A collection of random stories - a child reporter gets the scoop of the lifetime in 1976. A look at the Patty Hearst story and the central question, did she know it. The Potsdam Conference. And a little poetry.

Vaccine history, acceptance and denial.  The man who saved Boston and never got credit.   Law and the citizen and medicine.   FDR's polio - if it was polio - and what it meant for America.  From 2014, with an update for...

What's in a word? Lots, maybe, when its a key word in the most contentious debate in America. The word "infringe" determines the threshold of how the Constitution should be enforced. But do we understand the word, and if we do, are we applying it correctly in our political debates over guns and politics? In this cast we look at how framers like Washington, Madison, Hamilton and Jefferson used the word, and how it's applied in DC v. Heller and US v. Miller. We contrast infringe to its Constitutional cousin abridge, and we look at what the NRA asserts about the 2nd amendment's words, including the word infringe. We also look at the current New York carry law Supreme Court case and where the Court is likely to go, and look at guns and politics in general.

a story of 1970's British politics. A change in country is behind every corner of the smoking room, every staircase, and every pint of ale. On benches red and green, members make moves. A pipe-smoker, a yacht champion, a grocer's daughter a former (maybe current?) spy.

We all know Abraham Lincoln wins in 1860, and most know that it was because the Democrats split [except, in many states they actually got back together], that's what we know. But there's a lot to the 1860 election and this episode originally aired in 2020, we get into it. Sam Houston almost-ran. People called themselves woke. (well, "wide awake"). Lincoln faced 4 opponents and one was attacked for being homeless, the other gave up his campaign at the end. Here in all the newspaper printing backroom candlelight and train-hopping politics, we tell the story your history textbook might have skipped.

With Jerry Landry of The Presidencies of The United States Podcast [https://www.presidenciespodcast.com/] we talk about a decisive point in John Adam's presidency where the capital moved to Trenton, and Adams had gone to Massachusetts. He comes back to take a decisive stand that will mean a lot for the history of the U.S. Presidency. Jerry's show can be found at - https://www.presidenciespodcast.com. The episode following this one is called "Some Awful Crisis" and it is at - https://www.presidenciespodcast.com/217-some-awful-crisis/ We are part of Airwave Media Network - www.airwavemedia.com

It started with one guy's idea.  And nothing happened with it until after he died.  We look at the Maine and Nebraska congressional district system of Presidential elector assignment and its history as both the NE2 and ME2 went for different...

Both major parties have their conventions. The Democratic swashbucklers are at the podium, firing up a party to get excited about Wilson by linking him to a cause. One he didn't ask to be linked to. The Republicans get their party united, and toastmaster Warren G. Harding is fierce as he makes the case to dump Wilson. The Socialists also pick new candidates, a decision which may be as impactful as anything on Election Day.

America decides whether or not to re-elect a President and it's close. Bruce does his best 1916 version of Steve Kornacki going through the returns as they come in and as the nation awaits a verdict. A President that hadn't been elected with a majority, a re-election that happens while Europe is at war. Early results show that America will get a new President. But those pesky precincts. Why can't they count the vote faster? We talk about the factors behind the election and Wilson's Presidency.

One violent event, captured in the best media technologies of its time and brought to American living parlors, completely changed American politics during the Reconstruction period.  A convention at the stately Mechanics' Institute in New...

College costs have been an issue since the founding of the Republic, as we discuss in this issue, And equally, the desire to provide education to young minds has been strong. What's different about the era we live in is that college is closely associated with debt. Debt that cannot be removed by bankruptcy, and debt that is now considered a national problem. We look at student loans, their history, and on the way a bit of a history of American education. How Harvard isn't Harvard, in a manner of speaking. How Jefferson and Wilson got seriously involved in dorms. How Nixon created a monster, though we can say on purpose. How even education for GIs has been controversial, and how Senator Joe Biden played a role in the problem that President Joe Biden seeks to solve (or ameliorate). Thankful to Brian Stolk and Chris Novembrino who made contributions to research for this episode. We are part of Airwave Media Podcast Network www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising - sales@advertisecast.com

From 2020 - A look at the first South Carolina primary in 1980 and its intended role at the time as a firewall for conservative politics. We also look at how disco sucked, Dylan went Christian and some events that happened at the same time, all unrelated but in...

In the third year of the Presidency, Jimmy Carter wrestles with combining the principles of his first term with realities of the American economy amid myriad domestic struggles, two hostage-taking incidents, and a intraparty political rival. He attempts to make a speech that will reconnect him with the American people. We are part of Airwave Media Network To advertise, email advertising@airwavemedia.com

Can the Presidency be done differently? Can a President be less Imperial, more of a citizen, turning the thermostat down in the White House and carrying his own bags? In many ways, Jimmy Carter approached 1977 seeing himself in this light. We look at the first year of Carter's Presidency.

With Edward Segal, author of Whistle-Stop Politics, we talk about the unique method of campaigning for President - by train. And why it's not just a thing of the past. See more about Edward's book here: https://edwardsegal.com/whistle-stop-politics/ We are part of Airwave Media Network For more train politics stories, more 1988 election stories, and other things, join our Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/mhcbuyp

In his first and second years as an improbable GOP Governor in the South in the 1960's Kirk, tries out a new type of politics, at least new to the Sunshine State: confrontation. Equally with protestors, strikers, and polluters, he confronts them straight on. He also makes a miscalculation that will hurt his rep while he's winning a political victory.

In the late 1960's the first GOP governor of Florida since Reconstruction found himself elected with no support in the legislature. He had only a microphone and so he used direct confrontation, insults, press-bashing and other tactics to get elected and get his way. Rather than let things be he took on left-wing hippies and right wing segregationists alike in the early part of his term. He aimed his cannons at communists, but also at good old boy political machines. And what do you know, he also is the governor to bring in a large amusement park to the state. Move that Earth he said! This will be part 1 of a 3 part series.