Podcast 220

Bonfire at the Broadcast Bunker. On what may be one of the last great nights of the early fall/late summer season in the upper midwest, a back yard bonfire produces some reflection on this year’s election (not exactly inspiring), constant media predictions about its outcome (which are probably wrong) and the increasing desire to just vote and get it over with. A little bit of insight on where content for podcasts comes from. It would be easy to just pull some news stories and talk about them. The good stuff comes from what you pull from deep down. What does one do when there is no inspiration? Go to Yoga, have dinner with friends, light a late night bonfire by the bunker and turn on the microphones! A rant about restaurants that have TV monitors everywhere, the constant ‘push’ of the media filling ‘the news beast’ with updates, which really don’t mean anything, and why this podcaster will continue to scan, print and read to stay on top of developments. And, what about the 2014 election cycle. We have heard many predictions about its ‘probable’ outcome, from a ‘Republican Wave’, to the Democrats holding the Senate and gaining seats in the House. Are any of these predictions close to being correct? What will the ‘big story’ be on election night? What constitutes a ‘republican wave’, a loss or a win for democrats? How will a republican controlled Senate play in Season 6 and 7 of ‘Obama!, the series? How reliable are polls? Are they in any way useful in giving us any idea of what everyday Americans are thinking and feeling? Or, have people checked out of this one already? (Two misstatements in this podcast. First; Republicans don’t have to win 6 races, they have to pick up 6 seats to gain control of the Senate. Second, Republicans aren’t retaining control of the Senate. The Democratic Party currently holds a majority in the US Senate.) Sponsored by X Government Cars

Podcast 153

Weekend Update! Revised economic numbers for the 1st quarter do not look good at all. -1 percent economic growth as the US economy goes into contraction for the first time since 2011. Don’t worry though, it’s all because of the cold winter and the economy will bounce back in the 2nd quarter. Really? Or, is it possible the economic policies enacted by a democrat president and congress has led to low, slow, or no growth or even – gasp – recession. How could the smartest man in the world let that happen? The Star Tribune reports that the top democrats in the state are calling for VA Secretary Shinseki’s resignation. The paper waits until the last line to mention that the 2nd District’s Republican Congressman John Kline, and the 6th District’s Michele Bachmann ALSO have called for the secretary to resign. Obama is still ‘investigating’. Google will build its own driverless car, which has no steering wheel or brake. What is the difference between a June Bug and a Cicada? And finally, people who used to be starving are getting fat and the WHO thinks this is a bad thing, and there’s a run on egg whites. You won’t believe why. Sponsored by X Government Cars