accelerating. When an era changes, it always catches people by surprise. We look back later on a particular year and say, “That was when things changed”, but we seldom know and feel it when it is happening. The music we listen to, the TV shows we watch, the clothes we wear, the political coalitions that dominated the news cycle, the rest of the world, how we think of our place in the rest of the world changes. Sometimes without warning. We’re seeing the effects of surprise on the faces of some people who feel they lost the 2016 election and at the same time a sort of triumphalism among supporters of the candidates who won. Over time this will change as people see political changes might not happen as suddenly as thought. Or policies supporters of the winner thought might be advocated for, aren’t. Meanwhile something else may be afoot. Let’s start thinking about change, because it is upon us, whether we want it or not. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul.

Podcast 497

Midnight Deck Radio. It’s that time of year again. Just before the bugs, when the trees are full and the nights are cool. But, the coffee’s on and the Tiki Torches are lit, time for some Midnight Deck Radio. As we wait for the planet Mercury to transit between the Earth and the Sun in the 6:00 hour Central Daylight Savings Time on Monday, May 9th, it’s time to update Bob Davis Podcast Listeners for the week ahead. You wouldn’t know it if you listened to talk radio or to the 24 hour cable television channels, but there isn’t much to talk about in politics until the next spate of primary elections. Even then, there won’t be any real fireworks until just before both mainline party conventions late this summer. That doesn’t stop the media machine though, rehashing and churning away with more opinion and commentary on the same issues again and again, and again. How many times can we talk about whether or not Hillary Clinton will be indicted (um, no she won’t) or how Donald Trump is the ‘presumptive’ nominee of the Republican party? One of the things I’ve learned doing the weekly ‘Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show’ is how prescient the Bob Davis Podcasts can be when it comes to forecasting political events and issues ahead of the curve. The podcasts have been talking for weeks about the potential for an establishment fight over the ‘presumptive’ Trump nomination. Just before the weekend all the stories broke about republican establishment types concerned about the down ticket, former presidents who say they won’t attend the convention, establishment donors and potential candidates refusing to endorse the ‘presumptive’ nominee. Which brings us to the media itself. A New York Times article last week about White House Media advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes has lots of people talking about how the White House ‘controls’ or thinks it controls the media. The main point of the story was Rhodes’ comments about how reporters sometimes copy and reprint whole press releases word for word, because no one actually does any real reporting work anymore when it comes to news. This is was an ongoing topic of conversation when The Bob Davis Podcasts was on the road in Mobile Podcast Command covering the primary election season in Iowa, South Carolina, Florida and Texas this spring. Yes there are a few actual reporters in Washington and New York who work sources and check out stories, but for the most part these days if you’re watching the 24 hour cable channels or listening to the radio you’re getting nothing more than a rehash of someone else’s writing and very often, it’s a press release written up as a new story without any fact checking or source confirmation. What missing is the kind of information people need to be able to discern what are facts and whether those facts are important or not. This is one of the reasons why American Politics isn’t a process for problems solving but a national representation of an increasingly tribal population. How do we build a future when all we’re really concerned about is what tribe each other belongs to and whether we can talk to each other? Digital media can help with that, or it can exacerbate the problem. How do podcasts make a difference? What’s the mission of this podcast these days? Sponsored by X Government Cars and Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul.