Podcast 469

Key West. Not what you’d expect. What is the urge to travel all about? Is it a search for that ‘perfect’ place? Something fixed in the mind? A weather-beaten cottage on the beach, in the moonlight? A mountain town in West Virginia, or Tennessee? The high desert? High in the Rockies in Colorado, or Montana, or the pine country of Northern Arizona. ‘The Search’ brought the Bob Davis Podcasts to the Florida Keys. While the keys north of Key West are slightly less ‘touristy’, close to what it must have been like in the 1950’s or 1960’s, Key West seems to have had a little too much success. If you decide to come to any of the keys in season, planning ahead is ‘key’. Even RV Road Rangers will need to make reservations, and will have to research the best places to park, lest you end up in a gravel pit somewhere near a swamp. And no, you won’t be able to park on the beach overnight. Standing on a corner anywhere in Key West one gets the impression that the best thing to do would be to rent a boat and head for the uninhabited smaller Keys that dot the water around the ‘big’ keys, if you want peace and quiet. God knows how much that is. There is something magical about this place, but it is getting shouted down and drowned out by commercialism and tourist pandering that sometimes takes your breath away. 145 dollars for a campsite for one night. 15 dollars to walk through a museum that features a video from a documentary done 20 years ago, and some artifacts from a treasure hunt. Breaking Bad and ‘I’m With Stupid’ T-shirts. Unless you’re staying at an expensive resort, you won’t really have access to a great beach. Vacancies? In season? Now that’s comedy. Peace and quiet? Everywhere you go you’ll be bombarded with music, in various forms of live. Old Town Key West is homey. The people all through the Keys are amazing and helpful. Key West may be considered a rival to the resorts in Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and other places in the Caribbean, but it doesn’t quite rise to the level of services seen in those kinds of places. Sometimes it feels like the Jersey Shore, but the Jersey Shore actually does ‘Beach Town’ better, in season. Back on Florida’s amazing Interstates, as The Search’ continues, heading for the Gulf Coast. Listen all the way through for a little surprise, especially if you’re still in the frozen north. Sponsored by Brush Studio and Hydrus.(Editor’s Note: Got a message from my best friend in Arizona today. I didn’t just mispronounce Islamorada’s name, I butchered it. My deepest apologies to people who live there, who will have a good laugh I am sure. I won’t even attempt a phonetic spelling. I’ll just have to live with that massive mistake, although I’ll hate it.)  

Podcast 239

State Governors Revolt. As New York City gets its first Ebola patient, State Governors now want their own protocols for those coming into their states from West Africa. New York, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois and other states may soon put in place screening protocols that are more stringent than what the Federal Government has put in place. Are Governors ahead of the President on this issue? Governors have to be decisive in a crisis rather than contemplative. The White House keeps saying stricter state protocols will mean aid workers won’t be able to go TO West Africa, but the problem is those coming back FROM Ebola stricken areas in West Africa. Could the CDC charter US carriers to take aid workers to Africa and bring them back, with a mandatory 21 day quarantine whether the returnee had Ebola or not? Call it ‘hysteria’ but the fact is, people are concerned. Telling them not to panic isn’t going to stop panic. The President has to act decisively to address this, not with political theater and not by telling people what he’s GOING to do. Would Airlines cease flights from these regions eventually, since they are responsible for their passengers safety? If Obama had been Governor of Illinois, is it possible he would be better equipped to handle this kind of situation? Meanwhile, there are irresponsible ‘journalists’ out there telling stories of Ebola ‘victims’ being ‘disappeared’, with no named sources, no confirmation of stories, or sourced to some other blog or article. On the political front, yet more polls, less than two weeks from Election 2014 announcing Republicans will win control of the US Senate. Polls in key states are tightening. Some states the GOP thought were wins a few weeks ago, are now in play. The same is happening with some democrat races. A new study shows, in statewide races decided within a point, Democrats win two thirds of the time, and for races within 2 to 4 points Democrats win half the time. Not good odds for Republicans in close races. Another concern is that early voting will increase the number of non citizens voting this year. Non citizens usually vote for Democrats. Now, these are wild cards, but take them into considering when everyone in the media is jumping on the Republican ‘wave’ bandwagon. Perhaps the best bellwether is Democrats who are already developing excuse stories. Republicans will win because they are capitalizing on unreasonable hatred of the President. Yet, Obama’s strongest supporters in 2008 and 2012 are suffering the most under his economic and social policies. Americans are not ‘divided’. There’s no ‘all blue’ or ‘all red’, we are divided politically by issue, not party. Republicans could win the Senate. Or not. We won’t know until after people vote on November 4th. Sharyl Atkinsson’s new book is out and it is said she proves bias at the top networks. Or, does she prove management at the big broadcasting companies are cowards? Sponsored by X Government Cars

Podcast 74

An Election 2013 Special Report: Live from Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate Cam Winton’s campaign wrap party, election night in South Minneapolis. Special Guests Cam Winton, Mitch Berg, CD5 Republican Chair Nancy Laroche, candidates David Pascoe, Katy Fulkerson, Mitch Rossow and a cast of characters. Plus my analysis of the impact of key races in Virginia, New Jersey and Alabama’s 1st Congressional District. This podcast has an interesting audio overlay; We’re discussing moderate candidates Chris Christie and the ‘Unity’ message coming out of  New Jersey and Virginia, as well as Tea Party losses in Virginia and Alabama, from the campaign wrap party for a moderate candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis who lost his race. Sponsored by www.Xgovernmentcars.com.