Episode #728: Not So Fast
First Broadcast: 3/21/16
Even though Bernie Sanders didn't do so well in the March 15 Democratic primaries, there's a very good chance that the primaries after that date will be very much in his favor. Additionally, even though Donald Trump is managing first place finishes in most of the Republican primaries, his overall unpopularity among Republican voters would make him a very weak nominee statistically, if past weak nominees are any indication. By the way, have any other recent Presidential candidates come close to being charged with inciting a riot? Has any other front-runner ever had such a weak grasp of science? More weirdness to come, I'm sure.
Episode #729: Speaking of Brooklyn
First Broadcast: 3/28/16
After some brief speculation about Santeria in Brooklyn, we discuss how the Brooklyn District Attorney, Kenneth Thompson, recommended that the now-former NYPD officer, Peter Liang, not serve any time in prison, despite Liang's having been convicted of manslaughter against Akai Gurley, whom Liang killed by shooting him to death in a Brooklyn apartment building in 2014. What good does it do to convict a cop of killing an unarmed, innocent civilian if the cop ends up spending as much time in jail (or less) as someone who was never convicted at all? Then again, what else should we expect from a city that defends a cop who killed a pedestrian who had the right of way in a crosswalk by arguing that the pedestrian "assumed the risk of the injuries" by being there? Can "Campaign Zero" really help to curb police violence? What happened in Arizona on March 22nd? So many questions!
Episode #730: Like a Subway Series
First Broadcast: 4/11/16
Repeated: 4/18/16
Bernie Sanders won Wisconsin, overcoming a 54-point deficit and ultimately beating Hillary Clinton by over 13 points in the primary there! And now that Bernie won the Wyoming caucuses, does this mean he now has a better chance of winning the New York primary? I certainly hope so. Here's to success!
Episode #731: Pants Suit and Toupee
First Broadcast: 4/25/16
The results from the New York State Presidential Primary are in, and the victors were Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side (even though she lost almost all of upstate), and Donald Trump on the Republican side (even though he lost the one county where he lives to John Kasich). It wasn't the big win that Bernie Sanders might have been hoping for (especially in the city, where Hillary Clinton swept most of the five boroughs), but there are two aspects of this that should give Sanders supporters hope. One: New York State was forecast to be a win for Clinton as far back as February, while still giving Sanders a path for the Democratic nomination. And two: If current trends continue, Sanders has been forecast by at least one group to take the lead in pledged delegates on May 9th, give or take a few days (although I don't have access to the math used to make that calculation). So, don't despair! As Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over." And there's still a lot to go between now and July 25!
Episode #732: Speaking of Dislike
First Broadcast: 5/2/16
Ted Cruz isn't an official nominee for anything, but that didn't stop him from choosing Carly Fiorina as his potential running mate in November. On the same day that happened, Donald Trump gave a speech outlining his foreigh policy positions, which by all accounts made no real sense. His theme was "America First," which was also the name of an organization formed to prevent the United States from entering World War II (and disbanded three days after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941). Coincidence?
Episode #733: Now What?
First Broadcast: 5/9/16
Repeated: 6/13/16; 7/25/16
Despite all predictions to the contrary, Republican voters have basically told the Republican Party to go to hell, and have whittled down their choices for President to just one: Donald Trump. This, despite the allegation (somewhat bolstered by his own remarks) that Trump never even intended to get this far in the first place. What will the GOP do at their convention in July? Will Bernie Sanders defy the odds and get the Democratic nomination for President? Good lord, I hope so.
Episode #734: Triple Spacing Your Paper
First Broadcast: 5/23/16
In the Kentucky Democratic Presidential primary, Hillary Clinton is less than 2000 votes ahead of Bernie Sanders in the official count, but the outcome could still be decided by 13,000 absentee ballots, so there is still no clear winner there. In Oregon, however, Sanders was the undisbuted victor by almost 70,000 votes. So, as Naomi Klein said, "on the whole, the night belonged to #BernieSanders." Bernie could still win a fate-altering chunk of delegates in the California primary on June 7, so best of luck to him there. Too bad the rest of the nation isn't on California's "top-two system," but one thing at a time. What keeps me up at night is the thought of a Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump election in November, which to me has an eerie similarity to the 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election, where Edwin Edwards, a Democrat with a history of corruption allegations, faced off against David Duke, a Republican who had previously been a Grand Wizard in the KKK. A popular bumper sticker at the time read "Vote For The Crook: It's Important." I would hate for the 2016 election to be reduced to the same rationale, but if there's anything positive to be learned from the previous election, the "crook" won with 61% of the vote. So, maybe the country isn't completely destined have a lunatic drive it off a cliff. Maybe.
Episode #735: Ridiculously Strange
First Broadcast: 6/6/16
Repeated: 7/11/16
The 2016 campaign is still going, Bernie Sanders remains the most favorable candidate in the race, and Camerawoman Kim takes the lead in describing the many, many, many reasons why Hillary Clinton's maintenance of a separate email server during her term as Secretary of State was improper at best and criminal at worst. Will this lead to an indictment? [Ed.: Apparently not. 7/10/16] Will the DNC decide that Bernie Sanders is the less felonious and more electable candidate for the Presidency? All good questions, none of which I have the answer to yet.