Podcast 229

2014 Election Update. Political Red Meat. The 2014 Election will be a republican wave? Whoa! Hold on there, big shooter! It’s time to go through the toss up states one by one and take a look at what the polls say, how they are averaging and why predictions of a wave election for republicans may not just be off base, but way off base. Part of the problem is media company’s like NBC, which apparently is unable to discern the difference between a satirist and a newsman, between entertainment and information programming. No wonder people watching can’t tell the difference anymore. The other part of the problem is the habit of projecting polling data as actual votes. They are vastly different. Thus, someone is finally going to tell you why predicting republican – or democrat – victories with close races in places like Louisiana, Kansas, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, and yes even Iowa, is nothing more than setting a story line that makes republicans feel good and keeps them watching. They’ve even taken to suggesting Minnesota’s senate race could tighten up because businessman Mike McFadden is such a ‘good candidate’. Really? None of this means a Republican wave can’t or won’t happen, but predicting such a thing is really bad reporting. Another reason we are deeply ill served by our so called ‘news media’ these days, which has become a caricature of what it once was at best, and a gross cartoon at worst. The danger for Republicans is they will do what they always do, tell pollsters they are going to throw the bums out, that they’ll vote in a show of anger toward the bum-in-chief, and then since Fox News is telling them the GOP is on a roll stay home and get comfortable in the chair to watch the election results. God forbid anyone would actually go out and make sure a candidate wins, that’s for someone else. The danger for Democrats is that they will be so demoralized, they won’t vote (not betting on that, though). Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul, and by Depotstar. 

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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. 

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