Podcast 247

Republicans Win! Election 2014 coverage. The final installment from Election Control deep inside the Broadcast Bunker. A minute by minute account of the election results on November 4th 2014. Starting out the podcast skeptical of big Republican wins and finally witnessing an historic ‘wave’ election. The GOP won 8-9 seats in the US Senate taking control of the upper house, more than 12 seats in the House, and 31 gubernatorial contests; The Governor’s races alone are headlines. Wisconsin’s Governor Walker won a tough race leading a number of significant Republican holds, with Governor’s mansion pick ups in 3 traditionally Democrat states; Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts. In Minnesota the news isn’t so good. While the Republicans won back control of the State House of Representatives, they lost big statewide races including Governor and the US Senate. Stewart Mills, the Republican favored to win in the 8th District lost his bid to unseat Congressman Nolan. (Editor’s Note: The big issue for me was whether predictions of Republicans winning 6 or more seats in the US Senate would come true. I did not feel the polls warranted that prediction, as close races in Kansas, North Carolina and Colorado could have gone either way, but in fact, the polls were pretty close this time. I said a Republican wave was certainly possible. I would rather be surprised, than be disappointed, so I was a little surprised, and you can hear it happen as the podcast progresses through the evening. All predictions, correct and incorrect aside, this is why we have elections; so we can see what happens.) With historic wins by the Republicans in the midyear, the question now is whether President Obama will seek to conciliate and compromise with the new congress, with a much stronger Republican majority than the 113th Congress. What tack will the Republican Senate take with the President on Immigration, Obamacare, Judges, Foreign Policy as well as House investigations on a variety of subjects? Will a Republican Senate seek compromise with the President. If it does, will this endanger a Republican victory in 2016? How will democrats across the country react to this huge victory by Republicans? Is the victory based on low turnout by Democrats, or high turnout by Republicans? Were these votes a repudiation of President Obama, or based on local issues? To be fair, Republican wins are so broad based — Governor’s, House and Senate — its hard not to see it as a statement of disapproval of the President’s policies and leadership by voters. Will President Obama dig in his heels and fight a move to the center? Only time will tell. Sponsored by Baklund R&D. 

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Podcast 233

Ebola. “Ebola”, a word that may soon become synonymous with “Government Failure”. Does the US Government’s response to two Dallas health care workers contracting the Ebola virus make you feel more, or less confident in government. Breaking news these days provokes questions on what heavily funded government agencies are doing with our tax dollars … because they sure don’t seem to be protecting us from Ebola. Turns out the second Dallas health care worker to be infected, Amber Vinson, told the CDC she had a slight fever before boarding a flight from Cleveland to Dallas, and the CDC said, ‘Yeah, go ahead’. Turns out the CDC procedures for containing the disease at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas were not only inadequate, according to Doctors Without Borders — the organization most experienced at containing the Ebola Virus — the CDC’s guidelines for containing Ebola are flat out wrong. What is CDC director Friedman’s response? In 20/20 hindsight, we could have done better. Huh? Meanwhile, President Obama’s Ebola conference went well into the evening, and something tells us they weren’t talking about the Phoenix Suns or the Lakers basketball teams. The president wants Governors to know they can call out the national guard, and that the federal government wants to help them. Is it Halloween yet? Because that is a pretty scary thought! Is this making you feel better about the government’s response to Ebola? By the way, suddenly, President Obama thinks appointing an Ebola Czar might be a good idea, and he isn’t philosophically ‘opposed’ to a travel ban, he was just advised not to order one. Wait, is that a bus coming? Because it sure looks like someone will be thrown under it soon. First name that pops up? CDC director Tom Freidmen. Meanwhile people from Ebola stricken countries in West Africa have just been told the President is considering a travel ban. Think they’ll jump on planes to get in before that ban goes into effect? Let’s get real; The President could order a travel ban instantly, with no warning, and he only needs his phone, not even the pen. Kenya and Nigeria, instituted travel bans weeks ago and credit those bans with saving their countries from infection, but somehow its not a good idea for the US. Meanwhile the CDC gets 7 Billion dollars a year from American taxpayers and at least 200 million from private donors in the Atlanta area. The agency spends millions trying to get states to pass mandatory motorcycle helmet laws, monitoring video game and TV ‘violence’, creating so called ‘injury centers’ that regulate – wait for it – playground equipment, lobbying for gun control efforts, and pushing ‘social norming’ in government schools. But, apparently not fighting Ebola or Enterovirus D68. Houston, we have a problem. Our government doesn’t work very well and its costing Americans an arm and a leg. What do we need to do to fix this mess and get the government out of people’s personal lives, and back to doing what it is constitutionally mandated to do. Sponsored by Sedation and Implant Dentistry of Saint Paul. 

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